The Inheritors

Six

The Martins's home was strangely silent that morning. The kind of silence that plagues fear in the heart of someone wrapped around in a steel cage.

The only sound that could be heard was the ticking grandfather clock, marking a reminder of the cage Amanda found herself in that was not her choosing.

Amanda sat by her bedroom window. This room never felt like it belonged to her. Outside, the well-cut garden blossomed under the radiant lights of the sun.

The white roses, blinking and untamed, like Amanda wished to feel. Untamed. Free. Happy. Inside, the room was cold with unspoken pain and expectations that could not be met.

Amanda traced the rim of the teacup with her finger. The housekeeper had brought in her breakfast which she could not bring herself to eat.

The night before troubled her.

Julius knew what he was doing. He always did. His voice echoed in her ears. The lies, the insincere promises, the seductive and fallacious comfort were all a play in his book.

“You deserve someone who sees you, Amanda” Julius had whispered. “You deserve better.”

And she let her guard down in a moment of vulnerability. Just once she let her guard down, but it was long enough for her to make a mistake she could not erase.

The bedroom door opened, and she turned around quickly expecting to see the housekeeper. But it was Shawn who entered.

He stood in front of her with his hands on his waist. He scanned the room. His eyes met the untouched food, the untouched bed and the silence that sat on it. And for the first time, he did not throw any sarcasm or cold looks. He just looked.

“You have not touched your meal?” Shawn said with care trailing behind his voice.

Shawn’s voice was softer than ever and it threw Amanda off balance.

“I was not feeling hungry,” Amanda said quietly.

Shawn sighed. “You do not have to stay in this room all day like a prisoner”

“I am a prisoner, Shawn!” Amanda snapped. “I was married off like a piece of property, I was forced into your life remember?” her eyes became rheumy

“You do not even talk to me except to hurl insults at me, Shawn. What is free about any of that?” she whispered.

“Do you think I was given much of a choice either?” Shawn asked as his jaws tightened.

Amanda stood up with her fist clenched. “Do you think I did? My father sold me out to clear his debt. Do you know how that feels? To have no worth but a price tag?”

Shawn flinched slightly but enough for Amanda to take notice. Silence stretched between them like a tightly drawn rope.

“I know how it feels to be unwanted,” Shawn said, eventually breaking the silence.

Amanda looked into his eyes. Something has shifted. This is not the Shawn she was forced to learn about. His walls had cracked and she saw what was behind those walls.

Shawn turned to leave. He stopped at the doorway and said over his shoulder “Put on something nice and come downstairs, we are having dinner with my father tonight.”

“Dinner? With your father? Why?”

“Because he wants to see if this marriage thing is working,” Shawn said over his shoulder. “So you better wear your acting hat.”

She scoffed. “Funny. I did not know you could act.”

Shawn paused, and then he let out a dry chuckle. “You would be surprised, we are acting in this family.”

Then he left the room.

****

Dinner was a tremendous performance.

The grand dining table was a long battlefield of expensive silverware and heavy silence. Amanda sat beside Shawn dressed in an elegant maroon gown chosen for her by Felicia Martins. The gown was previously owned by Shawn's mother Sonia, no doubt, it was a subtle insult.

Isaiah Martins sat at the head of the table with a glass of scotch in his hands. His eyes scanned Shawn and Amanda like an eagle preying for weaknesses.

Felicia Martins was all smiles and sharp eyes. Julius arrived late apologizing with the fake sincerity Amanda sees now.

“So,” Isaiah Martins said, breaking the silence “how is married life treating you guys?” he quarried.

Shawn did not hesitate. He reached across the table and took Amanda’s hands.

“It has been going better than I thought, Dad,” He said, locking his eyes with Amanda's. “She has been grounding… I did not know that she was someone I needed until now.”

Amanda blinked. He kicked her legs under the table.

Play along. Just play along.

Amanda smiled and leaned closer to Shawn. “He still leaves the toilet seats open, though.”

Felicia Martins snorted, hiding her disdain in a sip of wine.

Isaiah Martins looked at both of them. “Hmm, at least you have both learned to speak civilly about each other, that is a good start.”

The dinner went on. The sound of cutlery filled the atmosphere accompanied by the soft music in the background. The dinner table gleamed under the warm chandelier lights but the atmosphere was far from warm.

Julius Martina cracked up mid-bite, wiping his mouth with his napkins

“So, I told the garnet maker if I wanted my trousers that tight, I would have just worn my daughter's leggings.” He burst into laughter, hitting the table to add effects.

Half-hearted giggles followed. Amanda forced a smile. “Oh Julius, you never change,” she said as she sipped her wine. “Always the joker.”

Shawn let out a dry laugh. He placed his hands on Amanda's thighs under the table. She tried to smile, but her jaws clenched as Julius Martins continued his joke.

“Honestly, the man looked at me like I had insulted his ancestors!”

Loud and forced giggles fluttered again into the air.

Felicia Martins leaned slightly forward. “Speaking of ancestors, when should we be expecting heirs, hm? Grandsons, perhaps?” She looked at Amanda briefly, Then her gaze flicked to Shawn.

Amanda felt Shawn's grip tighten under the table.

“Mother,” His tone betrays no displeasure. “Let us enjoy the food”

Felicia Martins raised an eyebrow, her lips subtly giving way to a smirk. “Oh, I am enjoying it, dear. I am just thinking beforehand. You know…family legacy and all”

A tense silence filled the room for a moment too long.

Amanda reached for her glass of wine. Her hands shook as she picked it up. She looked across the table and all she could see were too many smiles that did not reach the heart.

Julius Martins cleared his throat trying to dilute the tension. “So, who is ready for dessert? Anyone?”

After dessert, Amanda excused herself. Shawn followed her after a few minutes catching her in the hallway by the staircase.