Madeleine sat on the bed in the guest room, staring at the white dress that hung before her. It was absolutely stunning, there was no denying that. The top was a simple ballgown cut, intricately sewn together with diamonds. It drew in tightly at the torso before cascading into a flowing skirt, a long train that would follow her step. A transparent lace delicately laid on top, adorned with a floral design. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid her eyes on. And yet, an aching feeling guilt lingered in the back of her heart, eating away at her.

"It is a gorgeous dress, is it not?" Daphne's soft voice brought Madeleine out of her thoughts and she nodded, smiling politely at the girl who stood in the doorway.

"It is indeed. The modiste's work surely exceeded all of my expectations." Her voice was a soft whisper as she looked back to the dress, a longing expression on her face.

"And yet you are not entirely satisfied." Daphne observed, moving to sit beside the older girl and taking her hand. "What is it, Madeleine? Is something not to your liking?"

Madeleine smiled softly and shook her head, placing her other hand on top of Daphne's.

"No, everything is absolutely wonderful. It is just that.. Well, your sister seems to have gotten inside my head." She chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"Eloise? You must not pay her any mind, she has always abhorred the entire idea of marriage." Daphne laughed softly, squeezing her hand.

"That is the thing, Daph, so have I. For as long as I can remember, I have not wanted to wed. It was the last thing I wanted, in fact. And here I am, set to be married tomorrow." Her face was worried, her brows furrowing slightly and a frown tugging at her lips.

"I love Benedict, I truly do. And I can not wait to call him my husband. I simply cannot help but wonder where it all changed so drastically." She sighed softly, looking at the girl. Daphne gave her a comforting smile.

"Love holds no answers. It simply comes when you least expect it and it changes every predisposition, every thing you hold to be true. There is no use in questioning it, if you are happy then that is the only answer you need." She urged, her words making Madeleine smile at her.

"When did you become so wise, hm?" Madeleine chuckled, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders and pulling her into a side hug. Daphne laughed softly and hugged her back, shaking her head.

"I am not wise, simply observant. I see the way you look at my brother, and I see the way he looks at you." She sat up straight again, placing her hand on Madeleine's shoulder. "This marriage will be a wonderful thing for the both of you." She whispered, smiling brightly. Madeleine's smiled mirrored hers and she nodded, the feeling of doubt having long abandoned her.

"You are right. Thank you, Daphne. You somehow always know exactly what to say." Madeleine giggled softly and the girl laughed before standing and leaving Madeleine to her thoughts.

Madeleine's gaze drifted over to the portrait of her mother that hung on the wall. Benedict had truly managed to capture everything she held so dearly about her departed mother, and the portrait seemed to provide her comfort somehow.

"Oh, I miss you more now than ever, Mother. I wish you could have been here to help me through this." She whispered softly, placing a hand on her heart. She sighed and took one last look at the painting before standing and heading to the drawing room to find Benedict.

The man stood at his easel, a bowl of fruit placed a few feet away that he was attempting to mimic in his panting. She smiled softly and leaned against the doorway, watching him as he concentrated. She caught his gaze after a moment, and he smiled warmly as he looked up from his work.

"You grow more beautiful every day, do you know that?" He walked over to her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She blushed and smiled up at him.

"I am already yours, there is no need to continue trying to flatter me. I can not say I do not enjoy it, though." He laughed at this and brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

"I plan to flatter you every chance I get, my love. I can not help it." He winked and she giggled, moving to sit on the sofa.

"Go on, I did not mean to interrupt your work. I will simply sit here and keep you company." She smoothed out her dress and he walked over to her, a small smirk on his face.

"How can you expect me to focus on a bowl of apples when you are within mere feet of me? It is simply too much to ask, I am afraid." He sat beside her, pressing his lips to hers. She smiled against his lips and kissed him back, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. He held her waist, moving his head down to kiss her jawline, then her neck. She giggled in delight, running a hand softly through his hair.

"Benedict, this is completely inappropriate." She whispered, nonetheless tilting her head slightly to the side to make it easier for him.

"Your actions say otherwise, my dear." He smirked against her neck, pulling her closer to him by her waist as he continued his ministrations.

"Mother will surely not say otherwise when she comes in, which is in about ten seconds seeing as she is right behind me." Colin's voice rang through the room as he entered and Benedict groaned, stopping and leaning back against the couch.

"I do not know about you, my love, but I can not wait to move into Aubrey Hall." Benedict whispered lowly. Madeleine's breath caught in her throat as his hand wandered dangerously low on her waist, out of Colin's view. "We will have all of the privacy we could ever want, and I will be free to touch you whenever and wherev-"

"There you two are!" Violet's voice was cheerful as she walked in, and Madeleine coughed to clear her throat, a deep blush on her cheeks from Benedict's words. He smirked at her adorable embarrassment before turning to greet his mother.

"You found us." He gave her a cheeky grin and she sat across from them.

"It seems as though everything is ready for the wedding tomorrow. Almost everybody in the ton will be in attendance, eager to see the wedding for which Her Majesty granted a special license." She smiled, taking a sip from the cup of tea Colin handed her.

"That is wonderful to hear, Violet. I am sure it will be a beautiful wedding, you have worked so hard to make it such." Madeleine smiled warmly at the woman.

"Well, this is the first wedding of my children, I want it to be perfect." She beamed.

"Does that mean you will not work as hard for the rest of your children's weddings?" Colin teased, sitting beside her and she chuckled, rolling her eyes slightly at him.

"Speaking of, since you are sure to be Anthony's best man, does that mean I get to be yours?" Colin grinned at his brother, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"I will be Benedict's best man, you will have your chance when Gregory weds." Anthony strolled in at the perfect time, a smirk on his face.

"Gregory's wedding?! I will likely be an old man before that happens!" Colin groaned dramatically, Benedict laughing at his reaction.

"Sorry, Col. Rules are rules." Benedict grinned at him, taking Madeleine's hand in his and standing.

"Well, Madeleine has promised to help me with my cuff links so that they do not give me any trouble tomorrow. We will see you all for dinner." He gave them a polite smile before pulling the girl out of the room. She laughed and pulled on his hand once they were upstairs, looking at him with wide eyes.

"And when exactly did I promise to do this?" She quirked an eyebrow and he grinned, leading her into her room. He closed the door and smirked, wasting no time in pressing his lips to hers.

"Do you not remember? Hm, maybe you need to lie down." He kissed her again, guiding her over to the bed and guiding her down without breaking the kiss. She smiled against his lips, gripping the back of his shirt.

"You are an imbecile, Benny. Lying to your mother simply to get me into bed?" She whispered against his lips.

"What can I say? You are simply intoxicating." He gave her his signature smirk and kissed all over her face, her laughter setting his heart ablaze.

"You are lucky I am a gentleman, and I am lucky we are to be married tomorrow. I do not think I could wait any longer for our wedding night." He winked, hovering above her. She laughed and ran her hand up his arm.

"Neither can I, especially not with you acting in such an animalistic manner." She teased, pushing him off of her and standing up. "All in one day's time, my dear. Come on, your mother will be having dinner served soon." She winked, walking into the hall and leaving him on the bed.

He groaned dramatically and stood up to follow her, kissing her cheek once he caught up. The two smiled politely at the family as they entered the dining room. The entire dinner was filled with bustling conversation of the wedding and of the couple moving into Aubrey Hall.

Madeleine fell asleep almost immediately once her head hit the pillow that night, overcome with exhaustion from the chaos of the past few days. She did not wake when Benedict snuck in to the room, but smiled softly in her sleep as he wrapped her up in his arms, whispering a soft goodnight as he fell asleep.