THE SECOND VOW

CHAPTER 4 BEFORE SHE LEAVES

“What is it you want to tell me?” Elena said, looking at Lavinia.

She had a kind of mixed emotion on her face that Lavinia could not tell whether it was happiness, sadness, or simply confusion. This was unusual because Elena could usually tell what her friend was going through, but today felt different.

“It is just news I received this morning that shocked the pillar of my heart,” Lavinia said, placing her hand on her chest as though she were being dramatic while trying to describe how much it had broken her heart.

“What is it that breaks your heart, my love?” Elena said, moving very close to Lavinia, like a lover talking to his beloved.

The two of them burst out laughing at their dramatic actions.

“Actually, I do not really know how to feel,” Lavinia said, breaking from the laughter.

She picked up a little flower from the field, looking at it quietly.

“You have not told me yet,” Elena said.

Lavinia looked at her friend, now very serious.

“I am going to be married.”

Elena put both her hands across her mouth. She could not hide her shock.

“Oh my God!” Elena finally let out.

She ran to hug Lavinia. She genuinely did not know how to feel. The hug was so tight that Lavinia had to pull away from it, as though Elena wanted to express all her thoughts through the hug.

“Who is he?” Elena asked excitedly.

“I do not know him, but he is the younger son from the Beaumont family,” Lavinia said.

“The Beaumont family?” Elena said, like she had heard the name before.

“Do you know them?” Lavinia asked, holding her friend's hands.

“I think so. I think I heard the name amongst some servants,” Elena replied.

“Is there any evil word spoken about them?” Lavinia asked in a very curious way.

“Why would you want me to tell you?” Elena said in a very playful way.

Lavinia looked at her, a little shocked.

“I just want to know the family I would be married to.”

“No,” Elena replied. “No bad words about them. It is only that they are very rich and powerful.”

She paused before continuing.

“I have heard that the lady of the house is like a dove. She had lost her daughter, and people claim that having a female figure in the household, someone who would feel like a child to her, might make her happy.”

“Hmm,” Lavinia breathed out.

“I just pray everything goes well,” Lavinia said, looking a little worried.

Elena walked towards her, holding her hands behind her back.

“Everything will be fine, but I bet I will miss you.”

Lavinia looked at her.

“Surely you would come with me,” Lavinia said.

This made Elena happy.

Lavinia could not imagine a life without Elena. Though their backgrounds were different, Elena had always been more than just a friend to her. She was like a sister.

Elena was the daughter of Mrs. Olivia, the cook in the Hawthorne household. Mrs. Olivia had been her mother's personal cook since Lavinia was born. Mrs. Olivia had given birth to Elena a few months after Lavinia was born, and this had made the two girls very close.

Lavinia loved how playful they had been since they were young. They had grown up together, sharing their days, their laughter, and their little secrets. As the years passed, they had grown up like sisters.

She had never wanted to let their different backgrounds affect their friendship. To Lavinia, Elena was never simply the cook's daughter. She was her closest friend and the person she trusted most.

Elena was the only one Lavinia could talk to about everything. She could express her feelings, speak freely, and do whatever she liked without feeling judged. With Elena, she did not have to behave like the proper young lady everyone in the household expected her to be.

The household might know her as a little talker, but she was a big talker with Elena.

She could tell Elena about the smallest things that happened during her day. She could complain about her parents, laugh about something silly, or speak about things she would never dare mention to anyone else.

That was why the thought of leaving her frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

Lavinia knew that marriage meant leaving her home one day, but she had never truly thought about what it would mean to leave Elena as well.

“I think we should get going,” Elena said, cutting through Lavinia's thoughts.

“Okay,” Lavinia replied.

Lavinia held Elena's hand, and they began walking from the field towards the main house.

“So, what do you think your future husband will be like?” Elena asked.

Lavinia looked at her and laughed softly.

“I do not know. I have never met him.”

“You have never met him?” Elena asked, looking at her in disbelief.

Lavinia shook her head.

“No. Our fathers arranged the marriage.”

Elena was quiet for a moment.

“That sounds strange.”

“It does,” Lavinia replied.

“Are you afraid?”

Lavinia looked ahead as they continued walking.

“A little.”

“Do you want to marry him?”

Lavinia thought about the question before answering.

“I do not know. I have never had the chance to know him, so how can I know what I feel?”

Elena nodded slowly.

“Then perhaps you should give him a chance.”

“Perhaps,” Lavinia said.

They continued walking, their hands still joined.

They talked about the wedding, the Beaumont family, and how different Lavinia's life might become after the marriage. Lavinia listened to Elena's playful questions and answered them as best as she could.

For the first time that morning, the thought of the marriage did not seem quite as frightening.

As they reached the main house, Lavinia looked at Elena and smiled.

Whatever happened after the marriage, she knew one thing.

She did not want to face it without her best friend.