Chapter One
(A Week Before)
"Miss Delacour you must get in the dress or your father will have a fit when he see's you are still in your hunting gear!" Mrs Watson scolded me as I placed my weapons on the bed.
"Oh Mrs. Watson where is the fun in that? I don't see why I need to wear a dress in the first place." I sighed as I walked back over to Mrs. Watson who was still holding the dress in her hands.
"Rose, your father has invited someone over. Do not ask me why, I do not know. But he did say it was of grave importance. He was very angry when he found out you left again this morning. He left not to long after you came back and specifically told me to put you in the finest one you owned." She gave me a wearily look as I took the distasteful thing from her hands and groaned as I stripped out of my leather and my soft linen shirt and corset and shimmed into a dress that felt as if I wore a second skin.
"Oh I'm sure he will calm down, why he must get so upset over me practicing? I've been doing it every day for most of this life. I do not understand why it must be this one? I don't understand why my father would do such a thing. He knows I bloody hate the ones with the tight bodice. I feel so exposed in this! I don't know how you do it Mrs. Watson." I muttered as Mrs. Watson pulled the strings tighter on the corset.
"Oi! Watch your mouth! If your father hears ye, he will lose his temper! Besides this is a gorgeous gown. Any girl would dream to wear a dress like this one." Mrs. Watson rushed me over to the mirror yanking and pulling my naturally long wavy dark brown, hair up and away from my face.
"You're the one who taught me! Besides I am not like most girls. I would never dream of wearing dress as tight and discomforting as this!" I laughed out. She burst out into laughter with me until she finished with my hair and rested a hand on my shoulder.
"You's look just as your mum did at your age"
I sighed looking down at the locket that hung hidden beneath my dress. I pulled it up and unclasped it and looked at the picture of my mother who was around my age at the time. I sighed closing the locket back up and tucking it away. I looked up at my reflection and stared. I inherited my mother's piercing green eyes and my father's dark wavy hair. However my father always told me I had inherited my mother's strong will and his stubbornness.
I was about to respond to Mrs. Watson when the sound of a carriage sounded from outside the window. I quickly stood and rushed to my far window to see a sleek black carriage arriving down the road.
"I wonder who it is" I spoke aloud to myself.
"Miss Rose we must get you downstairs. The guest has arrived and your father is waiting."
I turned to Mrs. Watson
"Right! Yes of course, thank you for your help" I nodded to her as she smiled back at me fixing her gown before I left my room and down the stairs to see my father waiting by the door below.
"Rose! You look beautiful I must say- wait- Rose for God's sake wear are your shoes?!" My father snapped as I descended the stairs.
I looked at him with surprise. Shoes? What is he- I wiggled my toes and in fact my feet were bare. My eyes grew wide in shock as I was two steps away from the bottom
"Hurry! Go and get your shoes! Rosaline I ask only one thing of you and that is to look presentable and you cannot even try and do what is asked of you? I grow weary of your-" Before my father could finish a loud knock sounded through the house and I rushed down the last to steps and made my way over to the door.
"Father I apologize, I did not realize, no one will know, my dress covers my feet, do not fret over such a petty thing. All is well." I looked at him one last time before I took a deep breath and opened the door to our guest.
"My my, Lady Delacour might I say you look ravishing and what an honour it is to finally meet you. Your father has told me wonderful things about you." The man no older than my father stepped into the house and bowed respectfully to me.
"It is I who is graced by your presence my Lord" I bowed my head respectfully and curtsied.
"Lord Thomas, Thank you for arriving on such short notice. Come in, come in, we have much to discuss. " My father gave me a hard look before returning his attention back on Lord Thomas.
"Rose darling would you be so kind as to escort Lord Thomas into the study?"
"It would be my pleasure." I gave a faint smile towards Lord Thomas and he extended his hand towards me. I accepted and walked with him down the halls towards the study.
"As soon as I received word from your father I came here as quickly as the horses could ride."
"It is such a beautiful day to ride, I was actually just out this morning for a ri-" I stopped myself before I mentioned what I had done this morning to Lord Thomas. He looked down at me with shock.
"For a what?"
"I-I mean for a walk, yes I went out for a walk in the gardens. The sun shined brightly today and I wanted to see all the blooms at their fullest peak." I quickly covered up. He seemed to buy my lies and moved on to talk about the flowers which I mostly ignored. After what seemed like hours we finally got to the study.
"Would you like something to drink Lord Thomas?" I asked.
"Any wine will do." He stated.
I raised a brow and looked towards the grandfather clock. It was half pass noon. What man drank at mid day? I brushed off my thoughts and nodded and walked out of the room. I sighed as I headed towards the kitchen.
The kitchen servants handed me the wine and a single glass as I made my way back into the study and poured Lord Thomas a glass of red wine. No sooner had my father arrived with a tray of tea for myself and him. Mrs. Watson entered the room carrying scones and my father's glasses. After that she stood behind Lord Thomas near the door in case she was needed further.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence Lord Thomas?" I asked softly as I hunched over to grab my cup of tea.
