Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 6

"Pray do not finish that sentence!" She cried unable to stomach what he was implying.

"Charlotte I do not want to acknowledge this tragedy as much as you do but it's very likely that your father has reached an unfortunate end."

"No. No he can't be dead. He just can't be."

"It appears to be that way."

Charlotte turned away from him as she desperately tried to think of any other reason explaining why her father had not return besides death.

"You need not be too grieved." Seviathan said in a voice that he hoped would comfort her. "Your father may be gone but I give you my word that I will care for and tend to both you and Helsa through this great loss."

He approached her from behind and his arms moved toward her waist.

"Once we are married I shall provide for you in ways that he couldn't even dream of."

At once Charlotte realized what he was doing and broke away from him. She turned around to look at him with utter disgust and contempt. She may have been naive but she was by no means stupid and she could see through the marquis as if he were transparent.

"How dare you." She said. "How could anyone stoop so low? The very audacity."

"Charlotte I do apologize for upsetting you but I believe you misunderstood what it was I was trying to do."

"I know exactly what you're trying to do and truthfully I find it appalling."

"You cannot afford to refuse my proposal Charlotte. Especially if Lucifer truly is dead. Without a father or a husband to support you, you are doomed to spend the remainder of your life as a beggar or a prostitute. I am your only hope of avoiding that dreadful fate."

"Seviathan because of my father's fondness for you and your relation to my sister I agreed to let you court me. To give you a chance so that I could see if you would be the suitable husband my family believes you to be. But after giving you that chance I now realize that I could never be happy as your wife. I do not love you and it is clear that you do not love me."

"Again with the childish concept of marrying for love." He scoffed. "Charlotte when are you going to get it through your head about how things work around here? Love is of no value without power and position."

"My father and mother married for love and they were happy."

"But in the end your father gained nothing from that marriage. Your mother was a lowly shepherd's daughter without a penny to her name and when your father married her he received nothing beneficial. Don't make the same foolish mistake."

But those words only cemented her rejection of him. How dare he besmirch the loving and beautiful union that her parents had. It may have been short without any gold or land but she believed that it was richer than any other marriage in all the world and she swore to herself a long time ago that she would only marry a man who loved her more than her father loved her mother and she decided in that moment nothing would ever cause her to reconsider breaking that oath again.

"Seviathan I would like for you to leave now." She said calmly.

"Charlotte you cannot refuse me."

"I can and I will. Now again I would like for you to leave and if you don't I will scream and I will be heard by our neighbors, both men as tall as oak trees and both men fathers with young children."

He quickly understood what would happen should he try to do anything she didn't like and decided to leave as she requested.

"I see that you need more time to think it over so I shall be patient." He headed for the door but stop to say one last thing to her. "But make no mistake Charlotte, I'll have you for my wife one way or another."

As soon as he was out the door she locked it and prayed that God would guard her from that man less he be fool enough to come back. A few hours later another horse came riding up to the house but she was relieved to find that the man the horse carried was her father, alive and well. She ran to greet him and she embraced him tightly, overjoyed that he had come back.

She helped him into the house and fixed him a cup of tea, asking him what it was that had kept him. He told his daughters about the news of his remaining ship being false and that he had just lost his way trying to take a short cut through the woods.

"So we still have to live like peasants?" Helsa sneered.

"I am sorry that I couldn't bring you what you wished Helsa." He said. "But I shall do everything in my power to somehow come up with a proper dowry for you."

"I am very doubtful of that."

"I am just grateful that you're home alright Father." Charlotte said. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

He smiled and pressed his palm to the cheek of his devoted older daughter.

"Sweet Charlotte, always so considerate. It hurts me that I couldn't give you and your sister the lives you deserve but at least I was able to bring you this."

He held out his hand to Charlotte and in it he held the rose that he had brought back. The face of his daughter lit up with joy and gratitude as her own hand moved to accept it from him.

"Oh Father it's absolutely beautiful. Thank you so very much."

"Do you really like it?"

"I love it." She brought the rose's bloom to her nose and lightly inhaled. Enjoying it's sweet scent. "But really just having you home is enough. Please don't ever go back to those woods."

"Don't worry Charlotte I have no intention of ever setting foot in those woods again." He chuckled.

But at the exact moment he said that the rose in Charlotte's hand withered and died much to her confusion. Suddenly the air was filled with shrieks from Helsa.

"Helsa what is it?" Lucifer asked.

She pointed toward the floor where countless spiders were entering the house by climbing from under the door. Lucifer grabbed a broom and attempted to squash the arachnids but then the window blew open and a flock of moths flew in followed by lizards, mice, and a large wild cat that tried to break down the door. Frightened, the family ran upstairs and locked themselves in the attic. All night they waited there in fear of the creatures somehow getting to them but come the next morning all of them had left. Well almost all of them.

When Lucifer and his daughters went downstairs they found that one spider remained and it was in the corner of the ceiling where it had spun a web. The spider began to weave a message into it's web and when Lucifer read it he thought that he felt his heart stop.

"Blood For A Rose,

A Deal Was Made,

Honor Your End,

Or All Shall Die."