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Della and her father arrived at their small cottage in the woods 30 minutes after their departure from Lord Reigns' home. The night had grown cooler and the stars had appeared in the sky by the time they reached their destination. The eyes of the woods that followed them watched as they entered their small cottage. A small fire burned in their living quarters while Della's mother lay in her cot by the fire. She looked worse than she had when they departed earlier that morning. "Mother," said Della as she appeared at her bedside.
"Della," said her mother weakly. "Thank-you for taking my place today, I should be back tomorrow," she said before she started a coughing fit.
"No you won't," said Della's father. "You will rest until you're feeling better again until then Della will accompany me every day and take your place," he said giving Della a look.
"Yes, Mother, I will continue to accompany father on a daily basis to farm at the Earl's home. You need to rest and Adele will take care of you in our absence," she said speaking of her younger sister. Adele was ten and six but did not remain the youngest of their family. Della's parents had a total of 10 kids, Della was 10 and 8 while she had an older brother of twenty and five and an older sister of twenty and two both of which had been paired off and married to what seemed to be the love of their lives or their forced loves. Della didn't want to be like them forced to marry to save their family. She wanted to marry for love, she wanted to find a man that would fall in love with her and she in love with him together they would get married and together they would raise a family. She didn't want to be a pawn in her father's debt. Her whole life she helped to take care of her younger brothers and sisters, helped while her parents worked for Lord Reigns' family she spent the days cooking and cleaning their small cottage. She spent the day being the mother of the house she was ready for her own adventures and her own life not the life of being a farm girl or the life of being married to a farmer. She wanted more and she was determined to get more.
"Thank-you, Darling," her mom said with a weak smile.
"I met Lord Reigns today," she said with a smile. "He was so handsome, Mother."
"Lord Reigns is not the right man for you, Della," she warned. "He is nothing but trouble. He has destroyed many women in his path, young naïve women that don't understand the danger he possesses in ruining their lives, making them unsuitable for marriage. I ask that you stay away from him."
"But Mother," she said. "He was so sweet and he couldn't keep his eyes off of me. He would be a suitable husband for a woman like me."
"Della," said her father with a warning tone. "You are not a suitable wife for an Earl," he said, "It may be harsh but it's the truth people like us are nothing to people like him. If you wish to marry or fall in love there are plenty of men that have handsome sons that will grow up to be farmers that are looking for wives. If that's what you wish for then that's what I will have for you."
"I don't want to be a farmer's wife," she said. "I want more than to be a farmer's wife."
"This is our life, Della," said her father. "You can't keep living in a fantasy world. You need to accept who you truly are."
"That's who you want me to be, I know who I truly am and who I truly want to be," she said as she stormed off to the bed chambers she shared with her younger siblings leaving her mother and father alone.
"I should have never taken her with me," said Hunter to his wife. "It is my fault."
"Hunter," said Stephanie as she tried to sit up but he stopped her knowing how weak she was. "She's young don't you remember what it was like to be young? We can't shelter her forever she's ten and eight she's the respectable age to be someone's wife. I don't think she will marry an Earl but I do believe she will discover feelings for an Earl. Lord Reigns will not bother with her not knowing that you are his father's farm hand."
"If you could have seen the way he was looking at her, Steph," he said. "You wouldn't think that. I have to do my best to keep her away from him."
"That's the best thing you can do," she said. "Maybe it is time for her to marry a farmer's son. Maybe it's time for her to become a wife."
"I don't disagree," he said, "I have a few gentlemen in mind that would make our daughter happy."
"She deserves to be happy," she said before she had another coughing fit.
"We should get you a doctor, Steph," he suggested.
"No, I am fine," she insisted.
"You're burning up," he said touching her forehead. "You should see a doctor."
"No, Hunter," she refused. "I am fine."
"If you say so," he said.
Later that night Della laid in her bed sulking with the fact her parents would never understand her and never wish for her to be happy with the man that she loves. They had her life mapped out for her and never allowed her to make her choices in life. She didn't wish to be a farmer's wife she wished for a life of luxury and a life where she had the hired help. She grew up in her sister's hand me down clothes, torn clothes repaired with rags. She never experienced a new dress or a new pair of boots everything belonged to her sister. She knew it was impossible she would ever marry an Earl but she had hope of a lavish lifestyle that didn't mean living in a two bedroom cottage and waking up before the sun came into the sky to work on a farm or to work for someone with status. She wanted to be the wife with status, she wanted to be the wife to buy nice things and the wife to buy new clothes. She never wanted to sew her own clothing, grow her own food or slaughter her own food she wanted to go to a store and buy it all. A small noise came from the window of her bedroom followed by another noise as if someone had been throwing tiny pebbles at her window. She tossed and turned as the tiny clink noises against the window kept occurring it wasn't until she heard her name in the night that she got out of bed to see what the commotion was.
