Beautiful Torment *Book One of the Beautiful series*

7) Leaving

It was settled.

The deal was sealed with silver and ink. Lucy and Victoria were officially property of the Duke of Ashbourne. They would be parting after dinner was served and the rest of her chores complete.

When Lucy returned to her room to pack her meager belongings, she found a wrapped parcel waiting on her cot. She hesitated, weary of a gift so carefully wrapped. No one had ever given her a present in her life. Making it impossible to fathom why they would start now. "Is this from you?" She took a tentative step toward it, flashing a look back at her lifelong roommate before trailing a finger over the smooth wrapping.

"Do not be absurd. The paper alone would cost me a month's wages. It must be from the Duke, silly girl. Open it," Rosalind urged with an uncharacteristically excited gleam in her eye.

At the mention of the man, a feeling of nausea swept over Lucy. She brought her hand away as if the paper had burned her. Wrapped within could only be a coiled viper, waiting to strike. Acidic bile festered at the back of her throat, the bitter taste flooded her mouth. She stumbled back a step, but Rosalind caught her before she fell.

"Lucy?" She murmured low, her brow crinkling with worry. "Are you alright?"

Though her head felt so light she thought she might topple sideways, the young girl managed to nod and straighten herself. "I-I am. I just suddenly felt faint. Overwhelmed, I think...it has been an exciting day."

Rosalind let out a puff of air that sent a loose tendril of her blonde hair twirling between them. "That was an understatement if I have ever heard one." The look on her face told Lucy she knew the girl was holding back, but Rosalind had never been one to pry. Instead, she nudged Lucy toward the gift.

Lucy swallowed back the acidic flavor coating her tongue and took a more determined step toward the thick parcel. Her fingers trembled around the brown string that tied it all together. When the knot slipped loose, she unfolded the paper in slow, careful movements. Neatly stacked were two black uniforms, spun of fresh wool, trimmed in white, and beneath them a cloak made of thick, velvet soft fur. She ran her hand over the deep blue material, never before having felt something as fine.

There were no words to express her shock, but Rosalind smiled and shook it out before tossing it over Lucy's shoulders. "See," she said brightly, though silvery tears threatened the corner of her eyes. "Your life is already improving, little Luce. You are going to be most happy at your new station. I can feel it in my bones." Her smile was warm but sad as she smoothed the edges to perfection.

Lucy threw her arms around her friend. She felt a sudden panic swell within her chest as if she were holding the end of an anchored rope that was slipping steadily through her fingers and she was powerless to stop it. Gripping tightly would only rub her palms bloody raw.

She had to let go.

Night fell quicker than she ever remembered it had before. The sun dipped low in the sky, sinking into the earth as clouds gathered around to mourn its descent. The staff of Granston House stood outside the main entrance, whores and servants alike forced to bid their farewells to the Madam's youngest daughter.

Victoria stood stoic and brave. She wore a brilliant green dress with a traveling cloak to match. The sunset reflected off the locks of her shining red hair. Her jaw was set in a rigid line. She stared past the mother who fluttered around her, feigning tears and sorrow. Perhaps she really would miss her youngest daughter, but there was no doubt she would soon console herself by counting the stacks of silver that waited inside.

Lucy stared, too, a sense of melancholy ebbing away at the numbness within her. Regardless of the abuse, Granston House had been her only home, now she was being ripped away from it. Even though she had lost hope long ago, the brief thought that if she was not there her mother would not be able to find her crossed her mind. But it was quickly quelled by the Madam's loud, false sobs.

To Lucy's satisfaction, Victoria said not a word to her mother. She shrugged her off and made a cold retreat into the open door of the Duke's waiting carriage. The Duke himself let out an amused snicker before turning to follow. Lucy, too, made to enter the roomy carriage but the Duke simply slammed the small door in her face and lowered the shade.

Stunned, Lucy made to lunge for the handle when two strong hands gripped her waist and hoisted her up and forward onto the driver's bench of the sleek, black carriage. There was not so much as a second to protest before the man attached to those hands heaved himself up after her, settling into his seat.

Alexander did not look at her as he grabbed the reins, yelling as he snapped them against the horse's hindquarters. They went hurling forward into the growing evening darkness.

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Lucy snuggled closer to the warm body of the person beside her in bed. Even though she knew they had to get up, she was not ready to be away from him. Knowing there would be a slight chill the moment he was no longer touching her. Closing her eyes, she wiggled back against him and sighed contently. 

This was definitely her most favorite place in the world. 

A bump in the road jostled the carriage, startling her awake. At first puzzled as to where she was and who was with her. In the dim lantern light, which glowed from its spot hung upon the side of their transport, she was mortified to realize she had fallen asleep with her head resting on the manservant's shoulder. Instantly, she righted herself and slid the length of the stiff bench beneath her.

"Nearly there," Alexander's voice rumbled through the air between them, but his eyes remained fixed on the dark road ahead. From what very little she could see, they were cutting through a stretch of forest. The piercing black on either side of them, paired with towering trees, made for ominous scenery. She found herself inching back towards the protective shadow of the man beside her. Craving his warmth and surety.

"What-" She started to ask but her throat constricted. Parched, she had to swallow against what felt like dust coating her mouth. "What will it be like?"

She peeked up at Alexander, finding his sharp jaw set as he stared into the distance.
"It will not be pleasant," he finally said after a silence that stretched far too long. "The Duke is conniving. He takes pleasure in bringing others discomfort. He bullies his servant's to no end. I pity your friend. I pity you."

Lucy felt her heart plummet. She did not want his pity. An intrusive thought stirred in her head, something dark and selfish. She wondered if perhaps she should have heeded Alexander's warning and escaped while she had the chance. The urge to jump from the carriage and run crossed her mind. But the image was quickly drowned by an overwhelming sense of guilt when Victoria's face shimmered like a mirage behind her eyes. She owed the young girl for years of kindness and friendship. She would not abandon her in her darkest hour.

"That color looks nice on you," Alexander spoke, disrupting her inner turmoil.
He said it so quietly she thought perhaps she had misheard him, but when she glanced over, his gaze was upon her. Eyes like cold obsidian stone. She realized he was talking about her new cloak and blushed. The material, warm and rich, was dyed a shade of deep royal blue. Never in her life had she worn something so finely made.

"Thank you," she whispered, shoulders growing rigid under his scrutiny. She was determined not to lose her head around him again, which was exceedingly difficult because he affected her so strongly. In the strangest way; never before had a man made her burn from the inside out. It was as though something in him called to her, but she was afraid to answer. Afraid of what would happen if she let herself.

The carriage jostled again and they blinked away from each other, looking back towards the night blanketed road in silence. Not another word came between them until the Duke's Manor burst into view and Lucy let out a sharp awed gasp.

The place was glorious, like nothing she had ever seen before. Several stories of solid stone with light pouring from the windows. It made Granston House look like a beggar's hovel, the mansion was a small castle. For the first time since leaving her home, Lucy experienced a twitch of excitement. She wondered at the vast amount of rooms to be explored. The secrets in the stones that held a story she alone could try to discover.

Her heart raced and she saw that Alexander was trying not to smile at her reaction. "Welcome to Thorish Manor, the Duke's summer estate."