The cool night breeze swept through Pacifica's open window. Pacifica wrapped herself in her blankets as the chilling Oregon air seeped into her room. She wanted to get up and close the window but she also wanted to go to sleep. So far drowsiness only clawed at her eyes, not enough to draw her into slumber. She was tossing and turning and didn't look at her clock for fear that half the night would be gone. She knew that the small action of getting out of bed, walking across the room, and closing the window would ruin her sleep for what remained of the night.
She recalled her father reminding her at dinner that tomorrow was a very important day and urged her to get a good night's sleep. Pacifica tensed up, hating the fact that she reminded herself of tomorrow's events. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought of meeting her fiancé for the first time. She had spent the whole day fretting about it. She was lost in thought all day, she barely maintained enough focus to remember to tell her servants that Gideon's room was to be cleaned.
The events of the other day suddenly flooded her mind. "I'm sorry," she had whispered just as her butler was walking away. Northwest's don't apologize. She gulped, regretting what she said. But he wasn't supposed to ask what was going on in her life. His job was to do what she told him. Yet even she could hear the tiniest bit of concern in his voice. She shook off the memory and turned to her other side. Another gust of wind whipped her curtains in the air.
Her thoughts returned to the subject of tomorrow. She wasn't sure if she was nervous or excited. Pacifica had never had any relations with boys. She mostly thought it was thanks to her father but when she really thought about it, she didn't have relations with anyone. Her only close acquaintance was Wendy, her piano teacher, but even then she only saw her once a week. Formally twice a week, her Friday piano lesson would've been tomorrow, but with Gideon arriving at the manor, she simply didn't have time for such leisure activity.
She was excited to meet someone that wasn't her family. Someone she could confide in or just simply talk to. But her anxiety was just as overwhelming. Gideon wasn't just someone she was going to get to know, he was someone whom she was spending the rest of her life with. Her father, or rather Bud, telling her about Gideon's stay was not implied as a suggestion for a suitor. No, Gideon's stay would be indefinite and the wedding would be at the end of November.
Another breeze ripped through the room and Pacifica shivered. She let out a breath, at this rate she wasn't going to get any sleep. She ripped off her comforter and marched across the room. Her cold dainty hands gripped the aging window and pulled. The ancient sheet of glass landed on the window pane with a thud. The bitter cold dissipated and Pacifica was suddenly warm. She walked back to her bed and curled up under her blankets. It didn't take long for sleep to take her.
Pacifica narrowed her eyes while examining her closet. The small room she called her closet was stuffed with dresses of every kind. The floor was littered with shoes and the shelves were lined with everything from jewelry to nightgowns to socks. She wanted to dress nice, but she considered everything in her wardrobe to be nice. She went through her massive collection of dresses. She stopped at a dark indigo dress that reached the floor, it was a tempting choice but she decided that it would've clashed with her eyes. She finally reached a light green dress that fell just past her knees. The weather outside was chilly, but even in November, the Northwest Manor managed to get stuffy.
She laid the dress and corset out on the bed and placed the black shoes on the floor. Pacifica abandoned her clothing and walked to her bathroom. Just as it was every morning, the claw foot tub was filled with steaming water. Rose petals floated on the surface and the room smelled of lavender.
An hour later, Pacifica's hands were gripping the frame of her bed, a pained look spread on her face. Her knuckles turned white as she could feel her maid continuing to tighten the lacing on her corset. She bit the inside of her cheek as the girl finally tied the silk ribbon into a tight bow. Pacifica pulled her green dress over her head, straightening the fabric once she got it on. The blonde turned to her maid.
"Will there be anything else, Miss Northwest?" The girl asked, her upper-body bent in a slight bow. The black ribbon that acted as a headband barely held back her waves of chestnut hair. The same color hair as her butler. The girl's eyes weren't quite closed and Pacifica could just barely see the deep brown pupils.
The question lingered on her lips, and left her mouth before she could help it. "Are you related?"
The girl must've known who she was talking about because she answered quickly. "Yes, ma'am."
"Are you cousins or siblings?"
"We're twins, ma'am." Her body was still in the low bow. Pacifica blinked. How could she have not noticed before? They looked alike in almost every way. She wanted to ask her all sorts of questions. What was your childhood like? Have you been together forever? Her mind longed for the answers, but there were much more important things to tend to than petty questions. But some part of her wanted to know what it was like to have someone you could always rely on, someone that would always be there.
Pacifica cleared her throat and spoke. "There's nothing else for right now, you may go."
The girl straightened her posture and walked out of the room, shutting the large oak door quietly behind her. Pacifica sat on her bed to compose herself. Her dress wasn't too flashy or too bland, her blonde hair, though usually up in a bun, was instead down. She took a deep breath, stood up and walked out of her room.
