Petals

The girl, now a young woman, was an all-around accomplished rider, but there was no time for leisure or pleasure that day. Her primary duties of the morning were to chide her accompanying footmen for straying from their assigned positions, to remind those that had fallen too far behind of the dangers of being lost in the road to London, and to chastise her unwashed driver for playing dice with his friends. The only pleasure she permitted herself was to curl her lips in distaste at the sight of the city as its dull colors faded into a more unappealing grey.

She approached the busy center of Oxford with unease. The city was well known as the center of education and learning, but as her father had ensured her, its reputation for learning did not extend to each and every of its inhabitants. She would not let her discomfort reveal itself, however; her seat on her mount was as upright, her posture as rigid as ever.

Though her movements were swift, the cool air wrapping itself around her cheeks and the sight of so many buildings were not enough to halt the stream of rising tears one single person would not witness. She glanced at her mirror and carefully mopped her eyes before continuing on.

The girl was practically tossed down by the driver of her carriage as soon as they pulled into the circular drive of her new home. She did not move, retaining her rigid stance as they tried to pull her down by her arms, to which she replied in regal tones that she was quite capable of walking on her own. From the snickers coming from the groom, however, it seemed that they preferred the way she came more frequently than that.

As she neared the elegant double front doors of the home, she drew in a deep breath to steady her thoughts. It was best not to jump to conclusions. Perhaps her new family would not want a female for a companion. She would be perfectly content... she would be perfectly happy... if only she was not now forced to be part of their family. Her reasoning was interrupted by a voice that seemed to come from behind her ear.

"I see she's as stubborn as ever," replied the forbidding and familiar voice; she had yet to see the owner of the voice close enough to identify him. "That being said, I'm sure that she'll do just fine."

She spun around to face the owner of the voice, whose smile was mocking and aloof. He was a man of noble appearance, over six and a half feet tall, with dark hair and piercing gray eyes that did not spare her a glance. A small smile tugged at her lips; it seemed her new family was going to be interesting.

"Anon!" he warned, gripping her tightly before she had a chance to speak. "Not now. He knows nothing. Let him wait."

Pulling her away from the main doors, he jammed his hand over her mouth before she could voice even a token protest.

"This is all a ruse, you understand? I hold you only as a stream to catch pawns in my hands to throw back at the king – you mustn't do anything to let him know. You understand?"

She nodded her head rapidly beneath his hand, her eyes wide with terror and excitement.

He glanced around in an almost bored manner. "Now come. Let us see what he's got."

The owner of the voice waltzed through the doors, leveling the girl with a look that told her to quickly head inside the building and stay out of the way. As she came within feet of the well-dressed man, he swiped a card at the doorman, who stepped aside to admit them inside.

As they entered the elegant building, her eyes were almost wholly focused on the man escorting her, as if he were an action hero or an opera star. The marble floors seemed too dry to embrace her shoes and the stone walls too cold to hug her skin. But her new acquaintance seemed as if perfect, happy in his new home, and as such she followed suit, hoping that she could at least carry herself as if she had been raised in the manor.

There was an ease to his freedom that she envied.

"We'll find more members of the family for you to meet later, but for now, I'll take you to meet the heir."

She could only nod her head in agreement, bowing her head slightly as her escort led her down a long hall. The home was grandiose and elegant, but it was too soothing. There were no screams and no faint sounds of moans; while overall a peaceful feeling, it seemed almost lifeless.

The young woman, pale and reserved, followed close behind.

"It's good that you're finally here," the heir said with a polite smile. "I've been waiting for such a long time; you should be grateful that is was he who was first to catch you."

His words seeped into her mind, filling them with a cold, frightening sensation.

"Why would you want a girl who'll be but a child in no time?" he asked, pointing at the young woman. "You want a woman to challenge you, to be your equal, but not just any woman. A mother-figure. The kind of woman who can't stand to see a man suffering. And do you think you'll find that in a child?"

"My son doesn't speak of things he doesn't understand," the well-dressed man said, his tone teasing.

"I've never heard you speak of such things."

"The matter's still up for discussion."

"Surely there are better ways to start out a marriage than to put your new wife up in the air and throw her to the ground," chuckled the man with long, raven hair.

