Hazelwood In The Snow

Chapter Nineteen: My Sister

*William's P.O.V.*

The stranger was staring at me, hiding her face behind a lace fan. I however, just sat there next to Blake, enjoying the delicious meal of artichoke soup, roasted pigeon, and champagne.

Oh, I forgot to mention, we were at a ball. 

"Thanks for letting me borrow this suit." Blake acknowledged quietly, his eyes feasting upon the large room.

"Your welcome." I replied. My attention was back on the woman. Even though her face was hidden behind the fan and a head full of long blonde curls, I could tell that she was smiling. She was laughing with a posse of other women. They were pointing at me. 

Please do not come towards me. I thought to myself.

Of course the woman with the fan stood up and strode towards me. I looked to Blake for help, but he was having an intense discussion with some man with an intimidatingly bushy moustache. 

"Hello there." She purred, eyeing me provocatively.

"Good evening miss." I greeted her with a fake smile. I didn't want to be rude but the situation was all too familiar. She placed her fan delicately on the table that I was dining at, catching Blake's attention. 

"Am I interrupting something?" He glanced over at me, winking.

"No, not at a-" I was cut off by the woman's sultry voice. 

"I beg your pardon sir, but indeed you were. Why don't we continue this conversation outside?" The woman spoke whilst grabbing my arm. She pulled me towards the doors. 

What did I get myself into?

I do not even know this strange woman...

"I am truly sorry, but I did not catch your name-" I quavered, resisting the urge to bolt back to my house. 

"Claire Maria Antoine." Her words dripped with seductiveness. 

"Okay, well Miss Claire, I beg your pardon but I really must get goi-" I began before she pushed me against the trunk of a nearby tree outside of the mansion, grabbing the collar of my shirt and started sucking my face off. I have no idea what came over me but I began kissing her back, running my fingers through her long silky hair. Soon, my hands found her corset, tugging at each string. She moaned in pleasure, deepening the kiss.

Then I saw her. 

She was staring at me.

"Talia" I moaned. 

"Who?" Claire pulled away and glared at me. 

What was I thinking? Kissing some random stranger! I loved Talia and I always will. Even if she was gone.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I... I don't know what came over me." I stumbled over my words, pulling out of our embrace. She stared at me with her mouth wide open as I raced back into the mansion to retrieve Blake. 

"What the hell happened to you?!" Blake gawked at me. His outburst earning us stares from people.

"What?" I answered looking down at myself.

"I don't see anything different." I admitted. 

"I'll.. show you when we get back." He dragged me out of the mansion and towards the dirt path. For the first few minutes, we walked along in complete silence.

"So what happened?" He drawled. 

I should be honest with him. 

"That woman who pulled me outside kind of um.." I simpered, running my hands through my hair. I glanced at Blake who in return, gave me a knowingly look.

"Hey I know the feeling."

"Did you kiss her back?" He went on. 

"Well yes... At first I did. But then-" I gulped. 

"Then what?" Blake insisted. 

Should I tell him? I thought to myself as we turned a corner of the path. Talia was the one thing that brightened my life. I will only love her and only her. I dream to see those misty green eyes. I long to feel the touch of her soft pink lips on my own. When she disappeared I felt like a piece of me had disappeared as well. I took a deep breath and began.

"There was this amazing girl that I met. She was different from everybody else, and that captivated me to know more about her. As soon as I got to know her I fell in love with her, and I am pretty certain that she fell in love with me as well." I began, but I felt my lip begin to quiver.

"I mean, she told me that sh... she loved me." I stuttered. Tears began welling up in my eyes. Blake noticed and gave me a comforting smile to continue on. 

"We would spend hours and hours just laying in the meadow talking to each other." A cry escaped my lips. 

"One night, we both fell asleep together and when I woke up... she was gone." I let all of my emotions that had been caged for a long time, pour out of me. Tears were flowing down my face as though I was a river. Every single drop filled with so much love. 

Love for her, and only her. 

"I am so sorry, I.. I didn't know." Blake whispered. 

"She must've been an amazing girl." He reassured me by laying a hand on my shoulder. 

"Yes, she was." I sniffed, wiping away a tear. 

"What was her name? If you don't mind me asking." Caution was woven into his words.

"Why do you want to know?" I questioned him politely. 

"In my opinion, names are the most important thing. They hold all of the memories that you both shared." He stated. 

"If you must know, her name was Talia." I sniffled. His face grew pale. 

"Talia Hazelwood..." I restated. He seemed frozen for a second. As if someone had left him in the cold for a while, and now he was solid, then his eyes met mine. 

"It can't be-" He stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Wh.. what do you mean?" I interrogated him. A bad feeling grew in my stomach.

"My...n..name is Blake Hazelwood." By then his face had lost al of it's color, and I'm pretty sure that mine did too.

"Talia is my sister."