"Drink less,” Hawthorne murmured beside her. The flush on Gwh''s cheeks only made her more beautiful, almost delectable. Few of the guests had ever seen her before; she wasn''t one for socializing, so most only knew of the Langford heiress by name. Now, seeing her in person, they couldn''t help but sigh with regret.
If only they had known the Langford girl was getting married, they would have relentlessly beaten a path to her door to propose. But now, a woman of such fine standing wasn''t settling down in Starfall City; she''d been snatched away by someone from a thousand miles away. More than one man was kicking himself.
Gwh had changed into a scarlet silk evening gown for the toasts. Her full makeup, with eyeliner flicked up at the corners of her eyes, gave her a bewitching allure. With her bright smile and red lips, her tipsy, hazy expression was a captivating mix of innocence and sensuality.
More than a few men stared, their eyes glued to her.
Hawthorne noticed, and his professional smile slowly hardened into a silent, rigid expression.
He forced himself to get through the toasts. Victoria and the Langford patriarch were also making the rounds. Victoria had wanted her father to sit and rest, but he insisted he was too happy, even picking up a wine ss after years of abstinence. It was clear just how overjoyed he was to see Gwh married.
When Gwh returned to the main table, Hawthorne stayed close by her side. Victoria, who had also had a bit much to drink, had a rosy blush on her cheeks, looking as elegant as ever. Hawthorne poured a ss of warm water for Gwh and handed it to her once it had cooled slightly. "I put some tea leaves in it. Try it, it''ll help with the alcohol."
He saw through her cheerful facade to the sorrow she was drowning in alcohol, and he watched her closely, afraid she might cause trouble.
Gwh pushed the ss away. "I don''t want tea, I want wine. Come on, you drink with me." She poured Hawthorne a full ss of vodka.
Hawthorne frowned. Flirting over a drink in private was one thing, but this was their wedding day, with all their friends and family watching. More importantly, when Gwh drank, she became dangerously charming and alluring. Why would he want to disy that side of his wife to anyone else?
"Gwyn, you''re drunk." He reached for her ss, but she dodged him. "If you won''t drink, I''ll drink it myself."
With so many guests, Hawthorne couldn''t let her make a scene. He
snatched the ss. "Fine, I''ll drink with you. Losing face at such. important event would only cause more trouble. Guests were already looking their way, especially Victoria and the patriarch, Mr. and Mrs. Everhart were also looking on in confusion, wondering why the young couple seemed to be bickering. They had assumed that by going through with the wedding, they had reconciled.
Hawthorne downed the ss in one go. Gwh stared for a second then smiled and pped lightly. "My husband can really hold his liquor Come on, another round. I''ll join you for this one."
She refilled Hawthorne''s ss, then raised her own ss of red wine and clinked it against his. Before he could react, she tilted her head back and drained it.
"Congrattions, Mr. Everhart." Her tone wasced with double meaning.
Hawthorne''s face was grim. “What''s that supposed to mean? Say it clearly."
Gwh''s eyes shed with biting sarcasm. "What do you think it means? Patti Yale..."
Seeing she was about to drink again, Hawthorne ignored the stares of the onlookers, swept her up into his arms, and strode out of the hall.
"What''s going on with Gwyn?" the patriarch asked with a frown.
Victoria, who knew exactly what was happening, smiled serenely. "They''re just a young couple. Let''s not meddle. It''s a happy day, everyone, let''s drink up!"
Gwh was carried into a luxury van by Hawthorne. The Langford wedding reception had been going since morning and outside the hote the city was an ocean of twinkling lights.
"Gwh, that''s enough. You''re not a child anymore."