The Butterfly Caught in the Spider's Web (Alois Trancy x OC)

Fate

A/N: Thank you guys for sticking around through the months of inactivity. Having a little writer's block, but I'm not abandoning this story! 

Effie was still enjoying her food when she looked up at the state of affairs at the dining table. Arabella's eyes were focused on her own plate as she wolfed the food down, seemingly having forgotten the table manners their old French tutor had practically beaten into them. Meanwhile, the girls' father glanced disapprovingly between Alois and Arabella, and their mother tried her very best to gauge what might be going on inside her husband's mind. Alois' eyes were manically snapping between Arabella and Claude. Visible tension hung in the air over all parties involved, and Effie briefly wished that she had not come to the dinner in the first place. 

However, she forced a soft smile as she fixed her eyes on Arabella. She slid her foot across the table to swipe at Arabella's shin. She silently laughed when Arabella looked up at her in mild irritation. 

"Are you okay?" she mouthed, only relaxing once Arabella faintly nodded. 

Ever since she was little, she always felt her stomach curl up whenever Arabella even looked a tad bit unhappy. Once Arabella had been made aware of her upcoming marriage to Earl Trancy, her lips had never lifted with true and utter happiness again. Effie could only hope that Arabella would soon grow content with her situation. However, she would have to grow used to the twists in her stomach. 

The dinner continued on until Emilia cleared her throat, dabbing her lips with a spotless napkin. Her chocolate brown eyes glanced up from her plate to look up at Alois, who was still carefully eating the food. The woman, once again, cleared her throat, but she did not receive his attention. 

Emilia forced a smile on her lips as she gently smiled, "Earl Trancy, I must thank you for inviting us over for Christmas dinner. However, I do sense that there was a purpose behind this dinner. Tell me, Earl... Could you please indulge us in your plot?" 

Effie's posture straightened as she glanced over at Arabella, whose face was screwed up in contempt, again. Once she caught Arabella's eye, she smiled slightly in support before looking back over at the Earl. 

Alois quickly swallowed his food, his blue eyes drifting up to look at his butler, Claude, who was stationed behind his right shoulder. The butler did not even glance in Alois' direction, which seemed to sour the boy's mood. 

"Bloody hell, you are a very nosy woman!" the boy exclaimed, not seeming to notice how Mason's hands tightened into fists. 

Emilia reached over to gently grasp Mason's hand as she said, "Oh, Earl Trancy. Please forgive me." 

The boy yawned as he shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite of his food. He rested his cheek in the palm of his hand as he stated, "I suppose you're forgiven. As for your other question, I was planning on making my intentions with your daughter clear." 

"And what might that be?" 

"Can we not just enjoy a dinner without foolish chatter like that?" Alois' tone sharpened as he took a sip from his glass. After a short period of silence, Alois clacked the glass back against the table as he straightened up. "Hannah, bring out of the desserts!" 

After his butler bent over to whisper something in his ear, Alois' eyes snapped up to look at him. His arms fixed around Claude's necktie and tugged. 

"Then, how about you get it, Claude?" The boy turned angrily back to his plate as Claude turned on his heel and retreated back into the kitchen. "Now, what else is up for discussion?" 

Effie tentatively risked a glance at Arabella, whose eyes were staring directly at Alois. The boy's mouth twisted in a scowl as he stared back at her. 

"Hell, fine! I'll marry her!" Alois cried as he looked back at Mason and Emilia. "We have that fancy business agreement or whatever you want. I do not care! Now, can we talk about much more enjoyable things?" 

As Effie watched Arabella's eyes slit, she noticed that the girl's hand was slowly tightening around her fork. Before Effie could reach out and stop her, Arabella had sent the utensil flying at Alois whose eyes widened in distress. However, the fork missed him by a meter, and Alois turned on his feet to run into the kitchens. 

"Claude, where are the desserts?!"  

As Alois flew from the dining room, a palpable silence hung over the room until Mason stood up stiffly from his chair and walked over to Arabella. The girl cowered under his gaze, and Effie could only close her eyes as the sound of the inevitable slap rang out. Effie childishly fixed her hands over her ears as the sounds of both Arabella's and Emilia's cries ensued. 

--- 

Effie gently settled an icepack against Arabella's right eye, which was already beginning to swell shut. Her other hand moved to swipe away the tears that dripped down Arabella's cheeks. 

"You will feel better soon, I promise," Effie murmured as she kissed her sister's head. 

"Why did I do that?" Arabella sniffled as she moved to undo her hair from its elaborate design. "I hurt somebody..." 

"No, you did not. The fork missed Earl Trancy. You did not hurt him, alright?" 

Arabella's eyes blinked rapidly as she looked up at Effie in confusion. "I was talking about Hannah." 

"Who is Hannah?" Effie's brows scrunched together as she lifted the icepack to access the damage. 

Arabella paused before she finally said, "I think Father might have rattled my brains. Do not pay attention to what I said."  

"You really must work on your impulsivity, though..." Effie sighed as she softly instructed Arabella to hold the pack to her eye. With that, Effie swiftly walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out one of Arabella's many nightgowns. She helped the tired girl into the nightgown before brushing out her tangled brown hair. "You might have actually hurt Earl Trancy, and that would not have been good for our family."  

"Yeah, yeah..." 

Effie tapped Arabella's head as she sternly stated, "I am serious, Ara! Our family's financial well-being is the only reason as to why you and I are being arranged into marriages. While I might not be in love with Lord Taylor at the moment, I am content with finding happiness in my position. In fact, I do feel a stirring in my stomach whenever I am near him..." Effie suppressed a bashful smile as she hugged Arabella from behind. "I do not want you to be miserable with Earl Trancy." 

"But does Lord Taylor treat you like Trancy treats me?"