Chapter 19

"What are you doing here?" Lauren asked in stunned confusion.

"Do I need a reason to visit my daughter?" Anatoly Ivanov replied haughtily. The merchant businessman was dressed in a fine, brocaded silk suit with his graying hair tied back.

"But you never come to see me, I am…I am just surprised," Lauren stammered, backing down and cursing herself for again allowing the man to intimidate her.

"We wanted to see you since it has been so long," her mother, Lorena, added. The woman was a contrast to her forceful, large husband. She was small and slender with a demur attitude. Though dressed in an expensive moss green velvet dress she carried herself in a humble way.

The elder Ivanov walked into the room looking about with a critical eye. Then he saw Pherein on the couch in the sitting area. The wealthy businessman's lips pursed in obvious disapproval.

"And who might this be?" Ivanov said in nearly a sneer.

"Oh, this is my friend, Pherein," Lauren eagerly said, happy to introduce him.

"Hmmm," was all her father responded at first, looking the man up and down. "A Delorgan, I see," he stated, the disapproval obvious.

"As you see it," Pherein answered, ignoring the tone. Coming to the man he extended his hand and said, "Pherein MacDiarmidson, pleased to meet you, Mr. Ivanov."

The man ignored the outstretched hand and indeed the warrior entirely. Instead, he turned to his daughter and said, "Come Lauren, let us leave this dingy room and find someplace suitable to eat."

Her mother though stepped gracefully into the gap and took Pherein's hand in hers and shook it. "Very nice to meet you, Pherein." She smiled apologetically.

"And you as well, madame," the fighter replied trying to keep his blood from boiling.

"But father…I mean…Pherein…I…I mean…," Lauren stammered, frozen with indecision.

"Let us go, girl, our coach is waiting downstairs," Ivanov declared, pointedly turning his back to the fighter.

"Pherein…I…," Lauren could not get her head straight, indeed did not know what to say or what to do.

The big Delorgan made the decision for her. "It's fine Lauren. Thank you again. I will see you another time."

With that he walked out the door of the woman's suite and did not look back.

Pherein's blood boiled as he stormed back to his lodging. People gave the dangerous fighter a wide berth. Who did this shop keeper think he was to act so high and mighty? He raged. Me, the son of a Jarl to be treated in such a way? The sheer gall and dismissive tone caused the man's blood to boil. His treatment was not only uncourteous but could have led to at least a beating in Delorgan.

Yet he wasn't in Delorgan, and he wasn't acting much like a Jarl's son. Why wouldn't this man treat him as he did? Who was he now in essence? Nothing more than a sell-sword. In the businessman's eyes he was unworthy of his daughter. Pherein sighed heavily and walked away, shoulders slumped.

Lily walked back to her cottage, a mess of clashing emotions. The news of Pherein and the attractive student had caught her off guard. The naïve woman knew in her mind of this possibility but had not really entertained it. She had left the loaf of bread left with her friend and the note for Pherein had been torn up and thrown into the fire. Her friend Ellie had wisely held her tongue.

Now what am I to do?

Hot tears began to well up in her blue eyes, but anger rose as well. The passionate woman was unsure of her emotions and what she was feeling. She was even less certain of what she would do.

But realistically what could she do?

There was the rub. Yet again the woman lacked control over her life or destiny. Lily cursed the gods for her life and what she was. She had not chosen to be a slave. She had not chosen for her husband to die. She had not chosen for the man's other widow to renege on the pledge of support made. It was not fair.

Yes, that was the reality. Life was not fair and owed her nothing.

Maybe in some part of Appian things worked differently but in Latrellus that was not the case.

The brooding woman was glad that Molly was out playing with the neighborhood children so as to not see her in this state. Her young son was too young to read his mother which was good. Though blind, her mother was quite perceptive and possessed a sharp tongue. Thankfully, the old crone read her daughter and let her be.

Lily walked outside, still in a fluster, sitting down on the bench her and Pherein had shared recently. Looking down at her delicate hands she whispered, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Pherein was thinking the same thing. Lying on his bed staring up at the wooden ceiling the fighter was processing the events of the day. He thought of Lauren but any happy thoughts of her were crowded out by the image of her sneering, overweight father. In Delorgan the man would be lucky to run a shop and would have no prestige, wealth, or status. But in Latrellus men like this determined the destiny of many through their money. It seemed unfair to the proud, accomplished warrior. Yet what was in this land? The small voice in his head reminded him he had chosen freely this path.

Should I see Lily? Pherein thought to himself.

