Their connection has waned through the night, bodies close yet so distant as a Delilah huddle at his side with no arm around her waist or even the slightest attempt notice the petite being. The conversation has yet come to an end, still, she can feel herself being split into two by her own logic. She was his as he were hers, only the couple of days of their relationship has already defined their feelings, the amount of care and trust between the two strangers were enough to convince another that they knew each other for years.
Delilah should be happy of such proposal, to be away from the brothel and sudden family drama, to explore her own life and future in a home with so many options and freedom to do whatever without someone shooting down her opinions and dreams. No one to call her a whore and remind her that she can be nothing more than that. However, in reality she was going to be Wyatt's whore, he has paid her way out and no matter what he say or do; she still feels as if it is her duty to give him everything he desires- body and heart.
The night creeps away from the sunrise, the sky looked like flames layered with yellow, orange, and dark pink with a hint of blue. Unlike London after a snow storm, Italy opens up with a bright and sunny day, the air was still chilly, ground and rivers covered with ice and snow; yet, the people still roam the stone walkways as if it weren't Christmas morning. They busked themselves with work as their children played in the snow under the careful eye of their mother.
"Delilah, what are you doing up so early?" A groggy timid voice distracted the young woman from the morning show, right before the mother yelled at her two son's that were dangerously close to the edge. Although, Delilah did not know a lick of Italian or any other language other than English, she knew her yells were mostly out of motherly fear.
Alessandra held her own motherly fear, childless, she still could not help herself but worry and age from the thought of losing Wyatt to a tragic accident or even natural death- especially before he gains the chance to bury her.
Delilah released a light smile, her eyes were droopy with exhaustion, but her mind raced with thoughts that kept her up through the night. "I couldn't sleep. What of you?"
The older woman rubbed her eyes and stumbled into the room while adjusting the thick fluffy robe. "I must cook breakfast. Even with just Jonathan, I wake up early to give him a proper meal, lord knows those two barely eats during the day. Would you like coffee? Tea?"
"Tea, please, thank you."
"What is keeping you up?" Alessandra asked while walking towards the kitchen to fill the kettle with water and made her way back to set up over the fire. Flopping down into the leather arm chair made for a fat man, she sighed heavily and examined the young woman too distracted by what was going on outside to even fix the problem on the inside.
Delilah looked down at her hands and sighed heavily before looking up to capture the woman's eyes. "This is my first relationship."
"Oh, quite interesting. What is the true problem? You do not like the state it is in?"
"No, I do, there is family complications. My mother, she allowed me to come to Italy with Wyatt, yet she expects me not to go any further than where we are now. In the past couple of days, Wyatt and I have confined each other with peace and understanding, we distracted each other from the outside world. She wants me to be with her, helping the girls, but I do not want to do that."
"What do you want?"
Delilah looked away, the question placed another answer-less thought into her mind. "I love reading about history, our past shapes our future, I just want to go my own path. But..." she paused while wiping a stray tear away before Alessandra saw. "But, that is not how the world works for us, for a woman like me."
"Senza senso." Alessandra spat, she was a strain away from spitting upon the ground in distaste, but remembered she was inside. "You read history, yes? You say it shapes us, but you are missing the huge details that would actually reflect our kind. Our great grandmothers have fought to the top, we have shaped our own future and own paths that many men would say we couldn't walk. Do not let anyone say you can't do what you are passionate about, if you want to read and study history, do so. If you do not want to help those girls, then don't. The worse thing a young woman could do to herself is not follow her own dreams and be stuck in a life they did not wish for."
The older woman's passionate words have lifted a weight off of Delilah's shoulders, still, doubt rains upon her as Alessandra does not exactly know the entire truth. "May I ask, why do you not have Christmas decorations?"
Alessandra eyes the plain house rid of joyous holiday antics. "Mainly because of my own laziness. Years of putting up decorations and to only take them down with no one around to actually appreciate them, I decided to give up. Usually Jonathan would be out for work during the holiday, apparently merchants love to trade goods when the competitors our busy with their families."
The kettle whistles after a few seconds of silence, Alessandra jumps to her feet to remove the kettle hanging over the fire and preparers two tea cups surrounded by sugar and cream. "Two cubes?"
"Yes please, and a dash of cream."
Alessandra handed the tea cup over, a light smile upon her face when seeing Delilah's eyes brighten with the reminder of home. "It's good to have someone else who drinks tea around here. It's seems I'm always surrounded around coffee."
Delilah took a sip of the tea, it was different than the cheap herbs Charlotte makes her buy. "This is incredible, where is it from?"
