Corpse Groom

II

Authors P.O.V

Spying through a large window, a tall, spindly woman lowers her binoculars in revulsion after watching the embarrassing display of the coachman and Mr Van Dort trying to push his wife into their carriage. Solemnly, she turns to her husband standing next to her.
"Fish merchants." She scoffs in disgust as she starts to walk away from the window.

"It's a terrible day." The woman sighs gravely.
"Now don't be that way." Her husband replies, to which she rolls her eyes.
"It's such a terrible day for a wedding." She states plainly.

"It's a sad, sad state of affairs we're in." The man adds as he steps down from the table placed conveniently in front of the window and onto a stool. He's extremely short, barely reaching his wife's elbow as he gets down from the stool.
"And it has led to this ominous wedding." The woman places a hand on her head as if she might faint from the mere thought of it all.

"How could our family have come to this?" The man questions, looking up at his wife with a troubled expression. "To marry off our daughter to the noveaux-rich..." He grimaces.
"They're so common!" She spits in anger.
"So coarse." The man grumbles.

"Oh, it couldn't be worse!" She says in an aggrieved tone.
"It couldn't be worse? I'm afraid I disagree.
They could be land-rich bankrupt aristocracy. Without a penny to their name. Just like you and me." He strides over to an open safe, pushing the door further open to reveal nothing but a cob-web-ridden, empty vault. His wife runs a bony finger along the bottom of the safe, rubbing a thick layer of dust between her forefingers in disappointment.
"Oh, dear." She groans as an old maid bustles over sweeping at the cob-web-ridden space with a black feather duster.

His wife swings the safe door shut behind them as the maid finishes cleaning and hurries away.
"Every single tiny microscopic little thing must go according to plan." The stumpy little man says as they walk through the long halls. The butler places a picture over the safe, hiding it from view.

The oddly paired couple walk down a hall adorned with old family portraits.
"Our daughter will wed." Her husband says gravely, following along behind her in deep thought. "Our family led from the depths of deepest poverty." They hum in agreement.
The butler moves between the hall walls, straightening the paintings of long-since-passed family members.
"To the noble real of our ancestry." The woman gestures to one of the paintings of a once rich and thriving ancestor.

They stop at an oval portrait of a pretty young woman. Her skin is as flawless as porcelain, her silky hair twisted up into a neat, tidy bun which keeps it from falling into her large, beautiful eyes. Her eyes are so full of kindness and yet there is a certain sadness that seems to plague her feature.
"And who'd have guessed in a million years that our daughter, with the face of an otter in disgrace, would provide our ticket to our rightful place!" They scoff, the short man dismissing the picture with a wave of his hand as he shakes his head in disbelief.
They leave the picture, walking away in sombre silence.

~

The attractive young woman from the portrait softly gasps as an old maid tightens a cream lace corset around her torso.

"Oh, Hildegarde. What if Victor and I don't *gasp* like each other?" She asks nervously, only for the maid to be interrupted by an exasperated laugh. The young woman turns to look at the two figures blocking the doorway.

"As if that has anything to do with marriage." The young lady's mother remarks. "Do you suppose your father and I like each other?" The haughty-looking woman adds, waving a dismissive hand at the short man standing beside her.
"Surely you must, a little?" Their daughter answers, much to their surprise.
"Of course not!" Her parents respond looking at each other in disdain.

"Get those corsets laced properly. I can hear you speak without gasping." The older woman adds as she strides away, leaving her daughter feeling anxious and alone.

(Y/N)'s P.O.V

I sit at my vanity mirror, my arms aching as I fiddle with my hair. After many failed attempts at doing a decent hairstyle, I drop my hairbrush onto the table, taking a moment to breathe in deeply. Soothing myself before I throw my brush across my room and tear out my hair.

Feeling only slightly calmer, I pick up my brush and twist my hair up into a simple bun. I fumble with a few bobby pins before securing it in place. A few ringlets hang loosely around my face, but overall I look pretty presentable and my efforts aren't half bad, if I do say so myself.

I hurriedly apply a bit of makeup, nothing too fancy, I just want to look decent enough for the meeting between my soon-to-be sister-in-law and her family.

Quick, insistent knocking sounds through my room as I add a bit of colour to my lips. I jump in surprise, knocking over a little vase of white roses. I sigh heavily as water spills over my open palettes of blush, eyeshadow and face powder. Disappointment laces my features as I try to soak up the water with a nearby hand towel.

"(Y/N)! Please hurry up. We haven't much time. You know how mother gets when we're late." The nervous voice of my brother drifts through the door as I check my appearance once more in the mirror, hoping no water has splashed over my dress.

"I'm Coming!" I call out as I hastily open the door to the hallway. My brother stands impatiently, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeves. His hair is a tousled mess from running his hands through in a nervous fit.

"Ready?" I ask as I shut my door carefully behind me. His weary sigh tells me all I need to know as he traipses to the staircase. I follow after him, down the stairs and out to the awaiting carriage.