That didn't seem right to him considering what he had been feeling about Lauren a short time earlier. Yet there were feelings there too for the pretty blond-haired woman.

The fighter punched the wall in frustration.

The three Ivanov's rode in their opulent coach in silence.

Lauren fumed at what had happened. Why do I allow father to treat me like this? And what about how he treated Pherein?

Yet she did allow it to happen, as she had many times before. While she chaffed at her father's treatment, she also appreciated the generous allowance she received and all the benefits that went with her family name.

Anatoly Ivanov was engrossed in some business papers he had brought along as they travelled the restaurant they were heading too. He had accomplished his mission and so had moved on.

Lorena Ivanov, though, was more attentive and observant. Seeing the bandage on her daughter's shoulder she reached across the carriage to touch it. Lauren winced in pain.

"Gigi! You have been hurt!" her mother exclaimed.

"What?" Vitaly Ivanov declared, looking closely at his daughter, and noticing it for the first time. "What happened?" he demanded.

"It was nothing…I..I am fine," Lauren countered in embarrassment at the discovery.

"What happened?" the senior Ivanov asked again, the demanding tone evident.

Lauren tried to meet her father's gaze, but the withering look caused her to drop her eye down to the floor of the carriage.

"Please darling, tell us, "Her mother asked gently, taking her daughter's hand.

That broke the proud woman who had been barely holding on. First her conversation with Pherein, then the attack and their time alone culminating with her parent's unexpected arrival. The sensitive woman could take it no longer.

"Pherein was attacked in a park on campus by an assassin, but I saved his life," Lauren declared proudly and passionately, "but I got cut as I tried to stop him."

Assassin?" Vitaly Ivanov exploded. "What happened to him?"

"Pherein killed him. He was magnificent," Lauren declared, admiration evident. "Then he dressed my wound and bandaged me. It was perhaps the most exciting moment of my life."

That last part was the absolute worst declaration Lauren could have made in front of her parents.

"That is all I need to hear!" Vitaly Ivanov roared. "I have entertained this whim of yours long enough. You have finished your program. It is time you came home and began to lead in the family business."

"Father, please, no!" Lauren begged passionately.

"I will hear nothing of it. I also know you went on an expedition to the Dead Lands of all places with that irresponsible professor. I also heard you were nearly killed by some undead creature."

"And Pherein saved my life," Lauren shot back but stopped suddenly as the level of information of the declaration hit her. "Wait…how do you know this, father?" the insightful woman asked pointedly.

"I have my sources," the elder Ivanov responded smugly.

Travis.

Lauren knew in her heart that the boy she had once had eyes for had likely either been in her father's employment or else had shared this information in his bitterness. It did not matter. In some ways she was glad her father knew the truth of what had happened. It was time for her to declare the reality of who she was.

"It is true. Professor Horsewood asked me to accompany him. It was perhaps the most interesting…exciting thing I have done in my whole life," the dark-haired woman declared, pushing her glasses up her nose defiantly.

"Ridiculous!" her father exploded.

"Please, we are getting away from the point at hand," Lorena Ivanov intervened in the argument between the proud father and daughter.

"And what point might that be, mother?" Lauren shot back aggressively.

"That you were wounded in an attack on your friend and that you were also nearly killed," Lorena stated with a quiver of fright in her voice.

Lauren opened her mouth to retort but the look of hurt and concern on her beloved mother's face caused her to pause. She had to admit all that had happened of late, though exciting, had also been more than she ever thought she would face and could only imagine how this made her mother feel.

Vitaly opened his mouth to speak but his wife silenced him with an upraised hand and stern look. Few could silence the aggressive businessman but those who knew Lorena Ivanov knew she as well had an iron will.

"Your father and I have been talking darling and we both feel it's time for you to come home," Lorena declared. Lauren moved to speak but her mother silenced her as well. "You know I have been supportive of this venture, but you are past your studies and seem to have no direction." Then the mother's look softened after the hard statement. "And I miss you, my love. I want you home. Is that so hard for you to believe and so unreasonable?"

"No," Lauren confessed meekly, reeling from the day's activities. She wanted to lash out, to declare her independence, but she was also afraid to cross her powerful father and dear mother. "I…I understand."

The carriage arrived at their destination.

"Good, let us not talk of this anymore for now," Lorena Ivanov declared. "I want to enjoy this meal together. There is time later for this."

With that, the elegant woman took her daughter's hand and led her from the coach, father following. Lauren had no appetite and while her mother had said they would talk of this later the woman knew the answer had already been determined and she felt powerless to do anything about it and hated herself for it.