Emily gave me an artificial smile as I froze. “Cathy, I hope we can become friends after this misunderstanding,” she said pleasantly. “Two proper and pretty ladies like ourselves should not be quarreling.”As she walked past me, she sneered in my ear, “You will never beat me, and Aldrich will never love you.”I snickered as she exited, shrugging carelessly, “Who cares?” I couldn’t muster any other words, only able to feel pity for her. “Your poor thing, always living for men.”With her so close, I sneaked a hand behind my back and did a deliberate motion with my fingers. No one noticed.After claiming to leave to retrieve more tear leaves for Elias, I felt myself deflate like a ripped balloon. But I was not relaxed. Would the men believe her? Aldrich had mistrusted me before; maybe he would change his loyalties. And I did not know Elias enough for him to take my word over his wife’s.I only allowed myself to look worried while she was gone, looking between the two men whose opinions m
We left Cathy alone in the garden. Clearly, neither of us saw her at peace very often. As Theo pulled me into his room to play with toy soldiers, I could no longer ignore the question that has been scratching my brain raw. He had to be my son. As our little soldiers fought on the wooden floor, I glanced up at him with a somber smile. I wondered if he sensed it too. “Hey…Theo,” I tentatively said, his name unfamiliar but sweet in my mouth, “would you like to learn some fighting skills?” Theo was very young, and I doubted he was interested in hand to hand combat over playing games or with toys, but I still wanted to see how he’d react. I was his age when I began training with my father’s general. And I did promise him that I’d teach him someday. “Yes!” he yelled, flying off the floor. “Teach me!” The boy was very excited at this, his eyes big and full of mischief. They reminded me of Cathy’s, how determined and bright they always were. W
“What are you doing?” I demanded harshly as I dangled like a doll from his shoulder.“Let go of me, you jerk!”As he ascended the stairs, I drummed my fists along his spine and kicked my dangling legs against his stomach. He did not even flinch; my protests were no stronger than butterfly wings flapping against his barreled chest. I even bit him a couple times. Theo did not come to my aide; I was surprised Aldrich would do this in front of him to begin with. I suppose my son and his father’s bond ran deeper than I theorized. My protective boy did not utter a word in assistance or protest. I silently cursed Aldrich for influencing him so much; he definitely wanted to be just like him.“You’re my wife,” he nonchalantly responded, pulling open my bedroom door. “How is a man hugging his wife considered a jerk?” The sunset was dimming to a dark, twilight sky outside my window, and the last shreds of today’s light kissed my bedsheets.“This isn’t a hug, this is assault!’ I argued, batting a
“But not now,” Aldrich declared, climbing off me. I looked up at him incredulously, surprised that he was relinquishing. He straightened up after lifting himself from the bed, brushing off lint from his shirt. I cocked an eyebrow at him. “What kind of punishment did you expect, Cathy?” he questioned mockingly, mirroring me by raising an eyebrow right back. “Gather your mind from the gutter. I don’t take advantage of women like that.” I glared at him, knowing he was well-aware of what he had been implying. “You’re a liar.” He scoffed. “You know, just for that, I will punish you,” he then abruptly grabbed the glass of water from my nightstand and poured it over my head. I gasped as the cold liquid washed over me, extinguishing any of the heat growing inside of me for him. It dampened my hair and dripped icily down my spine. I glared at him with ice more cold than the water, and he smirked in response. “I did witchcraft on them,” I
Eyes warm with tears, I approached my son, his strong and prideful silhouette plucking at each heart string. I kneeled down and hugged him, kissing his cheeks in the soft moonlight. He giggled at the sudden act of affection and hugged me back. I rested my chest on his little shoulder. “Theo,” I said, rubbing soothing circles on his back. “Do you like Aldrich?” I couldn’t help but ask. As the question hung in the air, I felt stupid. How selfish it was of me to want to keep him from his own father. If he liked Aldrich, it was his own choice to accompany him. Plus, Aldrich had a lot more to offer him than I did. Theo sunk back slightly, a bashful look on his face. He seemed as if I just told him something important, and I worried that I revealed too much of my insecurities to him. “Do you like him?” he finally answered, reflecting my question with urgence.“If you do, I like him. If you don’t like him, I don’t.” He looked worried, looking l
The only explanation behind the glowing garden was him, but there was no explanation behind the witchcraft. I desperately looked to him for answers. When did he recognize me? How did he create the glow? His eyes looked farther away as he launched into his tale, his voice low and soft. “When I was young, I was lost in the forest and almost died because of a warrior’s betrayal,” he said, his hazel eyes darkening, “A beautiful healer found me. She healed my body and my mind and then gave me a crystal stone.” I started at that, opening my mouth. “Yes, the glow is from the crystal stone,” he confirmed, “I don’t know why she gave it to me at that time. But when she left, she told me that something useless might be something useful in the future.” He presented it to me right in his hands, and my eyes saturated with tears when I realized I recognized the stone. “She’s right, Cathy,” he whispered, and he kissed me again, our lips tasting like my
Cathy The servant informed me my sister had arrived. I tore my attention away from the beautiful chrysanthemums growing in vibrant shades of peach, pink, and oranges. Against the staff’s will, I demanded no one hire a gardener or servant to tend to the garden; that would be my role. Servants watched me stain my luxurious skirts of spun gold and rose embroideries with soil and dirt. I refused to relinquish my days in the garden, even as the season cooled. I was careful to remain clean and sparkling today; I wanted to impress my sister to full extent. We had not seen each other in years, but we always had been close during childhood. She has not seen my face unscarred since forever. For that, I knew she would be impressed by that alone, and I wanted to really make her proud with the estate, and her new nephew. I had the servants dress him up like royalty, and he protested when his sleeves were too rigid to lift his bow in. Following the servant to the grand e
Cathy The unease I felt in the garden that day continued. I watched as the trees slowly died, the ivy green dwindling to autumn hues, like paint brushes dipped in crimson and orange smudging over the horizon. I often missed the willow outside of the cottage; it was not only beautiful in the fall, but felt like a protector, as if it was always watching over us. Now, it felt like we were being watched in a different way. The silhouettes of gowns and coats in the closet suddenly seemed more alarming, and the weight upon my skin felt heavier, not only the hair standing up but eyes. Eyes in my window, eyes in the garden, eyes in the trees. I often found myself peering around walls I did not care for prior, slowly counting each step and breath walking into a dark room, and jumping each time a servant or guard spoke a word into the silence. I also missed Aldrich more than I thought I would. He provided a sense of masuculine protection that Theo and I eventuall