Vincent stared down at his glass of brandy, debating on whether or not he wanted to drink it. He already stayed up all night wallowing in self-pity, the last thing he needed was alcohol to interfere. Finally deciding to make a better decision, Vincent slid the glass to the side of his desk, ready to lay down for a bit before Lysander Chambers arrived for their meeting.
LuLu knocked on the office door hesitantly, knowing Vincent probably wanted to be left alone in his time of need. However, Lysander was a genuinely nice fellow who refused to be turned away. Normally, she'd laugh at Vincent's misfortune of an early meeting, but today she was silent.
"Come in," Vincent groaned and rubbed his eyes, wishing he at least had the courtesy to change after the events of last night. His evening jacket was hanging off the back of his chair, and his waistcoat was unbuttoned and loosely hanging from his form. His tie lay undone around his collarbone, with his top three shirt buttons unhitched. Overall, he looked like a complete slob.
Lysander entered alone, quietly making his way to the desk without a word. The smile on the man's face was natural, on the brink of even being kind. "Good morning Mr. McCoy, I would normally ask how you slept but..."
Vincent nodded his head gingerly before leaning to rest his head against the back of the chair. He was beyond being just too tired to deal with visitors, now he was completely exhausted from the human race as a whole.
LuLu entered the room at that point, going about dusting the surface of untouched furniture and opening the curtains behind Vincent's desk. Sunlight poured in making Vincent grimace as his brooding atmosphere was ruined. "Ms. LuLu, would you be so kind as to crack open the windows? The weather outside is marvelous today."
Of course, all of the Chambers children were so perfect. They must all love sunlight, gardens, dancing, and being the most tantalizing people on the planet. Vincent both admired them all, specifically Juliet, and despised them, except for Juliet.
"Now, I know I said I wanted to talk about the money owed by Joshua, but I find that my reasons for coming have changed since last night," Lysander made himself more comfortable, sinking further into his seat and picking at some fuzz on his trousers. "You told me you're in love with my sister, and I believe you."
Vincent's brows knit together in confusion, unsure of what that had to do with anything. Was he about to be charged with some form of kidnapping? At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if the Chambers family was going to fight for some form of revenge. He wouldn't blame them in the least.
"Against my better judgment, I've decided to give you a chance. Luckily, there's this dazzling little creature in your garden that happens to love you very much, so I suggest you don't tell her something so foolish as to send her running home again." Vincent couldn't possibly wrap his brain around what was happening. Here he was, prepared to deny any form of payment from the Hayes or Chambers families, and now he was being told that the woman he loved was out in his garden?
Vincent finally pulled himself out of his thoughts when he heard the humming down in the garden. Lifting himself from the seat, he calmly walked over to the open window. Down below was the beautiful Juliet Chambers, with her blonde locks falling against her back, wearing nothing but her nightgown and dressing robe as always.
Her new dressing robe in deep forest green to match her irises. Vincent couldn't help but wonder if she ever actually left the night before, but the image of her riding away was burned into his memory.
After spending several moments just watching her, Vincent turned to Lysander once more, nodding his head appreciatively. He wasn't sure what the other man saw in him, but he was thankful nonetheless. "I can't thank you enough-"
"She came here of her own volition and with such determination that I couldn't send her back up to her room." Lysander remained in his seat even as Vincent stepped forward and shook hands with the man.
Vincent left his office in a mad rush, desperate to get to the garden before she changed her mind or got tired of waiting. He buttoned his waistcoat back and began to fix his shirt and tie. He couldn't do much for the dark circles under his eyes, or the unruly style of his hair, but he could fix his attire at any rate.
When he arrived at the double French doors, Juliet was directly in the center of the garden, smiling down at the fresh buds on a bush as if it were her children. Vincent paused in his step just to admire her in her natural state of beauty, before forcing the door open and attempting to calmly rush to her side.
