Choose Me

Florence sat under the shade of the pavilion and took a deep breath. Rilla was right, she was already feeling better. It was a glorious late morning, the sun pierced through the branches beautifully. She listened to the birds chirping and the light breeze dancing through the trees.

She sighed in relief.

She had noticed the glances and the whispers of the guests when she was saying her goodbyes to Magnolia. Rumors tend to change into worse tales as they spread. Florence was certain her cousin would make sure of it anyway.

Hannah had never spoken to her that way before. t was like she did not need to pretend to be kind anymore. Her hurtful words only confirmed that she should have been her mother's daughter instead. They sounded the same.

'What is wrong with not having a title?' She sighed again.

Her mother had not spoken to her since that meeting with the Flocks. She had only seen her for meals. Florence was sure that it was only to save face in front of the guests. She was relieved that most of them were leaving today. She missed her quiet daily life, although she was sure that she would not enjoy it for much longer. Soon, she would move to the Flocks' estate. Florence leaned back in her chair.

'I want to go to the lake.'

Suddenly, Florence heard rustling. She turned to the trees, but she could not see anything. She dismissed the sound immediately, thinking that it was probably a rabbit or a squirrel. Then, she looked to the path that led to the castle.

'What is taking Rilla so long? It is just a cup of tea.'

"Lady Florence."

The voice sent a shiver through her body. She looked back to the source of the rustling and saw Marquis Galley approaching.

'Shite.'

She pushed to her feet, panicking. She knew she could not walk away from him, not with her ankle. He looked angry enough, she thought she should not make him any angrier.

"Lord Galley." She gave him a small bow. "How may I help you?"

"I was looking for you, I wanted to speak to you about last night." Galley's voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming for hours.

"Last night?" Florence decided to feign ignorance.

"Your engagement to Lord Flock," he said through gritted teeth.

The man was standing so close to her now that she was tempted to take a step back. But she did not want to show that she was afraid of him. Thankfully, her feet stayed rooted.

"Ah, yes–"

"You lied to me," he interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"You and your mother led me on. You made me believe that you were going to marry me, only to choose that flimsy boy."

Florence blinked at him a few times. She was tempted to correct him that Henry was neither flimsy nor a boy, but she bit her lip.

"I have never told you that I fancied you, Lord Galley," she started. "My mother was pushing us together because she liked you, but I have never lied to you."

"Who do you think I am, some pushover?" Galley took a threatening step closer to her. This time she stepped back, ignoring the pain. "All those strolls, the picnics, the afternoon tea. You did this too." His voice raised.

Florence took another step back. She looked to her right, praying that Rilla would appear with the damn tea she was brewing, but the path was empty. The pavilion was too far from the castle for anyone to hear her if she were to scream.

'This is bad.'

"Lord Galley, please." Florence did her best to keep her voice calm. "My fiancé will be here at any moment, and it is quite inappropriate for us to be here alone."

"You are lying, dear." Galley's face was so close to Florence's that she could feel his breath on her skin. The feeling made her skin crawl. "Everybody knows that the bastard cannot stand you because your family is forcing him to marry you."

Florence's eyes widened. 'Does everyone know about the whole story?'

The marquis grinned when he noticed her reaction. "He will never care for you like I would. I love you, Florence." He ran his finger down her cheek, making her stomach turn. "I am sure I can find it in my heart to forgive your betrayal. You can still choose me. We can still be together."

"I would rather die." The words escaped Florence's lips before she could stop them.

Galley's touch immediately turned violent. He grabbed her jaw in his hand and squeezed. Florence whimpered at the pain.

"What does that bastard have that I don't anyway?"

Florence thought she had lost her mind for a minute because she was smirking at the man holding her face. This made the marquis' face turn a dark shade of purple. He was livid, and his fingers squeezed harder.

"Let me go," Florence uttered, but Galley's hand did not budge.

Suddenly, she saw a silhouette walking between the trees at a distance. She immediately recognized Henry.

"Lord Flock," she yelled. Henry halted for a moment, and relief flooded Florence's body.

"I will not fall for that one," Galley said, but he had loosened his grip unconsciously.

Florence's eyes were fixated on Henry. He turned and locked eyes with her, but only for a second. Then, he turned back and resumed walking in the opposite direction.

"Lord Flock," she called again, louder this time.

The marquis turned as Henry's back disappeared between the trees. He let out a full throat laugh that echoed through the garden.

"See, he does not care one bit."

"Henry," Florence uttered. Her voice was a little more audible than a whisper. It was full of despair. Galley said something else to her, but she did not register it.

'He ignored me even though he saw me…he saw that the marquis had his hand on me, but he still walked away.'