Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

“Marina,” Charlotte hissed at Marina, fire blazing in her eyes.

“I must apologize for my mistake of offering courtship to the wrong lady,” Griffin interfered. “Though Nancy is a beautiful woman in every sense, my heart grew a particular fondness for Marina. And I believe in following your heart, even if it leads you to different places.”

“Your Grace, your heart’s compass is covered in dirt and mold if it leads you towards her,” Charlotte angrily pointed at Marina. Marina couldn’t help but feel like some terrible circus show everyone was scowling at.

Marina’s mother was left speechless, her facial muscles pulling in all directions in her confusion. Marina gave her an apologetic expression in an effort to calm her down, but to no avail. Her mother was gravely shocked and disappointed in her daughter.

“I declare this with a sore heart upon the Earl’s family, but I am overjoyed to start a journey alongside Miss Marina. I understand the time needed to process the information, and I sincerely beg for your forgiveness. Especially from you, Miss Nancy,” Griffin asked as he turned to Nancy. Nancy stood up from her seat and scoffed at his ask, walking past him on her way to her room.

“Just wait until your uncle hears of this!” Charlotte yelled at Marina, causing her to shift her gaze toward the floor in surrender. “It’s scandalous, I tell you! Absolutely scandalous!”

“Forgive me for intervening, my Lady, but I haven’t officially betrothed Miss Nancy. I don’t believe any blame is to be put on Miss Marina, but I accept that you are in full right to blame me,” Griffin quickly said, stepping a foot closer to prevent Charlotte from nearing Marina.

“I think it best if you leave now,” Marina’s mother said to Griffin, the first words she’s spoken since his arrival. It led Griffin to hesitantly nod, making his way down the corridor.

Marina saw Penny accompany him to the exit, meaning she had to be nearby- listening. Marina knew she couldn’t blame anyone for their anger, but the intriguing scandal it had become to people like Penny hurt her.

“You can go sit in your bedroom until your uncle arrives,” Charlotte snapped at Marina, causing her to jump and make her way towards her bedroom.

As she was walking, she heard footsteps follow her. It didn’t take her long to realize that they were the footsteps of her mother.

“Marina!” her mother yelled as her pace quickened. Marina didn’t reply, feeling a shard of anger towards her mother for how aloof she had been regarding her own daughter.

As Marina entered her room, she was about to shut the door behind her, but her mother was quick to grab the handle.

“Marina Bosley!” her mother shouted at the entrance, forcing Marina to face her. “What on earth were you thinking getting us into such a mess? One-and-twenty years of age and naïve as ever!”

“What is it you wish to blame me for, Mama? First it was my lack of finding a suitor and now that I’ve entered a courtship, you also act appalled,” Marina shot back, the first time in her life she had dared raise her voice at her mother.

“I asked you to find a suitor, not steal your cousin’s!” Marina’s mother yelled, closing the door behind her as she neared Marina.

“You all blame me for this! Perhaps it was the duke who decided Nancy wasn’t for him, Mama. Perhaps he did it now to spare her heart any hurt. But that’s all shoved under the rug and you prefer to label me as some succubus who forced him into a courtship with me!” Marina shouted as tears started to fall down her cheeks. “You were never pressured into marrying Papa because you loved him! Do you even know how it feels?”

“His family was never fond of me and you know that! Marriage isn’t as easy as it looks Marina, and I’m sure the duke won’t be a walk in the park either,” her mother replied, walking toward the door to end the conversation, but Marina wouldn’t allow it.

“Papa’s family might not have been so fond of you, Mama, but my very own flesh and blood are the ones despising me! If Papa were here at least someone would’ve supported me!” Marina cried. This caused Marina’s mother to turn around, her eyes darker than ever.

“Well, Marina, your father is dead now, isn’t he?” her mother shot back before exiting the room abruptly- leaving Marina alone and in tears.

A part of her wanted to yell that uncle Josiah might be the reason her Papa was gone, explain that that’s why she’s entering a courtship with the duke, but she held herself back, knowing she made a promise to be silent. Her mother wouldn’t have understood her reasoning anyway.

Marina closed her curtains, laying on her bed for the remainder of the afternoon. She didn’t read, continue her needlework or even sit upright- instead she remained glued to her bed as if she were a corpse.

The only thing to deter her, despite several knocks from Penny throughout the day, were the footsteps of uncle Josiah down the corridor. She knew that the time to face the real beast in the house was approaching, and there was no way for her to run from it.

Knocks appeared at the door, Marina knew she had to answer, she could no longer ignore them.

“Come in, Penny,” Marina uttered, still laying on the bed.

Penny swung the door open, and with a sigh she asked “Why have you ignored my previous knocks, my lady?”

“I just don’t feel like conversing much at the moment,” Marina responded, her back to Penny.

“Well, Madam, that better change quickly. Your uncle is awaiting everyone at the table for dinner. I suggest you get up,” she said, leaving the door ajar as she walked away.

“Good evening, my Lord,” Marina carefully said to uncle Josiah as she sat at the table. She was the first to be there besides her uncle.

“Why are they taking so long?” Uncle Josiah asked, not bothering to exchange a greeting at her. He was sat with a newspaper, his attention not on Marina in the slightest.

As Nancy, Charlotte and Marina’s mother sat down and dinner started, Charlotte stared at Marina before turning to her husband.

“I believe a scandal is taking place beneath this very roof, my Lord,” she said to Uncle Josiah. The entire table grew quiet.

“Why would you possibly think that?” Uncle Josiah asked nonchalantly, stuffing a piece in meat into his mouth.

“Your niece, Marina, has entered a courtship with our Nancy’s suitor, the duke,” Charlotte hissed, giving Marina a piercing glare.

