Chapter Six

Virginia,

I trust that the house-elves and your belongings reached you?

Narcissa - such a lovely woman - has informed us that your wedding to Draco will take place on Monday - this is tomorrow, Poussin! You must prepare!

I have sent your dress to Narcissa - it is the one I wore, and your grandmother wore before me. Make sure you try it on as soon as possible - it may need to be altered. (It is lucky the Malfoys haven't known you long enough to notice your recent weight-gain, yes Poussin?)

As for tomorrow, we will come to the Manor before the Ceremony, of course, and stay for the Banquet afterwards. I trust that the good-manners your father and I, and Beauxbatons, of course, instilled in you will carry you through tomorrow. It is tomorrow evening which concerns me most, Poussin.

I have always tried to be the model for you of what a good wife is - you should be obedient, dutiful, and respectful. Draco will not appreciate a cold and icy wife. You must be your best, no matter how you may feel about him (although really, Poussin, you should be honoured by this match...Ungrateful child).

You must obey your husband, as you obeyed your father while under his roof. There are too many witches these days who believe in this 'equality' business - rubbish! He is your master. You must try to please him, in any way you can. Never tell him 'no'. Be sweet and kind and obedient. None of your stubbornness, Poussin! And never contradict him.

He may even be pleased with you.

Send Lucius and Narcissa our regards.

Virginia felt tears prick in her eyes and slammed the parchment down, as much as one can slam parchment onto a blanket. She was still in bed, having only just been disturbed by Mimi, who had delivered the letter to her. How can she be so cruel? Virginia asked herself, fighting down the tears that threatened to spill: My own mother.

Did she really think the letter was helpful, or encouraging? Reassuring it definitely was not, but Antoinette never aimed for comfort or reassurance. Virginia scan-read the letter once again, her moist eyes darting over her mother's writing. There was no maternal love present in the letter, but then, Virginia mused, there never had been.

She had to wonder why her mother had even bothered with most of the letter - she'd drilled it all into her daughter plenty of times before - 'your husband is your master', 'don't be disobedient', 'try to please him - if you can'. Virginia could just hear her mother's harsh French accent as she crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and bounced off it, rolling a small distance across the carpet and coming to a stop under her dresser.

The letter had struck a nerve for another reason - it reminded Virginia of the thoughts which had plagued the back of her mind since she'd known about the marriage - the wedding night. She gulped just thinking about it. Especially after last night...

Lucius had leaned in close after he'd said those words...Those words: "I always get what I want". They echoed even now in Virginia's mind, as if he was sitting right behind her, whispering into her ear. It had seemed as if he might kiss her, but he'd pulled back suddenly, his eyes dark and glinting in the light of the fire. He had slowly run his hand down her thigh and to her knee until he removed it from her completely. Virginia was left feeling slightly faint, her heart beating at twice its normal rate as she struggled to look as if she was breathing normally.

Lucius had sat back in his chair, steepling his hands again and watching her, to see what she'd do next. In the end, she got to her feet shakily. "I should retire now, Lucius," she'd said, her voice hoarse. "Thank you for the drink."

He merely nodded, smirking at her flushed face, and watched with pleasure the alluring way her hips swayed naturally as she left his study.

Virginia had shut the door behind her, and refrained from sinking to the ground and burying her head in her hands. She rushed to back up to her room, almost but not quite getting lost in the Manor's maze of cold corridors, splashed her flushed cheeks with cold water, and then got straight into bed. Her mind was racing, her heart wouldn't relent in its hammering within her chest.

And when she'd finally slept, she had been plagued with thoughts of Lucius Malfoy, eventually waking up with a fright after a particularly vivid dream in which he'd tied her to a tree outside in the darkness. A cold sweat covered her as she sat bolt upright among her pillows. And then it hadn't been long before Mimi had come in, wielding the letter.

The thought hit her - breakfast was in less than half an hour...Merlin, Virginia groaned, massaging her temples as she tried to gather her muddled thoughts. Her mind strayed back to the wedding night...

She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it would be to spend an hour with Draco, who had barely said two words to her since she'd met him, let alone a night. A night together. In which certain things were expected to take place.

She shuddered, her mind fluttering back to the way that Lucius, her groom-to-be's father, for Merlin's sake, had touched her leg the night before. It seemed he was more interested in her than his own son...She wondered, not for the first time, what he wanted from her. What had been his true meaning when he uttered those words...? I always get what I want... What did he want exactly?

And, perhaps more importantly, though she was loath to admit it even to herself, what did she want? In retrospect, she thought, it really wouldn't have been hard to get out of the situation Lucius had put her in last night. Even if she'd offended him, what could he have done? He could hardly have revealed to anyone else what he was doing to her to make her leave so suddenly. She'd had the leverage she would have needed to escape his hands, his gaze, but she hadn't. She had stayed where she was, and let him run his hand over her thigh, through the thin material of her dress. It was indecent, and improper, and inappropriate. She had been scared, but from her own reaction as much as because of what Lucius was doing. The way he looked at her...it made her feel attractive, in a way she'd never experienced before. No man had ever looked at her like Lucius did...

