Twisted Rose
I'm back! I'm so sorry for going on temporary hiatus whilst I finished Redemption! At least, I'm back and I should hopefully update quicker than I was. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter and please leave a review!
Lyrics: Better beware I go bump in the night. Devil-may-care with a lust for life
Chapter Six
I woke up in a considerably better mood than last night. For once, I didn't feel as though I was going to get up and have an awful day. It was almost as though I had a new lease on life. Tonight was going to be the Sunday supper that my mother always holds and Adrian was going to be there. What better way to show my mother up and also have a little fun.
For some strange reason, I wished that Dimitri would be there too. Perhaps it was just because he had been the one to try and comfort me when nobody else would. Or maybe it was because he was a handsome lad…more than handsome actually. Never in my life had I met a man with hair as lustrous as his was.
As he held me when I cried, I had told him that I had wanted to go to Russia with him. Of course he would have believed that that was just an emotional woman talking absolute nonsense, but I knew that it was all true. I knew that I would give absolutely anything to get out of this place and run away to Russia. It didn't have to be with Dimitri, but I would like it to be with a familiar face. Dimitri felt familiar and friendly enough for me.
"Miss Hathaway, it's time to get up" Lillia announced as she opened the door to my bedroom minutely and slipped inside. "Come along, I have a beautiful new dress for you to wear today. It should make Adrian weak at the knees when he sees you at the supper" She held in front of me a long, flowing dress, the colour of a rich red. It was so simplistic it made it eye-catching.
"Oh, so my mother still thinks that she has the right to dictate who I marry after what she did?" I laughed bitterly as I allowed her to tighten the dress as I held onto the bedframe with a dead-lock grip.
"Miss Hathaway, I must ask" Lillia began as though she was scared of what I might say to her. "What on Earth happened with you two?" I should have expected a conversation to arise like this at some point. I just never expected it to be so soon.
"It's a very long story, Lillia" I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't have anywhere to get to if I wanted to. Tightening this dress was going to take a long time. "But I suppose we have the time to tell it. When Dimitri first came here, my mother hated him for the sheer fact that she thought that there was something going on between us. Obviously that was absurd, but she just couldn't see how silly she was being. When I talked to Adrian that afternoon, her mind started to race with ways that she could get me away from Dimitri and into the arms of Adrian. So, she thought the best way to go about it was an arranged marriage."
"Well, that wouldn't be so bad" Lillia commented as she continued on with jamming me in the dress. Oh, goodness. I had sincerely hoped that Lillia wouldn't agree with my mother. "Adrian is a good man. He would treat you right…and your children would be incredibly beautiful" I was ready to pass out at that point. Oh God, I don't want children with Adrian.
"No, children with Adrian would be a dreadful" I sighed with a shake of my head. "If I was to have a child with Adrian, I would always be cossetted. There'd be absolutely no hope for me. Anyways, I got annoyed at her when she suggested it and we got into a bit of an argument where we called each other some things that aren't exactly…polite to say the least. Well, I called her a horrible name and she slapped me right across the face."
"She did not!" Lillia cried in horror, finally ceasing on doing up the dress and allowing me to turn around. "What happened after that?"
"She just left the room and I couldn't help but cry" I answered, hesitating before I told her the next part. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anybody what I told you."
"Of course I won't" She answered as though it should have been obvious that she wouldn't reveal a secret of mine. "I promise you that no one will hear this from me."
"Well, Dimitri came in when I was crying and he hugged me" I sighed wistfully. Now that I look back on it, that was one hell of a hug. No wonder my mother thought that I wanted to marry him. Simply smelling him was enough to turn my giddy. "I may have said a few silly things that I wouldn't normally say if I wasn't so emotional"
"Like what?" Lillia asked from the wicker chair at the corner of the room. Her intrigue was rising at each new revelation of this story.
"Well, I told him that I wanted him to take me to Russia with him" I admitted, feeling stupid for even suggesting that to him. That would never work. If I disappeared, half the country would be looking for me. We wouldn't even make it a mile before my mother clamped down on us.
"You did what!?" Lillia gasped, holding onto the arms of the wicker chair for extra support. What I had said to Dimitri was simply scandalous. It was like nothing that Lillia had ever heard in her life before. Oh goodness, if Lillia was shocked by it, everyone else would be ten times worse.
