The Reluctant Duchess Ch. 07

Whatever happened, she was glad that Mark was there. He was an unexpected good thing that came from all the shit that she had to deal with. If necessary, she knew that he'd make a good father, and she even thought that she could deal with him as a husband. Never before had she considered being with only one man for, maybe, the rest of her life, and while the idea would have been laughable—or horrific—to her not too long ago, now it didn't seem so bad. Even good, she admitted to herself, checking her watch again.

It was time. She picked up the first test. Negative. The second test—Negative. She suppressed a yell until she double checked the results against each test's instructions. Confirming that she wasn't pregnant, Sophie let out a whoop of joy.

Mark came rushing in. "So?"

"Negative," she replied, rushing into his arms.

"That's good news, right?" Mark asked.

"God, yes. Do you honestly think that I'm ready to be a mother?"

"Honestly, no, and I'm not ready to be a father, but I think that push comes to shove, Sophie, you'd be a great mother."

"Well, I do have a role model of what not to do."

"C'mon Sophie, your mother isn't that bad."

"You didn't have to grow up as her disappointing daughter. And she likes you because you suck up to her," Sophie teased. Even thinking about her mother couldn't bring her down, now that the fear of pregnancy was gone.

"I'm not stupid. I learned quickly that it was better—for both of us—if I was on her good side."

"I think we need to celebrate not being parents," Sophie said, changing the subject to one more pleasant to her than her mother. They walked out of the bathroom. But before Sophie could begin undressing, Mark reached into his pocket.

"Sophie, a few minutes ago, you were prepared to marry me because you had to. And you know that I love you." He dropped to a knee and pulled out the ring box. "But now, I'm asking you to marry me because you want to. I know that I would be honored and unbelievably happy if you said yes."

Sophie was stunned and speechless. She took the ring box reflexively, because it was being offered to her, and when she opened it, she gasped at the beauty of its contents. Not ostentatious, but elegant. Perfect. She stood there staring at the ring as the world closed around her. She saw the wedding, their life together, their two blonde children, and she smiled. She was happy.

"Yes. Yes. I'll marry you." She slipped the ring on her finger and admired it for a few seconds before hurling herself at the now standing Mark, kissing him passionately.

When they came up for air, Mark smiled at Sophie. "Actually, I've been told that because you are the Grand Duchess, you have to ask me to marry you."

"I'm not getting on my knees. Yet," she said with a lascivious smile. "And I don't have a ring, but Mark Hausman, will you make me the happiest Grand Duchess in Klippenberg, and agree to be my husband?"

"Only in Klippenberg?" Mark responded, pretending to be hurt.

"In the whole fucking world, Mark."

"In that case, yes."

"Now, let's really celebrate," she said, taking off her sweater as a prelude to removing all of her clothing, as Mark did the same. Mark reached out, and Sophie melted against him. The nervousness of the past days faded away, replaced by desire, and their mouths met in a passionate kiss.

Sophie could feel Mark's arousal pressing against her, and she felt the tingling and warmth of her own desire. They continued to kiss, exploring each other's tongue and lips. Mark ran his hands up Sophie's sides, from her hips to the side of her chest, and she leaned back far enough to allow him to cup her breasts. The feel of his hands on her hard nipples, even over her clothing was intense enough to cause her head to drop back as she moaned with lust. Mark pressed his hardness against her, panting.

Without breaking their embrace, Mark pulled up Sophie's shirt reached up and fumbled with the clasp to her bra, eventually releasing it and pulling the straps forward. Sophie leaned back and tossed it onto the floor before starting to remove Mark's shirt. He could barely contain the throbbing between his legs as he realized that he was about to have sex with his fiancée for the first time.

They both started removing their pants, and stood before each other only in their underwear. Mark's boxers were straining to contain his erection, and with a smile, Sophie pulled them down and fell to her knees. She looked up at Mark, past his trembling cock and licked her reddened lips before kissing the tip.

