𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄 || 𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰

Chapter Seven

There were a lot of reasons to hate this town, and Vienne had several of them. But one thing she enjoyed was the market days. Many of the upper-class people didn't participate, so Vienne could go out and socialize with normal and genuine people.

So, she was making her rounds to her usual stands, striking up conversations with the vendors. It was such a nice experience every time. Interacting with genuine people was like a breath of fresh air.

And the market was filled this month. Many people coming to share what they had-smiles on their faces. It couldn't get better for Vienne than this.

She made her way over to Mr. Babin's vendor-where she usually got her herbs. She'd slip them to the kitchen aid to use without her mother's knowledge. They were much better than anything she usually liked, and she never said anything about a change. Vienne had been doing it for years, and to this day, Claudine still did not know.

"Ah, Miss Austen, a pleasure to see you again! And you'll have the usual, I presume?" Mr. Babin asked.

Vienne nodded her head. "Oh, yes, thank you, sir." She smiled. "Thank you for always being open and ready; I appreciate it."

Mr. Babin chuckled. "Of course, dear." He smiled. "It's nice to see you more of you out of here. Why, I saw Mr. Edward Carter here a couple of minutes ago. The first time I've seen him around here." He spoke casually.

Vienne laughed before she realized what he was saying. "Wait, what?"

***

"There she is, Rolf. I had a hunch she'd be here." Edward said to Rolf as they observed Vienne out at Mr. Babin's vendor stand.

Rofl gave Edward a skeptical look. "Right. Are you sure this is going to work?"

Rolf had been Edward's personal assistant, right-hand man, and friend for years. He was always a skeptical and anxious little fellow, but alas, Edward kept him around regardless. "Of course I'm sure." Edward replied to Rolf's skepticism. "Despite her consistent tardiness, she still seems interested in me. So I figured I should put it in her terms the next time I wanted to speak to her."

"Yes, but are you sure she'll actually want to talk to you?" Rolf questioned. "It seems to me like she's out here with all these people to get away from people like you."

Edward glared at Rolf for a moment. "Shut up. I know what I'm doing. Now come on," he said with a low grumble before setting off towards Vienne.

***

"Yeah, I saw him just a moment ago." Mr. Babin replied to Vienne. He looked behind her for a moment, seeing Edward and his companion walk towards the vendor-more specifically, Vienne. "Speak of the devil, there he is."

Vienne whipped around as if she couldn't believe it, and honestly, she couldn't. How in Merlin's name did he know she was here? She knew for a fact that he wouldn't be here at all had it not been for her attendance. So what in Merlin's name was he thinking?

"Miss Austen! Pleasure to see you here. Didn't expect you to be around here." Edward said, cheerfully lying as if it were nothing. Vienne knew he wouldn't have come anywhere near here if it weren't for her. He did expect her to be here.

Vienne put on a fake smile. "Right. I'm here every month, Mr. Carter." She said with slight annoyance. "Every month, for the past eight years."

Edward looked as if he were mentally scrambling for a response. "Oh, how wonderful." He finally replied.

"What brings you here then?" Vienne questioned. "I've never seen you come to the marketplace before. Or even around it. So what brings you here now?" Her tone was full of skepticism, raising a brow to him in question.

"Well, you know. The people, the social feeling." Edward answered, now just lying in front of her to gain her favor.

But if anything, this just made Vienne more upset knowing that he'd lie to her so easily. "Interesting. You know most people of your social status would stay far and away from a place like this, Mr. Cater." She spoke, her hand gripping the handle of her basket. She had to bite her tongue in order to stop her from saying anything more that could possibly get her into some trouble.

Edward chuckled. "Well then, I suppose I'm just not like the others, am I?"

Vienne's grip tightened, her knuckles turning white. His reply almost made her visibly cringe back. He was just like the others, and he was proudly loud about it for no good reason. In fact, he may even be worse lying through his teeth like this.

"Right." She replied dryly, her face showing all of her displeasure. She was not happy about this at all. She looked over at Rolf. "And who is this little fellow with you?"

Edward glanced over at Rolf. "Oh, this is Rolf. He's a good friend of mine and works for me."

"Pleasure to meet you, Rolf." Vienne said. However, she had to restrain herself from telling him to find better friends-and a better job. But she held her tongue and decided that now was the time to get out of here. "Well, I should be off now. I must finish my rounds around the market."

"I'll accompany you!" Edward said enthusiastically.

Vienne panicked, shaking her head. "Erm, on second thought, I'm sure my mother wants me home by now. It's almost past noon, and she's probably wondering where I am." She didn't care if it sounded like she was downright lying (which she was); he had lied first, so she saw no issue with her lying to get out of this situation.

She turned to leave, but Edward quickly stepped forward, stopping her. "Wait-I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your day, but I was wondering if you'd like to come back with me to my home this afternoon? My mother has been dying to meet you."

Vienne almost wanted to ask him if he had even heard what she had just said, but then it occurred to him that her mother had probably put him up to this in the first place, making her lie completely null and void if Edward already knew that her mother was trying to get her to go to the Carter family home that day anyway.

She felt so frustrated that she was constantly being played, having people plan things behind her back and to narrow her down so she barely had a choice. It was so painfully obvious that Claudine had put Edward up to this in an attempt to get her to know his family better.

Which she would have no problem doing if it weren't only for the sake of a possible marriage.

Did nobody in this horrible, forsaken town know what love was anymore? Was everybody just too obsessed with their status, riches, and themselves to think about others? The mere idea had Vienne fuming on the inside.

And that was when she decided to take over the conversation and to make her own decisions, regardless of the fact that Claudine had put Edward up to this. "I'm sorry, Mr. Carter, but I'll be going home now." She spoke firmly.

Edwards seemed confused as to why she was rejecting him. "But your mother-"

"I am an adult, Mr. Carter. I'm completely capable of making my own decisions as to where I go and when I do it. And if you are seeing me as anything younger and in a position to always listen to my mother, perhaps you might think twice about pursuing me." Vienne cut him off. She gave him no time to protest before she quickly turned around and left, leaving Edward standing there in shock. Rolf watched the whole thing with a grimace on his face.

Rolf hesitantly stepped up to Edward. "Well, that went well." He said sarcastically.

Edward whipped around, his eyes filled with anger. "Shut up," he hissed at him before storming off in a fit of anger.

Rolf sighed, now standing there alone. "I need a new job."