She smiled as she looked out of her bedroom window hoping not to wake her brothers and sisters as she saw Lord Reigns standing outside her window. She opened it quietly and whispered out, "Lord Reigns, what are you doing here? How did you know I lived here?" she asked with a giddy smile on her face, her heart full of innocence.
"I came to see you, Della," he smiled. "I followed you in the woods."
"That's interesting," she responded with a smile, her dark hair falling to the middle of her back, her blue eyes shining in the moonlight as she stood in her white nightgown.
"Interesting in a good way?" he asked with a smile. "Or interesting in a bad way?"
"A good way, My Lord," she said with a smile. Lord Reigns was no ordinary man. He was an Earl but a good-looking Earl. He wore his raven black hair in a tight low bun most of the time and never wore the grey wig like most men of the time wore, his shirt sleeves filled with his muscular form, his biceps ready to tear through the fabric of his shirt, his overcoat shaping around his broad shoulders. Della loved the way his muscular thighs filled the shape of his doeskin breeches. He was a powerful man with a powerful body. Della imagined no woman would ever be able to resist his charms. She imagined he could have any woman he wished yet he was outside her bedroom window to see HER. She was flattered.
"Come outside, we'll go for a walk," he invited her.
"I can't, My Lord, if my papa knew or my mother," she began.
"They will not know," he said with a smile, "Come on, Della, entertain me, give me the pleasure of your company on a walk."
"Okay," she said with an innocent smile. "I'll join you in a few minutes," she said before closing her window and making her way through the room to find something presentable to wear missing the smirk on his face when he heard the answer he wished for.
Della snuck out of her room quietly so she didn't wake her father and then crept toward the door. She opened it quietly but it screeched on its hinges, she held her breath but when no one appeared she snuck out the cottage door. She made her way to Roman who was pacing outside her window. "Della," he said when he caught glimpse of her. "You're beautiful."
"Thank-you," she said with her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. She had braided her hair off to the side and put on one of her best dresses that hadn't been ruined yet. "What are you doing out in this neck of the woods?" she asked as they began their walk.
"I like to clear my head sometimes you know life in my home gets hectic. Sometimes I just need to relax, clear my head and enjoy the scenery around me."
"I understand that," she said with a smile.
"I thought you might like to join me on my walk."
"I'm honored, My Lord," she said with a curtsey.
"Please call me Roman," he suggested. "I feel more acquainted with you if you call me Roman instead of My Lord."
"All right, Roman," she smiled nervously.
"Say my name again," he said.
"Roman," she said shyly.
"I love the innocence in which you say my name," he smiled. "Have you always lived here?"
"Yes," she answered. "Have you?"
"As long as I can remember we travel a lot. I do have residence elsewhere outside of London that I will reside in once I marry."
"I see," she said with a smile.
"It's a beautiful night don't you agree?" he asked.
"Very beautiful," she said as she looked up at the sky. It was clear and she could see every star in the sky as the full moon shined high in the sky. "I don't get out much," she said, "I am glad you asked me to accompany you."
"My pleasure, Della," he said with a smile as they walked. "That's such a beautiful name."
"Thank-you," she blushed.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," he said with a smile as piece of her dark hair fell in front of her face, he took his gloved hand and pushed it behind her ear. "Tell me, Della, have you ever entertained a man before?"
"Entertained a man?" she asked naively.
"You know courting, spending time with a man?"
"No, I can't say that I have," she responded. "My parents are very set in their ways. They have kept me close and haven't allowed me to experience time with men."
"It's always better that way," he said. "Most men prefer a young innocent woman such as yourself, you are ten and eight?"
"Yes," she responded.
"The age to make someone a suitable wife," he said as he placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her as they walked. "I'm sure you have a husband set up for you to marry."
"No, I don't," she responded. "I don't have a husband set up to marry. I'm sure you're set to take a wife aren't you?"
"Soon," he said, "but my parents force me into a marriage."