Mark moaned, and his moaning increased as Sophie licked the head of his cock before opening her mouth and taking it in. The intensity of the pleasure that his future wife was giving him, and the look of happiness on Sophie's face as she lovingly used her mouth and tongue on his pulsing rod brought Mark to a frenzy, and he thrust himself into Sophie's warm mouth. Startled at Mark's intensity, Sophie gasped, before pressing her hands on Mark's ass and allowing him to keep thrusting, until, with a sharp breath, he shot a huge load deep into her throat. Sophie gagged, but instinctively closed her lips around Mark's spewing member, swallowing his cum until he was finished.

On weak legs, Mark stumbled to the side of the bed and sat, as Sophie stood up. Mark was enthralled at the sight of his beautiful fiancée, and still recovering from the blowjob, Mark watched as she removed her panties and displayed herself, fully naked.

"This is all you ever get, for the rest of your life, Mark. Can you deal with that?"

"I don't ever want anything else, Sophie."

She approached the bed, and Mark kissed the underside of her breasts before moving up to suck on the nipple of one, then the other before kissing down to her bellybutton. Mark could smell the strong odor of Sophie's arousal, and he reached down with his hand to stroke her soft pubic hair, causing Sophie to sigh. He explored her folds and was surprised at how wet and slippery they were, easily and happily accommodating his finger when he pressed it inside.

Removing his finger from Sophie's hot pussy, Mark wrapped his arms around her and pressed his forehead against her flat abdomen, reaching around her hips and tugging her around so that she flopped onto the bed next to him. Gently pressing her back against the bed, Mark slid onto the floor, worked his way between Sophie's slim, smooth legs, before burying his face into her pussy. Sophie moaned softly, and spread her legs, opening herself wide for Mark to explore. Which he did, until Sophie's hips began to thrust, as of their own accord, up to meet his waiting lips and tongue. Reaching under Sophie as she lifted her butt off of the mattress, he attacked her clit with his tongue while first grabbing her firm ass cheek, then working his hand so that it was able to stroke the area above her asshole, causing Sophie to gasp with delight before her body began to tremble and her legs shake was waves and waves of pleasure spread throughout her body. Eventually, the sensation was so intense that she pushed Mark away, unable to take any more.

Mark stood and admired Sophie, splayed out on the bed, hair askew, legs rubbery, breasts firm, with nipples erect, as she recovered from her orgasm.

No, Mark thought, I don't ever need anything else.

Sophie, however, wanted something more right then, and that was Mark's cock inside her. Recovered from her climax, she wiggled to the top of the bed and rolled around, removing the covers as Mark gazed lovingly at her, as she finally laid her head on the pillow, and spread her legs, signaling her intention. Mark slowly kissed his way up her left foot to her shin, her knee, and her thigh, before planting a brief kiss on her clit. He then worked his way up her stomach, paid appropriate attention to both breasts before kissing Sophie's neck, ears, and finally, her lips, as Sophie wrapped her arms around Mark's strong back.

Sophie could feel Mark's hard erection against her, and reached down to make sure that it found its most useful place, and she smiled as Mark slowly entered her, inching his way forward until there was no further to go.

Feeling that there was no rush, Mark took his time, slowly pumping himself in and out of Sophie as she moaned happily, changing his angle and speed to maximize both of their pleasure. It seemed like hours, but was only minutes, before Sophie began to lose control and began to bounce and writhe under Mark, urging him to go faster, and Mark obliged, speeding his rhythm up until he was crashing his cock into Sophie faster and faster. Grunting and panting, the two lovers tried to keep increasing their speed, but eventually, nature happily took over as first Sophie, then Mark, climaxed intensely, and Mark collapsed, breathing hard, onto Sophie's sweaty chest. Using his arms so that he wasn't crushing her, Mark lay still, catching his breath as he heard Sophie do the same. She gently stroked his back, as his erection subsided and he rolled off of Sophie and reached out for her hand.

I think that I might be OK with this, Sophie thought to herself before falling asleep.

