Helplessly Devoted

Chapter One

Have you ever witnessed an unhappy, burdensome marriage? One filled with so much hatred and regret that you could not bare to wish it upon your worst enemy? Larissa has. In fact, in Larissa's world, it was a normality. Larissa's parents had an extremely unhappy marriage, and it had been that way since before Larissa had even been born.
Her mother, Dutchess Iris, was as sweet as sugar. She had pale skin and platinum blonde hair, almost white. She was a kind, gentle woman who always helped those in need and never failed to spend the day with Larissa, even if she was ill. She always made time and space for her precious daughter.
Larissa's father, Ted, the Duke of Avoria, on the other hand, was a drunkard. He rarely emerged from his office, (which he usually slept in rather than sleep in the same bed as Iris), but when he did it was either to get a bite to eat, a new bottle of alcohol or a cigarette. He never spoke a nice word. He was an awfully demanding man. Unlike Larissa's mother, her father was cruel, stubborn and some even described him as evil. He had dark brown hair, a small beard and green eyes, which were usually bloodshot from tiredness and lack of fresh air. Larissa rarely saw her father, and he certainly tried his very best to avoid both Larissa and her mother at all costs. Larissa had never even had a proper conversation with her father, despite being 21 years of age.
Larissa had inherited everything from her mother, from her personality to her pale skin and platinum hair. However, she definitely had her father's emerald green eyes. Larissa's mother never let her forget that. It was clear that Larissa's parents had an arranged marriage, which is why from a young age, Larissa's vowed to herself to only marry for love and nothing else.

*

Larissa was reading the last page of Great Expectations when she heard a knock on her bedchamber door.
"Come in!" Larissa called out. To her surprise, nobody walked in. Larissa, confused, gently placed her book face down upon her bedside table and walked cautiously over to her door.
She opened it slowly, looked to her left and then to her right, up and down the hallway, to see if anyone was there. They were not. Larissa then peered down and found a small envelope placed on the floor beneath her feet. She knelt down to pick it up, noticing her name had been written neatly on the front. When she had finished unfolding and smoothing out the letter, she read it aloud:

"To my dear daughter, I apologize for interrupting your reading time. I hope this finds you well. This note is my way of asking you to meet me in the garden this afternoon at five. Please be prepared to attend, wear something warm and suitable. It is cold out. Yours most humbly,
Your Mother Iris.
PS. Your father is currently out drinking in the taverns. I fear that the fresh air might do him some good, as he spends far too much time locked away in the castle. Please forgive him, dearest."

With no explanation given for why Iris needed to speak with her, Larissa neatly folded the letter back up and placed it in its envelope once again before slipping it into her pocket.
"I'm sorry, miss," said a voice behind Larissa.
Turning around to face whoever it was that spoke, Larissa was not surprised to find that it was one of her maids, a girl named Mandy, who had come to take Larissa's laundry. She smiled and took her hands out of her pockets to greet the young girl.
"It's okay," said Larissa as Mandy bowed her head. "You can call me by my first name if you want."
Mandy nodded and began to gather Larissa's laundry and placing it into a small basket. "Would you like me to take you downstairs to the gardens? Your mother told me to ask you." asked Mandy.
Larissa shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied. "I'll go down on my own later, after I finish reading."
"Are you sure?" asked Mandy. "I don't mind walking you down. We're friends aren't we?"
Larissa smiled. "Yes, we are friends," she replied. "But I would prefer to enjoy myself without having to watch the rest of the servants run amok while I'm alone."
Mandy chuckled softly. "I understand," she replied. "If you change your mind, please come find me."
"Thank you," said Larissa. "I appreciate it."
Once Mandy had left her chambers, Larissa returned to her desk. After closing the cover and taking the bookmark out, she stood from her chair and slipped the bookmark between the pages of her novel. As she closed it and put it aside, she noticed that the clock on her desk read five o'clock. Larissa wondered why Iris couldn't have waited until after dinner to ask to talk to her. That was probably because her father was still out drinking, Larissa thought. Larissa's mother wanted to meet with her in the gardens before dinner, that much was known. Larissa knew her duty, and she wouldn't fail to uphold it despite how inconvenient it may have been.
As Larissa headed downstairs, the servants, who normally spent their days gossiping amongst themselves, seemed oddly quiet. Their usual chatter about dresses, boys, and gossip died off when they saw her coming. Some girls, especially the older ones, whisper loudly about many different, odd things. Larissa, however, simply ignored them and continued on her way to the garden. The servants watched her go and soon enough Larissa turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
In the garden, Larissa discovered two men sitting near a large fountain talking quietly. They appeared to be close friends and Larissa wondered what they were saying to each other.
"Excuse me, sir?" Larissa said as she approached the two men. "May I join you?"
The men glanced at each other in shock. Both of their jaws dropped in unison and one of them nearly fell backwards.
"Miss... Larissa," said one of them. The other man just nodded awkwardly.
"That's right," Larissa replied. She gave a friendly smile as she sat down next to the gentlemen. "I'm here to visit my mother."
"Ah," said the first gentleman. He had auburn hair and wore a simple gray suit. His companion had lighter colored hair and wore a blue shirt and brown trousers. "Please pardon our rudeness, Miss Larissa. My name is Thomas O'Sullivan. This is my friend, Mr. Ryan."
"It's alright," said Larissa. She looked over to Ryan. "What are you doing here today, Mr. Ryan?"
But before Mr. Ryan could answer, Larissa's mother emerged from the path in front of them.
"Dearest, I see you have acquainted with our new chauffeurs." Iris said with a smile.
"Mother, I am confused. Why am I here? What did you wish to talk to me about, especially before dinner?" Larissa asked.
Her mother sighed and sat down next to her, placing a hand gently on her daughter's shoulder.
"It's time, sweetness."
"Time for what, mother?" Larissa replied.
"Time for you to marry. "