Wayward Favor || ONC 2024

Chapter 4: Hearthbridge Hotel

The carriage comes to a rolling halt. Horses whicker. With a timid finger I slide the carriage window curtain aside, peeking out at the Hearthbridge Hotel. A tide of mist rolls in from the east as the rainstorm turns into a forlorn drizzle. The street is flooded with rivers of swirling filth. A soggy lamplighter leans his rusted ladder against a darkened streetlamp pole, working tirelessly to relight the lamps the storm extinguished.

"Here you are, Hearthbridge Hotel, as requested," Jack says.

The three-story building looks inviting during the day, but eerie upon this stormy night. The grey brick walls appear black due to the rain. Lights behind shaded windows look like the building has grown watchful eyes. Lightning flickers in the heavy clouds above and thunder growls in the distance.

Magnus steps out of the carriage first, helping me to the sidewalk. Unpleasant smells of sewage and rot rise from the streets. A wet rat scurries over my shoe. I lurch towards the hotel on instinct, clutching my dress while restraining a scream. Magnus's hand tightens on my wrist, jerking me to an unpleasant stop.

"Tell me what you know, Rose," he says, struggling to contain his anger.

"Can we at least talk in the hotel lobby?" I ask, putting on an excessive display of shivering. My half-drowned appearance helps.

He huffs, releasing my wrist. "I do not have all night," he warns.

"Don't worry," I murmur, ducking my head. "Once you hear what I have to say, it will put your worries to rest."

Lenette leans out of the carriage, intent on joining us. "Len, stay with Jack," Magnus says.

"But Maggie..."

"I'll be right back," he says, herding me along the sidewalk.

I'm not sure how he'll react to the news that I am Estella Truvow. I wanted to tell him in the carriage, but I feared he might thwack me over the head and dispose of me in some rain-filled ditch. Not that I think he'd actually do anything like that, but the possibility wasn't zero. Better safe than sorry. We'll talk in a public location where someone can intervene if the gentlemen chooses not to be so gentle.

We pass into the light and the doorman welcomes us into the hotel. He looks over our rain-drenched clothes with mild disgust, then with apprehension once he realizes our clothes are expensive regardless of the filth. We must look as if we attended some dreary midnight funeral with our matching dour expressions and all black outfits. We track debris onto the polished tile lobby floors, but we are not the first. Muddy footprints already mar the grey and blue tiles mirror-like surface.

I gesture to a blue velvet settee against the wall, large enough to seat both of us. A lamp glows on the wooden side table, casting warmth over a folded newspaper, and a bedraggled vase of wilting flowers that will likely be exchanged first thing in the morning. Magnus strides to the settee, choosing to lean menacingly against the wall with his arms crossed instead of sitting beside me.

I better just get this over with. "My name isn't Rose," I say with no preamble. If he is surprised by my confession his expression doesn't show it. "I apologize for lying to you." I hang my head, unable to look him in the eye as I slip my hand into my pocket. "I am Estella Truvow, and I can promise you, I have no intention of marrying your father. I am running away." My voice breaks as if speaking the truth aloud has made my actions reality. I'm running away. "You and Lennette don't need to worry anymore. Your home is safe." I present the sapphire and diamond engagement ring to Magnus.

His eyes lock on the glittering gems, then slowly rise to my face. He snatches the ring from me, inspecting it under the light. "This is my mother's ring," he murmurs. "But how do I know you are who you say you are?"

"Who else would I be?" I ask, clacking my heels against the floor.

"A minute ago, you were Rose, pardon me for doubting your honesty," he says, wrapping his hand around the ring and clutching it tight.

"I lied because I wasn't sure I could trust you, but what possible reason would I have to lie now?"

"You could be a distraction, to divert me from my goals, so the real Estella can marry my father unchallenged."

"That is a very convoluted conspiracy you've cooked up in your head, and who would I be working for in this dastardly plot?"

"The Truvow family. Jack was right about one thing – the Truvows are one of the most powerful families in Wolfundry, despite their unwise investments over the last decade. And, if they can blackmail my father into marriage, who knows what else they're capable of?"

"You think my family is blackmailing yours?" I ask, aghast.

"Why else would my father commit to such a scandalously hasty marriage?"

"Count Drewmond is the one who proposed this marriage!"

"According to who?" Magnus asks darkly. "Lord Philip Truvow?"

I open and close my mouth, floundering like a fish. "Yes, but..."

"You trust Lord Truvow to be a truthful and honest man – deceit is so foreign to his tongue that he has never once lied to you?"

"I..." A cavernous hole forms in my heart. It is strange Count Drewmond is desperate to marry me, a woman he's never met. My father and brother keep me in the dark on many things, but I'd never suspect such malfeasance. They couldn't have...they wouldn't have!

My brother has stolen things, cheated, and tricked people out of their money, but are they capable of something like this? I bite hard into my lower lip, drawing blood. Perhaps capable is the wrong word. They are more than capable of pulling it off, but committing something this reprehensible? I can't imagine it.

"They would never have blackmailed Count Drewmond," I say, stiffening my spine.

"Hah," Magnus scoffs, raising his brow. "Pardon me if I don't take your word for it, Rose." He propels off the wall. "Thank you for returning my mother's ring, I hope you have a lovely rest of your night." He sneers, then stalks away.

I pop to my feet, heart racing. "Wait!" I cry, chasing after him. I snatch the back of his damp suit jacket just as he leaves the hotel. "What are you planning?"

"Goodnight, Miss Rose," he insists, a cold fury lacing his voice. My legs quiver under the weight of his stare. I want to run and hide but, as he tries to shake me from his suit, I cling on. Stubborn as a flea on a wolf's back, I refuse to let go.

"Please!" I exclaim as the doorman looks on, watching us with confused and wary eyes, not sure if he should intervene. "If you plan on acting against my family then I –"

"If you are who you claim to be, then you've already acted against your family's interests, and your current actions are hypocritical. Which heightens my suspicions that this is a deception."

"How can you be so heartless?" I cry, my voice breaking. "Is it hypocritical to be terrified of marrying a man I've never met? Locked in a room to await my fate? Yes, I ran!" Tears build in my eyes, even though I promised myself I wouldn't cry. "I was scared! I still am scared, but that doesn't mean I stop caring about my family! About my little sister." I smack my palm against his shoulder. He spins around, nearly knocking me over.

"Strike me again, and you will regret it," he warns. I cringe as he turns back around. The doorman swiftly opens the door, not wanting to be a casualty in our drama.

"You are a cruel man, Magnus Drewmond!" I shout. He stops in the doorway. A misty draft sweeps into the lobby, rippling the edges of his suit jacket. "I am glad I ran. If you are anything like your father, perhaps it is Count Drewmond who blackmailed my family."

Chapter Word Count: 1339

Total Word Count: 5389