Hi guys, sorry for the long, long wait. I've been horribly undevoted to this story, only writing tiny bits every few days. From now on, I have a specific deadline. One chapter every week, and hopefully a long one.
The first chapter was pretty fun to write, hopefully going to do better though. Stuff happens in this chapter. Not too much, since I'm the queen of fluff and fillies (filler chapters), but still, stuff will happen. That was supposed to sound kind of ominous. Doubt it.
Also, heads-up, I'm going to change the title to "A Lady and a Lord", which is more accurate. I hope you guys won't get lost in the search results after this.
Enjoy!
Almost barren fields in golden-gray streamed past the carriage window. Annabeth touched a gloved hand to the frosty glass, remembering what Katie once told her about autumn. The Demeter house loved planting, and when all their plants were harvested or dying, Demeter would remain in her bedchamber all day.
"Beth?" A hand touched her shoulder softly.
She turned around to see Malcolm frowning at her. He gently touched his boot to hers. "You seem nervous."
Annabeth clasped her friends together in her elaborately covered lap. "I suppose I am."
"I know Mother says emotions are weaknesses, but it's perfectly fine to be nervous right now." Malcolm's eyes shone like clear gray diamonds.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I just haven't seen Sir Chase in so long."
Malcolm tilted his head at the title. "He is your father."
"We aren't on close terms." Annabeth absently pulled at a ribbon on her gloves. Her mother had paused by her chamber this morning and directed her to dress nicely. Her eyes had softened, the tiniest bit, when she ordered Annabeth to ask how her father was doing.
"You may still refer to him as your father, Beth." His voice was earnest and warm. Annabeth felt a rush of gratitude and unbecoming annoyance at her brother.
The roads outside the window had thinned again, and buildings were beginning to appear. "I think we're almost arriving." She leaned back in her seat, anxious but the littlest bit excited. "It's your second visit with my father, right?"
"It's my pleasure. We get along well." He looked less worried at this turn of causal conversation.
"That's good." Annabeth rather hated small talk, especially with a sibling that shared her intelligence, but it was the most proper thing to do now. "How long are we staying?"
Malcolm checked his golden engraved pocket watch. It was a gift from their mother, with a wide-eyed owl on the front. "A quarter before eleven. We have tea to ourselves."
"Yes, thank you. And my dress fitting is in the afternoon?"
"You know your schedule well enough," he replied with a devious grin. "And it's a very important occasion."
Annabeth shot him a look. She always thought dress fittings were a bit boring and tried to keep them to a minimum. But when she had to go through one, she stood as still as a statue, like a perfect lady. Ghosts of pins and needles would follow her back home, partially because so many have just poked her. "Yes, it is. Lady Courtwell has designed an exquisite dress for me." She put just the right amount of emphasis on "exquisite", not too enthusiastic or detached, but light and formal.
Malcolm's golden brows furrowed. "Beth, you know how the debut dresses are cut differently. You'll have a far tighter corset and a lower collar." He reached for her hand. "If anyone, I mean anyone, touches you wrongly or looks or even says something, tell me and I will treat them the way they deserve. Watch out in the dances, when everyone is pressed up. And stay away from the drinks table."
Annabeth laughed, pulling her hand from his. "I'll be fine, brother. I've been trained to deal with suitors all my life. If someone does something unspeakable, I'll deal with them myself before telling you." She grinned slyly.
He still seemed a bit nervous, so Annabeth sighed and continued talking. "I promise I will stay away from the drinks table. If someone looks unsettling I shall keep my dance card away from them. Satisfied?"
"You cannot blame me for caring," he responded, smiling. The carriage slowed to a stop. They looked out the window to see a large, imposing stone house. Malcolm exited first, holding a hand out to help Annabeth out. They passed over the gravel lawn to the front door. Malcolm rapped the brass knocker sharply, and a butler immediately opened the door.
"Greetings, Lord and Lady Athena." In the ways of their extended family, one's name became the surname of their children. The butler bowed lowly before holding out an arm, beckoning them inside.
They entered the tall-ceilinged entrance hall and Annabeth's eyes danced around the room, picking up details. The chandelier was bright and glittering, but the specks of rust on the handles and the number of times Annabeth saw it before showed its age. Most likely they bought it when they first moved in. Gold-framed portraits were newly hung by the winding staircase. Annabeth was saddened to see high cheekbones and small eyes in the painted figures, just like Miss Chase. So they have a family history now. The wallpaper was a nice blue now, instead of gray, and the rumbling sound of a lecture drifted down from another level. Annabeth's step-brothers were probably having lessons. The curtains were creaseless velvet, with shiny gold tassels, which Miss Chase probably just inserted to show off. Velvet did not stay ironed for too long. And a masterfully engraved grandfather clock ticked softly in the corner.