*

While Johanna's wedding had been big and beautiful, Sophie and Mark's wedding was huge and spectacular. Although Klippenberg was a tiny, little-known country, Sophie knew that with the right promotion, any royal wedding could become a big story. And Sophie wanted to use that publicity to promote her country, its people, its products and its beautiful scenery. Although her father and his immediate predecessors focused on building the Fund and the financial sector, Sophie, who lacked any expertise in that area, wanted to focus on trade and tourism, and needed to raise the country's profile to do so. With Johanna acting as point woman, a team of wedding planners, social media experts, and business leaders, with input, of course, from the happy couple, their parents and Clara Eltsmann, created an event that world leaders and celebrities clamored to attend.

At Sophie's insistence, virtually everything used at the wedding and reception was produced in Klippenberg, from the paper goods, to the food served, to the beer and wine. And that fact was made clear to everyone. Guests were housed in hotels, guest houses, private homes and on the palace grounds in the existing guest houses and luxury mobile homes. Even a barn and storage shed on the palace grounds were quickly turned into additional guest housing. The hope was to highlight the relatively unknown country, and as a result, Klippenburghers of every type felt like they had a vested interest in the wedding. The fact that both Sophie and Mark were personally popular added to the excitement.

When the day finally came, Mark and Sophie had decided to spend the night apart, in part because of the tradition, but more to save their strength for the busy days and nights ahead. Arriving separately at the Cathedral, they were ushered to private rooms to wait with their attendants.

Sophie had been squeezed into a dress that cost many thousands of Euros, designed and created by Klippenberg native Anna Rudolf, who was based in Berlin, but retained her original design studio in Klippenberg. It was a simple dress, but expertly cut, that clung to Sophie, accentuating her curves, without being too revealing. She sat, uncomfortably, making small talk with her maid of honor, Johanna, and her bridesmaids Zoe, Maria Stoltz, Gail Clancy, her closest friend from Columbia, and Mark's sister Denise, both of whom looked uncomfortable, so Sophie made an effort to have everyone speak English. Johanna, who was specifically prohibited from working for the whole day, having passed along all of her responsibility to Elise, still watched Sophie closely. Considering the magnitude of the moment, Sophie appeared calm and happy, if uncomfortable in the form-fitting dress.

Meanwhile, Mark was pacing in his tuxedo, unable to control his excitement. His best man, Dan, and his groomsmen, his brother-in-law Allen, Gregg, Albert and Frederic Stoltz, tried desperately to calm him down, offering him first champagne, and then harder stuff, but he declined. The married men in the group tried to tell him about the joys of marriage, to no avail. Then, the Klippenburghers in the wedding party amused themselves by trying to teach the Americans curses in their dialect, which Mark was still trying to master.

Finally, it was time for the ceremony, and Mark was led to altar. Being a brand new Catholic, he had been drilled at length by Archbishop Hosse about what to do, but he found his mind completely blank. He looked over to the priest, who indicated that he was just to stand there. Looking out at the crowd, Mark realized he had never been in a room with so many people wearing such expensive clothing. Although the family members were close to the altar, and he could see his parents beaming and Charlotte Marie looking content, he recognized the American consul, some minor British royals, a handful of actors and musicians, and even the Prime Minister of Germany, whose appearance was both a nod to the highly publicized surprise descent of the groom from German nobility and a gesture of remorse for the rogue actions of her government.

As the parade of attendants made their way down the long, red carpeted aisle, Mark realized that he would be seeing his bride soon, and his heart began to pound. Dan nudged him in the side with his elbow, trying to break the tension, but Mark was focused on watching for his future bride to enter.

Sophie stood outside the door of the ancient cathedral, her heart pounding. She wished that her father were there, not only to give her away, but because she missed him, and realized that if he were there, she wouldn't be Grand Duchess. Her mother had declined the honor based on some internal calculation that was indecipherable to anyone else, and Sophie was relieved. In any event, Clara Eltsmann had argued that because Sophie was Grand Duchess, there was no one with the power to "give" her away, providing a justification for Charlotte Marie's decision.