"I know it was stupid of me to even suggest such a thing" I jumped in, desperate to stop myself from having to hear about how irresponsible I had been.
"You're damn right it was" She snapped. Never had Lillia been mad at me. "Does Miss Dragomir know? What did Mr Belikov say?"
"Lissa doesn't know the full story" I admitted, feeling guilty for not keeping her in the loop, but she had Christian to worry about. She didn't need to busy herself with my worries and troubles. "I don't want to bother her with it. Dimitri just said that we couldn't."
"Miss Hathaway, Vasilisa is your best friend" Lillia reminded me with a pointed glance. "She would want to know if something was bothering and you know that she would only get mad if she found out from someone else."
"But she won't find out from someone else because you promised not to tell anyone" I said, raising my eyebrows at her as I prayed that she wouldn't go back on her promise.
"That's not the point" She sighed. "Vasilisa could help you with this. She could help you unravel your feelings. So, what do you think of Dimitri? Is it possible that you have feelings for him that would be frowned upon by your mother."
"Oh, Lillia" I whispered. "Practically everything is frowned upon by my mother."
"Please don't avert the question, Rosemarie" She said, a frown etched upon her face. Oh goodness, this really was serious. She even addressed me by my first name. She was looking down on me.
"I don't know, Lillia" I answered truthfully, fixing her with a steely gaze and clasping my hands together as they sat on my lap. "I don't know anything about Dimitri. This could just be one of those things that-what do those girls down in the village call it- a crush?"
"Oh please, Miss Hathaway" Lillia laughed. "Please don't go common on me" For the first time this morning, I broke out in a grin and gave a hearty laugh. Oh, it's too weird. How could I want to be like those girls so much when I could have a brilliant life here if I just allowed it? I could marry Adrian, have children and grow up giving them the best lifestyle I could.
I could have all of those things and yet, I'm finding myself lusting after the servant who is off limits to me. I guess the world really does work in strange ways.
"Come along, Miss Hathaway" Lillia finally sighed as she stood up from the wicker chair and gestured for me to follow her. "Don't tell anyone I ever let you do this" She warned. I sneaked out after her to find her going down the servant passageway. The last time I was here, Dimitri had stopped me from running away. For some reason, I preferred being here than in the main part of the house. It felt as though things were so much more laid back.
"What are you doing, Lillia?" I asked as she opened the door to the kitchens. No one really took notice of me as I walked in wearing my dress. They probably assumed I would go all dictator on them.
"I'm seeing if Dimitri is here" She answered as though it was the most casual thing in the world. In a flash, I grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"No, you can't do that" I hissed. "I really can't see him right now. I can't handle what he has to say" She simply shrugged and dragged me further into the kitchens. For a young girl, she was incredibly strong. It probably had something to do with all the strenuous work she had to do. After all, all I do is walk around without a purpose.
"Miss Hathaway, you really need to see him" She sighed as she pulled me even further into the servant's quarters. "Oh, Mr Belikov, there you are. Could you come here for a moment?" She pushed us both in a secluded area of the kitchens.
"Rose, what are you doing here?" He asked, confusion and concern swept over his face as he inspected me for any signs of damage. Well, he did hear my mother slap me. He probably just thought she'd done something like that again and I got too upset to handle it alone. No doubt he probably thought I was here to beg him to take me to Russia with him.
"Apparently I had to talk to you" I answered, feeling just as confused as he was. "Lillia said I had to."
"Whatever is between you two, you need to sort it out" Lillia helped. She raised her eyebrows at us before striding off to give us some privacy.
"Is there something between us?" Dimitri asked. It didn't occur to me that maybe he was just as confused by this as I had been. How could I be so insensitive.
"I'm not sure" I answered truthfully just like I had with Lillia. "Do you think there could be?"
"Well, if I gave you the opportunity to come to Russia with me, would you do it?" He asked. My heart began to pound furiously in my chest. All of the answers to my problems could be held right in this very moment.
"Yes, I would" I responded, giving him a firm nod to back up my answer. He took my hand in his and pressed a light kiss to my knuckles which made me feel weak at the knees.
"Then yes" He sighed. "I do think there could be something between us"
"So, what now?" I asked, refusing to let him leave go of my shaking hand.
"Now, we go to Russia"
Again, so sorry for going on temporary hiatus. I hope this chapter made up for it, though. Hope you all enjoyed and please drop off a review on your way out ;) thanks for reading!