The Love He Stole

First Feast

A manservant came to fetch Lily for dinner and she had braced herself for the metaphorical fight for her life. They walked down a long hallway with red runner rugs with intricate gold trim lining the path, and oil lamps sconces as the only source of light. They passed every door she thought might be Samuel’s room, eventually turning a corner and going down a grand staircase. His room must be downstairs, she thought to herself. At the bottom of the steps, a few people stood mingling and drinking red wine. The women curtsied a hello and the men bowed. They were dressed similar to her lady’s maids and the manservant. Lily gave a polite smile as the manservant beckoned her forward. She could see a great hall directly across from the stairs, filled with people having dinner. Lily prayed this is not what Samuel meant by dinner with him. They approached the open doors and she kept hoping the manservant would turn but forward they continued.

She entered the great hall and swallowed her nerves. She didn’t want any more attention than necessary. Samuel did this on purpose, she thought, knowing she wouldn’t be able to scream at him in front of all his guests.

There were two tables almost as long as the room on either side of the walkway and huge windows behind them, draped with luxurious red curtains. There were braziers lit all along the room for lighting and warmth. Everyone was so engrossed in their meal and conversations, they didn’t even notice her save for a few people. Straight ahead was the high table, where Samuel sat with two women, one older and one younger, both elegant and beautiful, dressed in extravagant gowns. He was dressed very formally with a black frock coat and matching waistcoat, both embroidered with shiny gold trim. The seat directly to his left was empty. Behind Samuel was a grand fireplace being tended to by a young boy.

Samuel sat there with a smug look on his face and Lily imagined punching it off of him which made her grin a little. His eyes lit up at her, he must’ve mistook her smile as acceptance. At the front of his table, she gave a half hearted curtsy.

“Glad to have you join us, Miss Reid,” Samuel said with an amused smile. He held his hand up and gestured to the women sitting next to him. “Mother, this is Miss Lily Reid of Bushwick. Miss Lily, I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Dowager Lady Catharine Bramsford. And this is my sister, Lady Rose.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you both,” Lily said, trying her best to mimic the mannerisms from the girls in her favorite novels. She didn’t want these women to think she was rude. She’d save all that for the lord alone. They both smiled at her with gentleness and she could see the similarities in their faces to Samuel’s. He and his sister both had their mother’s eyes and dark, wavy hair.

“Please, join us for dinner,” Samuel said, motioning for her to sit next to him. She walked around the table to oblige him and he stood to pull out her chair for her. He offered her some red wine as a servant set a plate of roasted turkey, potatoes, carrots, and fresh baked bread in front of her. She was starving from how long getting ready took. She picked up a fork and started to eat, pleased by how delicious it was. She hadn’t had a home cooked meal since her mother died and the food was certainly better than her boxed macaroni and cheese from her tiny shared apartment.

“So, Lily of Bushwick, you said,” his mother asked Samuel. Lily got nervous as they spoke about her like she wasn’t even there. His sister sat on the other side of her and gave her an encouraging smile.

“Yes, she’s from the Earth realm. A place called New York, and she’s from the village of Bushwick,” he explained to her. Lily was surprised by how honest he was but she figured that magic must not be a secret here.

“Oh,” she said, almost displeased. She whispered something to him that Lily could not hear and he got visibly upset and whispered back to her. Lily just continued eating her vegetables and drinking the wine he gave her. When the whispering stopped, his mother looked annoyed but he looked satisfied. It was odd to Lily, to see the man in charge of his own mother, but she knew that’s just the way it is when your son is the lord of the house.

Lily was taking another sip of wine when Samuel stood up, lightly tapping a knife against his wine glass. All eyes turned towards their table. Lily suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

“My good people, I have an announcement to make,” he said. Oh no, she thought. No, no, no. “This is my fiancé, Miss Lily Reid of Bushwick! We are to be married within a fortnight!” He grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her to her feet and raised his glass to the crowd. All eyes were on her and she was turning as red as the curtains. She faked a smile through gritted teeth and raised her glass as well then finished the rest of the glass in one gulp.

“Here, here!” The whole great hall cheered for him and everyone raised their glasses and sipped their wine. However, a man in the back quickly got up and rushed out. It struck her as odd amongst all the people so happy for Samuel and her, but she wished she had the freedom to do the same thing. Her and Samuel sat back down and soon everyone returned to their own conversations and finished their meals. Catharine congratulated him, once she got over her displeasure with where Lily came from.

“I wish you happiness, son. A bride is a bride and that was our deal. Congratulations,” she said with a meek smile.

“So you are going to be my sister in law,” Rose said, drawing Lily’s attention away from their mother. She looked rather excited, making Lily feel guilty though she didn’t know why. She never asked for any of this.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Lily said.

“I’ve always wanted a sister.” She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, and had a sparkle in her brown eyes. Lily could tell she was a sweet, genuine girl.

“Me too,” said Lily, quietly admitting a small truth to her. Before her parents divorce, they had tried to have another baby, but it ended in a horrible stillbirth. Her parents were never the same after and her father eventually left for another woman that he had knocked up. The thought made her sad and angry at him all over again. She was ten when he left and she had never forgiven him. Her stillborn sibling would’ve been the same age as Rose.

Lily decided it was time to get drunk for the first time in her life and after four glasses of wine, she was successful. People had been leaving for bed little by little and she just bided her time with her wine, waiting to be told she could leave. After a time, his mother and sister stood and bid Lily and Samuel goodnight and finally, he offered to escort her to her room.

She had to hold onto him on the walk back from all the wine she drank which she now regretted. He put his arm around her to keep her upright and she could feel his muscles steadying her. A small part of her, in her drunkenness, was exhilarated by his touch. She fought with her foggy thoughts as he brought her into her room, closing the door behind them. She was finally alone with him and could give him a piece of her mind. But she could barely hold herself upright.

“You really suck, ya know,” she slurred at him. “Just telling everyone like that and…and not giving me a head’s up. Not cool, buddy.”

She tried to poke him in the chest but lost her balance. He caught her before she fell and sat her down on the bed. He laughed at her in her poor state. He gently took off her headband and removed her shoes. He started trying to help her out of her many layers of dress but she pushed him away.

“No, get back…I’ll fight you. You can’t have s*x with me.”

“I’m not trying to have s*x with you, you drunken fool. I’m trying to help you sleep comfortably tonight unless you’d prefer to go to bed like this,” he said.

“Yes! It’s mine now!” She hugged her skirts tight with a delirious smile and closed her eyes, falling into her pillows. He chuckled to himself and pulled her blankets over her and left her to her slumber.