March 1, 1665 (One Year Later)
Aria's POV
Even though I miss Momma on days like today, I'm glad she's not here to experience the pain she'd still feel if she were alive. The Confederates surrendered at Appomattox Court House about a month ago, signifying the end of the seemingly endless war.
Daddy survived the war. President Lincoln awarded him with a special medal for his services, and he's coming home for the first time since Momma's funeral today. I'm not happy to see him. Last time I saw him, Daddy complained about having to leave his troops to grieve for a dead woman. I wanted to slap him. It's his fault Momma died, and he doesn't even realize it.
Grandfather and I stand near the train tracks, and wait for Daddy and his men to arrive. Since half of Rosewood is here to greet Daddy, he'll hug me and pretend like he's happy to see me. If only they knew the kind of man he really is.
"Aria, darling!" Daddy exclaims as he runs out of the train.
I have to pretend to be happy. If I don't, he'll beat me as soon as we're out of the public eye. Apparently I wasn't affectionate enough with Daddy after Momma's funeral, so he hit me for the first time ever once we got home. I never want to get hit like that again. It was humiliating as it was painful, and I hate that he has so much power over me.
"Daddy!" I say, with as much enthusiasm as I can muster up.
The Rosewood ladies gather around us, and smile at each other. Everyone thinks that Daddy's homecoming will be good for me. After I lost Momma, everything about me changed. I used to be flirty and charming, but now I live like a zombie. I don't smile or laugh, and I don't speak unless I'm spoken to. Things are easier that way. If people keep a friendly distance from me, I don't have to express how I'm feeling. Expressing my feelings would be like admitting that Momma is really gone, and I don't want to do that. Ever.
"Oh, sweetheart. I missed you so much. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again, and I'm so happy I came home safe to you. What do you say we get home? We'll have a long talk, and a delicious lunch." Daddy says as he wraps an arm around me, and leads me to the carriage.
"Sounds perfect, Daddy." I say as I force a smile.
Line Break
Things are quiet at the estate. Grandfather left about an hour ago, and now it's just me and Daddy sitting at the kitchen table. Neither one of us has spoken, and I keep my eyes fixed on the clock in the center of the dining room.
"Aria, there are matters we need to discuss this afternoon." Daddy tells me seriously.
Huh. I wonder what they could be. Maybe I wasn't affectionate enough at the train station. I hope Daddy doesn't hit me again.
"W-What is it, Daddy?" I ask him nervously.
"I've been thinking a lot about the letter you sent me around this time last year. You mentioned that Holden was behaving in ways that gentlemen do not. He wrote and asked for your hand, but I politely declined, as you asked me to. I have to ask, what did Mr. Strauss do to you?" Daddy asks as his tone turns serious.
Shoot. I forgot all about the letter I sent after Momma died. I never thought of a believable story to tell, and I have to think of something quickly. If I don't, Daddy might marry me off to Holden. I don't want to marry Holden. It would be like marrying a twelve year old boy.
"Daddy..." I start to ramble.
"He raped you, didn't he?" Daddy asks as his eyes grow wide with furry.
What do I say? If I lie, Daddy will kill Holden for dishonoring him. If I don't lie, Daddy will kill me for writing that letter.
"Well..." I start to say.
"I knew it! Does anyone know?" Daddy asks with panic in his voice.
"No." I whisper as I shake my head slowly.
"Good. We need to keep it that way. I want to kill Holden for doing what he did, but no one in town can know that you're not a virgin. If the truth got out, it might ruin my wedding plans for you." Daddy says with a breathy sigh.
Wedding plans? Has Daddy found me a husband? I sure hope it's not a general. If it is, I won't be able to marry him. I won't disappoint Momma. I'll make sure of that.
"Wedding plans?" I squeak out.
"Yes. You're already eighteen, and if weren't for the war I'd have married you at sixteen. I found the perfect man for you, and I've already made the arraignments with his father. You two are to be married in two weeks." Daddy informs me.
"W-Who is it?" I ask as I try to hold back tears.
"Ezra Fitzgerald, from New York City. His father and I went to West Point together, and they're a fine family. The father is a general just like I am, and Ezra was his adjutant general in the war. The poor lad got captured by the Confederates, and he was locked up in prison camp for almost a year." Daddy says as he shakes his head slowly.
No. This isn't right. I can't be marrying the son of one of my father's best friends. He's a general, and Momma warned me about men like him. No doubt he's a drunk, who will beat me every night. I have to tell Daddy I don't want to marry Ezra. It's my only hope.
"Daddy, I will not marry him." I say, as bravely as I can.