Her friends had all entered, and only Elise was with Sophie, other than the silent presence of her security detail, which she had learned to pretend to forget existed. A brief moment of remorse passed through her mind, but fled with the realization that Mark was the right man for her. The organ played her entrance song, and taking a deep breath, and making sure that she was steady on her heels, Sophie entered the narthex before making her way down the nave. Every head turned to see her as she entered, and Sophie heard the crowd whispering as she walked down the aisle towards Mark, who, she noticed again, was very handsome, and looked surprisingly calm.

From the moment that he saw the vision that was Sophie enter the church, everything locked into place for Mark. He was, he realized, the luckiest man in the world. He knew that everything was the way it was supposed to be, and his nerves disappeared. All of the instructions that the Archbishop had given him came flooding back as the fog in his brain lifted.

It took a while to get through the service, which was in German, and Mark and Sophie did what they needed to do, until it was time to exchange vows. Once the rings had been exchanged, it felt real to both of them, which was reflected in the broad smiles on their faces and the way that they looked at each other. There was, of course, more of the Mass to endure, but eventually, they left the altar, hand in hand, as husband and wife, Grand Duchess and Grand Duke, to the enthusiastic cheers of the guests.

The receiving line was endless, and Mark and Sophie smiled and shook every hand. Mark still found the title Grand Duke to be strange in his ears, but he started to get used to it as he heard it more and more. He shook the hands of many people he recognized from TV or the Internet who had wrangled invitations to what had turned into the surprise wedding of the year. Kept at a distance in Josef Karl Platz, behind police lines, were Klippenburghers and tourists alike, who had watched the proceedings on huge video screens, eating local snacks and drinking local beer and wine. In fact, nearly every television and computer in the country, and a surprising number around the world, were tuned to the "fairytale wedding" of the "Reluctant Duchess" and her American husband.

Finally, it was time for the reception, on the palace grounds, under a tent that made the coronation ball tent look tiny. A series of DJs and live bands alternated providing music to the guests, and the event was streamed into Josef Karl Platz for the enjoyment of people unable to secure a coveted invitation. The food, again prepared by a consortium of Klippenberg chefs, was entirely locally sourced, and delicious. Mark noticed Annalise working with the catering staff, and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, which she returned with a big smile before getting back to work.

Sophie and Mark spent the reception together, often holding hands, as they circulated, meeting and greeting the guests, laughing and hugging their family and friends, and speaking appropriately with the dignitaries and celebrities who attended. They were able to break away to dance occasionally, and enjoyed the speeches from Johanna, Dan, Mark's father, Count Markel, and even Charlotte Marie. All of the speeches had been vetted by Clara Eltsmann for appropriateness, but neither newlywed had heard them before, resulting in much laughter, some mild embarrassment, and a few tears.

Finally, though, it was time for Sophie and Mark to leave, although at their insistence, the party was scheduled to continue into the wee hours of the morning. They quickly changed into casual clothing and got into their car, where Werner was waiting to take them to the mountain lodge, where they intended to spend the first couple of days of their honeymoon before heading to a private island in the Caribbean, the one detail of the wedding plans that was kept as secret as possible.

Putting up the privacy panel, Sophie and Mark made out passionately on the ride to the lodge, but held off on going further, knowing that a comfortable king sized bed awaited them. As they arrived at the lodge, they straightened their clothing and pulled themselves together before getting out of the car and sending Werner on his way. Unlike on their prior visits, the house was not staffed, but only stocked with all necessary provisions, and security was stationed only outside, at a distance from the lodge. They were only staying for two nights, and Mark assured Johanna that he was perfectly capable of keeping them fed and their energy up. The house could be cleaned and closed up again after they left.

After kissing again once they were through the front door, Sophie walked out to the deck, and Mark followed. They could see the lights of the Palace in the distance, as the wedding party continued in their absence. Sophie leaned against Mark, who put his hands around her waist, and alternately looked at the view and buried his face in Sophie's sweet-smelling hair. Mischievously, Sophie began to rub her butt against Mark's crotch, obtaining the expected and desired reaction.

Mark leaned over and whispered in Sophie's ear, "Do you want to stand out here and look at the stars or do you want come inside and fuck a Grand Duke?"