Waiting and Awaited

Chapter 10 - Truce

Calista sat on the crane over the fish tank holding Goldie. Hands enclosed in glaring yellow rubber gloves, she picked the last piece of fish from her pail and let it drop over Goldie and waited while the tuna took her sweet time before snatching the morsel.

"You have to help me out here Goldie. I can't go into this having doubts whether it's the right thing to do. One vial just isn't good enough judging by the last week. We'll have each other's throat by the end of the year."

It had been three days since she officially agreed to the marriage. The Duke had stayed well out of her sight since that morning. Every morning though, the door bell rang and she opened it to a huge bouquet of flowers. She hadn't expected that at all from the Duke. No, she didn't take him to be the type to do clichés, but she wouldn't be surprised at all if he got Bob or Braid to get whatever they thought would appease her. He probably didn't even know they sent flowers.

It was white roses on the first day. Tulips on the second. This morning she found lilies, but it wasn't that which she found curious. Only today did she find a card with the gift. She had a sense of déjà vu as she opened the cream envelope with a large, burgundy C at the back.

Cali,

I'll come and get you after work.

R

Right. Of course there's no room for not wanting to be gotten, whatever that was in Dukespeak.

Mrs. Bell had been nothing but thrilled, though Cai couldn't be sure if that was because of the Duke's efforts, or the mere fact that it was the Duke. Mr. Bell was his usual quiet self, watchful of Cai's reaction every time her mother mentioned the match, and how lucky Cai was that the Duke seemed quite smitten with her. She knew Mr. Bell would not be as pleased as Mrs. Bell when she would finally bring up the subject of marriage and so, chicken that she was, she still had not broached the subject to her family.

Cai watched the fish swimming in circles under her. She knew the fish didn't share her affections. As far as it was concerned, she was merely the lady that brought food. But for Cai, it was to Goldie that she had finally said her secrets aloud – her regret about not being able to apply for the transfer, her fears about being arrested for the loss of her vial, and finally, her dread of never finding her match. She'd never been in a hurry, but the thought of growing old and grey alone, possibly exiled, was too depressing.

"It is amazing how you're still not sick with that thing in your belly for this long. Perhaps you've already digested it and that's why you're not throwing it up? But that should count as breaking it and maybe I would have to choose between you and the Duke, hmm?"

"Bloody inconvenient to have to fight a fish over your hand, Cali."

She jumped and nearly fell when she heard the Duke's voice above her. She clasped her hand to her chest only to regret it as she realized she had just spread fish slime over her grey uniform. Muttering relatively mild curses under her breath, she slowly tried to get up to her feet, deliberately ignoring his extended arm. Not to be outdone, he grasped her elbows and pulled her the rest of the way up. He held her against him for a second before suddenly letting go. Ha, scared he'll get fish slime on his black shirt too.