Her mother had taken control of her wedding. What she wanted had changed to what was appropriate and what the ‘guests’ would want to see. The guest list itself was out of her hands but after seeing the length of paper her mother was using to write the list she knew it was going to be a large reception.
She had wanted a plain dress, new and edged nicely with lace but essentially plain. Her mother was insisting on detail. Lots of detail and embellishment. In short, Elsa was beginning to think her mother was trying to make a show out of her and it didn’t please her one bit. She tried to apologise to Alexander for her mother’s going over the top but he only laughed.
“Mothers will be mothers, let them have their fun. They like to get excited since their own wedding days are long gone.” He said he didn’t mind one bit what went on throughout the day only, that the vows be said and they exchange rings.
They had tea together every day at four thirty and there they tried to get to know one another a little better before the wedding was to take place. They spoke of the books they liked and the piano pieces they preferred. They spoke of dancing and even ventured into certain philosophical discussions. It was nice to have a man that would allow her the freedom of speaking her mind and didn’t mind that she had read books on politics and other religions. She got on rather well with Alexander and as the wedding date was nearing she was pleased. Heart broken, but accepting of her position. She had known girls to have much worse marriage partners and their lives would never be happy. She was glad that at last she would like her husband.
Her new house was grand. She had been taken to visit there and she had to admit, being the lady of such a house was a little daunting but she assumed that once she was married and settled down, that it would seem much better and easier. She wrote to her friends and told them what her new address would be, saying that they must write regularly still and visit as often as they were able.
She had taken to kissing Joseph’s letter at night because she knew that the day was approaching when she must burn the evidence of her love for someone else. She felt as if she would like to fold the paper up and place it in a necklace thereby never taking it off and hiding her secret forever away from the world. But it would never work. And she would not start off her marriage to Alexander with such a deceit. She had promised him her attention and he was getting it; one hundred percent when she was in his company. Her heart did ache something terrible though.
Another day dawned and she struggled to get out of bed, too tired to be bothered with the morning routine. But she heard the servants milling about and knew one would come in eventually to try and light her fire or something stupid like that, so she hid the letter under her mirror and climbed stiffly out of bed. Her day did not get better. By teatime she was sat in the parlour with the teapot and staring outside. She was so lost in thought that she did not hear the door knock or even the footsteps which announced that Alexander had come in.
“My my Elsa, you are distracted today.”
“Oh! Sorry I was day dreaming.”
“I can see that.”
He took his usual seat opposite her and let the servant faff around with pouring tea and offering him little cakes, until Elsa told the servant they could manage and she herself took over pouring him his tea.
“Sorry, my mother likes it when they bustle around her; I don’t.”
“I’ve become accustomed to your independence since I started to come for tea here. I do not mind it.”
He talked evasively of his business, just a little to engage her into conversation but not enough to bore her with details or expect her to understand a world from with she was shunned. She in turn chatted away, as was polite, but today she was more depressed than usual. Her mother had named the date officially and sent out the invitations. She was not aware of herself slipping away again into that distant world that belonged only in her mind, but the feel of something pressing against her lips brought her swiftly back out of it.
“Alexander!” She cried pulling away from his lips. It wasn’t right. It didn’t feel good to kiss him. It left her feeling oddly cold inside and he was… not as gentle, not as sweet, nor as commanding as the previous lips that had last touched her mouth. “I mean… we shouldn’t. We are not married.”
She knew it was foolish to pull the marriage card. They were engaged and being caught kissing her betrothed would be only light gossip, nothing too scandalous, especially since the wedding date was set. There was no harm in a little kiss but she used the excuse anyway. Let him think her an innocent and inexperienced maiden. But there was a look in his eye that she couldn’t decipher but was afraid to look at too closely.
“I get the feeling that you do not wanting the same as me Elsa.”
He picked up his cane and was pulled on his coat. Had she offended him? No she didn’t mean to! “I’m so sorry! I am just distracted. The wedding plans have been on my mind for a while and I am over tired with them. Forgive me. I… I am not used to such bold moves. Pray, ignore that. I swore to you that you had my attention.”
His hand went to her shoulders and he nodded his head at her. He would leave her to her many thoughts. Bending down he leant close to her ear, she thought he was going to kiss her cheek as men had done in the past to her when she was younger but he didn’t. Instead he whispered his departing words to her and left.
“But not your affection.”
*
She had sat, pale and worried in her chair for another hour before she called the servant to remove the tea tray and tell her mother she was going for a walk around the garden. How much did Alexander know? His words had puzzled her. She walked slowly up the stairs, intending to get another shawl, when there was a knock on the door. “Alice.” She called to the servant, “if it is Alexander come back, if he has forgotten anything please show him to the room but tell him I have gone for a lie down. I do not feel too well.”
“Alright Miss.”
She carried on to her room but stopped when she heard a little huffing and puffing behind her. Turning she saw Alice bobbing behind her trying to catch up. “Miss, it’s for you. A gentleman by the name of Mr Smith. He says he needs to speak to you urgently about important business.”
“Mr Smith? I do not know a Mr Smith. Are you sure it isn’t a call for my father?”