"Aria, stop the theatrics. Like I said before, Ezra is a fine man. He's a West Point man, and he's only twenty-four years old. He'll give you lots of sons, and he'll take care of you." Daddy says as his voice softens.
He'll take care of me? That's just grand. Men like Ezra and my father don't take care of their women. They take care of themselves.
"He'll take care of me? You mean like how you took care of Momma?" I scream furiously.
Daddy's mood changes completely. He goes from looking temperate, to looking absolutely furious. Before I can say or do anything else, Daddy raises his hand and slaps me forcefully across the face. I start to cry, and he strikes me again, and one more time after that.
"You listen to me, Aria. I treated your mother way better than she deserved. She was foolish and needy, just like you are." Daddy growls.
Absolute furry overtakes my body. How dare he speak so harshly of Momma! She was the kindest and bravest person I knew, and he's just a drunk coward. If anything, he deserved to die, not her.
"Momma was not foolish or needy." I say as I cross my arms over my chest.
"I'll tell you something, girl. She didn't deserve me as her husband, and you don't deserve Ezra. If I wasn't such a good father, I'd pull the plug on the wedding. What would you do then, huh?" Daddy asks with a wicked laugh.
"I'd marry someone else." I say with a sniffle.
"You'd marry someone else? Who would want to marry you? When I talked to Brian about marrying you two, he asked me what your good qualities were. Do you know what I told him, Aria? I said that you were small waisted and large breasted. Those were the only good things that came to mind. But he agreed to go through with the wedding because you're my daughter. If it weren't for our family's name and reputation, the poorest man in the south wouldn't want to marry a disobedient girl like you." Daddy says before striking me again.
Part of me knows he's right. I'm not like the other girls in Rosewood. Momma raised me to be soft-spoken and obedient, but I'm neither of those things. I have a voice, and I'm as rebellious as a wild bore. Men don't want to marry girls like me.
Before Momma died, the boys in town were all over me. I was confident and flirtatious, but even then boys didn't want to marry me. Boys like having fun and flirting with girls like me, but they don't want us as wives.
Why Holden proposed is beyond me. Holden! I can marry Holden! I know it would be miserable and unromantic, but it would be better than marrying Ezra. Anyone would be better than Ezra. But I can't marry Holden. Not after I let Daddy believe that he raped me.
"Daddy, I refuse to marry Ezra." I say through my tears.
"If you don't marry Ezra, I will kick out out of this household. What would you do then, huh? How would you support yourself, princess?" Daddy asks with a smirk.
I honestly have no idea. Other than my volunteering in the hospital, I haven't worked a day in my life. If I leave home, I won't have a source of income. I won't even have a roof to live under. But if I stay here I'll have to marry a general, and break my promise to Momma.
"That's what I thought. Now go upstairs, before I decided to stop being nice." Daddy says with a slight smile.
I hate that he has this power over me. He's still finding ways to torture Momma, even though she's already ten feet under. Without saying a word, I spring to my feet and run upstairs to my bed chamber. I'll stay here all night if I have to, but I will not say another word to Daddy.
Ezra's POV
"Ezra, wake up." I hear a familiar voice say.
My eyes flutter open, and I sigh when I see my mother hovering over me, and sobbing softly. After the war ended, all prisoners of war were released. I've been home for about a month now, but the nightmares never seem to end. Every time I close my eyes I'm transported back to that awful prison camp, and I can't stand it.
"Are you okay, honey? You were screaming." My mom says through her tears.
Mother isn't doing well. After I was listed as a listed as a missing person, she developed severe anxiety and depression. It's gotten better since I've been home, but I know she's still struggling. It doesn't help that my nightmares are waking her up in the morning.
"I'm fine, Mother. I promise I'm fine." I say as I rest a hand on her shoulder.
My mom nods before wrapping her arms around me, and pulling me in for a long hug. I return the gesture, and offer my mom a soft kiss on the forehead.
"Why don't we go downstairs and eat? Your father and Wes are already up." My mom says with a sniffle.
I nod before crawling out of bed, and following my mother downstairs. Like she told me earlier, Wes and Father are already sitting at the dining room table. I take a seat next to my brother, and pour myself a glass of tea.
"Good morning, son. How did you sleep?" My father asks as he stares into my blue eyes.
"Alright." I mutter as I take a long sip of my hot beverage.
"Wes, why don't you go upstairs. There are matters your mother and I need to discuss with Ezra." My dad says as he turns to face my brother.
Wes looks annoyed, but he doesn't argue. My brother leaves the dining room, and doesn't look back. I wonder what matters my father needs to discuss with me. I'm rather curious.