“Oh, what a piece of news that is, indeed,” Uncle Josiah responded in an eerily calm tone, still chewing on his dinner.

“My Lord,” Charlotte scoffed, surprised by his lack of emotion at the news. “You do understand that she has stolen away the man our daughter had obtained?”

“A scandal indeed. But I don’t have a slither of worry for our daughter, she’s beautiful in every way- she’ll find someone else in no time. Marina just needs to make sure to be out of this house. The sooner the better,” he continued, his voice calmer than a Sunday evening stroll.

At this statement, Marina dropped her fork and knife into her plate beneath her, a clatter ringing in their ears. She stared at her uncle; unable to produce any words.

“Oh, do close your gaping mouth-we’re eating dinner,” Uncle Josiah said to Marina. “You don’t seriously believe I’ll continue to care for you after you’ve stabbed us in the back, do you?”

“My Lord, you gave me an ultimatum to find a suitor. And now that I’ve found one, you usher me away?” Marina asked in disbelief. In the corner of her eye, she could spot Nancy enjoying this conversation.

Her uncle’s eyes grew into thin lines. “I give you until the end of this year to lose the duke, or you’ll be out by December. You can move in with your newest match then.”

“That’s a generous offer,” Charlotte huffed underneath her breath. The dinner continued in silence, but Marina’s appetite had vanished so abruptly that she found herself stirring the food around in circles on her plate.

“May I be excused?” Marina asked her uncle who didn’t bother to look up at her.

“Why do you even ask? It’s not as if you follow the rules anyway,” uncle Josiah scoffed. The rest of the family continued their meal as if though Marina had become invisible, so she took it upon herself to rise from her chair and make her way back to the dark fortress she called her bedroom.

She had no option but to prepare herself for bedtime. After slipping into her nightgown and lighting a few candles, she sat down in front of her mirror, looking at herself with blank eyes as she picked up a brush. She was exhausted, despite spending most of the day on her bed.

She started to comb her way through her hair, but dropped the brush as she heard subtle knocks on her bedroom window.

Hesitantly, she started to peak through the curtain, surprised to see the face of Griffin staring back at her. She quickly opened the window as well.

“What on earth are you doing here, Your Grace?” she asked, peeping around to make sure that nobody was nearby.

“I felt like we were in need of a discussion. Forgive me for not wanting to be faced with your family,” he whispered. “Might I come in?”

“No, most certainly not! We already have found ourselves in a scandal, and now you dare ask me if you could be alone in my room with me? Your Grace, we can have the conversation as we are currently speaking,” Marina yelled back in a whisper, feeling slightly embarrassed as she was stood in her night gown.

“Alright, my Lady, I’ll endure the cold. Firstly, how have your family taken the news?” he asked, leaning on the windowsill. Both of them kept their eye out for any passers-by.

“Certainly not well, Your Grace,” Marina whispered, leaning her palms next to Griffin on the window, her eyes to the grass in front of her. “My uncle told me to break the courtship in order to stay or else I will be moved out by December.”

“Oh dear, moved where?”

“Good question, Your Grace. But a question I can’t answer myself,” Marina sighed, throwing her head onto her hands in front of her.

“We better ensure a hasty investigation if we want to prevent your homelessness,” he whispered, his tone growing more worrisome.

“Do you think we made the right decision? I feel like we’ve ruined so many lives in this false courtship. My heart breaks every time I face Nancy,” Marina asked, lifting her head up and being surprised to find her face inches from Griffin’s. She backed up from her stance on the windowsill.

“Well, my Lady. If we were to stop everything at this moment, we would have ruined everyone’s mood for nothing. How might I find the truth if there’s no way for me to even enter the Cromwell house?” Griffin asked, picking up a twig from the ground to twirl between his fingers.

“I guess, but-” Marina abruptly stopped, hearing footsteps come closer to nearing the corner where Griffin was stood. Marina gestured for him to run, but there was barely a tree to hide behind in sight, so before Marina could blink, Griffin had jumped through her window.

Panic struck Marina harder than ever before. She forced Griffin behind the curtains as they exchanged silent panicked looks, gripping her hair between her fingers.

She opened a slither of the curtain to see Penny, who had fetched the last bedding from the washing line outside.

“But what, miss?” Griffin asked Marina in a whisper, inquiring on the statement Marina had made before Penny stumbled along. Marina didn’t answer, only sternly placing a finger in front of her mouth to get him to stay silent.

Marina kept an eye on Penny as she walked back around the corner, hearing an audible klick of the doorknob that meant Penny was back inside.

She pointed at Griffin to get back out, but he had already started to investigate her room. He was stood at her bedside holding up her needlework to the candlelight, enabling him to investigate the hydrangeas. “Lovely,” he whispered.

Marina shook her head, taking him by the shoulders and leading him back to the window.

“You have a marvellous room,” Griffin smiled, wanting to laugh at the panicked state Marina was in. Marina gave him a sharp glare in response.

“This situation is destined to give me heart problems,” Marina sighed, hearing her heart still thump in her ears from adrenaline.

“Back to the prior conversation,” Griffin said changing the subject at hand. “You are wondering whether we have made a mistake in entering a courtship, am I correct?”

“Indeed, Your Grace. But there is no way to escape the consequences now, we just need to work together in a timely matter,” Marina responded, still hurt from the harsh backlash she had received from her family. She knew, however, that she did this in attempt to reach the greater good for all. All except Uncle Josiah.

“Well, my Lady, I shall be accompanying you to the next ball,” Griffin replied, less distraught about her family’s hateful reaction.

“My goodness, I had forgotten about the ball! It’s in a week, if I am correct?” she asked as another dosage of adrenaline kicked into her bloodstream.