Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 3
Welcome to the next part in my Wednesday Briefs flash fiction serial, Innocence & Carnality! Each chapter has to be between 500 and 1,000 words and this week I chose the prompts, use “You look like you’re waiting for something” and “have a character wish upon a star.”
Nathan and his mother share a moment the night before Lord Rother’s arrival.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 3
With a light touch, a new lens spun into place, magnifying my view. Through my custom monocle, the music box’s internal workings filled my vision. One by one, I placed a new gear into the cavity, rebuilding the motor to play a complex symphony. Only the coiled spring needed to be installed, providing the power to function. The gaslight lamp barely provided enough light, but at this time of night, I had little choice. So engrossed in my task, I ignored the sounds of the door opening. I felt the presence next to me for long moments, silent yet disruptive. From the corner of my eye, I saw the fabric of her dress and smelled her perfume.
I refused to turn in her direction. “You look like you’re waiting for something.”
“Waiting for you to finish and head to bed.” Mother spoke in hushed tones in the evening, whether anyone slept or not. “It’s late. Lord Rother will be here tomorrow. You need to be fresh.”
“I’d hardly want him to turn me down for having bags under my eyes.”
“It certainly wouldn’t make a good first impression.”
I set down my tools as my annoyance grew. “My virtue is his only requirement. I’d say your efforts are safe.”
“You’re no stranger to expectations. Why must you be so difficult?” she huffed.
I pulled off the monocle, sighing in frustration as I dumped it to the table. “I don’t try to be. The last few years have been difficult. It keeps slipping out.”
“We are working to ensure you and your brother’s futures.”
She cringed as I shoved my chair backwards, scraping its feet across the expensive floor. I shot to my feet before her, but Mother was impossible to intimidate. I looked her square in the eye, unlike my brothers who towered over us all. My disdain spilled out, unrestrained.
“Finn is oldest and will inherit the manor. Thomas will wed a wealthy heiress. Both of them will become partners in the family business. Their futures are looking quite grand. I, on the other hand, am being married off like a trophy daughter to the highest bidder.”
“That’s not true.”
“Don’t you think I noticed how my tutors changed my studies after my orientation was determined? I went from finance to protocol lessons overnight. If I hadn’t befriended the blacksmiths and clockworkers in the city, I’d have no useable skills at all.”
“It was in your best interests.”
“How?”
Mother’s porcelain features began to soften. “You never heard the stories of the losses with the plague. It’s coarse to talk of such things, and you were too young to hear such horrors. Whole families were wiped out. Harston is the only survivor of his own. Until the vaccine was discovered, it was devastating. Afterwards, public opinion shifted drastically in Victoria. Any union without the chance for childbearing is highly frowned upon.”
“So I’m being married off to prevent a social stigma on the family.”
She ignored my snarling. “It’s far more complicated than that. Some of the fanatically devout rose against men like yourself. They blamed your orientation for the plague, which is ludicrous, but you can’t reason with some people.” A tremor appeared in her voice. “There had been violence, Nathan. Horrible, horrible violence. The temperament of the land has calmed, but I still don’t trust it. I have no intention of allowing such things to happen to my little boy. The best option was to find somewhere you would be accepted.”
As the revelation grew, my resentment cooled. “But you didn’t send me away.”
“I couldn’t. You were my sweet, fair child. It was the only time I ever openly defied your father. Sending you away was unacceptable. There had be to another way. You were always the prettiest of my children. A wealthy man would prize your beauty, and give you a new home somewhere safe. But certain standards had to be maintained.”
I hated when my appearance was compared in contrast to my brothers. I wanted to be rough-and-tumble like they were, not pretty and boyish. It wasn’t my fault I took after her rather than Father. The reasoning still offended me, but I understood. Mother’s resolute tone spoke of her need to protect me. My father’s needs appeared as selfish as I’d imagined.
“With or without my consent.” The chastity belt’s presence was stronger since the announcement of Lord Rother’s visit.
“I’m sorry you don’t approve of the method, but I don’t have your father’s penchant for gambling. I needed a guarantee.”
“It’s still not fair.”
Brushing the hair from my forehead, she spoke in whispers. “We were born into privilege, but it comes at a cost. None of us choose who we bind our lives with. I want you somewhere a greater chance of happiness exists.” With as deep a breath as her corset allowed, she straightened and turned away. “Now, finish this quickly, and head off to bed. If Lord Rother is your future, I would like you to embrace the opportunity.”
Delicate as ever, Mother closed the door behind her making barely a sound. I tried to resume my project, but my motivation evaporated. Her unexpected maternal moment disarmed me. All I could do was push the music box aside and stare out the window into the night sky. I found a bright star in the distance, reveling in its intensity. Turning off the gaslight, I focused on the brilliant pinpoint and made a wish. Somehow, I hoped they would see it was better to make my own choices rather than the plan laid out for me.
Of course, I knew wishes were the stuff of children’s fantasies and my time had run out.
Check back next Wednesday for the next installation… Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
