Against Their Wishes

Chapter 21 Part 1

The next morning, Olivia felt a little gloomier because she knew Vivien would be spending the day with her fiancé. Vivien was running around making sure the cook had prepared the correct food and that the carriage would be ready for their departure. She had yet to tell anyone where this ‘special place’ of hers was, and that made Olivia more than a little suspicious. She tried to stay calm and polite as she thought back to what Gregory had told her the night before.

“Vivien,” Olivia called out. Vivien begrudgingly stopped for a moment to listen to Olivia, but she did not look entirely happy about it. “Where will you be going for your picnic?” she asked as sweetly as possible.

“Just a place I know,” Vivien answered before she turned to walk away. Olivia’s voice, however, forced her to stop once again.

“Yes, but where is this place? It really is not a good thing to go somewhere and not tell somebody where you are going. What if something were to happen?” As soon as Olivia uttered these words, she realized how hypocritical they sounded. Not long ago, she had wandered off without telling a soul where she was going, and it had almost led to an unimaginable result. In a way, that proved Olivia’s point, but never was anyone but her, Gregory, and James going to be privy to what went on in that woods.

“If something were to happen, it would be none of your concern,” Vivien evilly stated. Olivia gasped at her meaning, and Vivien offered her a harsh laugh before stalking out of the sitting room. Olivia grit her teeth together, trying to ignore Vivien’s comment. She heard Vivien call for Gregory and watched as he came down to meet her at the bottom of the stairs.

“Everything is all ready for our picnic,” Vivien declared. Olivia stood and made her way to the front of the house to watch them leave. Lady Willington walked from the back of the house to watch them leave as well.

“Have a nice time on your outing,” Lady Willington told them kindly.

“Thank you, Aunt Beverly,” Vivien cheerily replied. “Let us go, Gregory,” Vivien said, all but pushing him out the door. Gregory nodded his head.

“One moment, Vivien,” he told her. “I will meet you in the carriage,” he instructed. Gregory turned to face Olivia, bringing his face down to whisper softly into her ear.

“I will see you later. Until then, do not forget about last night,” he murmured before his lips ever so lightly brushed against her ear in a kiss. It was so subtle that only she knew it had occurred, but it still sent shivers racing down her back. He pulled away from her smiling before he slowly made his way out to the carriage. Olivia caught Vivien’s cruel glare, and sent her a huge smile in return. She saw Vivien’s face flush red with anger before she turned away in the carriage.

Unbeknownst to Olivia, Lady Willington watched the interaction between Olivia and her son play out. A smile then crept on to her face as she saw the change in their behavior towards each other. She watched as a blush crept across Olivia’s and her shy smile went to a full blown grin. She also noticed the exchange of looks between Olivia and Vivien. Lady Willington had been aware for a while that Vivien coming to the house at the time of the marriage was more than just a coincidence. She was not sure what Vivien wanted, and she was not one to make accusations without the proper amount of evidence. Excited about what she just witnessed, she made the quick walk to her husband’s study.

“Arnold!” she cried, walking into the room and shutting the door. He jumped at her surprise entrance, but set what he was doing down to listen to her.

“What is it, my dear?” he questioned.

“We were right!” she squealed. Lord Willington raised his eyebrows at her vague revelation.

“I always like to hear that, but what were we right about?” Lady Willington walked forward until she was standing in front of his large, mahogany desk.

“We were right in our assumptions about Olivia and Gregory,” she excitedly told him.

“You mean they have admitted to having feelings for each other? They told you this?”

“Well…not exactly, but a mother knows these kinds of things,” she quickly defended. “I just observed an exchange between the two of them that was more than friends. I saw the look in Olivia’s eyes, Arnold, as well as Gregory’s. I am unsure of whether they are aware of where they are headed, but I do know that they are headed in the correct direction,” she happily stated. Lord Willington sat there stunned for a moment.

“I have to admit, I am a little surprised that the two have come around this quickly. After watching them the past couple of weeks, I was afraid it would take them longer than I had hoped. They never seemed to be more than amicable towards each other,” Lord Willington told his wife.

“I definitely feel as if they are moving away from that, Arnold,” she said, smiling. “There wedding may very well be a day of extreme happiness for the both of them,” she predicted hopefully. With a smile from her husband, Lady Willington let herself out of his study to go find Olivia for further planning of the wedding.

My next chapter will be longer, I promise :)