“I wouldn’t mistake the daughter for the father Miss. Please he seemed rather impatient when I told you had gone for a lie down and I had to fetch you.”
“I am coming.”
She turned back around and descended the stairs again coming face to face with a man she had never seen before, he wasn’t even one of her father’s friends or business associates - and she had seen many of them in his study. This man was a little aged and his face was rather stern at the moment. He was and because of that she was wary of getting too close to him; his presence seemed imposing. He was watching her walk all the way down the stairs and he seemed to be timing her steps.
“Good afternoon. I believe you are newly betrothed to a business partner of your fathers?”
“Yes I am.”
“Allow me to talk to you for a moment. I won’t take up much of your time - if you are an insincere person.”
“Excuse me?!”
Was he trying to offend her? She didn’t like his choice of words.
“Tea would be nice. Thank you.” He said walking towards her own parlour! She hurried after him determined that he wouldn’t get tea or even a chair if he was to be so rude. She told the servant to fetch her brother who was in the study and to keep this quiet from her mother, who would shriek shrilly if she knew someone was marching around her house.
Following this impetuous man she called after him, “Excuse me Sir, I have not invited you in. I do not even know your name. You are being rather rude Sir, and I must ask that you leave at once or my brother will be called.”
“If you get your brother involved he will only get hurt. As for my being rude, you are the one who has offended me. You Elsa have a mate and Joseph works hard to return to you! And now when I come to bring you to him myself, I find you about to marry another. How dare you?! And as for my name it is Niklas!”
“…Sir, please sit down. I’ll ask for tea.”
“She ran out into the hallway and called off her brother saying it was a friend of Alexander’s and she needed tea and cakes again. It was brought into the parlour straight away and she busied herself in pouring tea for a minute, all the while keeping her face averted from the furious man infront of her.
“Are you going to tell me why it is I come for a single woman and find a taken one?”
“I couldn’t help it. My father is trying to marry me off. I had to choose a man; Joseph went away with no explanation and left no date as to when he would come back. Nor an address for me to write a letter to him. No one had seen him but me I couldn’t very well tell my father I had a suitor from out of town and who I didn’t know a thing about. My father would have disapproved of Joseph anyway… being with him was always going to be hard. I waited as long as I could but my father was putting pressure on me. I gave my word to Alexander; it was him or… a man who wanted my body and money only. My father’s choices were not the best.”
The man infront of he was silent for a minute. “You gave your word?”
“I did.”
“And would you take it back?”
“I would love to be betrothed to Joseph but he has not asked me and I have the chance of security with Alexander.”
She stood up from her chair and walked away. “I will marry a friend. I can have a home and a comfortable life. I’ll never forget Joseph. I still have his letter… but I will have to get rid of that soon.”
“And what if I said I could take you to Joseph. What if I could promise you that he would give you a comfortable life and provide for you? What if I told you he thinks of you every day and intends to come back for you as soon as his business is done?”
“I am promised to Alexander now. I… promised him my attention.”
But not her affection, as he had pointed himself that very day. Could she call off an engagement that had gone all around the neighbourhood? It would be a cruel thing to do for his reputation, a very cruel thing to do. Could she do that to his name? He would be laughed at and whispered about by everyone if the one he asked to marry him broke off the engagements when the wedding dress was already ordered.
“I can’t do that to him. Not now.”
“Then I must go back empty handed? I must tell Joseph that you sacrifice his happiness and the only hope he clings to in his coming battles, all because the one he loves is thinking about the reputation of another man?”
“Be reasonable. I did not want this! He will get over me in time. I will try to do the same.” Though it felt as if that would never happen.
“He will not get over you, he is not human. He does not love like humans love - he has a mate. And that mate is you. You are a vampire’s Bride and that means neither of you will stop loving the other. You betray him by going with another man. He will know when you… consummate your marriage. You’ll break his heart!”
She looked up at the man infront of her utterly shocked by the venom in his voice and the words that came out of his mouth. Vampire? Mate? What was all this? She looked at the teapot in her hands; she had also had a drink from it before she launched into an explanation. There was nothing in the tea to addle his brain. She didn’t understand where his words of madness came from but she now thought it best if he left her to her business. He may know Joseph but he clearly wasn’t a stable minded person.
“I’m sorry I must ask you again to leave.”
He jumped to his feet and took hold of her arms, shaking her a little. She would have squeaked maybe even screamed in fear but her voice wouldn’t work. She opened her mouth but there was no sound coming out. She wriggled in his grip but he didn’t let up on her. “Don’t believe me? Think me mad? You and he are connected little one and you cannot marry this man! You cannot.”
He let go of her then and walked out of the parlour. Even when he had left her sight she heard his footsteps on the floor making his way across the tiles to the front door. It banged shut loudly behind him and her brother began asking what all the racket was. She just said she had a headache and pushed past him to go and lay down. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes and she threw herself on the bed and took out the letter from under mirror. Why could he not have come for her that day? She would have told him her father was pressuring her to marry. She would have asked him his intentions. She let her tears out and cried silently into her pillow until at last she fell asleep and let everything slip away for a while. Now everything was a mess, a big mess saw no end to.