"You're offering me a rose?"
"Aren't roses a way of saying I love you?"
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In which [Y/N's] noble and honored family's money starts to decline and they find the only way of staying out of the ruins is to fix their daughter an arranged marriage.
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"What nonsense are you speaking of?" I asked softly, though dread crept into my voice. It seemed inconceivable that we, the Bradburys, could be in such peril.
My mother's expression hardened, her tone sharp and clipped. "We lost a great deal when the Basilwethers refused to support your father's bill. That failure cost us dearly [Y/N]."
I tilted my head in confusion, trying to grasp the gravity of her words.
"Your father has been consumed by this. The stress has taken its toll," She continued , her voice wavering as though her own resolve was crumbling. "Ever since your father put his bill into place instead of Lord Basilwether — that family has sought our ruin."
Confusion filled me. But Tewkesbury was so kind? Could it be he was lying? Trying to trick me into helping his family ruin mine?
No. The voice in my head said— he seemed too genuine. Her words struck like a blow and my chest tightened. I had always admired my fathers strength, but to idea of him burdened by such struggles filled me with sorrow.
As I processed revelation, my mother reached out, cupping my cheek in an unsual gesture of tenderness. Her gaze softened, but the voice carried a weight that made my stomach.
"You are the only one who can save us." She said, her words laced with desperation.
"What do you mean?" I asked, though deep down, I feared I already knew.
She hesitated for a moment before the truth dawned on me. My body stiffened, and i stood abruptly, anger blazing in my chest.
"I will not marry Phillip!" I declared, my voice rising, "i refused to be sacrificed for the sake of wealth!"
Her eyes flashed with fury, and her composure cracked, "Do you want for your father to collapse under the weight of this? Do you want to see our name dragged through the mud, our fortune stripped away?"
"My father cares for my happiness," I shot back, my voice trembling with conviction, "He would never demand such a thing of me."
She laughed bitterly, her hand dropping my face. "And tell me, child, what is more important? Your fleeting happiness or the health and well-being of your dear father?"
Her words struck a painful chord, and I hesitated. Of course, I loved my father more than anything. His well-being was paramount. But to marry a man I did not love, to wed for money and power— it would be a cruelty not only to myself but to Phillip, who seemed to hold genuine affection for me.
My hands clenched at my sides as the room seemed to close in around me. The weight of her words hung in the air and for the first time, I felt the crushing burden of the choice she was trying to force upon me.
-
The day of the ball had arrived, and I found myself preparing for the evening with Enola. She was fussing with her gown, a cloud of fabrics swirling around her as she ranted about her old brother Mycroft and his rigid, oppressive idea.
