Against Their Wishes

Chapter 19

Hey everyone! I was finally able to post again. I'm sorry that it isn't much, but I hope you enjoy it all the same :)  Don't forget to comment and vote if you like it! Enjoy!!

The next morning, Olivia felt disoriented as she slowly woke from her deep sleep. She kept her eyes shut for a moment as she tried to place her surroundings. She felt something warm lying against her body and a weight pressed against her hip. When she opened her eyes, however, she saw nothing but the wall across from her. It took her a moment to figure out that the wall she was looking at was not her own. It was then that she could feel the soft warmth of someone breathing into her neck. Her eyes grew wide as she recalled the previous night.

It was Gregory’s arm that her head was resting on, and it was his arm that encircled her waist. Her back was flush against his chest and she could feel the heat radiating off of his skin. Sometime during the night, their bodies had shifted and they were now both lying on their sides, pressed against one another.

 Olivia relished in the feeling for a few minutes before she decided it was time to move. She very carefully pulled herself from his grip and quietly walked across the floor to reach his door. Cracking it just an inch, she looked about to see if anyone was standing in the hallway. Not seeing anything, Olivia quietly slipped from his room and into her own. She never noticed that Gregory was actually awake, and she would never know that he allowed her to slip away to save her the embarrassment the morning may have brought. She also didn’t see James at the end of the hallway, watching as she left his friend’s room.

In the next half hour, everyone made their way down stairs for breakfast. Olivia was one of the first at the table, and when Gregory arrived, he chose the seat next to her. Olivia tried to hide her smile from him at his actions, but he saw it nonetheless. Vivien looked to be in a sour mood as she was forced to sit on the opposite side of the table. It did not take long for Lady Willington to bring up yesterday’s events.

“Now, about yesterday,” Lady Willington began, “can some please explain to me what happened?”

“I am sorry, Lady Willington,” Olivia said, feeling like she needed to use her full title, “I went for a ride on one of your horses, and I was unaware of how long I had been gone. I never meant to cause anyone any worry,” Olivia explained remorsefully.

“There was no harm done, Mother,” Gregory said in her defense.

“I really am sorry for causing you such worry. It will not happen again,” Olivia reiterated.

“Apology accepted, Olivia. I was just so frightened something had happened to you, and I had no idea as to where you were,” Lady Willington explained. Olivia felt touched that Lady Willington would be so worried about her because she highly doubted her own mother would.

“Well, who’s ready to eat?” Gregory exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. They both deliberately left out the ordeal with the man in the woods. There was no need to further worry his parents. The rest of the meal consisted of casual chatter with the topic of last night having been put to rest.

Later in the day, Lady Willington and Olivia went into town for Olivia’s first fitting. Lord Willington had business to attend to which left James, Gregory, and Vivien at the house. Gregory, not wishing to be around Vivien at the moment, went walking around on the grounds. He paid little attention to his surroundings for he was too engrossed in his thoughts that Olivia had provoked. For this reason, he did not see James approach him.

“This is not much of an arranged marriage anymore, is it?” James smiled. Gregory whipped around, having never heard his friend approach. Before it was revealed that Olivia had gone missing, Gregory had come clean about the truth of his marriage. James had already thought the whole thing strange because Gregory had not even bothered to write to him. Gregory knew that James would never tell anyone, and he needed someone to confide in.

“What do you mean?” Gregory asked. They were standing a great distance away from the house under one of the large trees that dotted the land at Leighton.  

“You have obviously grown to care about Olivia, despite what you told me yesterday afternoon,” James calmly stated.

“Why would you say that?” Gregory questioned.

“It would have been obvious to anyone who saw you yesterday, Gregory. You were spinning in circles with worry when you found out she was missing, and that was not just the worry of a man who found out his friend was missing. That is not even to mention the way you reacted when you saw that man trying to pull her close, or that you welcomed her into your arms on the ride home. You care,” James finished. Gregory did not immediately reply to James’ declaration. He did not know how to respond, but he did know that James was right.

“Yes,” Gregory paused, “I care about her.” James smiled knowingly.

“I saw her come out of your room this morning,” James admitted. Gregory took a step forward, almost as if he was physically prepared to defend Olivia.

“It is not what you think,” Gregory tried to explain. “Nothing happened, but after the earlier events, she could not be in her room by herself. She was still too rattled from earlier.” James laughed softly at his friend.

“I did not think that anything occurred. I figured out for myself the reason she was coming out of your room. The fact that you were willing to comfort her for the night just further proves my point,” he smiled. Gregory smiled with him before running his hand through his hair.

“I admit it; I do care for her,” Gregory smiled, “but I do not know what to do about.”

“What do you mean, Gregory? Tell her how you feel. It is pretty obvious that she feels the same way. I can see it in the way that she looks at you.”

“I already told her that I did not want anything more than a friendship,” Gregory admitted.

“And? People change their minds, Gregory. I am sure that she will just be happy that you are willing to put forth effort in your relationship,” he tried to convince.

“I don’t even know how to go about this! You know me, James, and I am never this nervous over something!” Gregory cried.

“And that is why I know that what you are beginning to feel is more than anything you had with any of the other girls you have kept company with.”

“When did you become such a romantic sap?” Gregory smiled at him.

“I suppose I did not want to see you suffer in silence anymore. Just tell her how you feel. Everything else will fall into place,” James promised.

“I suppose you are right. This will make my parents extremely happy,” Gregory said with a laugh. James patted Gregory on the back before walking away to leave him with his thoughts for a while. Yesterday changed everything. It brought to light all the feelings that Gregory had been experiencing below the surface. He was going to tell her. The next time he got her alone, he was going to tell her. Gregory smiled before continuing across the grounds, not wishing to waste his good mood on being indoors.

I'll try to update soon :)