"Sir Chase will be with you shortly," the butler informed them. "I will lead you to the parlor first." They followed him down finely furnished hallways, with more Miss Chase-esque portraits and long curtains. They entered a large room with a small hearth off to the side. The wallpapers were pale and flowery and the roof had a detailed painting of playing cherubs on it. This all was interrupted, however, by the large moose head on the wall. There was also large cluster of embroidered armchairs, padded with large fur blankets, surrounding a tall stone table.
Once they were both guided into seats, the butler said he would pick up the tea and left with a bow.
"This parlor was refurnished since a few years ago," Annabeth noted. "And there were a lot of new additions in the entrance hall."
"It was a long time since we visited." Malcolm uncomfortably drew his fur blanket up to his shoulders. Back in the Athena house, most of their furs were from Lady Artemis, as no son of Athena liked hunting so far. Lady Artemis, however, lived free in the woods with a team of maiden followers. The London society, of course, did not know about this.
"True. The meeting is only with my father, yes?"
"I should expect so. You did have a feud with Miss Chase during the last visit."
Annabeth's cheeks pinked a little, but she refused to be ashamed of her actions. "Miss Chase is hardly a lady," she managed through gritted teeth, "and I would very much not like to meet her."
"That's unfortunate to hear," a deeper, sadder voice came from the entrance. They turned and saw Sir Chase, looking as rumpled as usual. His graying blond hair was mostly unbrushed, and a few buttons on his shirt were missed. When Annabeth saw him, her heart tugged a little and a childish adoration came up to the surface. He looked perfectly harmless like this, not someone who would refuse his daughter and leave her on the doorstep for a whole day.
They both got up, and Annabeth curtsied in synchronization with Malcolm's bow. Sir Chase looked a bit surprised at their perfect timing, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he sank into the chair beside Annabeth's. "Hello, daughter." His eyes were tired and rimmed with dark bags.
"Father." She answered back, her face impassive.
"It's been a long time," he murmured. "I've missed seeing you."
A million sharp retorts sprang to Annabeth's tongue, faster than she'd thought humanly possible. She dipped her head and tried to swallow the bitterness down. Her father noticed this and sighed slowly. "I have, Annabeth, believe me."
"Of course I believe you," she answered, her voice flat. All she could think of was Helen's frown when she first saw her, and how he patted her comfortingly. Compared to them, Athena was the warmest mother on earth.
Fredrick absentmindedly drew circles on his breeches. "I'm glad you're here though. So much has changed."
She nodded in agreement. "My debutante ball is tomorrow evening."
For his part, he wasn't shocked. "Yes, I'm glad we have today to discuss that. I hope you dance with the right suitors."
Annabeth locked her expression to a blank one, her emotions burning red-hot underneath, and continued to nod.
"And when courting, please be careful. Don't do anything you shouldn't. And pick carefully for engagement. Rushing into marriage is a bad idea." Annabeth thought, initially, that he was using the basic advice on her, but then she saw how deep in thought he was. Memories surfaced in his shining eyes. She guessed that he was thinking about his marriage with Athena and how it plummeted so suddenly. The marriage to Helen was quick, too.
"Yes, Father." She answered quietly. He was so lost in his memories that he didn't respond. Slowly, Annabeth glanced over to Malcolm. Almost infinitesimally, his shoulders lifted and drooped under his blanket. Neither of them knew what to do.
Luckily, the butler came in with tea, and the maid hurried around setting it up. She dropped a sparse cube of sugar, no milk, into both Annabeth's and Malcolm's delicate teacups. She filled Sir Chase's cup without a word, adding plenty of sugar. They left in a flurry.
When Annabeth picked up her teacup, she noticed a small chip on the side. An aftereffect of having young boy twins in the house. All thirst gone, she took a small sip and set it back onto the saucer. Malcolm followed after her.
"It tastes a bit strange," he told her by tapping Morse code on the table. "I like the Demeter houses'."
Annabeth smiled. "Me too," she tapped back.
Finally Sir Chase sighed deeply. "Was I out?" He asked, fixing his glasses.
"Not for long, sir," Malcolm answered politely.
"Oh, yes, sorry. Annabeth, pick carefully, remember."
"I shall." She nodded again, like a wind-up toy.
Her father talked for a little bit on picking suitors, and then he pulled out a pocket watch from his breeches. "I believe you should leave now. Our meeting is coming to an end."
