Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 6
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 “charm, door, towel” and “Because I said so, that’s why.”
Family dining with Lord Rother as the guest.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 6
“My compliments to the chef,” Lord Rother said. Given how he scrubbed at his mouth, a towel might have been a better choice than the napkin in his hand. Mother flinched. With Lord Rother’s lack of fine-tuning she’d had many opportunities.
It wasn’t his fault. The conversation through dinner spoke of a man who wasn’t born to privilege, but earned it. I’d yet to hear details of what his business entailed, but one didn’t speak of financial details during a meal. Apparently, the lord from Francine knew that much.
His etiquette unnerved me at times. For someone of his standing, he held himself like common folk; I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He leaned back against his chair, used the wrong fork with each course, and was far too animated as he ate. There was a certain charm in his rough decorum, but my swarthy marriage prospect lacked the breeding associated with a family of our standing. It was a shame Father would likely reject him to spare us from whispers amongst the other houses.
“I’ll be sure to convey along the message. Mrs. Travers will be pleased to hear it,” Father said. I’d spoken little this evening as he seemed determined to dominate the dialogue. And it was certainly a dialogue. Only he and Lord Rother were involved. If this first meeting evaluated Lord Rother’s worthiness, perhaps it was my father hoping to wed the man.
I, on the other hand, had barely exchanged two words with him since we entered the dining room. How could we test his compatibility if I was left out of it all? My brothers rode out the meal, cordial yet disinterested.
Lord Rother crumpled his napkin into a ball and dumped it in the center of his plate. “I must say you have a lovely family, Arthur. You should be proud.”
“I am, Rother.” Father looked over at me. “Of all my family.”
I smiled politely, not wanting to spoil his illusion.
“And I would be happy to be part of that. I agree to your terms and will accept Nathan’s hand.”
I braced and caught sight of Mother stiffening. We both knew what came next. Lord Rother seemed like a nice man. I hoped Father would be kind in his refusal.
“Congratulations, Rother. I’m sure the two of you will be very happy together.” Father raised his glass, nodding to Lord Rother wearing a cheerful grin.
Mother’s head snapped around to Father. “Arthur, shouldn’t we discuss this with Nathan?”
Father’s voice lost none of its graciousness, and I should have been alarmed at how he ignored Mother, but I was stunned at his acceptance of Lord Rother.
“I contacted the vicar last night. We can hold the ceremony in the morning,” Father said.
Rother’s smile lit up the room. “Perfect. We can be on the next airship back to Francine in the afternoon.”
The audacity of the whole conversation tickled me. “In the morning? So much for courting.”
Lord Rother turned to me, his dark gaze losing none of its intensity as his expression sobered. “I don’t have time for a protracted engagement. My business will suffer being away for so long. And you’re exactly what I’m looking for. Why should I wait?”
All the humor drained out of me. “You’re serious.”
Lord Rother returned his attention back to my father as they discussed the hasty ritual. Mother looked aghast but stayed silent. No engagement. No assessment of each other’s wants and needs. I was being shipped off with a precursory ceremony. If it could be called a ceremony. Words failed me and reality stampeded me, leaving me barely aware everyone had vacated the room. I still sat at the table as my father directed Lord Rother through the door.
“Chivers will lead you to my study where we can go over the final details.”
I watched my fiancé vanish into the hall before I could rally my wits. The expensive chair lurched backwards as I jumped up and chased after my father.
“Arthur!” I shouted. Father scowled, his instant rage halted me. I softened my voice, recognizing my error. “Father… I barely know the man. Don’t I have any say in this?”
“Sometimes we need to follow the path laid out for us.”
What absurd nonsense. He could hardly wax philosophy when he was the architect of the path set before me. The more I thought of his hand in it all, the more wounded I became.
“You’re trying to get rid of me.”
Father scoffed. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Why does it have to be tomorrow?”
“Because I said so, that’s why.”
My sadness flared into something incendiary. “You don’t have the right—”
“You know full well I have every right.”
His words weren’t loud, yet they hit me with all the scorn fueling them. My defenses crumbled because it was the truth. I wasn’t old enough to challenge him, and a lifetime of compliance stomped my defiance into practiced submission. Father always had the last word. It was his power as head of household and nothing I could say could erase the fact. The chastity belt was early proof, and until I married it would always be.
The nagging thought I never dared speak rolled through me. For years I’d swallowed it down, refusing to allow its claws into my soul. I wanted to cast it aside, but I needed to know.
My chest tightened as my voice fractured. “Do you really hate me so much?”
Father regarded me a moment with an impassive stare. He tugged at the hem of his jacket with both hands and straightened himself, appearing taller than normal. Turning into the hallway, he spoke over his shoulder.
“Find Harston and pack what you need. We’ll send the rest after you. Hurry along. The morning will come sooner than you think.”
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
