𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄 || 𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰

Chapter Four

Peace—finally.

Vienne sighed, leaning back into the hot, soapy waters of her bath, closing her eyes. The hot water was soothing—helping her relax after a whole evening spent acting as if she totally wanted to be there in such an awkward situation.

Her feet were sore from her shoes, and her back ached from all the dancing. The hot water helped, but she knew she'd just have to sleep off the rest of the pain. Dancing was fun, but some men simply did not know how to do it—only doing an awkward side-to-side step that made her hips ache. That was unenjoyable, to say the least.

"Feeling better, miss?" Vienne's help, Marie asked as she observed her in the tub.

Vienne peaked her head over the side of the tub to look at Marie. "Much better." She answered, relaxing again.

Over the years that she had known Marie, the two had become more like friends rather than Marie just working for her family. She was a true friend and the only one Vienne could truly trust and talk to about anything.

"How did tonight go?" Marie asked as she prepared a towel for Vienne.

Vienne let out another long sigh. "Horribly, to be honest. I can already tell my mother has worked up some sort of plan to marry me off."

"You'd think with the amount of times she's tried to do this, that it's the only thing that crosses her mind anymore." Marie said with a slight frown. Vienne and her mother's relationship hadn't always been so rocky—however, after Mr. Austen's unfortunate and unexpected death, that changed.

"I honestly think it is the only thing that crosses her mind." Vienne spoke. "She hardly talks to me about anything else. And if she does, it's' always about how I need to change myself or something. All so someone else should like me."

She frowned a little, thinking about what she had just said. It was a sad reality how much her relationship with her mother had changed in just the past year. They used to have long, wonderful, and meaningful conversations. Sure, Claudine had always been a bit of the nagging type, but at least they could talk with one another without one party getting upset or frustrated. Now it just felt like there was no possible way to do that anymore.

Vienne knew she could be better as well and try to handle things better with her mother—however, it was so infuriatingly hard when her mother refused to listen. It felt like she was speaking to a brick wall sometimes. A brick wall with a lot of opinions.

"Who does she have in mind for you?" Marie asked her.

"Edward Carter." Vienne replied, leaning back in the porcelain tub. "His family lives on the other side of town, near the southside of the river."

Marie chuckled, immediately knowing why Mrs. Austen wanted Vienne to marry Edward. If you lived near the southside of the river, you had to be wealthy. Everyone from that part of town had some sort of social status. However, that didn't always mean their slates were clean; some had dark secrets buried down and away from people's eyes.

"Do you like him?" Marie asked.

Vienne pursed her lips. "I suppose, but it just feels forced. I'm sure it's not him...just the situation." She answered. However, Mr. Carter was somewhat a little boring. Or at least for Vienne's taste.

"I understand." Marie stated. "Love is just something you can't force; it has to come naturally."

Vienne nodded her head. She wished her mother would understand that. Sometimes she wondered if her mother had even loved her father when they first got married. Vienne knew her father loved Claudine so much, as he repeatedly told her so many times before his death. However, she couldn't recall her mother speaking of her early love with her husband.

Vienne knew her mother had loved her husband, but she wondered if that love had only come after they were married.

Perhaps the reason why she was doing this was because the same thing happened to her.

"Well, aside from the obvious—what did you enjoy?" Marie asked.

Vienne thought over the question for a moment—contemplating whether she should tell Marie about Sebastian or not. She knew it'd stay between them, so she ultimately decided to do so. "Well, there was this one man there..." She started.

Marie's eyes widened in interest, and she drew near the bathtub. "Do tell." She urged, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Well, he was just a random fellow who caught my eye. But later, when I went to get a better look at him—I stupidly tripped over my own two feet, sending me spiraling towards the carpet. But someone caught me before I hit the ground." Vienne began to explain.

"Was it him?" Marie asked with delight.

"Yes!" Vienne exclaimed. "He caught me mere moments before I hit the ground. He was so polite and charming. He said his name was Sebastian—and he's currently living with Mr. Gaunt."

Marie's eyes widened. "That close? He lives that close?"

Vienne nodded her head. "Part of me desperately wants to see him again, but the other part is fearful my mother might find out. I don't believe he's anybody of status, and you know she'd throw a fit over that." She sighed. Her desire to see him again was strong, but so was her fear.

"Well, as long as you keep up an act with Mr. Carter, I don't think she'll catch on at all." Marie suggested. "Now up, it's getting late. You should be off to bed." She spoke, not missing a beat.

"I can try." Vienne said, referring to Marie's idea. She stood up, slightly shivering as the cool air hit her skin and the water dripped down. Marie handed her a towel, which she promptly grabbed and wrapped tightly around her body.

She shuddered a little, squeezing the towel even tighter. "Cold," she muttered.

Vienne quickly dried off and got dressed, slipping into bed. It took her a while to fall asleep since her mind was muddled by her thoughts about the night she had. Both about Edward and Sebastian. It confused her—but one thing she did know is that she wanted to see Sebastian again.

She didn't know why, but there was something about him that just captivated her so much. It's like she felt purposefully drawn to him, and she couldn't explain it. Merlin forbid her mother ever find out about her interest in the man. She'd hit the ceiling with fury.

Vienne tossed and turned for most of the night before sweet sleep finally came over her. There was a lot on her mind, but she hoped that the next morning would be simpler and that this would all be a problem of the past.