The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

Thank God for that. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Why is there more in the sink?”

“I have absolutely no idea.” I looked at them. “I can’t escape them.”

Adelaide laughed quietly. “I hate to break it to you, but you do have to come out now. You need to get your dress on, and Julia wants to take some photos before we leave.”

Oh, gosh.

I was going to throw up.

I knew I was.

I pushed myself up and took a deep breath. “Okay. Fine.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Adelaide, asking me sixty times isn’t going to change the fact I could throw up right now. Can we please just get this over and done with?”

“Yes, of course.” She opened the door again and stepped aside, waiting for me to leave.

Crap.

I guess she knew I was going to shut the door behind her again.

Sigh.

I shuffled out of the bathroom and walked back down the hall to my room. I wasn’t sure she’d take too kindly to me making a break for it, and honestly, I didn’t want to risk damaging this tiara.

It was too old, too pretty, and far too valuable for me to go arse over tit going down the stairs.

My bedroom was thankfully empty except for Gabriella, and she was slowly unzipping the dress from the bag. It was beautiful in its simplicity—there wasn’t a single sparkle or spec of lace on it, and I loved it for that very reason.

It was an A-line silhouette with an empire waistline, and the plunging V-neck was sexy yet modest on account of the thick, short sleeves that followed the lines of my collar bones to perfection to rest on the curve of my shoulder. There was a slit on the left side that was only visible if I stuck my leg out deliberately, and there was just enough of a train for it to be dramatic.

I’d fallen for this dress the moment I’d seen it in the wedding dress shop, yet now, it was terrifying to me.

Gabriella sighed happily, stepping back. “Oh, I love this dress so much.”

“Me, too.” Adelaide smiled. “It’s so different to mine, yet I adore it.”

I looked at the pristine, white wedding gown and tilted my head to the side. “I’m going to get soup on it. I know it.”

“You are not,” Adelaide said firmly. “You are not eating the soup. Your starter is a salad. I fixed it.”

I couldn’t even eat what I wanted on my wedding day.

This sucked.

“All right. Just help me get into this, would you? I still haven’t got any jewellery on, and we’re running out of time.” I shrugged off my dressing gown, careful not to mess up my curls, and stood there in my underwear as Gabriella and Adelaide carefully removed the dress from the hanger.

Thank God all the pissy little buttons at the back were already undone.

They held the dress as I stepped into it, and when they were both behind me, I reached back and unclipped my bra.

There was no way I was getting away with wearing one today.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Any day that didn’t require a bra couldn’t be that hellish.

I slipped my arms into the sleeves and stared out of the window as Gabriella stepped behind me and began the arduous process of doing up all the tiny buttons. I don’t know what sadist thought that was an acceptable way to do up a wedding dress.

Couldn’t we just use zippers?

Fast, cheap, easy.

I’d be on my way to the church by now if it were a zipper compared to forty little buttons.

“Adelaide, do those last few. My fingers are going to fall off.”

My sister laughed and swapped places with Gabi. A few minutes later, I was buttoned in, and I slid my hands one by one down the top of my dress and adjusted my boobs to the built-in cups.

It gave me a cracking cleavage, to be fair.

They both stepped in front of me and looked at me from the tiara to my bare toes.

“What?” I whispered. “Stop looking at me like that.”

Gabi sniffed and turned away, opening the jewellery box.

Addy rolled her shoulders and averted her gaze, too. “Watch out. He’s going to fall in love with you when he sees you in that dress.”

I waved my hand dismissively and gathered the skirt so I could put my shoes on. They were just as simple as the dress—a plain, white satin with a medium heel, and they were surprisingly comfortable.

With my feet in place, I released the skirt. It was the perfect length, and the seamstress had done an incredible job altering it to fit me.

Addy stepped up behind me with my necklace in hand. It was my something borrowed as it belonged to her, and it was as simple as the rest of my fancy outfit—a simple white gold chain with a single teardrop diamond.