Chapter three - After party

There was a long silence before William suddenly muttered,

"Fine, if it's what you want, Mother," And Catherine felt her heart racing widely.

Catherine tried to look at him but failed, and that was when she felt his hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She closed her eyes; whatever came, she got her hands cold. Her very first kiss, with her newly wedded strange husband.

Without words, William lowered his head, placing his mouth into hers, and Catherine froze as she felt William's tongue dance slowly in her mouth. Even though there was no atom of feelings for each other, they had to show the world the opposite.

Catherine could feel his hands threading through her scalp, sending shivers down her spine. He deepened the kiss to the point she didn't know when a moan softly left her lips.

She had kissed him back, leaving her breathless and no space to think and when they broke the kiss, she wanted to take a look at his face, but the man had turned already, leaving her with a side profile that spoke volumes of things concealed; his expression was blank making her confused to understand the man's feelings.

And before she knew what was happening, he took her into his arms as his parents would want and headed towards the room while Mrs Bentley was screaming excitedly and clapping her hands together.

William took Catherine to his bedroom which will be Catherine's new bedroom.

As they step into the room, Catherine was immediately struck by the warmth and elegance that surrounds her. Soft, golden light poured in through the large windows, illuminating the rich, dark wood floors and accentuating the plush area rug in a vibrant shade of turquoise.

The walls were painted a soothing cream color, providing a serene backdrop for the exquisite furnishings. A very large and soft king-sized bed in the centre of the room tied everything together.

She didn't miss to see the stunning chandelier hanging from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. The air was filled with the sweet scent of fresh flowers, arranged beautifully in a crystal vase on the coffee table.

Every detail in this room was carefully considered, from the intricate molding on the walls to the delicate patterns on the throw pillows.

The result was a space that felt both luxurious and cozy, perfect for relaxing, entertaining, or simply enjoying a quiet moment to yourself, but she wondered, was it going to be possible to feel all these here?

But then, she was surprised by her husband's good sense of decorations.

"You heard Father, get changed." He ordered, quickly taking her off his arms. He ransacked his walk-in closet for something simple to wear for the occasion.

When he was done, he walked out and saw Catherine still seated on the bed like she didn't hear a word he spoke. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me?"

Catherine clung to her dress. She stared at him with an expressionless face and then asked, "William, am I supposed to dress up with you in here?!" Sounding slightly irritated.

"You think I'm interested in seeing your body. You better get that stupid thought out of your head." William scoffed and walked away. While she immediately started dressing.

As absurd as things were, Catherine didn't seem surprised. She didn't expect any caring expression from him; she was sure he hated this as much as she did.

"Willy my boy, where's your wife?" Michelle, William's mother asked, looking up at the staircase, hoping to see Catherine. "Both of you were supposed to come down together." She held his arm as she spoke.

"Mother, Catherine isn't co--"

"Oh, there she is," Michelle interrupted her son. William turned to see what was causing his mother's eyes to light up, and to his surprise, he saw Catherine coming down the stairs wearing a skittish, sleeveless wine-colored dress that revealed her curvaceous figure.

William experienced his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach and rise back up. He began to choke on his saliva before reaching over to one of the servants' trays for a drink. Michelle walked towards her to help her down the stairs, "Come here my love, you look amazing." She complimented with a wide smile.

"Willy! Get over here." Michelle ordered. "Mr. Dunlop is right down the corner, he has been asking of you since the party started. You and Catherine should go say hi to him. Go! Go!"

Catherine walked alongside William through the small crowd of people that had gathered for the party over to where Dunlop was standing. Dunlop was an old-time business partner to the Bentleys and a very close family friend she came to understand.

"There he is! William Louis Bentley, Newest husband in town." Dunlop laughed. "How are you, my boy?"

"I'm well Sir," William responded lightly.

"You must be William's wife." He stretched his hands and exchanged a handshake with Catherine.

"It's Catherine Sir, Catherine Bentley." Her voice was shaky.

"You caught a beautiful one William." He said and chuckled.

~~~

After the party was over, Mr and Mrs Bentley had already retired to their bedroom, while Catherine was stuck with William in his room. William got out of the shower and met Catherine lying on the couch, looking like she was almost deep in her sleep.

"What does she think she's doing now?" He approached her and called her, "Catherine? What are you doing?"

Catherine's eyes fluttered open, rubbing her hands on her eyes to get the sleep off. "William, obviously I'm trying to get some sleep--"

"I'm not daft Catherine. I mean are you trying to ruin my perfect couch by sleeping on it? That's why a bed was provided. Get off it!"

She looked confused; how was she supposed to sleep on the bed? Wouldn't that make their bodies touch? She couldn't help but glare daggers at him and tilted her head, thinking whether she should listen to him or not.

They stared at each other for what took some minutes before she finally stood up and walked over to the mattress, maintaining quite a distance away from him.

Williams also got to the other side, creating a wide bridge between them with the duvet.

They both awkwardly curled up in bed with two separate duvets facing each other's backs.

After some minutes of her heart racing with this wild feeling, she finally shut her eyes before the vibration of William's voice woke her up again.

"We have a meeting with Father tomorrow at the breakfast table. Be there! It's important." When he was done speaking, he adjusted his duvet.

Catherine didn't say anything to him. As she lay there, she grew curious about what his father wanted to tell them first thing the following morning.