Hunters

IV. Engagement

IV. Engagement

 Even the weightless scent of a thousand flowers could not freshen the stale, suffocating scent of the Dowager Duchess of Cambria and Martisine. Despite the canopy and warm breeze, the indulgent woman employed a handmaiden to fan her; she demanded iced water and that the party remain immobile where their table was set in the middle of the gardens.

Uniformed servants tiptoed about, producing plates of the finest fruit and freshest scones to accompany the tea. Birds called and fluttered through the clouds while bees hovered from petal to petal. The weather, it seemed, had resigned to being temperate.

For Lecia, good weather or bad was irrelevant, as even the company of her family did little to settle the unease she felt in her stomach. Despite her lack of any romantic motivation for the approval of her betrothed’s closest relatives, she realized that those same relatives would be her acquaintances for the rest of her life. Should they be displeased with Vaughan’s selection, her days would be spent in misery.

From the moment she arrived, she had singled out his younger siblings as her easiest conquests. Surely if they liked her, their mother would be more civil. The eldest, William, seemed the most pressing. His good opinion would influence his sisters…and the tactics would not be too dissimilar to luring suitors. He was, after all, a man in the making. Blanche, the youngest, would be dazzled by smiles too, for she still enjoyed fables and folklore and tales of beautiful princesses. Sarah, the middle child, however, seemed rather staunch and proper. She would be the most difficult, considering Lecia had never been completely invested in being polite.

Next, his cousin—and dearest friend—Ezekiel Shevington; there was no doubt that he would be around more than any of them. The trouble was that Lecia had already met him under different circumstances and the greeting that day had been exceedingly uncomfortable. He seemed the type to forgive easily—he would have to with a bold friend like Vaughan—but the humiliation she had caused him would likely take more time to forget than friendly trifling. The key to his approval was time, and she granted it willingly.

Ezekiel’s grandmother, the Marchioness of Brahmsboro, was a complicated woman to comprehend. Lecia understood that her good graces were not given often, but also that it was nearly impossible to know if you’d received them. Thus, Lecia elected to postpone any incursions on that front.

The Dowager Duchess, though she immersed herself in the luxury of her own self-righteous importance, was of little value to Lecia’s happiness. While having a neutral relationship—something supported by the affections of her children—would make things much easier, there was no need to be loved by her. After all, it was quite plain to Lecia that her purpose as Vaughan’s wife was solely to displace and anger Drothea Cantington.

There had been no talk between them since the engagement was revealed. Lecia entered the luncheon with no knowledge of anything other than what were certainly false truths circulated by the London elite. Even her father knew little else than the address at which they were to arrive. At first she had been utterly blindsided by her introduction to Ezekiel, a Marquis by law and her future kin by blood, and she had been admittedly nervous about meeting her soon-to-be in-laws, but the very second she laid her eyes on the over-dressed, sour face of that god-awful woman, nothing else mattered because it all made sense.

The Marchioness dominated the conversation. She asked questions frequently and listened in turn. Her interest was directed at Zora and Henry for some time; their nuptials intrigued her. Ezekiel said little, though he spoke softly to the quiet William who sat across from him. At the other end of the table, Blanche was attended by her elder sister with words of etiquette while their mother sat in silence as the world revolved around her. Lecia watched them all, her parents beaming with pride while her fiancé seemed unsettled.