by Paula Mabbel
“Please ensure that she doesn’t pay a visit to this house again.” Peter said stiffly.
“That won’t be a problem Sir.” The maid said and then she made her way back out of the room.
Peter sighed and walked back into the room. He had one week to wait until he could get away from the town and that couldn’t pass quickly enough.
******
Peter walked down to the docks. He could smell the strong hit of salt and dirt from the mucky water and it made his nose wrinkle in disgust. The air was thick with fog and it made everything seem grey and miserable as he made his way over to the boat that he would be taking.
He could see his men already waiting to board. They stood against the crowd of fishermen with their royal uniforms and proud expressions. He stopped when he had reached the crowd and looked for George.
“Friend, you made it.” George said when he pushed his way through the crowd.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Peter said and he noticed the way that George frowned at his words.
“I need to show you something.” George said with a worried expression.
“What happened?” Peter asked, picking up on his friend’s mood instantly.
“I don’t want you to be cross, friend.” George said and then he paused. “But I went to speak to Tilly before I left town this morning.”
“You had no business speaking to her.” Peter said and he felt a tempest of anger rise up from his stomach.
“Well, I suppose it was a good thing that I did.” George said.
“How do you figure?” Peter asked suddenly confused by the direction in which George was taking the conversation.
“She had something to tell me.” George said and then he paused.
“I don’t suppose it was anything that truly matters.” Peter said, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity.
“Perhaps not.” George said. “But I happen to believe that my friend becoming a father is a big deal.”
Peter didn’t say anything. He had heard George. He had understood what he had said and what he had meant, but his brain was still having a hard time processing it. He could feel his mouth falling open as his brain finally caught up and he looked at his friend with wild eyes.
“Are you sure it’s so?” He asked with haste.
“I’m quite sure.” George nodded. “The doctor confirmed it to me this morning after my visit with Tilly.”
“What do you suppose I should do?” Peter asked.
“You already know what you should do.” George said softly.
“I don’t think I do.” Peter said and his voice was full of a worried panic. He could see his men already starting to board the ship and he knew that time was against him.
“If you didn’t know what to do, then you wouldn’t have asked me. You know you want to do what’s right. You know you want to be with the girl who managed to tame your heart.” George said as though it was all that simple.
“I’ll lose my title.” Peter said quietly.
“You’ll gain a new one.” George said with a smile.
“What title is that?” Peter asked confused.
“You’ll have someone calling you daddy.” George explained.
*****
Peter walked into the small café and looked for the bright red hair that he had come to know and love. He noticed her standing next to the waitressing station and he walked over without any hesitation.
“I’ve just spoken with George.” Peter said a little breathlessly.
Tilly turned around and looked at him with surprise. “You should be setting sail now.” She said quickly and then her eyes darted to the window.
“The ships already gone.” Peter said softly.
“I don’t understand.” Tilly said and her bright eyes were full of confusion.
Peter smiled, but he didn’t say anything straight away. Instead, he knelt down onto his knee and waited for Tilly to bring her eyes to his.
“Tilly from the moment we met you had a hold of my heart. You are an impossible girl. You are like the stars that still shine on long after they have burnt out. You are beautiful, but so much of that beauty can be found on the inside. I want you. I want you today and tomorrow and for the rest of my tomorrows and todays. Please marry me.” He said.
Tilly didn’t speak. The whole café had gone quiet as eyes were glued onto the proposal that was taking place.
“I don’t know what to say.” Tilly said.
“Well, I mean I’m a bit biased, but I think you should say yes.” Peter said with a smile.
“Did you just make a joke?” Tilly asked in surprise.
“I ask you to marry me, but it’s my joke that surprises you?” Peter said with a soft chuckle.
“What can I say?” Tilly said with a smile. “I’m not easily surprised.”
“So what do you say?” Peter asked her again; when he realized that she had become distracted from the original question.
“Yes.” Tilly said and she nodded her head.
Peter stood up and grinned at her. He had never felt a joy quite so overwhelming. He could feel the eyes of the people in the café on him, but he didn’t care as he picked his future wife up and kissed her deeply.
“We need to go.” He said when he finally found the strength to put her back down and pull away from her lips.
“Where?” She asked him with a soft frown.
“Well, if we are to be married, then I need to get you a ring.” Peter explained.
“You don’t have to buy a ring.” Tilly objected.
“Well that’s good because I won’t be buying it.” Peter said with a smile.
Tilly followed him out of the café and watched as he pulled open the door of a carriage that had been waiting outside. It was beautiful with shiny panels and gold trimming.
“I’ve never been in a carriage so fancy.” Tilly admitted as she stepped in.
“Well, it won’t be the last time.” Peter said and then he pulled himself into the carriage and closed the door.
“Where are we going?” Tilly asked with excited eyes.