"India, quite the beautiful place but very crowded, along with Japan. I'm sure Wyatt will take you around the world, he's just like his uncle, always want to see other cultures to appreciate his own."
"What are you two blabbing about?" Jonathan snuck into the room, brows raised and lips thin. He was fully dressed for the day, which made Delilah wrap the blanket securely around her chest to not give the older man another beautiful view that morning.
"About the O'Hare men finding a way to boost their ego. And before you say anything about breakfast, you can suck on peppermint for the meantime, I am having tea with our guest."
"I should put something more appropriate on anyway, thank you for tea." Taking one more sip, Delilah set the cup on the silver platter before dashing upstairs to not embarrass herself in front of Wyatt's uncle.
When entering the attic, the soft snores of her lover still filled the air, he laid still; blanket rest just below his waste, arm under his head, and chest bare for the world to see. Turning from the wonderful site, she distracts herself with choosing which dress she will wear for the day. "Best to wear something warm."
Delilah jumped in shock and almost snapped her fingers from the dresser. "Bloody hell." She hissed while waving her hand to ease the sharp pain in her fingertips.
Wyatt sat up, his back pressed against the headboard and lip tugged into a humorous smirk. "Are you alright?"
Placing her throbbing thumb in between her lips, Delilah turned and glared at the man for scaring her in such early hours of the morning. "I'm fine, you're quiet as your uncle."
"Us O'Hare men has a way of sneaking up on our enemies, or our prey." Crawling out of bed, Wyatt eyed the young woman with a dark sinister gaze, a low hum escaped his throat as his shoulders lowered as if he going to pounce.
"Oh no you don't." Delilah giggled while scurrying away until the back of her knees hits the old rocking chair and she had no other choice but to be captured by the dashing predator. She squealed, her feet dangling off the ground as her neck were being attacked by kisses and light nibbling. "Alright, that's enough."
"What?" Wyatt chuckled, his lips pulled into a bright smile as he lowered his prey enough to be eye level. "Should I save you for later, have my meal then?"
"You should not crave for a meal at all. You have promised me a tour, I expect such." Managing to wiggle her way out of his arms, Delilah went back to picking a gown that would be suitable to walk in such cold temperatures.
"A tour after a snow storm will be hard, ice is covering the bridges and unless your ass missing the bricks as apart of the tour, it is best to stay inside."
"I at least want to touch the snow. Such snow do not form in London, usually it's the color of ash or shit."
"Okay, we will step outside, take in the winter scenery. Still, dress warm."
*~*~*~*~*
"It seems Italy is doing well for her." Alessandra voiced with a light smile upon her face, cheeks turning red from the cold breeze, and arms protected by a thick blanket. They stood on the porch, witnessing the pure joy of a girl who's been trapped in one world, her feet digging into the snow, fingers coated by the freezing water, and smile wide as if it were stuck. "Perhaps she can stay, watch the seasons change-"
"What?" Wyatt grip his cane in anger and confusion as if his own aunt were suggesting he to give all his money to a church and be a monk for the rest of his life.
The older woman felt his glares, it was colder than the wind, but she did not react the way others would. Instead, she kept her eyes forwarding the bright smile fell into a deep frown. "When I was a little girl, the house next to ours homed a mother and two daughters no older than sixteen. Their father and husband died during the final war, and they were stuck surviving on their own, mother worked in factories while the two daughters begged and sold trinkets they made by hand. You would think their work would not be enough to gain such the luxury of a two bed room home the size of a shoe box, but as I grew older and the girls showed their misery through their eyes. I come to realize their mother was selling them to the landlord, she used them as payment to keep that home."
Finally, she met the gaze of her nephew, eyes glossy as the wind pushed out a tear. Alessandra wipes it away before it could freeze upon her cheek. "The same landlord went to my parents once I turned fourteen, my father almost killed him from the proposition. I look back to that time, the girls faces, they may have looked normal and happy; but it is their eyes that told otherwise. That need of freedom that is automatically given, the need to escape their own mother- the same person that is supposed to take care of them and let them pursue their dreams without a second thought, that need to find love wherever it is given. I see that in Delilah's eyes and hear it in her stories when speaking of her mother. Whoever she is, whatever her life was before this; make sure you are making the right decision and do not break the spirit she has left. Do you understand?"
Wyatt was stuck, his lips opened and closed as he looked back towards Delilah, she was busy having a snowball fight with a bunch of kids near by. The innocence was shown in each length of her excitement and joy, it brought the old feeling of doubt back to his heart. However, taking in Alessandra's words and thinking of Delilah being trapped in that miserable life, it only motivated him to go along with the original plan. "I understand."