the art of loving ; lord tewksbury

sixteen

"Peaches don't buy you access to what I write."

Chapter Sixteen

In the wee hours of the following morning, Daisy awoke from her brief slumber before the sun peeked over the horizon. The first thing she did after slumping out of bed was pressing her ear on the door, trying to hear for any sound on the other side. No shuffling of footsteps or distinct movement could be detected outside, but as she pulled open her door, she did it as quietly as possible for extra measure. She peeped through the slight crack in the doorframe, her eyes scanning the empty upstairs hallway. Her family was still asleep. Good.

She gently shut her door and began to get herself ready for the day ahead, which she predicted to be quite an uneventful one. She would only be going over to Tewksbury's home in the afternoon, mostly to continue discussing on how her great escapade would play out. In the mean while, she had plenty of extra time to spare—it was still dark out after all, and her brother would only be awake in a few hours.

Yet no matter how much Daisy wanted to go to sleep, she simply couldn't. She was undoubtedly exhausted from the previous day's adventure with the young Marquess. Her body yearned for her to rest, to get a good night's sleep so that it could replenish her energy levels, yet her mind thought otherwise.

Throughout the entire night after she returned home, her mind wouldn't stop replaying the events that day. At the remembrance of each of the boy's sweet gestures shown towards her, a sense of elation surged through her veins. She bathed in the euphoric feeling. Nothing could destroy her mood.

As she brushed her teeth and stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes landed on her left hand. Fitted snugly on her fourth finger was the engagement ring Tewksbury had presented to her and requested for her to wear. Even under the poor lighting of her bathroom, the precious stone perched on the silver band still looked as lavish as ever. If this was what the engagement ring was like, she couldn't even imagine how the actual wedding ring would look like.

She was too afraid to take it off—she worried she would misplace the family heirloom which Tewksbury had entrusted her with. At dinner time the night prior, she had made sure to keep her left hand on her lap under the table to shield it from her father's view. He was bound to find out about it, considering how he was the one who sold her off for marriage in the first place. Still, Daisy wanted to wait a few days before the opulent jewellery became apart of his knowledge.

The only time she took it off was when she had to clean the dishes. As she scrubbed the dirty plates, her brother had walked into the kitchen. When he caught sight of the glistening gemstone by the sink, his eyes grew twice in size. He had rushed to her side in a few strides, eager to examine it.

It's only temporary, Daisy almost blurted out. Thankfully, she stopped herself in time before the words could slip from her mouth. She kept her expression passive as she listened to Grant ramble on about how it was the first luxurious possession they had at home. Before he turned in for the night, she made him promise to keep it a secret from their father for the time being.

Now, as she got dressed in her everyday clothing, it was evident that there was a drastic contrast between her secondhand clothes and the diamond ring. Remnants of her guilt from before started to arise in her chest, but she forced it down as best as she could. You are going to return it soon, she constantly reminded herself. It's only temporary.