A Heart Unbound (a short story)

Prologue

Seraphina Devereux heard the front door creak open and then shut. The six-year-old sat up in her bed, straining to hear the laughter spilling from the foyer into the sitting room, accompanied by footsteps leaving the kitchen. She listened carefully, hoping it was who she thought it was.

After a moment, she leaped from her bed and dashed down the dark wooden stairs. At the bottom, she peeked around the wall and saw her parents conversing with a man and a woman, their faces obscured by her parents' bodies.

Seraphina lingered for a moment, trying to glimpse the faces of the guests when someone came up behind her.

"Lurking in the shadows again, Seraphina?" Her twelve year old brother, drawled.

She rolled her eyes and swatted her hands behind her back. "Go away, Dorian," she whispered harshly.

Dorian let out an amused laugh.

Seraphina whipped her head around and hit him in the arm. "Dorian! Be quiet! They'll hear you!" she hissed.

Turning back toward the wall, she peeked around it once more, relieved to find that amidst the laughter, neither her parents nor their guests had heard them.

As she continued to watch, Seraphina finally glimpsed the faces of the guests. It was Genevieve.

With a burst of excitement, she dashed out from behind the wall, arms outstretched. "Genevieve!" she shouted.

All four adults turned to look at her.

Seraphina crashed into her older sister, who sat straight-backed on the couch.

Genevieve smiled politely and pulled Seraphina into a quick and loose embrace. Afterward, she ran her hand gently through Seraphina's hair.

"Hello, Seraphina. How is my little sister doing?" Genevieve asked in a proper tone.

Seraphina beamed up at her. "I've missed you!" She glanced at the man sitting next to Genevieve. "Who is that?"

"Seraphina," her mother said in a stern voice, "do not be rude."

"Sorry, Mother."

Seraphina turned back to the man, then her sister.

"Seraphina, this is my husband, Cyrus Lestrange."

For a moment, Seraphina felt taken aback. She hadn't known that her nineteen-year-old sister-her only sister-had gotten married.

"Congratulations," Dorian chimed in from the hallway, having stepped out unnoticed.

"Hello, Dorian," Genevieve greeted, smiling.

"Hello, sister," he returned.

Seraphina shifted her gaze back to Cyrus. He was extremely handsome, fitting for her beautiful sister, with his wavy, jet-black hair, sharp features, and piercing blue eyes. He offered her a kind smile, though it lacked warmth.

Seraphina turned to her father. "I want a husband."

Her father laughed. "One day, Seraphina." His eyes sparkled with kindness, kinder than she usually saw them, filled with amusement.

"I want him to be very handsome, and he will love me very much."

"Of course, darling, whoever you wish," her father said, still smiling.

Seraphina looked at her mother and raised her eyebrows.

"Only the best for my daughters. I'm sure you'll choose a fine gentleman someday."

Satisfied, Seraphina trudged back to the stairs and returned to bed.