Vault of Bones Extra
Meeting the Patriarch
Anais held Charles' hand tighter, surprising the man. She held her breath and fixed her eyes on the road to take her mind off of it. Today was the day when Charles promised her to introduce her to his family. No wonder she was nervous. No words could describe how nervous she was the night before.
She exhaled deeply. Charles laughed heartily at her.
"Relax, doll face. My grandfather doesn't bite… often," he teased. "You'll be fine~"
"Easy for you to say!" she snapped, voice sounding very shaky.
"Did I mention how cute you are when you're nervous~?"
"Damn you! You're not helping!" Anais growled and went back into trembling.
Charles held her hand gently. "If I know my grandfather, I know he'll accept you and everything will be fine~"
The carriage stopped.
"Oh, we're here, love~" he chirped.
The coachman opened the carriage door and out came Charles Grey first and then Anais. The Grey Estate was located in the outskirts of Greenwich. It was very wide, probably twice the size of the Wolvercote Manor. The gates were grand, and the mansion? Breathtaking. If one didn't know who lived here, they would have assumed that this was a palace. White Doric columns pillared the mansion's edges. There was a grand staircase in front and more large Greek-looking doors. The butlers opened it for them. Red carpet was rolled in the middle of the hallway; statues stood in place. Charles' heels tapped the marble floor which was shiny enough to see one's reflection. Golden chandeliers hung in a train on the ceiling.
"What do you think?" Charles said as he pulled her hand. He didn't want her to get lost in her first visit.
"Wow." It was all she said. The earl took it as a compliment.
Many butlers came by and greeted them. Without asking, Charles already knew where his grandfather was.
"Come to think of it, I've never asked," Anais said out of cold as they ventured the grand hallways of the mansion. "Do you have any siblings?"
"Nope," Charles replied, sounding very uninterested. "I'm the only one."
"Really?!"
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Charles raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Is it really that surprising?"
"Yes, in a way," she continued. "No wonder you became an Earl so early."
"That's the easy part," Charles said in full confidence. "I'm good, that's why."
How narcissistic, she thought to herself.
At last, they reached the study room of Charles Grey's grandfather. There was a large white double door. It was painted with gold on the edges and the handle was of bronze. Anais stiffened. Charles held her hand and smiled.
"You look beautiful, anyway, so don't worry~"
"Wow, that's very comforting. Thank you," Anais said sarcastically.
Knocking three times, the large doors were opened by a butler. He nodded and greeted Charles and allowed them entry. Anais held his arm tightly, so tight that it could stop the circulation of his blood. She found the previous Earl Grey sitting on a long and luxurious desk. He was reading a book before they came in. The old nobleman acknowledged the arrival of his grandson and his girlfriend.
"Charles," the grandfather said and stood up with a grunt. His old age was getting the better of him. "And Lady Wolvercote, I've heard so much about you."
Upon hearing her name, Anais smiled and curtsied. "Good morning, Lord Grey."
She found the Lord Grey staring at her with his stern and cold grey eyes. She gulped and unconsciously backed away and reached for Charles' arm. The younger Grey stifled a laugh.
"For once, the rumors are right, you are beautiful," Lord Grey remarked with a smile that mirrored Charles' usual smile.
Huh?
"Please feel at home," continued Lord Grey. "Our house is now yours, too."
The old man approached her and examined her. She was wearing a blue and white dress, one of the dresses Sophia acquired for her. It was actually quite luxurious, as the Marchioness Eleanor wanted to give the Lord Grey her granddaughter's best impression. She wore a blue hat and her black hair was pulled into a neat bun. Her only jewelry was the glittering necklace of her grandmother. Lord Grey smiled at her. Anais, on her part, was dazed.
"I'm so glad Charles finally decided to settle down," Lord Grey said delightfully, surprising Anais in so many levels. "I heard he's got many ladies with him, but you're the first one he actually took home…"
Many ladies? Anais glared at him and Charles clearly avoided her gaze, whistling to himself.
"I'm honored, Lord Grey," she tried to sound humble.
Lord Grey shook his head. "Please, call me Grandpa Grey."
Grandpa… Grey? Things were starting to come out like a huge joke.
Anais could not remember what happened next. All she knew was that two Greys were taking her all the way to the dining hall. A feast was prepared for the celebration of their "courtship". Many delicacies, local and foreign, were on the table. They also used the wine the Wolvercote Company produced and Anais felt so damn proud to drink her own wine from her own company.
In the midst of the feast, Lord Grey, or Grandpa Grey as Anais started calling him, had to ask.
"When will the wedding be?"
The couple stopped, especially Charles who was in the middle of munching his sponge cake. Anais choked on her precious wine. Both looked at each other and waited a reply from Charles.
"We haven't talked about that part yet, Grandfather," Charles admitted. "We're still in the courting and dating part."
"Don't say it's still courting and dating!" Lord Grey exclaimed. "You should call it courtship and dating!"
"Um... o-okay, sure," Charles reluctantly agreed.
"Besides, with a beautiful lady like Lady Wolvercote, you should never take your eyes off her," the Lord Grey remarked.
"I don't intend to, Grandpa," Charles smirked.
"Maybe we should start calling someone to prepare for this matter," the old Earl Grey muttered himself as he brought a finger to his chin. It was loud enough for Charles and Anais to hear. "We should call for the best church. Maybe I should call someone who can make the invitations, or someone to make the lists of guests. It will be grand wedding. Everyone in England will be invited, yes, and even our relatives in France…"
It was dusk when Anais decided to leave and head back for the Wolvercote Manor. Charles would take her and spend the night in there. Lord Grey allowed them and asked Anais to come and visit them again soon, to which Anais replied that she would gladly do so.
In the carriage, she let her head rest on Charles' chest and his hand played with her hair.
"I told you he's not worth of being nervous~" his teasing voice came. She laughed a little.
"Well, he did sound very excited about the courtship part," she agreed and sighed.
"I think he's just being excited over a new great-grandson, or great-granddaughter," Charles teased again.
Anais sat up and faced him immediately.
"Grey, we're not getting married! What makes you think we should worry about having children already?!"
He laughed heartily and gave her a peck on the lips. He winked at her.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll get there sooner or later, doll face~"
Author's Notes: Here's a chapter with Grandpa Grey in it! Forgive me if you think his character is off ( I think so too) but all I could see when writing this chapter was Alexis Midford, Lizzy's father. I made Lord Grey like Lord Midford to ease the tension. LOL
Thank you for reading!