Oops! Bu görüntü içerik kurallarımıza uymuyor. Yayımlamaya devam etmek için görüntüyü kaldırmayı ya da başka bir görüntü yüklemeyi deneyin.
~
Elena was furious and she knew exactly who caused her anger. She gripped onto the Whistledown and angrily marched out of her room, leaving Elizabeth dumbfounded. At the perfect timing, a maid walked through large hallway as she did.
"Where are my parents?" She suddenly asked, startling the poor maid. "Where are they?!" She raised her voice a little as she wasn't getting an answer.
"Yes, Miss Elena. I believe they are in Lord Bennet's study." The maid said in a low voice.
Without even thanking her, Elena hurriedly made her way towards her father's office. She opened the door, without even knocking, and saw her father sitting on his chair with her mother standing beside him. She harshly shut the door closed, startling both of her parents.
Lady Bennet looked at her in shock. "Elena, what has gotten into you? We do not slam doors in this house!"
The young woman ignored her mother's words and slammed the crumbled up Whistledown paper on her father's desk. "Do either of you want to tell me the explanation behind this? Why does Lady Whistledown states that I am betrothed to Lord Hawthorn when I didn't even give him my answer?"
"Elena, calm down." Lady Bennet warned.
"What did you do, mother?" She asked, keeping her distance from Anastasia.
Lady Bennet shook her head in disbelief. "I do not know why this is so upsetting you, but I simply promised you to Lord Hawthorn."
Elena stared at her mother incredulously as she tried not to go insane. "And why did you feel the need to do that?" She breathed out as she intensely ran her fingers through her hair.
"Elena, I really do not understand what's bothering you! You are to be married with the most successful man in London and yet you are mad at me!" Lady Bennet said, returning the same look to her daughter.
"Father, are you hearing this?" Elena asked the marquess just to make sure she wasn't going insane. "This is my proposal we're talking about, mother. Not yours, mine! You do not get to make these huge decisions for me!"
"Instead of being angry at me, you should be thanking me for this, Lena! You're getting married to the one you love!"
"But I do not love him, mama!" The Bennets' frowned at her as they heard those words come out their daughter's mouth. "You act shocked yet you never asked me once how I felt about him, you answered on my behalf without even knowing my true feelings for him and you assume you know everything about me when you've been absent for a part of my life."
Lord Bennet and Lady Bennet shared a look of shame. "I suppose we could've been mistaken..." Lord Bennet spoke up as he smoked his pipe.
"Well this makes no sense at all." Lady Bennet stated as she stepped forward towards Elena. "If you're not in love with Lord Hawthorn, then who is the man your father claims that has been the main source of your happiness ever since the Danbury Ball?"
Elena looked at her Lord Bennet for an explanation. "It is true that I've noticed a change in your mood ever since. For the past 3 weeks, you've been in a state of happiness that I have never seen you in before. Of course, I assumed it was because of Lord Hawthorn."
Lady Bennet turned head from Lord Bennet to her daughter, raising an eyebrow at her. "Well? Who is it, Elena?"
The young Bennet opened her mouth but hesitated to speak, suddenly feeling a huge wave of fear wash over her body. The words she was about to say were going to change her fate for the good or the bad. She felt her parents' piercing eyes and it did not help.
She deeply inhaled before speaking. "It's Benedict Bridgerton."
As Elena told her mother the name, the woman's face became as blank as a sheet of paper, showing no emotion. It was evident that her mother was processing the news, and the air in the room grew heavy with tension.
"I beg your pardon...?" Lady Bennet asked calmly.
Elena could feel the tears start to form in her eyes but she held them in. "I'm in love with Benedict Bridgerton."
Lady Bennet just stood there in silence and for a moment there, Elena thought that this wouldn't be so bad, until ber mother started to laugh quietly like a madwoman. Lord Bennet frowned at his wife as he as well did not expect this reaction from her.
The marchioness deeply exhaled to catch her breath. "I must say, coming from you, I'm not that surprised." She chuckled.
"Mother, I understand this is difficult for you to hear, but-" Elena spoke in a soft voice but was cut off by Lady Bennet.
"Difficult?" Lady Bennet's voice was sharp. "It's more than difficult, Elena. It's a nightmare. A union with that family is the last thing I want in my life."
"Mama, please be reasonable here."
"You're asking me to be reasonable?" Lady Bennet's voice raised as her eyes widened. "All I asked from you was to stay away from that family and you cannot even do that! I knew there was something going on between the two of you." She turned to her husband so he could be involved in the situation as well. "She has been sneaking out of balls and events just so she can fool around with that boy and it has got to end!"
"I have not been fooling around with him or any of the sort!" Elena screamed at her mother and then turned to her father. "Papa, don't believe her!"
"You will end up with your heart broken and you're going to regret turning down Lord Hawthorn's proposal!"
"You don't even know him!"
"Yes, I do! And do you know why?" Lady Bennet asked. "Because he is a Bridgerton! And that family is full of traitors and he will end up betraying you."
Elena scoffed and paced around the study. "You say that and you've never even met him! You don't even acknowledge the fact that I feel comfortable around him. That I can be who I am when I'm with him and not pretend to be someone I'm not. This man understands me. And the past you had with Lady Bridgerton will never change the relationship I have with Benedict now."
"Do you even hear yourself speaking?! I cannot believe the words that are coming out of your mouth right now!" Lady Bennet exclaimed and tightly grabbed Elena's wrist. "Now you are to never see that Bridgerton boy ever again, do you understand me?"
"No, I'm not going to stop seeing him!" Elena cried as she yanked her arm free from her mother's grip. "And if it comes to the point of running away with him, mother, I will. I will run away with him because I love him!"
"You've just turned 21 years old. You know nothing about love." Lady Bennet this time said with a calm and low voice.
"Oh and you do?" Elena snapped. "You and papa don't even touch or laugh or even show a bit of affection towards each other! How dare you tell me I don't know anything about love."
"Both of you, enough." Lord Bennet commanded in a stern voice, shutting both women up. "All this screaming and yelling is resulting to nothing. Let's just all take a breath, sit down and discuss about this like three adults."
Elena shook her head at him. "I do not have time, Papa. I must go." She did not so much meet her mother's eyes as she started walking towards the door. "I'm going to turn down Lord Hawthorn's proposal and explain to him the situation."
"No, you are not. I absolutely forbid you!" Lady Bennet screamed but Elena had already slammed the door closed.
