Storm and Silence Fanfic

Forced Domestication

~23 October 1840~

"TWO WEEKS?"

I flinch.

A cold, calculating, withdrawn, and silent Mr Ambrose I can deal with. But an angry one? I haven't had his wrath directed directly at me recently, and let me tell you...it's terrifying. I seriously hope that none of you are ever in this same situation I am currently in.

"Y-yes sir." Why are you stuttering, Lilly? You've never had a problem standing up to him before.

Yes, well before, nothing this important hung in the balance.

"That is incredibly soon, Mr Linton."

"My aunt thinks it would be best to get it done as soon as-"

"Yes, I'm sure she does. How did she take the news about your baby?" He asks, his voice colder than I'm used to.

"She doesn't know." I whisper, staring at a mark on the floor. I can't look at him anymore. I know I won't see anything except resentment and loathing and I don't think I can take that right now.

"She doesn't know?" He echoes. If I didn't know him better, I'd say he sounded shocked.

"No, no one knows. I can't risk shaming my whole family by a mistake made by me."

Silence. 

"You think it was a mistake?" It takes me a minute to comprehend what he's asking. And he was asking. He wanted to know if I thought  our passion and time spent together was a something I'm ashamed of.

"Well, sir, I don't regret what we did. I'm...just afraid of the repercussions of it." My voice doesn't sound like me. It sounds like a little girl, lost and afraid, just looking for some to comfort her. If I'm looking for that in Mr Rikkard Ambrose, I really don't know him well enough.

After a few moments, a soft voice cuts through the silence, "Everything will work out, Lillian."

"Excuse me, sir?" Did he really just say that? I look up at him for the first time and see a shocked expression flicker across his face, like he didn't believe what slipped from his mouth either, before quickly being replaced by his usual non-expression.

"You are not excused, not even this once. Pay attention, Mr Linton, and go retrieve file XX34VD89."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not here to work. I have to go back home and plan for the wedding. My aunt only allowed me to come to let you know when the wedding was to be held. I don't think I will be working here any longer." Saying the words out loud, I realize how sad that makes me. I'm going to miss this place; the stone walls, the busy people hurrying downstairs. Even Mr Stone and Sallow face. This place has been my haven, as funny as that may sound, considering I had a tyrant breathing down my neck the entire time. But it was a very handsome tyrant... "Unless...unless when I become your wife, you still allow me-"

"No."

I didn't think so.

"What, so after we get married, you just expect me to sit around the house and do your laundry and cook and clean for you?" My temper flares and I glare at him, crossing my arms over my chest. 

He gets an almost thoughtful expression on his face.

"Once we get married," he begins slowly, "I won't have to pay anyone to do my laundry or cook and clean for me." He nods once. "Adequate. I believe this arrangement will not be as bad as I had originally thought."

"You bastard!" I scream.

"Calm down, wife. Until I can find a replacement, you may keep your old position."

"Is that a deal?" I ask, unable to suppress the shiver that runs up my back when he calls me wife.

"Yes." I stand up and offer my hand. He looks up at me with a blank expression before fixing his eyes on his paperwork. "Goodbye, wife. Don't you have a wedding to plan?" He dismisses me.

Despite the fact that the conversation didn't go as well as I'd hoped, I can't help but smile as I walk out of the office.

"Congratulations, Miss Linton." Mr Stone says as I shut the door.

"Thank you, sir." I curtsey ever so politely and he returns with a bow.

I catch him staring at my face.

"Every time I see you, I marvel at how much you and your brother look alike."

I blush, and turn slightly, hoping he won't look too closely.

"Where is the young man? I didn't see him come in this morning."

Oh, darn. What am I going to tell him?

"My brother is...sick. Yes. Terrible fever, throwing up everywhere. It's awful. He should be out for about two weeks. Until just after the wedding. I just came to see my darling Dick and inform him of my brothers terrible illness." At my choice of nicknames, Mr Stone almost chokes on the breath mint he'd been eating.

"Ah. Well how terrible." He coughs. "Please give my best to your brother."

"Yes I will, thanks." I curtesy one more time before quickly scurrying towards the stairs before I give him another chance to recognize me.

"Lillian." When I reach the bottom of the flight of stairs, I freeze at the sound of the cold voice,  turning around. Mr Ambrose is looking at me from the top of the landing. "I suppose you should have one of these." He marches towards me and grabs my hand. He slides a ring on my fourth finger and looks into my eyes. "Mine." He kisses the ring, and my hand before placing it at my side and marching back upstairs.

I don't know how long I stand there, looking up the stairs and at my hand, my tingling hand, but by the time I get outside, Great Paul is striking noon. Shoot, Aunt Brank is going to kill me.

I hurry home, and walk up the path towards steps, I see an angry mob swarm towards me. The only thing missing are the pitchforks. Though I'm sure they have sharpened parasols, which are just as bad. I gulp as I hear, "LILLIAN LINTON!" shouted by an angry voice as they cut me off before I can get inside to safety. I stop and debate the best way to escape but the mob reaches me first.

"I cannot believe you!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?" Eve asks dreamily. "It's so romantic."

"No, Eve. The better question," Patsy barks in her gruff voice, "Is why are you getting married? To that bloody chauvinist of all men? You couldn't have found one who wasn't so against women's rights that he demolished me at the rally?"

"Patsy, I'm sorry. Eve, Flora, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have let you know. I'll make it up to you with solid chocolate. I promise." Flora and Eve readily forgive me with the promise of our favorite treat, but Patsy looks at me suspiciously.

"I don't think you need any more solid chocolate." She looks at my belly, which I just started to notice was swelling a bit. "You should lay off, and try exercising a bit."

I roll my eyes.

"Noted. I won't eat any of it. It's all for you lot." I skirt around them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go plan my wedding."

*

Hi friends!! Hope everything is going well for you :) 

I'm sorry my updates haven't been very regular, but I've been working a lot recently, so I haven't had much time to write. :/ To make it up to you, I'm working on the chapter in Mr Ambrose's point of view, so you have that to look forward to. 

Please keep voting and commenting, it makes me soo happy when I get those notifications. :D

~Hamilfan123987

(ps is there any fellow hamiltrash out there? Lin got nominated for an Emmy for hosting an episode of SNL, if you haven't checked it out, do it, IT'S AMAZING! He's amazing... I love him so much <3 anyway...)