"Good morning."
Lilith squinted at Olivia, noting her friend's raised eyebrow and cheeky smile. She had not been prepared for this – this blush-inducing horror of facing people on the morning after her wedding night. "Good morning," Lilith mumbled.
"Sleep well?"
"Yes," Lilith said quickly, moving towards the stairs. Olivia followed, walking with her.
Lilith wished there had been somewhere else she and Brandon could have stayed for the few days before they were due to start their trip, but the Harpers' manor had been the logical choice. It was not short of rooms or facilities, but that came along with the whispers and giggles of everyone in the house – except for her father of course, who was still struggling with being accommodating.
"So where is your new husband?" Olivia asked her.
"Still asleep."
"All tired out?"
Lilith stared at her, mortified. "Stop."
"I'm sorry," Olivia went, laughing.
"You are so obviously not sorry."
"You are right. I am not. I couldn't help myself. Still can’t."
"I expect this from someone like Kendall, but not you."
"Oh, Lilith, come on. I'm just teasing you a little."
"A little??"
"In a few days, I will no longer have the chance. Surely, you can allow me this?"
Lilith sighed, shaking her head.
"I am going to miss you. You're the only one I can really talk to around here."
"I feel the same way."
A smile stretched over Olivia's lips. "But now you have Brandon."
"I wish you could come with us."
"No, I'm not one for traveling, and besides, this is your trip. Your adventure."
"I've never been out of Coser before. I'm feeling so many things at once – nervous, scared, sad, excited, worried – "
"You'll be fine. I know you're going to enjoy yourself and have many wonderful moments with your new husband."
"I'll write often, although we'll probably be moving around so much, it be hard for you to write back."
"That's alright. It'll be like a book, where you send me one chapter after another until you return."
"I like that idea."
They reached the lower floor, going through the entryway to the dining room. Everyone else was there, each caught up in their own discussion, but Regina stopped to greet them. "Good morning, girls."
"Good morning," they chorused.
Lilith started to sit, but Olivia nudged her. "No, sit here, that way, I can sit on one side and Brandon can sit on your other side."
"Uh, alright," she went, taking the designated chair. She looked across at her father, who was drinking coffee and inspecting the day's mail. "Good morning, Father."
He raised his head, nodding wordlessly at her. At the other end of the table, Uncle Rory did a chuckle. "Your father's in a chatty mood today."
"Don't start, Rory," her father responded.
"A master conversationalist indeed."
Lilith and Olivia started helping themselves to food, and were just digging in when they heard footsteps descending. Brandon appeared, freshly bathed and nicely dressed, and all the women in the room – even the twins – sat a bit straighter, smiled a bit wider.
"Good morning," Brandon greeted, getting a hearty response from the females. As he passed Lilith's chair, he ran a hand over her shoulder in a brief, unthinking gesture. She looked up, the two of them sharing a glance that said everything that was on their minds. He sat beside her, and as Lilith passed him food, Uncle Rory leaned forward in curiosity.
"So everything's settled for your trip?"
"Almost," Brandon answered. "I just need to finish packing a few things over at my house, settle a few payments, and we should be set."
"When are you leaving again?"
"Friday."
"You're headed towards Dyon, aren’t you?"
Brandon nodded. "Yes, there's going to be a tournament in a few months."
"How exciting. Perhaps we should leave on Friday too," he said, turning to Aunt Brenda chewing thoughtfully beside him. "Since we're going the same way."
"I think that's a good idea," he said, and Lilith nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure we can't come?" Viola piped up.
"Absolutely not," Richard Harper said, peering at her over his glasses.
"Could we visit her sometime then?"
"Maybe when you're older."
"But that's so far away …. "
Lilith smiled at her two sisters. "Don't worry, girls. I'm sure I'll be back before you know it. You'll be a little taller, a little older and hopefully a little wiser."
Emma giggled, while Viola sighed and rested her elbow on the table.
After breakfast, everyone scattered, going to their own parts of the house to occupy themselves. Were it not for mealtimes, the residents of the Harper manor could go days without ever bumping into each other. That was what Lilith disliked about it. The house's size and stature tended to make things cold for whoever lived there.
"I bet you will miss this house," Brandon said to her as they ambled along the manor's upper floor, their hands locked between them.
"I already miss it, if that makes sense. I miss how it used to be when my mother was alive. Things were different then. Better. After she died, the house became just that to me – a house."
"But you must have memories."
"Of course. But the best ones I carry with me."
They were entering the gallery now, and he turned to look up at the row of pieces placed along one wall.
"There she is," Lilith said, bringing them to a stop. She motioned to the portrait of her mother by the lake, and a smile touched her lips. "Beautiful, isn't she?"
"You're beautiful," he answered, drawing her to him. He kissed her once, slowly, gently, then pulled his head back to gaze at her. "And you make me happy. You know that, right?"
"I know." She brought up his hand, kissing the back of his fingers. He hugged her, and they were still standing in each other's arms when they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. They straightened, looking over and seeing Ella standing there.
Ella did a grin as she looked between them. "Sorry to disturb you two."
"This isn't about 'linens and loaves', I'm guessing?" Brandon quipped.
