Ch. 2
Upon rising the next morning, Aurelie dressed in a light rose-colored dress, airy and soft enough for the warm weather outside. Summer was just beginning, and she glanced out of her window to see the bright sun casting rays upon the grassy fields of the Daniels' acreage.
Yawning, she made her way to the dining room to see the large table set with plates of fresh fruit, warm brioche with various jars of marmalades, and poached eggs. Her mother sat alone at the end, staring blankly at her half-eaten food. She seemed to be too troubled to eat, and even though she heard her daughter enter the room, she didn't even look up to greet her.
"Mother," Aurelie said as she walked over to her, "What is the matter? Are you not feeling well?"
The older woman glanced up at her daughter and gave a weak smile. She urged Aurelie to sit beside her, which the young woman did so, immediately.
Aurelie searched her mother's face for any trace of thought, and all that she could see were lines of worry etched there, and lack of sleep. Her mother was a woman of beauty, with equally long and dark hair as Aurelie. She had dark brown-colored eyes framed by thick lashes, and dark tan skin. Though she was not quite as lovely as her daughter, she had aged well.
One would have to listen closely to what Mrs. Daniels said in order to understand her, as her voice was laced with a thick Spanish accent. Something about the way that she pronounced different words made her even more charming to those around her, and Aurelie often wished that she had learned to speak Spanish, herself.
Mrs. Daniels had spent the entirety of her life in Spain, and during that time, she met Edward. Away on a business excursion, he immediatly fell for her charms and kindness. Once they had eloped, he returned to the French countryside with her as his wife, and soon thereafter, their one and only daughter was born. When Aurelie was three years of age, Mr. Daniels accepted a business opportunity in rural England, where the Daniels then raised their child. While Aurelie loved her home dearly, she sometimes daydreamed about the exotic places in Spain that her mother had spoken of, hoping that one day she might be able to travel there.
"I am worried about your father," she replied.
Aurelie cut herself a piece of bread and began to smother it with butter and raspberry marmalade. She took a bite of it and waited for her mother to continue.
"He was out again last night, and he did not return until the early morning."
Aurelie nodded her head, understanding what her mother meant. Her father was not a cheating or unfaithful man, as most men would have been if they had been found to be out late at night. Aurelie almost wished that his absence had been because of his having a Mistress, as it would have nearly been better than the real reason, but she knew that it was not the case.
Edward Daniels was a proud and wealthy man. Like a handful of gentlemen with fortune, he had inadvertently allowed greed to consume him. Every business decision that he made, every financial choice, he reasoned to be in order to better the comforts of both his and his family's life. He eventually was drawn into gambling, and night and day he would obsess and analyze every move that he could have made differently, new ways of winning, or simply playing a game of chance for the thrill of it.
Aurelie knew that her father had spent a vast amount of money on his addiction, but she was not worried. After all, they still possessed their estate, and she was quite certain that they had enough wealth to spare her father's habits, as she was still able to purchase whatever she had wanted without financial limitations.
"Do not worry, Mother," she soothed. "We have plenty of wealth, if you are concerned that he will gamble away our fortune."
"It is not our fortune that I worry about, my dear," Mrs. Daniels replied sadly. "He has become a different man. He is changed."
Mrs. Daniels thought about her husband's recent behavior. Once a kind and gentle man, very loving and affectionate, he had now been replaced with a cold and indifferent person that she no longer recognized. He no longer gazed at her with admiration as he once did, he never touched or kissed her, and he locked himself inside of his study with drink in hand if he was even home, at all.
Although he had taken to drink and was rarely sober, his agressive behavior had limited itself to verbal shoutings or ramblings, but nothing more. He had never raised a hand to either his wife or his daughter, but the emotional absence of it all still affected his family.
"Everything will be alright," Aurelie placed a hand on her mother's to comfort her. "You are still quite beautiful, Mother, and we still have money. I should like to purchase a new gown for Friday."
"Darling," Mrs. Daniels grasped her daughter's hand in her own, "You are still young and inexperienced. But I hope that someday you will learn to look past appearance and finance. I would rather have the man whom I married return to me than all of the luxuries that the world has to offer."
Aurelie did not know how to respond and she nearly wanted to laugh. Instead, she took another bite of brioche.
"I hope that you will find a man to love, who will love you ardently in return, regardless of his social status or reputation."
After Aurelie swallowed her bite and dabbed at her mouth with an ivory-colored linen, she replied, "Yes, but no man will have me if I am to dress in rags. Appearance does matter, Mother."
"The man who can look beyond appearance is the one worth having."
Aurelie snorted in response. "Then you will not be pleased once Henry asks for my hand in marriage?"
Mrs. Daniels' eyes lit up and her lips turned upward in a smile.
"My daughter, married? Has he asked, yet?" the enthusiasm in her voice was evident.
Aurelie smiled at her mother's excitement, eager to discuss something other than her father's spending habits, and especially if the topic was about herself.
"I am certain that he will, tomorrow."
"Oh! How exciting!" her mother chirped. "Perhaps I may see a grandchild in my lifetime!"
Aurelie rolled her eyes at her mother and sighed. "I will put off childbirth as much as I possibly can. It ruins the figure."
"Oh, Aurelie! Do not say that!" her mother chided. "After all, I cannot wait forever!"
Though unspoken, Aurelie knew what her mother was implying. For the past few weeks, Mrs. Daniels had been feeling weak and ill, sometimes too tired to go anywhere with her daughter. She felt depression consume her, making her condition worse, and at times, she did not even wish to leave her bed.
Aurelie did not want to dwell on her mother's worsening health, and Mrs. Daniels could see the frown on her daughter's face. She touched Aurelie's cheek gently.
"Nevermind that, my dear. Do you love him?" she asked.
"I love his estate. I love his taste in clothing, for he is very fashionable, and quite handsome. He is the most handsome man that I have known. I love how he earns ten thousand pounds a year."
"Yes, but do you love him?"
Aurelie sighed, frustrated. She did not wish to speak about love, or any of the nonsense that her mother had often spoken about. After all, her parents had married for love, and she could not ignore the situation that they had ended up in. Her mother, miserable and longing for his company, and her father, hardly ever speaking to the two. Love was temporary, but money was permanent. Money would never refuse her.
"Love will develop, soon enough. I am certain that when we are married, I shall have eyes for no one else."
Still, Mrs. Daniels gazed at her daughter with sadness.
"I hope that you are making a wise decision, Aurelie."
