The evening visit: Fleeing

I took the seat near the fireplace ignoring the stupid man.

He went near the settee where Dennis was seated with Bo and Bell and began to engage him in a conversation. Had he known what he had just said about him he wouldn't spare him a look. A hypocrite! He stood flinging his hands trying to look eligible to the ladies near him as he spoke. I could confirm why.

It had been rumored that he had sought the hands of Miss Lucas who was of course one of the most good-looking women in the parish. Amiable and fair and to add that the Lucas family was the most respected in the parish, not because they were wealthy, they were the normal average man but they had a good reputation not just in the parish but in town.

She rejected him bluntly. How sad it must be for him. He deserved it. He thought his family wealth would buy him off a good woman whom he was nothing half of.

I deduced he was still trying to gain her attention, perhaps, how did they say it? Trying to make her see what she lost? A thought only a fool would have. There was nothing special or good about him. Any lady who ends up with him would do that because of the wealth he would inherit and nothing else.

I tore my eyes away from him when I heard the conversations of the ladies near. It was the Carter girls, Juliet Lucas (Alice Lucas her elder sister was near my mother in conversation with the older women), The Wilson girls and of course, you can guess, there was Lily. There was nothing acceptable spoken about anyone in the circle where Lily was. The mention of the housekeeper made me attend to their murmurs of evil laughs.

"You speak the truth?" Anna Wilson asked as the other girls widened their eyes at what she just said. She was older than them all, even Alice Lucas but yet she still could not recognize how she was tainting herself more being in the middle of the young gossipers. She was an age-mate of Marcus white.

"She is a witch! What else do you think she is? Mr Eugene confirmed it himself! It will only take a time before she is fired from the house, do you think the lady is good or normal?"

Miss Lucas looked doubtful of what she heard. "But weren't you the one that said she helped you at the market the day you were stranded? You sure have obtained favors and good treatment from her how can you say such?"

"Does the devil come to you with horns of fire? He comes like an angel. She is only trying to gain my favor because she knows I am close to Mrs Houston."

She braced herself with pride tugging at her dirty blond hair.

"Mother says we shouldn't judge people until we have encountered them ourselves," Miss Juliet seemed resolved in what she knew was right while the others were already buying into the lies of Lily.

What could one do with such a lying girl?

"I haven't seen much or even Interacted with her but I can't say she is bad just because I do not know enough about her"

"Lily seems right, I'm afraid of the lady, to be honest." Miss Wilson(Mary) gave an uneasy laugh.

They agreed with everything she was saying to gain her favor as she was the daughter of the wealthiest man in the parish and possibly they were thinking she would soon be engaged with me which would make her more resplendent and more respectable But her wealth was nothing. She had a bad attitude and as I stared at her with her blond hair all I could see was Mandelyn, people who had the gift of lying and deceiving people. It took everything I had not to say something and to my rescue, everyone was called to the dining room.

I comported myself and made sure to sit away from her. I threw myself in the middle of Daniel Wilson and Dennis focusing only on the food, even though I had no appetite. I was getting worn out by the gathering each second that passed.

What I avoided most in the gathering was any talk of marriage and that seemed to be the main course of discussion at the table.

Mr. Tomsmwood and Mr white were the sole culprits in speaking on the usefulness of it to a man in society and especially the girls as a whole.

"One cannot possibly be called a man until he has tasted the waters of marriage." Mr white declared.

"As well as the girls," Mrs Carter joined in. "I only pray for my lovely daughters to find suitable men, not just anybody."

"My dear, It's so hard to find eligible men these days who are not after money to gain from it. During my time our father vowed we would only marry because of the feelings of the heart and nothing more, but now? That's another story." Mrs White let out. A cranky and overdressed blonde lady. A replica of her daughter both in mannerisms and extravagant dressing.

"What matters above all is to marry for the right reasons. Not to be in a rush but rather take your time, the right person would come along. Because marrying for any other reason would just make you a sad husband or wife in the later future." Mr Lucas said and everyone listened. "Bear that in mind."

He and his wife were the only ones I respected among the whole people, even though I do not quite agree. I had doubts about ever finding the right person. Was it written on the forehead? It all seemed like an attack against the young unmarried ones at the table.

Dennis was married (even though it turned out unfortunate) so they let him out of the talk. However, they tried to bring the talk to the table. Mrs. White was eager and so were the ladies there. They wanted to hear him talk about his wife even though it was certain that they were already aware that his wife had left. They were all trying to sadden and make the poor man uncomfortable. Even Mother couldn't speak. I drew the talk away to Marcus.

"So when would your son be getting married?" I directed at Mrs White but my gaze was set on her son.

He was the oldest among us all, so, it sparked looks from all sides the moment I said it. I saw his father and mother who were blabbering before grow quiet.

He cleared his throat and instead of answering what I asked him he began to talk about his escapades out of the town and state which I was unaware of in the earlier years. There happened to be nobody at the table who was interested in his blabbering even his sister was nudging him to drop the ridiculous talks about some of the women he had met.

"We have heard that a thousand times at every gathering Mr. Marcus, it will be better if we head into another subject." The loud-mouthed Mrs Carter ended his blabbering as his face flushed. And no one at the table cared about it. He only coughed and continued with his food.

Good for him.

Trying to bring up such topics in general made me more uncomfortable. Dennis was a victim and how do they think I would ever tread that path? I'm just two and twenty why would I trade my youth for such a thing as marriage? Even those older were not yet married.

I was grateful when the dinner ended and everyone retired to the card room to watch the older men play cards. Unfortunately for me, Lily ended up sitting near me. I opted out of the card playing and so did Dennis who only took a book and sat reading. The other younger men simply occupied a settee and drank the ale mother had provided for them while mother and the older women were in the other room talking.

The piano in the room was also occupied by Miss Lucas and her sister while the other girls circled them.

She had a lovely voice nonetheless and the voices of the others as they sang made the room more lively than ever but I was still not relaxed. I needed to leave.

When it became unbearable I started looking for a way to escape especially from Lily who clung to my side as if we were wedded. Was I some property to be claimed? And not to help that her father Mr. White was happy seeing us together. He and his wife (who stayed behind to watch her husband play) kept sending glances our way as they discussed and Lily was blushing like a fool. A setup, I see. They should get ready to be disappointed because it would never be possible and I think it is high time I had a serious conversation about it with Mrs Houston.

An opportunity finally came when Dennis left the room. I had seen him take out his two darlings to miss church and I was wondering why the sudden retirement when he called to me. I excused myself and went out.

"Is something wrong?"

"Don't you want to leave?"

"Leave?"

"Come on, let's get out of here" he cocked his head to the side with a smile I know of very well.

I smiled. He had planned this all along. I guess I was not the only one suffocating in there.

I took his hand. "Of course brother."

He dragged us out straight to the stable where we mounted the two horses and quickened out of the park.