The Vicious Marquess

The calm before the storm

"I'll do so, you have my word. Alors, Goodbye Seph."

"Goodbye Chris, I will be praying for you!" She yelled as she watched him leave.

The whole Brown Family was an odd phenomenon. Husbands, spouses, siblings and cousins, they all shared a strangely similar face. However, their personalities and manners were so different even with the same name and faces one would never guess they were related.

Seraphina knew Burggraf Karl better than she'd like to admit. She was fully aware of how Chris's encounter with his brother could play out. 'Hilarious' was one way to put it. 'Tragic' was the other.

She laughed as she pictured Charles arguing about the inheritance with a German accent and snarling after every other sentence. She hated to admit that Snarles was a tough opponent, so even she herself wasn't quite sure of the outcome of their meeting.

Coming back to the manor Seraphina reminded herself that Chris Brown was already long gone and probably wouldn't see her again for quite a while. The joyful morning changed back to a sad, grey and cold one.

***

The remaining week, before Samuel's return, Seraphina spent actively doing nothing to prove a point.

"Chris Brown is completely right. I have nothing to worry about. Nothing," she said while lying on her bed. "I am amazing, and I mustn't forget that." The young woman then immediately sat up and grabbed one of the beautiful dolls that was resting on her nightstand.

The prettiest doll in Seraphina's collection, 'Lady Agnes Barry', who was her dearest childhood friend, had piercing blue eyes and gorgeous golden locks of hair. Her flawless glass face was embellished with full, pink lips and chubby, rosy cheeks. She wore the perfect salmon-pink dress and reminded Seraphina of Lady Taylor.

"Does anybody even care about Samuel? Save for his 'friends' in ripped corsets," she rolled her eyes. "Who fears him? Chris Brown fears squirrels, not Samuel. Why should I? Because to be completely frank, who in the heaven's name is he to order me around? Am I right Lady Agnes?

Do not get me wrong. I do not wish to stay in this house... Or be a member of this family for that matter. What a disgrace would that be. Father would be left speechless. And he would definitely be speechless if he knew what kind of terrible person, I share a roof with! I am an intelligent, educated, well-liked, respected woman. I do not deserve any of this in the slightest.

I'll have you know, Lady Barry, that I will be leaving this house. I swear to God I will. But when I do so, it will be on my terms. I'll gladly stay here two weeks and one day to make sure of it."

***

"Chris Brown knows nothing about anything! And that is the truth. Why have I chosen to take advice from someone who genuinely believed defying gravity would be possible by jumping out of a window while holding an umbrella? Oh, lady Agnes, I was so foolish and it's too late to do anything now!" she fell onto her bed, burying her face in her pillows, and wailed.

The marquis would return in a few hours. It was a windy and foggy night. Raindrops beat rhythmically against her window. She could only hope that he would experience a horrible incident on the way back, delaying his arrival. Better yet, he wouldn't return at all.

"I really hope he doesn't return. Today at least. Although I shouldn't, Lady Agnes, I wish he would never return. Ever. I hope he falls off his horse and breaks his neck. Or something equally awful happens so that he's gone! It's terrible of me to say so, but I have to because that's the honest truth and I mean it. I might be a bad person but so is he!" She squeezed her wrist recalling the last time she saw his face and menacing eyes.