“Lucy, we need to have a talk,” came Mother’s stern voice. This did not sound good…
My brows wrinkled in question, signalling her to continue. “Your father”“ he cleared his throat “ “Oh, alright! Your father and I feel it’s time that you were married off. We plan on having”“
“No!” I stomped my foot on the polished wood floor. “You are not marrying me off to some, some… wretched man!” I was disgusted. No way was I to have a husband picked for me.
Father rose, looking angry, and Mother slapped me hard across the face. I couldn’t say I hadn’t expected it… she was not the kind of woman that you could talk back to and get away with it.
“Lucinda Margaret Ainsley!” You will do what is expected of you, and there will be no objections about it!” Her voice was tense, almost daring me to defy her. Something rose inside of me abruptly. Maybe... maybe I would. I didn't have to listen to her! Her nostrils flared as if in warning, and I quickly decided against it as my courage evaporated just as swiftly as it came. “Now, we have been talking with some friends of ours, and have decided that you and Mr. Isaac Claxton would make a fine pair. He’s a respectable man, that one, and would make a decent husband… and father.”
The absurdity! She wants me to have children? His children? I scoffed at the idea.
“And what if I don’t love him… if I could never find it in my heart to love him?”
Mother was not going to let me get out of the wedding arrangements, clearly. “You will find, Lucy, in time, that he is a man very worthy of your heart. It would be impossible for you not to love him! You deserve one another, and you would be a fool not to take his hand in marriage.”
Father had seemed to calm down… maybe I could soften him up. “Poppy,” I asked, “You won’t let this happen, will you?”
Go ahead, Poppy, you know you’d be miserable in the long run, knowing that I’m unhappy because of your decision to marry me off… just sodding stand up for me, please.
He shifted uncomfortably in his place on the velvet antique sofa. “I’m afraid, petal, that I am sticking with your mother on this one. You are now of age, and therefore are expected to get married and bear children.”
Blast! Curse him and Mother's bloody power that she has over him. I crossed my arms, heaved a sigh in anger, and averted my eyes. I stared hard at a loose thread at the hem of my skirt, and unconsciously, my hand jumped to it, yanking at it in frustration.
Mother reached over and slapped the back of my hand, as expected. I sat in a huff for a few moments, until the silence began yanking at my irritation.
“So this is the way it’s going to be then?”
“Yes, it is,” Mother snapped, “so you’re just going to have to deal with it.”
Hot, salty tears threatened to spill over the corners of my eyes. I blinked forcefully several times, not wanting to raise questions. The room spun, my heart pounded against my chest, and I soon found my lungs gasping for air as my throat began to close up.
I’m going to faint. I need to get out of here…
“May I be excused?” My lips formed the words, but my voice failed me.
A few uncomfortable moments later, the question I was unable to ask aloud was answered.
“Well,” said Father, as if on cue, “if there is nothing more to be discussed, you may be excused, Lucy. Your mother shouldn't be given something more to stress over... she already has enough to worry about with you these days.” I jumped up at the words.
Lifting my skirt, I curtsied to Mother and Poppy and scurried to the main hall. I felt Mother’s gaze on the back of my neck, but paid no attention. Pushing open the pair of large oak doors, I squinted into the light. My lungs gasped for fresh air, which cleared my head. That damn stuffy air filled with all of Mother’s incenses was enough to make anyone’s head spin in distress. The tears that had once simply threatened to pour out now defeated my former resistance and leaked down my face, exposing myself.
Running through Mother’s well-kept garden, I grieved. Not just for myself, but for others, too. For poor Mr. Claxton, who surely will have his heart broken from the lack of passion I show towards him. For Mother, who will certainly be disappointed when I can’t live up to her standards. And for Poppy, who will feel guilty and ashamed for not being able to please both his wife and daughter. But mostly, I wept for Belvina, who has done nothing but love me, and will probably only be crushed in return.
Belvina Black… Oh, lovely Belvina Black. My Belvina Black. What would she say about this? I had to see her…
I dabbed the end of my skirt on my cheeks, drying my eyes. Scooping up a bundle of lilac coloured lilies from the garden, I pulled my blonde hair up, placing a lone flower in the centre of the elegant bun on my head. I licked my lips in anticipation and braced myself for that tingly feeling, then Apparated away.
I ended up exactly where I had planned: an enormous room with forest green walls, a high ceiling, and several house elves bustling about, cleaning the furniture. I was in the entrance hall of the Black mansion.
The Blacks had been recently looking in to buying a new residence, but Belvina had protested. “There’s too many memories here,” she explained. Mr. and Mrs. Black had assumed she meant that there were too many good memories with the family, and I had, as well, at first. Later, however, she reassured me that she was referring to the days together we spent there in secret, and I was overjoyed.
I took a few steps down the dark hall. Belvina had told me that her parents were going away on another one of their secret missions again, so I hoped only she was home. I had never met her parents, but they didn’t seem like the kind of people my own family would approve of.
I had to find some water for those lilies; they were beginning to droop. But more importantly, I had to find Belvina.
“Bell, sweetie, are you here?” I called. My voice echoed down the long, dark hallway. No answer. I waited a few moments, but jumped when I heard the floor creak. Something was there, and it was certainly not Belvina.
“Hello? Who’s there?” I mumbled. The reply: soft footsteps getting closer.
“It’s only me, ma’am, Polly the house elf,” squeaked the small creature, as it bowed deeply.
