I stood beside my family at the door again. James stood beside me, not in any better of a mood as he had been in before. I guess he slept on the wrong side of his bed last night. Abigail stood on my right, obviously thinking about something. Her gaze was somewhere far away from here. Was she thinking about the blacksmith that she loved back at the town she lived in? Was she thinking about how she wouldn’t be able to marry him?
The second suitor stepped through the door. His name was Mr. Cottons. He was portly and set his hands on the seams of his tailcoat. His hair was slicked forward and he had a jolly look about him. He greeted all of us with a jolly smile. It made me uncomfortable. Especially when he looked at me. He made me feel like an object.
The third suitor walked in. He was named Mr. Wittenford. He was an average man with exceedingly prospering businesses. He talked with my father for most of the time about managing the welfare and things of that sort. He barely paid any attention to the rest of us.
The fourth and fifth suitors were twins. They introduced themselves as Hector and Vector. They never gave a last name, which was odd, but I guess it wasn’t that interesting anyway. Either that, or I just didn’t pay attention to them. They were both rather boring.
By the sixth suitor, I had given up all hope that my parents had invited someone worthy of my sister. He was practically ancient! He had to use a cane and he barely had any hair left on his head. He didn’t hear anything we said and we had to shout to get him to hear anything. It was unpleasant.
And then, Suitor #7 walked in. He was, dare I say, perfect. He was tall, had dark hair, bright blue eyes, freckles, and a white face. He had a smile in his eyes and a smile on his face. He was young, about the same age as my sister, from the looks of it. He was stunning, to say the least. My heart burned with hope again.
“Hello, sir. I am Charles Edgar Resworth. It’s a pleasure to be here.” He said as he shook my father’s hand. My father nodded.
“Pleasure is all mine! This is my wife, Rose.” My father said, handing Charles’ hand to my mother’s.
“Hello, ma’am.” He said.
“Hello, Charles! It is an honor to meet you! This is my daughter, the one you are courting, Abigail.” My mother said. She handed Charles to Abigail.
Sometimes, things happen in an instant. A moment, so small you only get a glimpse. But the glimpse is so strong, that it stays with you forever, a picture painted in your memory. At that moment, I saw a connection between my sister and Suitor #7. He looked at her and his eyes softened. She looked at him with an almost astonished glance. I could practically hear the cupid’s singing in the background, shooting arrows willy-nilly.
“Hello, Abigail.” Charles said, his voice like caramel.
“Hello, Charles.” Abigail said, her voice like singing in the wind.
They looked at each other for a moment longer before they realized that they had company.
“Oh! Charles, this is my sister, Maybeli.” Abigail said, slowly handing Charles to me.
“Hello, Maybeli. I hope we’ll get along.” He said. I just nodded, still slightly confused by what I had seen.
“Hello. This is James, he’s the son of King Altama-“
“-and I’m her best friend. Pleasure to meet you.” James said. He forcefully took Charles hand away from me and shook it fervently. Charles looked at him, puzzled, but he sent a smile his direction in any case.
“Well! You all got here in perfect timing! I just got done making lunch: pesto and pasta! Come, into the dining room!” My mother said. We all crowded into the dining room to find seating markers everywhere. It seemed my parents had bought more chairs and a few small tables to make room for all the suitors.
We all sat down at our markers. My sister was sitting between Charles and Hector. I had the pleasure of sitting across from Abigail between James and Duke Fletcher. My father was at the head of the table with mother sitting next to him. Mr. Cottons sat on the other side of the table beside Vector, the other twin. It wasn’t long before the servants brought out my mother’s creation. Mr. Cottons took a tentative bite, his nose held away from the spoon. The twins began swallowing the pasta without a second thought. Duke Fletcher was taking forever to eat his pasta, however, he took just long enough that he was done before the twins could ask for more. His slowness astounded me. Charles and Abigail ate in sync without a glance at each other.
“Marvelous dish, Mrs. Walsh. It was a delicious first meal, I look forward to the rest. If you would excuse me.” Duke Fletcher rose, bowed his head to Mother and Father, and left without another word. I watched his tailcoat leave the room, waving behind to everyone else.
“It really is a…pleasant meal. However, it would be better with the right spices. My cook, Ava, has all the right spices at hand for her to use. All of her dishes are delicious.” Mr. Cottons said.
“Well, isn’t that wonderful. Rose here grows all her own herbs and spices in the garden out back, would you like to see them?” Father asked, a dangerous look in his eye. Mother was poking at her food, obviously ticked at the man sitting across from her. The twins had just finished their fifth bowl and Charles and Abigail had just finished their first helping.
“I would love to! This meal was rather filling, perhaps you could show me now?” Mr. Cottons said. He wiped his face on his handkerchief and stood. My father and mother stood and led Mr. Cottons out of the room. I finished my pasta and stood as well.
“Well, that was a very fine dinner.” James said, standing with me. I rolled my eyes, waved to my sister, and left the room. James followed me. I walked through the living room and past the fireplace. James followed. I walked out the front door and down the porch steps. James walked up beside me.
“Where are we going?” He asked.
“You mean where am I going?” I replied. I walked faster, making my strides longer. He kept up.
“Where you go, I go. So?” He said. I looked over at him. He had that stupid smirk on his face. I laughed.
“To the stable.” I said.
“But, your mom.” I sighed and continued going.
“She can tell me what to do.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “That doesn’t mean I’ll do it.”
“Isn’t that against your nature, though?”
I stopped and turned.
“What do you mean?” I asked. He chuckled.
“Well, you always get on my case about being ‘self-centered’. Isn’t doing what you want to do instead of what your parents want you to do a little self-centered?” He looked at me with pleading eyes. I looked at him, then my house in the distance, then back at him. I threw my hands up.
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m just being selfish right now. I need to give my parents a chance. They only tell me to do things because it’s for the best, right?” It was my turn to look at James with my pleading eyes. He laughed grabbed my hand, and led me in the direction of the house.
“Come on, Miss Liberty. We need to find something for you to take your mind off Gallade.” He said. I let him take me back to the house.