Malcolm checked his own pocket watch and tapped out, "Half an hour left, actually." But they both smiled and nodded to him. "It's a shame," Annabeth told her father. And surprisingly, part of her thought it was. This would be the last time she would see her scatterbrained father before she became a true lady.
She curtsied neatly, Malcolm bowing in tow, and they wandered back down the hallways. When they entered their carriage, Annabeth let out a sigh of her own. "Oh, it's nothing," she answered when Malcolm questioned it.
Beauty is pain, Annabeth hissed inside her head, beauty is pain. But the stinging pricks in her violently aching back felt the exact opposite of beauty. As the acute pressure in her ruler-straight form traveled shifted to her lower back, she let out a soft hiss.
Athena, of course, heard it. Her hard gray gaze sharpened. "Yes, Annabeth?"
She bit down on the inside of her lip, the only self-controlling method she had that wasn't noticeable from the outside. "Nothing, Mother."
Only when Athena's eyes darkened further did she notice her mistake. Her lip was bitten harder. "I did not spend all my efforts on lessons for you, a lady, to make such simpleminded grammar mistakes."
"Sorry, Mother. I meant to say 'it was nothing'."
Athena didn't answer, continuing to regard her disapprovingly. Then Lady Courtwell cleared her throat. "I am done, Miss Athena."
The two adults stepped back, examining Annabeth's dress. Since both eyes were fixed upon her, she dared not relax. Instead, she peeked at her reflection in the mirror across from her.
Her dress was a stunning shade of gray, like the feather of a dove, or a newly scrubbed sidewalk of cement. The corset was more tight and breath-stealing than usual, but Annabeth taught herself to not mind over the years. The effect, was, however, splendid. She had a perfect hourglass figure, with the bursting cotton skirts surrounding her hips. Elegant sheets of lace with flowers and curls ringed her collar and the hems of her wide sleeves. And the fabric of the dress was shiny and silky, almost translucent. Underneath were layers upon layers of scalloped skirts in neat succession.
"This dress is impressive," Athena remarked to Lady Courtwell. "I am pleased with it."
Lady Courtwell smiled. "I am happy to hear that, Your Grace. I shall leave it with your servant then. We may discuss payments another time." With a nod, she and her team of seamstresses left the room. And then more servants came up to Annabeth's podium, slipping the dress off, unlacing her corset, untying the string that roped the petticoats to her hips. She was left back in her apricot-colored day gown.
"Do make yourself scarce before the evening comes. I don't want to hear of you giggling in a small room somewhere with Lady Aphrodite." Athena fetched her reticule from the sideboard.
"Yes, Mother." She curtsied and hurried off, trying to keep the red from rising to her cheeks. You were perfectly still for almost the whole time. You only made a sound once, she reminded herself. It's not that disappointing.
Of course, she didn't believe herself. She was already old and stood through weeks of dress fittings.
With a sigh, and then a private grin, she waved down a servant. "Please send this to the Zeus house," she said, slipping a small piece of paper from her reticule. It was charcoal gray, with a creamy white owl taking flight. "Annabeth Chase, Athena," was formally printed on the top. "And hurry."
The little servant boy nodded, taken aback at the unusual request. When the sun was almost dipping down the horizon, she was back in a sitting room, laughing with a half-dressed girl with black hair. Thalia Grace, her other best friend.
Sometimes, she had to escape her mother's cold commands.
Okay, hi again, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just want to say, thank you guys so much for following and favoriting and listing this story. That is so awesome. I feel honored to be on so many Favorite Authors lists. I'm not actually that good, you know. But, well, yeah. You guys should check out my own favorite authors list for good recommendations. But don't be disappointed at my profile. I'll change it when I get write more stories which deserves a good introduction.
So, now to replying reviews. Happy for reviewing, you guys. I know my first chapter sucked.
Notyou21: Great work? *snorts* Thanks, though. You literally said everything I was complaining about was good, and that's super nice of you. I'll try my best to keep it up!
Alexxx100: Phew. I thought my story would be too boring and serious. Guess not.
Guest: Everyone said my concept was good. Wow. Anyways, your review is so nice, I really liked it. I'm definitely going to keep going. Hopefully this chapter was worth waiting for.
MafiaMarshMellow: Here it is, thanks for reviewing that made me pick this up.
Alright, thanks to you all. Seriously, keep reviewing. It really makes my day. This website sends notifications to my email, so I check it like every hour, and when I see a review I grin like a madman and tell my friends, "I got mail!" Like, you don't need to write an epic poem or whatever, you don't even need to compliment my writing. Just write anything, please.
So, yeah, have a great day/night!
Au revoir,
Pride-and-loyalty