“Polly, do you think you could show me to where Belvina is?”
The elf’s face darkened. “Why are yous here? Why does yous want to see her?”
“I’m a good friend of Belvina. She’d want to see me, Polly.” Apparently that was a good enough answer, for her tiny hand grabbed mine and led me down the hall. I had to wonder how the elf could see where she was going… my own feet weren’t even visible to me.
After an excruciating trek down the dark halls, up staircases and around what seemed to be large objects, we arrived at a door, with which light shone from under. Polly knocked softly on the door.
“Polly, I’ve told you time and time again… you don’t have to knock if you’re coming to clean my room. I quite appreciate it, actually… then I have somewhere to sit…”
“Miss? Yous has a visitor for yous!” squeaked the elf.
I spoke up when Belvina didn’t reply. “It’s me, dear, open”“
The door flung open, to my wish. She took one look at the elf and said in a single quick breath, “Polly, you needn’t stay. In fact, please take your leave right away.” The house elf was pushed from the door abruptly, even before getting a chance to bow to her mistress. Bell took hold of one of my hands and yanked me fiercely in her room, latching the door behind us.
As if in one giant sweeping motion, she had me against the wall with my hands entwined in hers above my head. She kissed me passionately on the lips, and I felt a chunk of cement drop in my stomach. She was going to make it impossible for me to tell her the unfortunate news… I’ll never be able to part from her.
Even still, I kissed back with more intensity. The taste of her told me I was going to be alright, that she would always be there, whether others knew of her presence or not. I broke away for a short moment to catch my breath, and she began kissing my neck. In between pecks, she’d let out a word. “You”“ kiss ““brought”“ kiss ““me”“ kiss ““flowers! How nice!” So I guess her hands had found them after all.
Our lips found one another’s again as she took the flowers from my hands. Her fingertips became tangled in my hair and she struggled to get free so she that could put the flowers in a vase without breaking away from our kiss. I saw the glimpse of lilac fly over to my right as her hand became free of my hair, sending her arm flailing with full momentum. Something fell and shattered, and she tensed up, knowing that Polly would come to inspect.
My heart pounded against my chest. We pulled away again as we heard a knock on the door.
“Come in, Polly.” Belvina sighed.
I glanced at her and stole a quick kiss before the door opened.
The elf looked around, mumbled a spell that made the shards disappear, then set the lilies in the once-broken vase. “Would yous two like Polly to bring yous some drinks?”
Belvina seemed to be going mad. I doubted that she could keep control of herself much longer, which put a smirk on my face. “We’re fine, Polly. You know what? Take the day off!”
“But miss”“
“Polly. I want you to relax. Go out for the day with some, err, other house elves and have fun.” The elf was, once again, shown to the door.
Belvina’s annoyed face was attractive, no doubt. When she came closer to kiss me again, I found it nearly impossible to protest, but I knew I had to. She looked disappointed at my seemingly lack of interest.
“Kiss me, you moron,” she teased, leaning in again. I gave in for a moment, and then pulled away once more.
She seemed to think it was a joke, but her reaction wasn’t unexpected. “What? Are you now going to tell me that this is all just… impossible? Because let me tell you, baby”“ she shoved me to the bed ““What we have is real. I love you, and I hope you love me too.” I felt a weight on top of me and kissed her keenly to prove that I did, indeed, love her back.
For several minutes, we were lost in one another’s affections, when she broke away to speak. “Now tell me what is bothering you. You haven’t been yourself since you walked through my bedroom door.” She sat up and grasped my hand, which lent me a comfort that only she could provide.
Even still, I was uneasy. The same feeling that I had had back at my own house was overcoming me again. Tears dropped from my eyes and I found myself unable to breath as my heart hammered madly against my chest. What would she do?
“There’s… someone else,” I began lamely. “A man… Isaac Claxton. He’s a pure-blood, as well, but he goes to a different wizarding school… in Sweden, I think.”
“You’re trading me in for some blundering fool?” I almost laughed, but then I realized it wasn’t a joke. She thought I had really wanted to be with him….
Fat chance. “Oh no, love, never! My parents have arranged for our marriage! And what’s more… I’ve never even met him before!”
She captured me in a bone-breaking hug, letting her wet tears flow over my shoulder. “Oh, Luc. I’m so sorry. If my parents ever did that to me… to hell with them!”
I raised my eyebrows. I hadn’t expected this… not at all. I had thought she would devise some scheme to get me out of it, perhaps running away with me so we could be together. But… that’s it? She’s sorry? My sobs grew heavier, this time from disappointment.
She kissed me gently on the forehead. “I don’t know your parents personally, but you have told me a lot about them. And I think you should do what they want. Marry him.
“If you go through with this like planned, there will be no suspicion about us. People will think you’re a happy married couple, therefore loyal to one another. Build some trust with him, so he’ll give you some time alone…
“Then you can come visit me. We can still be together, Lucy.”
“But we would have to do this in secret…”
“We already are. This entire time we have been with one another without anyone knowing. We don’t have to come out about this now… I’m not ready to! And you sure as hell know that our parents would not approve of one another. Pure-bloods they both are, yes, but they are set down different paths.
“Sometimes, Lucy, things aren’t meant to be out in the open for everyone to see. You know that I love you, and I know that you love me. So go ahead and marry him. Everyone else can think that you’re in love with him, but I know the truth, and that’s all that matters. Pretending otherwise won’t fool our hearts.”
Fin.