Sighing in confusion and worry, Virginia swung her legs off the side of her bed and set about her morning routine, washing quickly before fixing her hair into a simple up-do and donning a pastel pink off-the-shoulder dress, covered in delicate lace. She even spritzed a small amount of perfume onto her neck. Who she was trying to impress, she didn't care to think about, and quickly applied a subtle nude lipstick, before checking the time - five minutes until she was due in the dining room. Determined not to be late again, she set off.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa was watching her husband warily out of the bottom of her eye. He was different this morning, and it was rather unnerving. And what with Draco, even more solemn than usual this morning, clearly not enthused by the thought of his wedding tomorrow, the atmosphere in the dining hall as the Malfoys waited for Virginia was tense.

Narcissa couldn't help but wonder what had gone on last night between Lucius and Virginia, in the time between dinner had finished and he'd come into her room, unexpected, later in the evening. Of course, she'd noticed the number of times her husband had been busy watching the girl over dinner, but never suspected the true extent of what was going through his mind as he did so. And then he'd taken her into his study, and she hadn't heard from either of them until Lucius had strode into her quarters a couple of hours, smelling of brandy, or something equally strong, and forced her up against the nearest wall, kissing her with abandon before throwing her down onto the bed, none too gently, and taking her with a passion she hadn't seen in him for many months.

Of course, Narcissa hadn't minded this twist of events in her otherwise mundane evening, but it definitely hadn't been expected. Nonetheless, she was used to Lucius' dominant nature, both in and out of their marriage bed, and had learned to enjoy it. It was just not what she had been expecting, and had left her a little bemused.

Adding to her confusion was the way he'd left so suddenly after their frantic coupling, and barely spoken a word to her this morning. And the way he was watching the door, clearly waiting for Virginia. It was all so strange. Narcissa shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and hoped that the girl wouldn't be late again. She wasn't sure that Lucius would be so restrained a second time.

Thankfully, Virginia appeared a couple of minutes before she was due, and entered the room gracefully, looking slightly calmer than Narcissa had seen her before now - what was going on this morning? She watched as Virginia smiled politely at Draco and Lucius, who had stood to greet her, and didn't miss the glance she exchanged with Lucius as he pulled out her chair for her, and helped her in, ever the gentleman.

Nor did Narcissa miss the waft of delicate perfume that carried down the table to where she was seated. Virginia still looked slightly nervous, and was not completely relaxed in their presence by any means, but the frightened girl of yesterday had vanished. She could only imagine what her husband had said to her last night to calm her down so much...

*.*.*.*.*

Breakfast was eaten in near silence, but this was nothing new. The only difference to the norm was that Lucius barely made a dent in reading his morning paper, whereas more often than not he'd have read the whole thing before the plates were cleared. As had become his custom of late, the girl was far more interesting to him. And she looked so pretty this morning, he thought to himself, almost smugly: I wonder if that's for my benefit?

Although Lucius knew that he'd frightened her last night, he also recognized the look he'd seen in her eyes as it dawned on her what he wanted, and he was confident that no young woman, however well-born and dignified, could resist his charm. His aristocratic arrogance, he had always thought, was part of this very charm, which had had so many witches fall to him in the past. When he set his mind to something, he got it. With no exceptions. In Lucius Malfoy's experience, in the business world, there was nowhere that money or intimidation couldn't get you. And with women, there was nowhere that a glass of brandy and firm caress wouldn't get you access to. Although it might take longer with some than others, women always gave in to him. It was never a matter of force - they always ended up wanting it as much as he did. That was his power.

When the four had finished eating, Lucius rose and left with Draco in tow; he had some business to attend to before noon, but planned to leave Draco and Virginia some time alone today - after all, he mused, tomorrow they'd be husband and wife.

"I've been invited to an old friend's today, Virginia," Narcissa told her once the door had shut behind the men. Her tone was warm, and betrayed none of her suspicions, which were barely formed yet. "Under normal circumstances she would extend the invitation to you, but she's in somewhat of a...state at the moment, and she's asked that I attend her alone." Virginia nodded, relieved at the prospect of some time alone herself today.

"I am sorry to leave you alone," Narcissa continued, "But I believe that Lucius plans to return Draco this afternoon so that the two of you can spend some time together. Until then...the Manor is yours. Make use of the house-elves..." She struggled to think of things to suggest for Virginia, but the girl cut in reassuringly:

"I have some letters I'd like to write, Narcissa. Don't worry about me." Narcissa smiled fondly at her, and they left the dining hall together.

"What time is Draco expecting me?" Virginia asked as Narcissa was putting on her travelling cloak.

"I think about three o'clock?" Narcissa half-guessed, "Some time after lunch. I'm sure he'll come and find you though - just do what you like until then." She leant down and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to the apparition point, leaving Virginia alone in the Manor.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia returned to her room, determined to make the most of her time alone to gather her thoughts and finally get round to writing to her friend from Beauxbatons - she didn't even know about the wedding, and Virginia was saddened that she wouldn't be able to leave the Academy to attend.