Juliet knew he was coming towards her, but she couldn't find it in herself to look up. Perhaps he was angry? Maybe her father had been wrong and she should have stayed away. He wouldn't do anything to Ophelia's family, that she was sure of, but it still unnerved her when it came to the amount of control he had in the situation.
"Juliet," her name was a breathless sigh from mere inches away, but it was enough to make her heart flutter. Seeing no other way out of it, Juliet turned her gaze away from the blooming flowers and towards the man she had come to love. "You're here... You came back?"
She slowly nodded to give her the chance to collect her thoughts. "Yes I-I-I... I know we bet that I couldn't go back home, and if I did then you'd force Ophelia and her family to work in the fields to pay off the debt, but I... I couldn't bear the thought of you not finding me desirable or beautiful. I resigned myself to leave and never see you again, but I can't. I can't do it, Vincent."
Her gaze traveled away from his dark eyes to focus on the ground between them. Vincent remained silent and wondered what else she had on her mind. Juliet was an outspoken girl, but it was hardly her mind or thoughts she spoke about. All of this was new, but he liked it.
"Our bet was that if you left, I'd put your family in the fields and to get one thing I desire from you, was it not?" Juliet nodded solemnly, waiting for him to destroy what was left of her sanity. "Well then, my desire is quite simple. I want you, Juliet. I want you to stay here, with me. I want you to be my wife, to tell me off, and to ever-so politely tell me when I'm wrong. I do find you to be desirable, and beautiful, and utterly perfect. It's like God put you here on this green earth to mock all the rest of us. What happened last night... It's hard to explain, love, but I want to pretend it never happened and just move on, together."
Juliet remained in stunned silence, both afraid to speak up just to hear him laugh about how it was all a joke, and so excitedly happy she might burst into tears. "I-I love you, Vincent. I don't have any clever or-or romantic way to put it besides to just say it the way it is. I've fallen in love with you."
Vincent couldn't help but grin at her reddened cheeks and shy gaze. She was just perfect the way she reacted. There were no tears or screams he had seen from others, just a quiet confession.
"I love you as well, Juliet. Very, very much." To say the words aloud, and to the woman he loved was odd. He had confessed it, sure. He had told several people at that point, but it did not measure up to saying it to Juliet at that moment. It left him desperate for air, but he did not know why.
She finally looked up at him with a smile, dazzling him with her intoxicating glow. It was as if the world was right for the first time in his life.
Juliet timidly reached forward, pulling him towards her in an embrace. Vincent's fingers buried themselves into her hair as he pulled her closer, desperate to feel whole again. Despite being completely exhausted from his zero sleep, he felt entirely rejuvenated in her arms.
"I suppose the Norris' weren't so far off with their response to our invite, just a little ahead of our plans," Vincent chuckled softly, kissing the hairs on the top of her gorgeous head.
"Yes, I suppose they made an accurate misunderstanding." The two remained in their embrace for several moments more before Juliet pulled away, a dazzling smile lighting up her features.
"Vincent, you look awful. You need to go lie down and rest," he chuckled despite the insult, finding the irony in it all. Here he was, complimenting her beauty and laying down his feelings for all the world to see, and she was calling him out for his rugged looks.
"Thank you, my dear, that's just what I wanted to hear from you," Vincent leaned down to steal a kiss before making his way towards his home. "Are you coming?"
Juliet followed immediately, jogging to catch up with him before passing him entirely. "The last one in is a goatish dizzy-eyed harpy!"
"Harpy? Harpy! I'll show you a harpy!" Vincent sped forward and easily latched on to the blonde woman, holding her above the ground as if she weighed nothing. Her laugh rang like the sweetest of bells as Vincent walked forward, deciding that arriving through the door at the same time meant that neither of them was a goatish dizzy-eyed harpy.
Lysander leaned back from his place by the window, nodding his head in acceptance. Juliet was happy, beyond happy even, to be here. That would have to be enough for him and their father. There was, truly, nothing more they could ask for when making a match for his youngest sister.
Besides, what more would she need in life when she had the love of the most terrifying beast in the South?