"No. Mrs. Harper is asking to see you both. She's in the parlor."
Lilith frowned in puzzlement as she pulled away from Brandon. "I don't suppose you know what it's about?"
"No, sorry. By the way, congratulations. I didn't get a chance to wish you so at the wedding. It was a lovely ceremony. We all really enjoyed ourselves."
"I'm glad to hear that," Lilith said, smiling as she watched Ella leave. She turned to Brandon. "Alright, let's go find my stepmother."
They began making their way through the house, going down to the parlor and finding Regina seated alone on the sofa. There was a letter in her hand, and she had a confused expression on her face. "Hello, you two. I was hoping one of you could help me make sense of this."
Lilith froze, seized by a moment of panic. Could Tyler have written to his mother and said something about Brandon driving him away? She glanced at her new husband, but he did not seem to share her worry. Either that or he was a master at hiding it.
"What is it?" Brandon asked lightly.
"I just received this note from your parents, Brandon. In it, they offer me and Richard their sincerest apologies for ... for regretfully breaking off the engagement between Kendall and my son."
Brandon's eyebrows danced up. "What?"
"Are you sure?" Lilith asked.
"I've read it twice," she said. "That is what it says."
"May I see that?" Brandon requested, holding out a hand.
Regina shrugged and handed over the single sheet of paper. Lilith pressed close to Brandon's side, skimming the lines of handwriting.
Brandon began to frown. "It is my father's hand."
"What on earth are they thinking?" Regina wondered aloud. "Surely they know that your sister's marrying my son is the only right course of action. We offered to pay for the wedding and everything. We've made it very easy for them."
"I don't understand it myself," he said, although his voice wasn't disappointed like Regina's was.
"Brandon, why don't you try and reason with your family, make them see that this is unwise? I wouldn't want them to make a mistake and regret it."
"With all due respect, it seems as if my father has made his decision. It's not my place to question his wishes."
"Don't you care about your sister's happiness?"
"Of course, I do," he said with a pointed gaze. "That's why I stand by this decision."
Lilith decided to intervene, speaking up, "I'm sure Mr. Moore has his reasons for calling off the engagement. And I'm sure he understands the seriousness of the situation and has thought this through carefully."
Brandon handed the letter back to Regina, who accepted it with a sigh. "What a disappointment. I'll have to inform Tyler."
Wordlessly, Brandon turned on his heel and left the room. Lilith smiled at her stepmother before going to join Brandon.
"What are you thinking?" she asked him gently, as they stood in the foyer. Servants were coming in and out the front door, and the day's breeze wafted around them, rich with the scents of autumn.
"I'm thinking about how clueless your stepmother is."
"I don't think she's entirely clueless. She's a mother. A mother who loves her son, no matter what he is."
He grunted, looking out the entryway.
"But this is good news, isn't it?"
"It is. I'm just surprised. My parents were looking forward to the match."
"Why do you think they changed their minds?"
"I'd like to say they finally came to their senses, but I doubt that."
"Perhaps Kendall convinced them to break it off."
"I have to go to the house to pick up my things anyway. Maybe I'll be able to find out what this is all about."
"Would you like me to come with you?"
"No, that's alright. Besides, I think it'd be better for me to talk to them alone."
"Alright."
"Wait for me?" he asked, cocking his lips in a smile.
"Of course," she said, tilting her head to receive a parting kiss. She saw him out, then headed down the hall and made her way to the kitchen to wait. She sat at the kitchen island, surrounded by servants at work and watching Mrs. Etheridge oversee everyone else.
"Are you sure we can't get you anything, Lilith?" Mrs. Etheridge asked her once she found a spare moment.
"I'm fine."
"It's going to be dreary here with you gone, you know."
"I won't be gone forever, Mrs. Etheridge."
"Ah, well, I'm sure your mother would have been happy to see you being married off to that one. Lord! You've been the cause of many girls' heartbreak. Some of them in this very kitchen," she said, and there was some self-conscious shushing from a corner.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that."
"We hope when you come back, it will be with little ones."
"I doubt that's going to happen so soon," Lilith said, embarrassed. "Besides, I'm not sure I'd make a good mother."
"Nonsense. I think you would be as wonderful at it as your mother was." Mrs. Etheridge paused, smirking. "If a little more strict."
"One thing I feel bad about is the twins. They won't have me to look out for them anymore."
"Well, that's one thing you're going to have to face when you're a parent – the point when you have to let go and leave them to grow up on their own."
"But they're still so young."
"That's how you see them, but they're more grown-up than you realize. They're turning into young women before all our eyes. Soon, they'll be meeting young men, getting courted, and before you know it, they'll be filling this house with children."
"I think you're a little preoccupied with wanting children around."
"Little children is just what this house needs – and your father too. You should have seen him when you girls were little, especially you. Carried you everywhere."
Lilith felt sad at this. "Well, things change."
"Some things don't. They just get forgotten, not lost."
"How does that happen?"
"It happens when we lose sight of who we are and what we really care about. I hope you never let that happen to you."
"I won't," she vowed, thinking of Brandon. He was her life now. He was her happiness. She would never let herself forget that.