The main hall of the Northwest Manor said everything there was to be said about the Northwest's. Preston's vast collection of swords, guns and stuffed animals decorated the walls. Not to mention the massive paintings of the family. There were also tapestries covering the beautiful wooden paneling. A grand fireplace was at the top of the grand staircase, a fire flickering in the hearth. The polished floor was covered in ornate wooden squares. Pacifica glanced around the room. The maids had done an impeccable job of polishing the floors and dusting the walls. Her father wanted to impress the Gleeful's above anything else. Her mother, Priscilla, stood beside her dressed in a simple floor length lavender gown. Her mother was always one to be simply elegant. Pacifica fidgeted while waiting for the Gleeful's to make their grand entrance to the main hall.
"Mother?" Pacifica whispered, gaining her mother's attention.
Priscilla raised an eyebrow at her daughter.
"Do you think I'll be happy?" Her voice sounded hopeful and candid. There was nothing more she wanted than to be with someone who made every day the best day of her life. Most of her father's life was business and he rarely had time for family, but she always recalled his genuine smile when around her mother.
Her mother let a sigh slip past her painted lips, "I don't know Pacifica, it's what your father wants." It was always about what her father wanted, and half the time she didn't even know what he wanted.
The main doors suddenly swung open. Her father was standing next to Bud and standing next to him was a stout young man. He was an inch or two shorter than Pacifica. He was clad in a blinding bright blue suit with a white button up shirt and a bolo tie. His pale blue eyes locked onto Pacifica. As he walked closer, she could see his features better. Freckles adorned his pale cheeks and a mound of white hair was atop his head. He was nothing like what she pictured.
He strode across the room with a gait that was a mixture of elegance and power. A wide smile was across his face and his eyes glittered with excitement. "Miss Pacifica Northwest!" he sang. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you!" His voice had a strange drawl to it.
"And what a pleasure it is to meet you, Gideon." She returned the greeting. Anxiety bubbled in Pacifica's stomach. She didn't expect Gideon to be so flashy.
After introductions, her father insisted upon a tour of the Manor. The Gleeful's simply couldn't turn down such a kind offer. Pacifica gulped as they set off up the grand staircase.
Throughout the tour, Pacifica learned more about her future husband and father-in-law. Bud Gleeful told his tale of woe and success. He started out as a simple salesman, trying to pawn off used merchandise to anyone willing to buy it. Once he got enough money, he bought his own plot of land and started the apple orchard that would soon grow to be the biggest apple orchard in the West. They had covered half of the manor by the time Bud was done speaking.
"And here is the music room," Preston gesture to the room that was decorated with instruments. Guitars and banjos lined the walls. There was a violin and a cello resting on their stands among a flute and a saxophone. And of course there was the grand piano that sat in the center of the room. The rose finish on the maple wood reflected the golden light of the room. The lid was closed and a stack of sheet music was sitting on the stand. "Pacifica enjoys playing the piano from time to time." Preston noted.
"I myself am a lover of music. I dabble in guitar and violin." Gideon said, earning a smile from Pacifica. Perhaps there was something they had in common.
"I like the cello, but there's something about the piano. I get lost in the music sometimes." She smiled, imagining herself lost in the rich sounds of the instrument.
"Well, maybe we could play together sometime, after all I will be here for a while." He said then added a light giggle to the end of his sentence.
They moved on from the music room. Preston showed them the game room, the library, the guest study, Pacifica's room and of course the guest suites.
"My, that tour has me simply parched." Gideon gasped as they reached his guest bedroom. Gideon glanced around the room, taking notice of the two servants standing by the door. "You," He addressed the boy. "Fetch me a glass of water." He ordered.
Pacifica watched as he gave a short nod of the head in understanding and walked down the hall. Gideon's words made her flinch. "It's been a lovely day, but I am awful tired." She said. "I had a wonderful time today." She added as she walked toward the door of the guest room.
Gideon flashed her a wide smile. "Until tomorrow, my dear." He bid her farewell as she walked out of the room.
Pacifica fiddled with a piece of her long blonde hair as she sauntered down the hall to her room. Her nervousness and anxiety that she'd had earlier had ebbed away but a whole new feeling washed over her. Gideon seemed nice enough, she shared several interests with him: reading and music. But there was something about the way she addressed her butler that made her skin crawl. An underlying streak of control? She was curious about the days to come. About what other things she would come to know about her fiancé.
Sorry about the long wait for an update. I've been sick for the last two weeks and drowning in papers due for classes. Also sorry for the lack of Dipifica fluff in this but I promise it will come. Now that I've got five chapters, I'm going to start making edits on previous chapters.
Thank you for reading.
Edit: I edited this like a month ago and I only now realized that I never updated that chapter. Apologies for that.