"You don't want to be forced into marriage?" she asked.
"No, I prefer to fall in love," he said, "I want to marry a woman that I will love for the rest of my life and a woman that will make me happy."
"I understand that. My parents wish for me to marry a farmer and be a farmer's wife. I don't envision that life. I want more."
"Me too," he said. "What I wouldn't give to live the life that you live."
"You would want to be a farmer?" she asked.
"Of course, being an Earl isn't always great. I would love to be able to relax, not worry about the restrictions life has for me. I would love to be able to acquaint myself with a great woman of my choosing not some Lord's daughter or possibly a princess. I wish for someone simple, ordinary. I would give up my life for a woman like that."
"That's funny because I would give up my life for a life like yours. I would love to go to balls and see Princes. I would love to have servants and be able to buy new clothes and wear beautiful jewelry," she said. "What I wouldn't give to have that life."
"It sounds like we each aren't happy with the life we live," he said, "you want my life and I want yours what would you do about that?"
"I don't know," she responded. "What would you do?"
"I'm not certain," he said, "I'm going to take you to my favorite place," he said taking her hand and pulling her through the woods till they came to a garden. "Have you ever seen such beauty?"
"I have passed by this garden dozens of times on my walks through the woods to pick berries. It's very beautiful," she said as they walked into the garden.
"There's every kind of flower you could imagine," he said with a smile, "roses, lilies, lilacs anything you can imagine," he said.
"It's beautiful," she said as she took in the sweet smell of the orchids and roses surrounding them. "This is your favorite place?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"How come?"
"Because," he started to answer her, "flowers are the most real beauty and the most real thing in the world around us. Take a rose for an example, they are the most beautiful and sweetest scented flowers you'll ever see but they can hurt you with their thorns. Beauty sealed with pain like most people in the world. The most beautiful woman or the most beautiful man could bring as much beauty and pain as a rose. All flowers die but most flowers bloom again, we all die. We all welt and fall to bloom again. Flowers are the most symbolic thing to people and life. They have such a unique beauty. I enjoy flowers," he said.
"That's beautiful, I never thought of it like that," she said as he pulled a rose from the bush.
"Just as beautiful as you," he said handing her the red rose. He leaned over and kissed her cheek causing her stomach to flutter and causing her to blush. "And this orchid is as sweet as you," he said pulling an orchid and placing it into her hair. "It adds to your beauty," he smiled. "I'll be honest with you, Della, you're one of the most beautiful creatures I have seen. Ever since I saw you this evening even this afternoon I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I cannot get you off my mind. You're an original beauty and you're not like the women my parents wish for me to marry that's what makes you different. Maybe we should take these walks every night so we can get to know each other better, spend some time together, what do you say?" he asked with a hopeful smile as he looked into her blue eyes. All he could see was innocence and beauty. She was looking at the world for the first time, looking at love for the first time. She was young and innocent, she needed a man like Roman to guide her in the ways of love, he wanted to be the man to guide her in the ways of love, guide her to see what love is and what love is about.
"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile. "I would like that very much."
"As would I," he said with a smile. "To enjoy your beauty every night," he said, "that would be a pleasure." He stopped and looked into her deep blue eyes, the magnetic pull between them, pulling him closer. He lifted her chin and placed his lips on hers, kissing her softly knowing her first kiss should be her husband's but he was taking it as his as he would one day take her innocence as his the way he had so many other young girls her age. She breathlessly parted her lips allowing his tongue to slide between her lips, meeting with hers, twisting it with hers kissing her, encouraging her to kiss him back. She relaxed and softened into his kiss, kissing him back with a passion, a love she had never felt before. He broke the kiss leaving her breathless, "it's late, I should be getting you home."
"Okay," she said with a smile. "My parents will worry if they come to check on us and see me missing. I had a good time tonight."
"This is just the beginning, My Love," he said with a smile. He offered her his elbow and they hooked arms. He guided her back to her small cottage and watched her walk into her door for the night before he took his voyage home through the woods feeling a victory deep inside.
*A/N: What do you think of Della's parents warning her once again about Roman? What do you think of them forcing her to marry a farmer's son? What did you think of Roman showing up outside her window? Will she ever listen to her parents? Do you believe Roman is sincere with his words? What did you think of him taking her to the garden and his talk about flowers? WAs the rose a symbol? Does Roman have an agenda? Please review and thank-you for reading.