Taking the smallest hint of offense at the comment, the well-dressed man smiled a bit more maliciously, "Don't laugh, brother. You know nothing of game hunting. It is a very pleasurable file."

The heir's smile froze, but he maintained his silence.

Her escort gave her a light nudge. "Would you like to meet my mother? She'll be able to help you settle into your new home, and she'll be a good place to ask any questions you have."

"I-I'd like that," she said softly, blushing slightly.

The heir glared at her; she couldn't tell if it was from envy or if it was just his disposition. It was only a slight glare, however, for he quickly put on a false smile, like he didn't want to be caught arguing with his family.

"Of course, come along," the heir said. "I suppose it could be any time now."

She followed the heir up a set of white stairs and down a long corridor. It was all very strange, but she had come to expect such things from the noblemen she would usually be expected to meet on her trips. It seemed that she would be working in some capacity for the family today, but in truth she cannot remember much about her escort except for his name, Lester.

The heir opened a door at the end of the hall and ushered her inside.

The woman set her eyes on the girl, bright blue and curious. "Ah, there you are, young lady. I've been waiting for you."

"My son has been waiting for hours," the man said with a chuckle.

"Marlowe!" she exclaimed, spinning around to face the heir. "How many times have I told you, to call me Mother!"

He seemed excited to have his mother address him that way, she noted.

"Sorry," he replied with a nod and a small smile.

She could see the heir's eyes narrow before he opened his mouth. "You have the manners of a beggar."

"I wish I could say the same."

"Stop it. Both of you, I'm sure she has other questions on her mind," the mother said, glaring at the pair.

"Mother, we should get going," said the heir. "We've dallied here long enough. And I'm sure you have a few things to take care of on your end."

"Yes, of course," she replied. "I'll see you at dinner tonight, and we can all get to know each other even better, won't we?"

"Of course," he replied.

"I must go see my husband. I'll see you all at dinner, alright?" she said, a bright smile lighting up her face. "I hope you two get along well while I'm gone; you'll need to cooperate with one another to make your situation work."

"We understand," said the heir. "But we'll be ready; I've been preparing myself for a storm of media attention since I married."

"Bah, don't be ridiculous. You can't possibly expect to go unnoticed."

The heir kissed her on the cheek. "I guess I will have to be on my guard every second. But thankfully I'll be able to hide from prying eyes in my wife."

"I am sure that'll work," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "But I would like for you to make an effort. We are not quite a 'secret society,' but we have to establish ourselves as something different right away. You wouldn't want us to be ignored, would you?"

"'No' is a positive answer," said the heir with a smile. "We'll make sure you're well known around town."

"Good."

"I'm off then," the well-dressed man said as he began making his way toward the door. He looked at the heir and said, "It's always good to run into you, even if it's just for a quick hello. And I suppose I should be gone if I want to make it to the theater by curtain time. Good day."

"Good day," said the heir.

As the man left, she looked at the heir, an eyebrow arched.

"As I said, we are not part of the same organization, but we are hoping to have powerful allies," he said. "It would be best if everyone associated themselves with us."

"B-but…" The girl looked at him in question. "I'm not a noblewoman; I'm not part of the family. I know nothing of the way you do things."

"You'll figure that out," he said. "I don't think you'll find it to be a problem, though. We'll help you along if you need it."

The girl looked at him in surprise, something she appeared to find funny. "But, I don't want to be a burden on you, Mr. Lester. You should be all right with your…family."

"Don't worry about it."

She gave him a gaze that said, I know this is odd, but I'm going along with it.

He continued, "The estate is nearby. We can go there now, or we can continue this later. You do want to get there before dark, don't you?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"Then let's go. It was well past time someone took you home."

It was a clear, moonlit day when the heir and his escort reached the cottage.

He had offered to help her out, but she smiled and explained that she didn't need it. It would be a longer walk than she was used to, and she was fine trekking across the countryside on her own.

He thanked her for the time she had spent with him at the ball and wished her well on her journey before opening the door and accompanying her inside.

The cottage had pots of flowers scattered around the house, with numberless petals as far as the eye could see. The flowers she missed with every fiber of her being.

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