The Sins of Our Fathers

XVIII The Letter

Smooth layers of silk slid through my fingers as I spun in the dress. The mirror showed a small girl who seemed to be swallowed by the billowing layers that flowed out from my waist. Above that it seemed to me that the dress was designed to be a prison. A tight corset encircled my abdomen cinching me in. Tight lacy sleeves ran down my arms ending in a point on top of my hands. The material had just begun to fade to a pale yellow from years of age.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror my image seemed to change; I wasn't there anymore. Instead I saw a woman with wild white blonde curls and emerald green eyes the color of glass with small wrinkles beneath them from laughing. My skin seemed darker, more of a vanilla coffee color than the snow white color I was accustomed to. It was the face I'd seen a thousand times in my parents wedding albums.

It was my mothers, complete with the dress and all.

Davina had meant it when she'd said that she had a special surprise for me. We had arrived at the dress shop and the manager had handed me a box and told me to go try it on.

Carefully I had raised the lid and gasped as I beheld my mother's wedding dress. Gently I raised it out of the box and slipped it on pausing when a fold piece of paper fell from the folds.

Bending down to pick it up I found my mother's script scrawled across the top fold of the paper.

To: My Precious Daughter

I unfolded it raking my eyes across the faded ink. The elegant script that filled every inch of the paper seemed to breathe life into me. Seeing my mother's pet name for me at the top of the page I closed the letter and slipped it into the waist band of my underwear deciding to wait until I was alone.

It was all I could do to not rush straight back out the doors we'd come so I could read the letter in peace. I glanced at the box in the corner and smiled the hour was approaching, it was almost time for my father's plan to be set into motion.

"Neoma come on out!" Davina trilled sounding giddy at her success.

If I wore my mother's dress then at least I could tolerate the forced marriage. Not that I planned on attending the ceremony, but I would humor Shlaköv for a little longer. Then I would crush him like he had my father and burn what was left to ashes.

My time was coming and when it arrived history would never forget my name.

•••

"I'm glad you liked the dress." Davina cooed spinning around the room. "I- I can't believe you'll be my sister!"

I smiled at the girl. "There's nothing I'd like more than to call you my sister and in a way I already do."

She grinned widely making her look like the angelic version of the Chesire Cat. "Soon it'll be official!"

I forced a smile right smile. "How soon?"

"Next Friday!"

I sucked in a breath. "What!"

"Yeah, father wanted it to be as soon as possible that way you two wouldn't have to hide your love much longer!"

"Hide our love?" I scoffed.

"Yeah, daddy told me that Adrian loved you?" She phrased her statement as a question unaware of her father's lies.

"No. This is a forced marriage." I growled stalking across the room.

Davina's entire face fell and she whispered her apologies before fleeing the room.

"Davina wait!" I called, but she was already gone.