Mrs. Watson coughed and I looked towards her and her eyes were bulging as she looked at me pointing towards her back and showing a hunched back and straight back. Then I realized my mistake and quickly fixed my posture which thankfully went unnoticed by Lord Thomas, but sadly not by my father who sent me daggers from across the room. I took a sip of my tea as I awaited his response.
"Well the wedding arrangements of course!" He replied happily grabbing the papers from inside his coat pocket.
I spit the tea back into my cup as my eyes grew wide at my father and Lord Thomas.
MARRIAGE?!
I started to cough as I looked from my father to Lord Thomas. I quickly grabbed my napkin to stop myself from choking on the air in my throat.
"Lady Delacour are you alright?!" Lord Thomas began to stand as I continued to cough.
I quickly waved him off and took a deep breath as I began to settle.
"I am quiet alright thank you. You just caught me by surprise." I said softly.
"Surprise? What do you mean by surprise?" Lord Thomas looked between myself and my father.
"I- I mean-" I looked towards my father who looked as if he was going to crush the tea cup in his hand.
"What I mean is I did not realize we would be discussing wedding arrangements so soon." I smiled faintly towards him as my father took a silent sigh of relief.
"Well dear we must get to it soon, if you are to be wed away next week to my son! He has a short time away from his duty to come. Your father and I thought it should be sooner rather than later before he heads back to his duties to the king." Lord Thomas replied as he sipped upon the wine.
"Next week? Oh it seems it has slipped my mind. I am terribly sorry Lord Thomas you will have to excuse me, I'm feeling quiet faint." I could feel my head began to spin as I slowly arose from the chair.
"Rosaline!" My father gritted his teeth, careful to not snap upon me in front of our guest. I looked towards him and glared.
"If you will excuse me father" I said coldly. I walked over to Mrs. Watson who grabbed me under the arm and helped escort me up the stairs to my chambers. Once she lowered me upon the bed I placed my head in my hands.
"How could he do this! He set me up to be- t-to be married to a man I've never met! H-How could he do this! Mrs. Watson how can I marry and man w-who I have yet to see or even have a proper conversation with?! Does he just expect me to walk down the isle and marry me off to- to some stranger?!" I cried out as Mrs. Watson tried her best to wipe away my tears that continued to fall.
"Love, it may not be so bad, your father would not just marry you off to some stranger." Mrs. Watson tried to comfort me.
"BUT HE IS! I have not heard his voice, or know his name, I have not even seen his bloody face! He is marrying me off to a stranger!" I snapped.
"Oi! you watch your tongue! I'm sure your father will tell you all those things in time love, but you must calm down, before you really do faint." She tried to rationalize. I sulked back onto my bed. The corset seemed to constrict on my bodice even more as I tried to inhale a deep breath.
"Breathe love, take small breath's until you are calm to take a normal breath."
Just as I was about to take her up on her advice, my bedroom door slammed open to reveal my father in all his anger. I quickly got off my bed and approached him
"How dare you! When were you going to tell me! When exactly did you plan this arrangement with- with this stranger!" I screamed.
"You will not raise your voice with me! I am still your father! I have had enough of your foolish training you insist on doing!!" He snapped.
"Foolish? You were the one who trained me after mother's death! No father of mine would marry me off to some man I do not know, who I have not met, who I have not seen. " I sneered.
"Do not bring up your mother's death in this house! A lady does not put herself in danger. She does not train to fight or to shoot! If you are to have a decent life you are too give up your petty dreams of becoming a musketeer! I will not have it in this house!" He raised his voice again.
I looked at him with shock. I took a deep breath before meeting my father's gaze.
"Mum would have never allowed this. She would not allow me to marry a man I have never met. She would rather see me happy than live my days in unhappiness." I said eerily calm. I could tell from the look in my father's face I had hit a nerve that still had yet to heel over my mother's death.
"Enough. What's done is done. You are to marry Lord Thomas's son, and give up your dreams. I cannot continue to let yourself throw away your life on these hopes that filled your mind as a child. It is time to grow up Rosaline. You are a lady now. Its time you start acting like one." He looked at me one last time before storming out of the room.
As soon as Mrs. Watson closed the door I broke down into new tears and cried silently as Mrs. Watson held me.
"Everything will be okay Rose I promise love."
"I won't marry him. My father cannot force me into marrying some stranger. I can most certainly promise you that."
"Now Rose-" I cut Mrs. Watson off.
"No Mrs. Watson. I would rather die and suffer in pain than to marry a man and suffer the rest of my life. I can't do that.... I won't do that. I won't marry that man."
"You heard your father, it's not as if you can get up and run away!" Mrs. Watson exaggerated.
I thought over Mrs. Watson's words and turned and smiled at her an idea brewing in my mind
"Oh but I can, and Mrs. Watson you are going to help me escape." I smirked.
End POV
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Ok so that's the first chapter what does everyone think? If you liked it please vote! Or leave a comment! I really want to hear what you guys think! :) Thanks for reading I promise it gets better! Picture of Rose is off to the side, I picture her similar to this, with very powerful green eyes and naturally wavy/curly auburn hair that is darker than normal, so yeah I thought Noomi Rapace from Sherlock Holmes would be a good fit!