"Is everything okay, Father?" I ask with a concerned expression on my face.
"Everything is more than okay, Ezra. Last night your mother and I were discussing how proud we are of you. Weren't we, sweetheart?" My father asks my mother.
"We were." My mom says with a nod.
Why are they proud? I spent the last year of the war in prison camp. The reason I was in that position in the first place was because I deserted my men on the battlefield. They shouldn't be proud. They should be ashamed.
"Are you forgetting that I ran away during a battle?" I ask with an eye roll.
"We all make mistakes, Ezra. I'm just so proud that you didn't let those damn rebels get any information out of you, and that you survived in that awful place." My dad says as he rests a hand on my shoulder.
"It was nothing. Honestly." I mutter as I avoid looking into his eyes.
"Ezra don't say that. It was something. You made it out alive, but it's time to start thinking about the next chapter of your life." My father says as his tone turns serious.
The next chapter of my life? I thought I was going to continue my work for the US military, and possibly do some teaching at West Point. What is my father talking about?
"What do you mean?" I ask with confusion in my voice.
"You're twenty-four years old, Ezra. This is the perfect time for you to get married, and have a family of your own." My father says with a slight smile.
I want that too, but I'm not sure now is the right time. How am I supposed to take care of a wife when I'm struggling to take care of myself? That wouldn't be fair to her. Besides, all the women I grew up with married after I went to West Point. I don't have anyone to propose marriage to.
"I don't know who I'd ask, Father." I tell him truthfully.
"Don't worry about that, son. One of my best friends from West Point has an eighteen year old daughter who hasn't been wed yet. I haven't met her, but I'm sure she's a lovely girl. Her father is a respectable general, and she was brought up right." My dad tells me.
An arranged marriage? I know most marriages in the north are agreements between families, but I'm not so sure it's for me. I want to look at the woman I marry in the same way my father looks at my mother. How I'm I supposed to do that if I don't know the girl? What if he we can't stand each other? I don't know if this is a risk I'm willing to take.
"You don't have to decide right now. Byron Montgomery, the father, invited us to dine at their estate tomorrow evening. They live all the way in Pennsylvania, so we'd take the carriage up to the estate and sleep there for the night. It's a good chance for you to get to know her." My dad says with an ounce of hopefulness in his voice.
"I think we should go. I want to make sure Ezra likes the girl before we decided to marry them. We want you to be happy, love. That's the most important thing to us." My mom says as she stares into my piercing blue eyes.
Maybe I should give this girl a chance. My parents seem so hopeful about this, and I know they're waiting on grandkids. My capture has caused them so much pain and suffering, and this is my chance to make it up to them.
"I'd be delighted to dine with them. What do you know about this girl? You haven't even told me her name." I remind my father.
"Aria. Her name is Aria. I don't know much about her other than the basics. Her father told me that she's one of the most beautiful ladies in Pennsylvania, and both of her grandmothers were extremely fertile. Byron also told me that Aria is kind and obedient. She spent the last few years volunteering in hospitals to help wounded solders." My father says to me.
I guess she sounds okay. Not special, just okay. Just like all of the other northern women. Kind and obedient girls who are outstanding citizens. Maybe I'll be able to live with her for a few years before I slowly die of boredom.
"Any brothers or sisters?" I ask my father curiously.
"No. She's any only child. It's just her and her father." He informs me.
"What about the mother?" I ask with a puzzled expression on my face.
"She was killed last year. Trampled by horses or something like that." My father says as he shakes his head slowly.
I feel a wave of sympathy for Aria. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a parent so young. I used to worry about losing my father as a young boy, and the thought of it ate me up inside.
"How unfortunate." I say with a breathy sigh.
"It is rather unfortunate. Byron says she's dealt with the death remarkably well though. He told me that you wouldn't have to worry about nursing her back to health or anything like that." My dad says with a chuckle.
"But if she's going to be my wife I would like to help her. It shouldn't be viewed as burdensome." I say as I shake my head slowly.
"I agree, but Byron is a prideful man. He wouldn't ever admit that his own flesh and blood needs help." My father says to me.
"Sounds like a lovely man." I say sarcastically.
"Byron is different than I am, Ezra. I'm sure you'll learn to love him though." My father assures me.
Byron isn't the person I care about loving. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with his daughter, not him. I sure hope I love Aria. If I don't, how will I survive the rest of my life?
AN: What do you think? Aria and Ezra meet in the next chapter. Do you think they'll hit it off, or will Aria's past prevent them from getting to know each other? Please review and tell me what you like and don't like about this story so that I can make it better. Thanks for reading, and have a great day :)