The Ambassador's Daughter

Chapter 39

Elise made it very clear the next morning that she did not need Louise's help packing up the rest of the family's personal belongings. So, Louise finished her breakfast and returned to her room. She spent the morning packing up her room. She knew from her mother's tone that Louise would be needing a place to stay sooner rather than later. Louise was hurt that her mother didn't want her around, but she tried not to dwell on it. She was getting married!

She couldn't help but smile as she packed up her room. She gently took the blue dress she had worn to Wakanda's birthday ball out of her closet and laid it on the bed next to her suitcase. She packed her clothes and shoes in the set of suitcases and called the garage, telling the driver who answered that she needed to go the palace and she had luggage.

As Louise sat in the foyer waiting for the driver, Elise walked by. "Where are you going?" Elise demanded, pausing in the orders she was giving to the housekeeper. Louise looked up.

"I'm going to the palace. I have a wedding to plan." Louise replied. Elise pursed her lips and continued on with her instructions to the housekeeper. Stung, Louise turned her attention to helping the driver load her luggage. "Chernobyl," She muttered, climbing into the back seat. She struggled with her emotions all the way to the palace. The driver kept shooting her furtive looks in the rear view mirror, clearly concerned about her mental health.

When they pulled up in front of the palace, Louise climbed out. "Leave the bags up front. I don't know where they're going." She said as she ran up the steps. She literally ran into Bucky just inside the door. He took one look at her and led her to their niche. She stopped as he pulled the curtain back. She shook her head mutely. "Outside." She said, barely managing the one word. Bucky nodded and led her out to the garden. He made for their usual bench, but Louise dragged him deeper into the gardens. In the very heart of the garden they found a maze. Louise led Bucky through it. The deeper they went the heavier and more ragged her breathing got. Bucky tried to speak several times, but she waved him off.

Finally, they ended up in the center. Louise collapsed in the center of the grassy space and wrapped her arms around herself and began sobbing as if her heart were breaking. Bucky knelt next to her, unsure of what she needed. Finally, he pulled her tightly against his chest, stroking her hair gently. She clung to him, fighting for control. Finally she pulled back wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry," She apologized thickly.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked in concern. He took her left hand, running his thumb gently over her ring finger. "Are you sure this is actually what you want?" She nodded emphatically.

"Of course it is." She replied, tightening her grip on his hand. "I just wish my mother could at least pretend to be happy for me! I mean is it too much to ask not to kick your only child out of the house after she announces her engagement?" Bucky gently rubbed Louise's back. She ran her fingers angrily through her hair. "Is it?" She had undoubtedly meant it to come out as some sort of challenge, but instead it had slipped out as a small, worried question.

"No, it's not." Bucky ensured her. "You and your mother are just under a lot of stress right now. Both of you have suffered a major disappointment. Your mother's husband has just been arrested for the abduction and abuse of his own child, she has lost the stability her family had through his job, and her daughter has refused to go back to a place she, as the mother, feels they will be safe, and on top of that her daughter has justified this refusal by announcing her engagement to a man that may not be suitable." Louise gaped at Bucky. "And then there's you: Your father has just been arrested for abducting you because he thought you would be able to trigger your boyfriend into being a super soldier assassin, your mother has just tried to whisk you off to America without your desire or consent, your boyfriend has proposed marriage to you, thereby making you choose between your love of your mother and your love of him. It's enough to make anyone go crazy."

"Guilt trip much?" Louise asked, burying her face in her hands, and taking a deep breath. She tossed her head back, taking another deep breath. "I want to make it very clear, Mr. Barnes. I am deeply and madly in love with you. I want to be your wife more than anything I have ever wanted in my entire life, and I'm an ambassador's daughter, which means I have wanted a lot of things very much in the course of my twenty-one years! So don't ask if I want to marry you again. The answer is and always will be yes. But sometimes, I'm going to cry over the fact the my father tried to use me against you and my mother kicked me out for saying I'm going to marry you. It doesn't change anything."

Bucky put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him again. He kissed the top of her head. "Okay." He murmured. "Okay."