Against Their Wishes

Chapter 5 part 2

In what seemed like no time at all, the week passed quietly and the day of the ball arrived. Olivia was in a bit of a haze. She didn’t even know what her dress looked like. Her mother took it upon herself to buy a ball gown that would suit the occasion, and Olivia offered little protest. Night time was approaching quickly, and she was called up to her room by her maid to bathe and dress. Rose scented soap was sitting beside the basin as Olivia climbed in to clean off the day’s filth. When the water cooled, Olivia stepped out of the metal basin and slipped a warm towel tightly around her body. When she stepped into the main portion of her bedroom, she saw an exquisite dress lying upon her bed. Olivia took a moment to admire it before calling Charlotte to help her dress. The gown was a deep green color. Beautiful green and ivory colored beads wrapped around the top of the dress, swirling around until they reached the waist of the gown. The gown would show a descent amount of her bosom but not nearly enough to be considered inappropriate. The gown would serve to accentuate her beauty at the ball. Olivia turned as Charlotte walked through the door. With Charlotte’s help, Olivia was dressed and had her hair made up into a pretty up-do in a little more than an hour. Olivia looked at herself in the mirror. Even she had to admit that she looked quite pretty. The gown did everything for her figure that she hoped it would, and a few curls were escaping to frame her face in a way that softened her features.

“Olivia!” her mother called. “Oh, you looked lovely,” she said when she stepped into her daughter’s bedroom. Olivia felt a curious happiness at her mother’s compliment. It was not often that she got one. “Maybe, Lord Gregory will start to think he has somewhat of a catch. Don’t want to disappoint him too much, now would we?” Olivia deflated as her mother delivered her infamous jab. It was few and far between when Olivia would receive high praise from her mother. Charlotte must have recognized Olivia’s distress because she put a comforting hand upon Olivia’s shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

“Thank you, Mother,” Olivia responded, her mother completely missing how the words were tinged with sarcasm. “But I am not too worried about what Gregory thinks of me.”

“Oh yes, young lady, you are. Do I need to remind you that if this wedding does not go through, you will no longer be welcomed under this roof? Do not mess this up, Olivia. How you could think you would be able to find a better match his beyond me, but you will see this through until the end. I do not want any antics from you, Olivia. You will respect Lord Gregory as a man and as your fiancé.” After harshly sharing her thoughts, Anne Knight took her leave. Olivia stared at herself and found that she now had no desire to attend the ball. She had nearly come to accept the idea of attending the ball with Gregory, but her mother’s cold words took back any excitement she was feeling at attending the first social gathering of the season.

“Come, Lady Olivia, it will be alright,” Charlotte tried to console. “You will have a wonderful time tonight. Try to forget what your mother said to you tonight and just have a good time. There will be food and dancing, and I know how much you love to dance. Even as a little girl, you were always twirling about in your day dress. You will have a lovely evening,” Charlotte soothed. Olivia lifted up her skirts and marched towards her bedroom door, a headstrong demeanor replacing the lost puppy look that had been on her face.

“I am going to go dance, Charlotte,” Olivia proclaimed, and with that, she sashayed out the door and down to the foyer.

Olivia was only waiting several minutes when she heard the sound of a carriage approaching. According to her father, she would be riding in the Willington’s carriage with Gregory and his parents. Her own parents would follow behind them in the family carriage. It was nearly a half an hour ride to the ball which was being held quite far out in the country. This was a normal occurrence as nearly all the homes in the area were far apart except, of course, for the small houses that resided in the village. Olivia turned to face the large oak door as the butler announced the arrival of Lord and Lady Willington and their son, Lord Gregory Willington.