Forsaken to Treasured: A Short Story

3. Thank you

Barely recovered from her illness and unable to change or tidy up, Arabella's uncle summoned her to the foyer. The last time he called her like this was when the Cavendish family announced the broken engagement.

However, the situation was different this time because someone else delivered something unexpected to her.

This time was different, though, because the person who brought her back also delivered something else.

The hall was brimming with flowers and gifts, each box tied with ribbons and cards bearing the words, 'For my beloved wife-to-be Miss Arabella De Vere — Theodore Romanov.'

"You associate yourself with unsavory figures. How could my sister raise such a shameless daughter?" His words dripped with anger. "When he arrives, you'll break up with him yourself."

Tea splashed on Arabella's dress. She spoke softly. "May I ask, Uncle Louis, how I should reject a Romanov?"

His wife Mary, seated nearby, took charge. This tailor's daughter got pregnant with Arabella's uncle's blood before marriage. She faced strong opposition by intervention from Arabella's grandfather—her mother's father, old Talbot —before being accepted into the Talbot family. Over the years, she had a son and a daughter, leading a smooth, wealthy life.

Arabella remembered when she came to the house pregnant, and her grandfather forcefully asked someone to send her to have an abortion. Only her mother stood in front of her to protect this knocked-up girl and gently comforted her.

Aunt Mary's eyes rolled nimbly, and the corner of one side of her mouth turned upward with veiled malice. "It's simple. My sister's son is good and won't mind a young woman with a broken engagement. When the Romanovs come, you'll say you're engaged to my nephew. It saves everyone from discomfort."

The estate's steward beside Arabella looked astonished. Everyone knew her aunt's nephew—he was short, unappealing, and even had a record of theft. How could he be suitable for the daughter of the De Vere family? Arabella's father was a top government official before he died; he might have been in the cabinet if he had been alive.

Uncle Louis didn't object, silently agreeing to the plan.

In this confusing situation, Arabella stayed surprisingly composed.

She couldn't help but wonder: for years, she obeyed her uncle and endured her aunt's criticisms, never faltering. Where had she gone wrong?

How had Arabella De Vere ended up in such a dire situation?Arabella stood still without moving a muscle, but internally she was already frantically pulling her hair out screaming and questioning herself.

Things didn't go as Louis expected. Theodore Romanov somehow learned about his plan to break the engagement, so he came with a gift. A maid who served tea in the hall overheard Theodore opening a metal box before Arabella's uncle and aunt.

On shattered ice lay the bloody hand of Aunt Mary's nephew.

"This guy, a thief, is showing off everywhere about marrying Arabella of the De Vere family. Ridiculous," Theodore remarked with a smile.

"Lying is only a small mistake he made. He got caught stealing, and someone chopped off his hand. Seems fair." The Talbot couple's gazes were glued to the severed hand as Theodore said this.

Theodore addressed Arabella's uncle, "But I'm not happy with what happened. Arabella De Vere is my fiancée-to-be. Anyone who touches her defies me. Mr. Talbot, your thoughts?"

Although Louis Talbot had seen grander business scenes, he had never faced such gruesome, direct methods to deal with human beings. Mary Talbot screamed and fainted, crying endlessly after regaining consciousness from a call with her sister.