Ordained

Chapter Twenty-Three

"What am I going to do?" Cassius demanded, his frustration growing with every second his father refused to look up from his paperwork. He had stormed in after yet another gift had arrived addressed to him and the Elva girl. Emmeline's social network had been far further reaching than he had expected and while his mother had insisted it didn't matter, he could tell that she was just as rattled by the steady stream of gifts as he was. He had taken to getting up early and removing anything that had arrived before his mother saw them, knowing that it would only stress her if she knew the extent of Emmeline's social support.

While he hadn't been keeping an exact list of senders, he was aware that most of the bordering estates had sent gifts, as well as a litany of influential noble families from the Capital. Their idea of just keeping their pairing quiet until Emmeline left, was seeming more and more unlikely with each letter and gift that turned up.

When they ended their pairing all of these families would be aware. Emmeline's words drifted back to him for the hundredth time.

'Is it wise for the Marcellus family to so openly disregard the Pairing like this?'

'You will need all the support her family can give to ride out the wave of dissatisfaction from the other nobles and the King if you choose this path.'

That morning's box contained a set of finely engraved goblets with the initials C and E ornately entwined. He snapped the box shut with a look of disgust, handing off the parcel to the nearest servant. All of the gifts were being sent to Emmeline's chambers, he wanted nothing to do with them.

Scanning the letter he cussed and headed instantly for his father's drawing room. Something had to be done about this. Hence why he sat silently fuming at his father's obvious disinterest.

"Cassius, I can feel you staring a hole in this." Victor sighed, waving the report he was holding like it was aflame.

Letting out a tense breath he tried to look elsewhere for a second. He knew his staring could be intense, he had been so told plenty of times. "Father. There are more gifts arriving every day. Almost all of the neighbouring families have sent their well wishes. When we end the pairing this is bound to negatively impact my reputation." Victor still wasn't looking, making Cassius's hands curl into fists on his knees. "Father, this is going to ruin me. At this rate any matches mother has secured will fall apart." He complained, his jaw tense.

Finally, Victor set down his papers giving his son an unimpressed look. "Cassius do you think our family name is so fragile it cannot weather the fleeting disapproval of a few lesser houses?"

Cassius felt his protests die on his tongue, his mouth suddenly dry. "No father."

Victor made a patronising face. "If you are so concerned over your marriage prospects, I shall speak to your mother to speed things along." He announced before returning his attention to his report, wordlessly dismissing his son.

Striding from the drawing room Cassius didn't feel any better, if anything he felt worse. His father could be a great source of reassurance when he wanted to be, today however, he didn't seem inclined to be supportive.

Heading to the solace of the sunshine he barrelled outside. The gardens were the best part of this place, the only source of escape for him when the manor got to be too much. One could spend hours outside lost to the world amongst the flora and fauna.

...

Cassius had been walking through the orchards when he spotted her, a book clutched to her chest as she walked peacefully between the apple trees. She always looked so serene whenever he saw her, which was more often than he would've liked. After the presents had begun arriving he had made a concerted effort not to run into her, and had been mostly successful. Outside in the gardens however he seemed to always cross paths with her.

Cassius was livid, not even the gardens were safe now for him. The Elva girl seemed to be almost constantly outside, her love for the outdoors evident. He tutted, how was it possible to bump into someone so consistently in such a large space? Almost every time he went outside nowadays he saw her, even if only for a second. It was like she was haunting him with that ghostly pale hair of hers.

His thoughts swirled, swinging from positive to negative like a pendulum. He oscillated from being angry at her for invading his favourite place, to feeling slightly impressed that she enjoyed fresh air and much as he did. If she were any other girl he would've been intrigued, finding such a trait worth investigating. A pretty girl who liked to be outside; he would have seduced her and discarded her once his fascination had run its course. With Emmeline Elva though, this wasn't an option. The gravity of their pairing prevented him from following his ... er... heart, on this occasion though. It wouldn't be so easy to just discard her once he was done.

Without further thought he found himself following her, trailing her silently as she headed for the main driveway towards the house.

...

Emmeline was enjoying the morning air when a wagon rolled up the long gravel driveway. She walked alongside it for a while, the horses quickly leaving her behind despite their careful pace. Curious she followed, intent on something, anything to distract her from her boredom. She was intending to read outside, but had promised herself to walk around the gardens first.

It wasn't until she was a little closer that she saw the royal family crest emblazoned on the canvas that covered the wagon. She stilled. The Marcellus duchy was completely interlinked to the royal family, their similar family crests evidence enough of their entwined nature. Yet she was still shocked to see the evidence of such ties in front of her.

Suddenly the sounds of rushed feet crunched the gravel behind her. Starting at the person's unannounced presence she held a hand to her chest as her pair stormed past her, rushing ahead. She hadn't even realised he had been behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she checked no one else was waiting to sneak up on her.

Cassius looked murderous as he spoke to the driver, arguing with him in lowered voices. Emmeline hurried after Cassius, her presence making her ordained pair shut his mouth with an audible snap. God, he always looked so tense. She thought to herself as she watched his jaw tense and un-tense like he was chewing something.

"At this point, it would be better for us just to marry and be done with it." He muttered as he pushed past her, his arm brushing her arm. It didn't hurt, he barely even jostled her, but it was rude, and she was pretty sure that that was the point. She turned to watch him go but said nothing. What was wrong with him? One minute he's hiding behind her, and the next he's pushing her aside.

The driver looked stunned and faced her with an expression of timidness. "Miss Emmeline Elva?" He asked.

Emmeline blinked in surprise. "Yes?"
The driver sighed with relief. "The King sends these gifts to celebrate your pairing with his nephew. He also wishes to welcome you to the family. It is his hope that you and Master Cassius will visit the palace together soon."

The message was relayed robotically, but it made her smile all the same. If her gifts had been a cat amongst the Marcellus' pigeons, then this was a tiger. Thanking the driver, she let the staff unpack the various gifts from the wagon with a growing smile. Even if this all went to hell, she would at least have half of a very impressive pile of gifts.

Not for the first time she considered this as an option. Perhaps it would be best just to leave with her new small fortune, but her stubborn side, inherited from her father, told her to stay put. It wasn't her fault that the Marcellus' had submitted their son to the pairing against their will; and it wasn't her fault that she wasn't the uneducated commoner they were hoping for. 

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Author's Notes:

 This girl.  I love her.

Till next time,

Sophie