“We’re going to see my parents.” Peter said and then he sat back and watched the world turn into a steady blur.
*****
Peter held on to Tilly’s hand firmly as they walked through the large wooden doors and into his parent’s manor house.
“This place is fancier than yours.” Tilly said with wide eyes as she took in all of the ornaments and imported furniture.
“My parents have expensive taste.” Peter said and then snorted at the irony of what he had just said.
He turned around at the sound of footsteps and forced a tight smile across his lips. His mother and father were walking towards him and he could tell from their questioning eyes that they wanted to know all about Tilly.
“Mother.” Peter said. “Father, I would like you to meet Tilly.”
“Tilly isn’t a royal name?” Peter’s mother asked, although she knew full well that it wasn’t.
“It isn’t.” Tilly said quietly.
“Such a shame. I had such high hopes.” Peter’s mother said with a look of disgust thrown in Tilly’s direction.
“I suppose you are here for the ring?” Peter’s father asked in a gruff and to the point kind of way.
“I was hoping so, yes.” Peter said with a curt nod.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” His father said with a look of thought on his face. “Might I ask what Tilly is bringing to this marriage if not a royal title?”
“Love.” Peter said simply.
His father laughed and then started to frown when he realized that his son was being serious. “Where is this girl from?” He asked.
“Well, Sir.” Tilly started, but Peter gestured for her to stop.
“Does that matter?” Peter asked instead.
“You should know son that it does. I can’t have my son, the Duke of London, marrying some girl from the street.” His dad said with a sternness that wasn’
t to be questioned.
“Then you won’t have a son.” Peter said boldly.
“The time for jokes is over now.” Peter’s dad said with warning.
“Then it’s a good job that I’m not telling any.” Peter said and he could feel the rage in his stomach boil over. “This girl here might be from the streets, but she’s smart and her wit is quick. Can you tell me that she isn’t pleasing to the eye? Can you tell me that a personality like that, and her beauty which you can see with your own eyes, wouldn’t have led to you fall in love with her as well? You always raised me to believe that money made us better than those on the street, but the truth is that she’s a hundred times better than me, and ten thousand times better than you.” Peter said in an angry outburst.
His father looked shocked. He wasn’t speaking and Peter was sure that was only because he was lost for words. He took his chance to leave, before any more damage could be done.
“Tilly, we should leave now.” Peter said quietly.
“If you leave with her, you will lose everything.” Peter’s father warned.
Peter didn’t stop walking until the manor house was out of sight and then he paused for a second.
“I can’t believe you gave up everything to be with me.” Tilly said and her eyes were full of admiration.
“Before you I had nothing.” Peter disagreed. “The only way I could have left today with nothing, is if I’d of left without you.”
******
THE END
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To Marry The Prince Or Love The Duke
Lucia didn’t say anything as her stepmom stared at her. She felt a curl of her long blonde hair fall out of its clip and she pushed it back behind her ear. She stared at a small scuffed spot on the tiled floor and waited for it to be over.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Her stepmom asked shrilly.
“I don’t know what you would like me to say.” Lucia said simply.
“Don’t take that tone with me.” Her stepmom said with a click of her tongue.
Lucia continued to stare at the floor. She felt as though it was unsafe to look up. She knew the hatred she held for her stepmom had manifested in her eyes and she didn’t want to fuel the fire that was already burning.
“You know it’s no wonder your mother died. You’re just as weak as her.” Her stepmom said icily.
“You don’t get to speak of my mother.” Lucia said, and then she turned and walked away from the woman who had been making her life a misery since she had been a child.
“Do not walk away from me, you disrespectful child.” Her stepmom called down the hallway.
Lucia didn’t stop at her stepmom’s words, she just carried on down the long hallway until it turned and she was lost from her sight. She stopped for a moment. She could feel her whole body shaking with the aftershocks of what had just happened.
She steadied her breathing and then continued down the hallway. It ended at a set of doors that led on to the garden and she opened them without a moment’s hesitation. The sweet perfumed air filled her nose and lightened her mind as she walked out into the warm midday sun.
The gardens of the manor house were large and filled with flowers both native an exotic. It had been her mom’s passion. She had loved the walking through the colorful gardens to pass away the long hours. The smell of honeysuckle made Lucia stop for a moment.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of her mom. She could see the way that her smile used to reach her eyes. She could see the soft wrinkles that had started to form on her face. She could hear the way her laughter used to tumble through the air with an elegant grace of happiness.
She sighed sadly and forced her feet to move forward through the garden. It was peaceful with only the sound of the birds and the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees. Lucia’s stepmom and sisters never came out into the garden. They claimed that the cold might leave them ill, but they didn’t have a problem going into town and spending her father's money.
She walked slowly through the garden and then turned back to the house. Her legs felt like they were on fire from her walk, and she looked forward to being able to sit down.
