CW

But of course as I told you earlier, the war is what brought us back to Hertfordshire.
“Are you even listening to me?” Charles woke me from my thoughts; I snapped my head towards him and gave him a blank expression.
“I’m sorry what did you say?”
“Never mind; you know that is why you don’t have a man.”
“Oh and why don’t I have a companion Charles?’
“You’re always in your little world; you never listen to anyone for more than a minute.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“No your right, its’ more like thirty seconds.”
I punched him in the shoulder.
“What the hell is it with you and hurting people?”
“Oh shut up and take it like a man.”
We finally stepped out of the woods and onto our neighbor’s grass. A tall man stood at the door with his hands in his pockets. His lips were quirked into a friendly smirk on his handsome face and his brown hair was neatly combed to the side. He wore a navy blue suit pants and a white shirt. I felt a bit overdressed with my brother in a tweed suit and him in a simple shirt. He stepped down from his front porch to meet us. He gave Charles a hug.
“Good to see you again Charles.” Then he turned his head towards me. He walked towards me and took my gloved hand. He did something so unexpected; he removed my glove from my hand and brought my hand to his lips. My eyes widened at his forward display of affection; he held on to my hand and smiled.
“It is a pleasure to see you again Miss. Mordret.”
“Yes a pleasure.” I said pleasantly.
I released my hand from his grasp and held it out for my glove. He placed it in my hand and offered me another one of his smirks. I did not like his overfriendliness; it made me feel a tad uncomfortable.
“Shall we have breakfast inside or outside?” He said as he turned towards my brother.
“It’s a nice day, lets enjoy it.” He said while sticking his hands inside his pockets.
“What do you mean ‘nice day’? I can’t see the sun?” I said as I looked up, the dark clouds started to roll in again.
“At least it is not raining;” Charles snapped back. Alec looked at us with amusement.
“Are you two always this viscous towards each other?”
“Being a prick is hardly the way to encourage affection.”
“And being a snob is no way either.”
“If I was a snob dear brother then I wouldn’t be friends with have the people on our house staff.”
“The only reason you are friends with them is because you don’t have any friends of your own!”
“This is coming from someone who no talked to throughout our whole school year!”
I took a step towards him and he did the same. Alec came in between us; his chest brushed against mine. I blushed at our close proximity and took a step back. Alec was about to say something to me but decided against it and closed his mouth. He then put a hand on my shoulder and a hand on my brother’s.
“Calm down you two; its’ funny when we were young I never heard you raise your voices at one another.”
His hand on my shoulder caused me to shift uncomfortably. Alec sensed my uneasiness and removed his hand. It was quiet for a while, the clouds were getting darker and the temperature drop made me shiver slightly. Alec pursed his lips and looked towards the white rocks that made up his driveway.
“Well I am very hungry so let’s have breakfast shall we?” Alec said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. He held out an arm for me and out of politeness I took it. It was not that I disliked him at the time. It was just that no one had ever treated me like that before. He led me up the stairs and into his house.
“I thought that we were eating outside.”
“I do not think that it is such a good idea; it is about to rain soon.”
“Oh right we had this conversation earlier, I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about Miss. Mordret; may I call you Victoria?”
“Of course, I prefer it.” I said politely; the grandeur of his manor was a nothing like I have seen before. The house was decorated in early nineteenth century décor. Greek Gods painted on the ceiling, giving one the reminder of the once all powerful Empire. His collection of statues was impressive; the emotionless eyes gazing into nothingness. I felt as though I had traveled back in time when authors such as Jane Austen lived. I could imagine myself walking in a white empire wasted gown, my hair in a loose bun into a ball where men and women were drinking and dancing. There was no joy anymore, no laughs no pleasure. Because we were at war; Europe was stained red with the blood of young men who left their wives and children to fight for their country. I should have cherished every hour I had with my father; I should have been grateful and joyous for every second the world was at peace. It had become a challenge to remember a time where the world held a sound of silence. I knew that there was nothing a woman like me could do. All I could do was listen to the radio’s broadcast on the war and pray for it to end.
“Do you like my house Victoria?”
“Yes you have a beautiful collection of art work.”
“I love art, there is so much one could say with a painting.”
I only nodded my head; he had a certain grace to his stride and a very aristocratic posture. His wiry tall body towered over mine. His face was handsome enough but it always held an arrogant smirk. I could tell that he thought of marriage as an expectation not as an actual pleasure. He was certainly content with being a bachelor yet his family probably wasn’t. He had money and came from a noble family, what more could a woman want. He was certainly the type my grandmother would be thrilled for me to marry. Even though I only held half of royal blood within my veins; I was still obligated to marry someone within our social circle.
Of course, that only made my distaste for his kind definite. I knew that one shouldn’t judge so quickly but this man was everything wrong to me. I needed a friend and a husband, not just a lover. My eyes looked the other way; my mind was made up, and I was not interested. I could feel his stare as if it was being engraved into my skull. In his mind he probably thought of me as the perfect match for his family’s approval. His urgent need for a bride made his affectionate manner more profound. I admit that his friendly way towards me boosted my pride slightly. I was terrified at the prospect of an arraigned marriage with a man such as him. My mother I knew would be against it, yet I was not so conclusive of my grandmother. Even though she played almost absolutely no part in my childhood, the influence she had on my life was not diminished. My grandmother was the link between us and the rest of our high class family. Even though I barley associated with that part of my family, I could not hide the fact that part of me yearned, needed their acceptance. If only I was as strong as my mother at that time; I would have turned around and walked away right then and there instead of going through all that I did. But of course, one must learn from their mistakes, and I must learn from mine.
“You are very beautiful.”
My face turned crimson, but not out embarrassment.
“Dismiss your vows, your feigned tears, your flattery, but where heart is hard, they make no battery.”
“You are very poetic.”
“Shakespeare was a very good poet; I however am not.”
“You read Shakespeare? So do I; I read his work all the time.”
“I read a lot; it is something that I enjoy.”
“Do you read Jane Austen?”
I sneered at his comment. I thought it to be slightly sexist.
“Just because I am a woman Mr. Ryder does not mean that I read romance novels.”