She'd known Adriene Deniau since they were eleven, and had been close friends since, although had barely seen each other in recent months. Adriene was Virginia's mirror - where Virginia was introverted, Adriene was the centre of the party (and a regular hostess); where Adriene acted intuitively, Virginia never made a decision without long hours of contemplation. Where Virginia was prone to over-thinking her worries, Adriene lived with a light-heart, flitting like a swift bird from one moment to the next, and where Virginia was polite, having been raised by strict parents, and an only child, Adriene had been the forth of five daughters, and had grown up shouting to be heard, a habit which she had only shaken in her teenage years. In short, Adriene was the fire to Virginia's water, and as a pair the girls had made a formidable team at Beauxbatons.

Separated, Virginia felt the loss deeply, and had made every effort to visit her friend regularly whilst at Hogwarts. But with the war, and being pulled out of the school, her mother had banned trips, and had even, Virginia later learned, been intercepting the girls' letters to each other, in fear that they may be trying to organize a secret meeting. Virginia had never forgiven her mother for that - amongst many, many other occasions.

She settled herself at her desk, and found some ink, laying down the parchment, and began writing in French:

Adriene,

I miss you so dreadfully, Addy! Oh, so much has happened - I wish you were here.

Two days ago, my parents received an invitation to dinner at Malfoy Manor - have you heard of the Malfoys? I expect you have, they have been quite notorious. My father did business with Lucius Malfoy - in fact, your father probably has as well. Lucius' son, Draco, was two years ahead of me at Hogwarts, so I never had anything to with him, until now.

As you can imagine - you've met my parents - they didn't tell me anything. Mother dressed me up, and we apparated to the house - it is so grand, Addy. I feel like I could lose myself in the dark halls and never be found. I met Lucius, and Draco, and Mrs Malfoy - Narcissa is lovely. It's the father and son who worry me.

You see, Addy, it was later revealed to me why I was there at all - they want me to marry Draco! No, more than that - I am being forced to marry him! Tomorrow. Apparently, there is some 'marriage law' here in Britain, and Lucius chose me for his son - it seems all the English girls were taken, or so Mother says. I have no choice in the matter. Why would I?

So the Malfoys asked me (really, told me), that I am to stay with them until the wedding, supposedly to get to know them, although I haven't spent more than a minute with Draco. As I said, Narcissa is a lovely woman, and I feel I have an ally in this house, but Lucius...Lucius.

He has been watching me, Addy. It's across between the way that boys watch you when you throw your parties, and the way that a hunter watches his prey. It's disconcerting. It's so strange, Addy. Men have never looked at me the way Lucius does. It's put me so on edge, and this is from the very first night. His eyes have been on me every time I've been near him.

He is not a gentle man, nor does he seem to be a kind one. On my first morning in the Manor I came across him beating Mimi with his cane. Even Narcissa seems a little afraid of him. He is simply intimidating. Any manner of crime could be hidden behind those eyes of his, and I don't care to think what he's done, or seen, in the past.

And then, last night, we had dinner, the four of us, as is their custom. I was late because I had got lost before hand, and I was so scared that he would be angry with me - but he wasn't. I could feel his eyes on mine as I ate, and then afterwards he asked me to come to his study with him. I couldn't breathe as I followed him, Addy.

He gave me a drink - brandy, perhaps? You would know much better than I! And then...Addy, what I am to tell you next must remain strictly between us, because I would not want anyone else to know of it. Lucius started to run his hand up and down by thigh, caressing my knee. He stroked my cheek, and even touched my lip at one point. He was so close to me, it was suffocating. And then he whispered into my ear: "I always get what I want".

The problem, Addy, is that I don't know what he wants. I'm so confused about it all - last night, I was torn between slapping him and running away, and just letting him do it. There is something so hypnotizing about the man. The way he looked at me...It was inescapable. I felt compelled to stay, and not through fear, or intimidation, but because I simply couldn't bring myself to leave. I don't know what to do, or how to act. This morning I found myself putting on perfume before breakfast! Here I am, betrothed to marry tomorrow, and a sub-conscience part of me appears to be trying to impress not my groom, but my future father-in-law. I am not even repulsed by my own behaviour, and that makes it worse. Addy, tell me what I should do!

The other part of it is this: I feel so guilty for Narcissa's sake. She has been so kind to me, and on my second night here I was in her husband's study, letting him caress me. And I am quite sure it wasn't innocent. I don't know what she knows about it - perhaps she is used to it, as I expect that she is no stranger to Lucius' mistresses, but I must assume that it is a secret between Lucius and me - her husband and me.

And tomorrow I am to be married to their son, who has done nothing but sulk and shoot me the odd half-hearted glare this whole time. I wish you could be here, Adriene, I really do.

Please, write me back as soon as you can - tell me what to do! I need your guidance so desperately!

I do hope all is well at Beauxbatons.

With all my love,

V

*.*.*.*.*