“So you’ve finally decided to come in.” Lucia’s stepmom said with a look of disapproval on her face. “You know it’s very unladylike to spend so much time outdoors.”
“Well, my mother was a perfect lady, and she must have spent half her life out in the garden.” Lucia said defiantly.
“And look what happened to her.” Her stepmom said under her breath.
Lucia took in a sharp breath, but she didn’t take her stepmom’s bait into the argument.
“When will dinner be served?” She asked as she ignored the last comment that had been made.
“When you decide to grace the dining room.” Her stepmom said, with a look of nothing but disgust.
“Excellent.” Lucia said with a smirk and then she walked passed her stepmom and down the hallway towards the dining room. “Are you coming stepmother? We wouldn’t want to keep everybody waiting.” Lucia added as she walked away.
She could feel the glare that was coming from behind her, but she didn’t look. She couldn’t help, but smirk at how she had managed to turn her conversation around. She stopped when she had reached the dining room door and pushed open the doors.
The dining table had already been dressed by the maids, and the fire was well stocked. The flames threw a healthy orange glow against the room that made it appear cozy and warm.
Lucia walked into the room and took her seat. It was hard against her back and forced her posture to remain proper, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as the atmosphere in the room.
“I’m sorry that I had you all waiting.” Lucia said when the silence in the room had become too much to bare.
“Well, there isn’t anything that sorry can do about it now.” Her father said in a gruff voice.
“I was walking through the gardens and I got lost in thought.” Lucia tried to explain.
She watched her dad’s reaction. She was hoping to see some glimmer of understanding, but there was nothing, but cold. It had been that way since her mother had passed away. It was like he couldn’t even look at his daughter anymore because of the reminder.
“Well, my life doesn’t revolve around your walks, Lucia, nor does it revolve around any woman’s thoughts.” He said in a bored tone.
“It won’t happen again.” Lucia said.
She knew that there was no way to win the argument, and there was no point in making things more uncomfortable than they already were.
“We received an invitation from the palace today.” Her stepmom said once the conversation between Lucia and her dad had long since passed.
“Are they throwing another ball?” Tiana, Lucia’s stepsister, asked excitedly.
“Of course they’re throwing another ball, stupid.” Tiana's sister, Alice, said quickly.
Lucia watched her two sisters as they started to squabble over what the invitation was about. Tiana was the older of the two, but had the least brains. She was pretty with dark brown hair and pale skin, but there was a certain vacancy in her eyes that Lucia thought to be unappealing.
Alice was the younger and smaller of the two. She was much sharper though, and Lucia thought her quite manipulative. She was just as pretty as her sister, though. She had matching brown hair that fell down her back and pretty little pink lips that would purse whenever she was deep in thought.
“Now girls calm down.” Their dad said in an agitated tone.
“So, is it a ball mother?” Tiana asked, turning her head back to the original bearer of the news.
“Yes, my dears, it�
�s a ball at the palace.” Lucia’s stepmom said as she smiled at her daughters warmly.
******
Lucia sat quietly and watched as her stepsister’s continued to talk about the ball. She could see the excited glimmer in their eyes as she spoke and she realized that she would never understand her “siblings”, even if she spent the rest of her life with them. She looked over at her stepmom whose beady eyes were fixed on her daughters. She looked contented as they discussed dresses and potential suitors.
“Are you not excited Lucia?” The stern voice of Lucia’s father asked over the shrill plannings of his stepdaughters.
Lucia looked over at her father with surprise. It was rare that he found an occasion to speak to her, unless it was to scold her over her unladylike actions.
“I see no reason to be.” Lucia said simply in reply.
“You see no reason to be excited about a ball at the palace?” Her father asked with curious eyes that made Lucia feel as though he was examining her.
“I do not.” Lucia said, and she nodded her head to confirm her statement.
“You are a strange girl.” Her dad said with a confused look on his face. “Don’t you care about finding a suitor who will take care of you?”
“I can assure you that I can take care of myself.” Lucia said stubbornly.
Her father snorted.
“Well, that might be so, but I’d like to get you out of the house before you’re too old to marry.” He said with a serious look. “The atmosphere here is terrible and I can only imagine it will greatly improve upon your leaving.” He said in a trail of thought.
Lucia tried to ignore the stabbing pain that had filled her chest. She could feel a deep, unsettling anger in her stomach, but she knew it wasn’t aimed at her dad. She was angry with herself. She was angry with herself for still letting it hurt after all this time.
“Then I shall make that my top priority.” Lucia said when she realized that her father was expected a response.
He nodded curtly and her stepmom made a throaty noise that drew Lucia’s attention away from the head of the table.
“Do you have something you would like to add, stepmother?” Lucia asked in her most ladylike tone.