My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
My mother wrapped her arm around mines. Patting her arm with her hands and walking slowly. "We were just discussing-". She suddenly said, "I mean we are discussing we've been discussing-". She stopped in this long hallway that led to Amara's room where she was getting ready.
"What are you saying"? I asked. She turned and placed her hands on the side of my arms. She stared my her eyes, nodding. "The wedding date has been canceled-". She said, staring at me. My eyes were darting back and forth trying to understand what this meant.
"I've seen the way you look at that boy-". "By boy I mean Stellan while we were in the countryside and even now-". She nodded. "You like him I see and I've convinced your father to cancel the marriage to the Duke-". "I mean we are still figuring out how we can use him when we cancel the wedding-". "What are you saying"? I said I could my eyes burning with tears. Not by the canceling of my marriage but by this sudden affection she was showing me.
A teardrop fell on my mothers hand that made her pause and stare at her hand. She was too busy rambling that she hadn't even noticed that I began to cry. she looked up. Panicking and then this heartbreaking and sad feeling came in her eyes. She calmed down and sighed.
"There will be no wedding". She said, nodding. "Yeah"? She moved her hands up and began caressed my cheeks wiping away the tears that fell down. "Why are you doing this to me"? I asked. "Why did you give me up and treat me coldly one minute and sweetly the next minute"?
"Did you-". "Or do you feel any regret at all"? She hugged me tightly. Tears coming down her own cheeks. "The letters were from me". She said. "All the letters were from me, not your grandparents". She held my cheeks and stared at me.
"I've never told you the story of how I met and married your father". "That it wasn't out of love for him but another". "How even with me marrying your father the one that I loved died anyways". "How it took much for me to forgive your father for his deceit of me marrying him".
"When Nolan I came I hoped that he wouldn't look like your father and when he was born he didn't and I was so happy". "My looks were strong fo Nolan to come out looking like me and when I became pregnant with you I thought surely this child shall come out looking like me also".
"I didn't". I answered. "You didn't, I was already miserable looking at Thomas and his family, the ones who tricked me and kept me from the one I loved". "The one I wanted to marry was your fathers older brother". She took my hand and sat down on the window ledge with me.
"His brother was very sick but was perfect for the head of the house especially for the reason of him trying to cut off ties with the emperor to stop this whole feud". "I was to marry him. He loved me and I loved him and his sickness often got in the way of his duties". "Thomas lying and saying he has a medicine that would cure him of sickness came to me saying if I married him he would give it to Teddy what I called him his name was Theodore".
"I said yes Theodore died not from sickness but from heartbreak upon hearing that my father in law changed not the heir and marriage partner of the heir to me and Thomas". My mother cleared her throat and swallowed hard to say what happened next. "He died the next day after my wedding and when I had asked Thomas why hadn't he given Theodore the medicine he said there was no such thing that it was a lie for him to take over the family and even joked about how funny it was that Theodore died from something other than his sickness".
"Everyone says that you look like your father-". My mother said moving my hair out of my face. "But me and your grandfather think you look like Theodore, the resemblance is striking". "When you were born my in-laws stressed me about every little thing from the way I ran the household to the way I raised you and Nolan".
"Little schemes and plots they would try the more and more they began to do these things the more I began to resent anything that resembled the Whitewoods I didn't name you because I was stressed I rarely spent time with you so when my mother came along and named you and decided to take you away I didn't resist". "This was my first regret".
My mother began doing this thing with her hand placing one hand on top of the other. Left and right she kept doing it over and over. She didn't look at me the entire time she was telling me her story. "You remind me so much of Theodore and myself I see me so much in you I began to feel bitter".
"That day when you finally came bitter you smiled so brightly the same way I used to smile a genuine smile. I've lost that genuine smile due to age and hardship but there you were at the door hugging me and your father asking about the letters and I never spoke up about those letters". "That was my second regret because I could never hear from you again".
I placed my hand on my mothers stopping her from doing the step motion with her hands. "Back then when I was sending the letters I was sending them in secret your grandmother on the side of the family was against me trying to blackmail at any given second and she would use anything to gain power back in the main house so I stopped sending the letters". "Why didn't grandma and grandfather say anything"? I asked.
My mother sighed. "When you have a child you notice everything. I guess my look of fearfulness and terror showed on my face". "Scared that my own child's grandmother would try to bring harm to her just for the sake of power". My mother finally looked up at me and began rubbing my head.
"I have many regrets but having you isn't one of them". She said smiling. "Run away with him". She whispered. "What"? I said bewildered at my mother's wild advice. "If he truly loves you and you love him you shall run away together". She said.
"You find a way to talk to him and you ask him to marry you and run away with you". Amara who was in her wedding gown suddenly appeared with a paper in her hand. "Amara"? I stood up.
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready"? "I am ready now it is time for you to get ready". She said handing me the marriage license and a quill and ink bottle. "Write and sign your name". Amara said sitting next to me on the ledge. "Present it to him and run away to Qiaiar". My mother said, "And if he says no"? "Then run away to Qiaiar anyways". "How shall I get myself there"?
"My brother, your uncle will help". I scoffed. "Stellan will not talk to me his mother has forbidden it". "He's already spoken to you once already". My mother standing me up. "We shall go find our seats". My mother said, "And you my dear Amara shall get ready to walk down the aisle".
We left Amara, my mother leading me away as I clutched the marriage license in my hand. Confused and wondering what just happened. We made our way back to the outside. Agustin and Stellan were still standing next to each other. Only drinking wine this time.
When they saw me they immediately set their glasses down with Agustin speed walking towards me and Stellan staying where he was. He didn't move, only stared at me. For the first time I couldn't read Stellan's expression. He put his hands in his pocket and watched as we walked away. "My lord". My mother said moving me to the other side of her.
"Canary shall be sitting with the bride's family which is at the front of the aisle". Agustin's expression went dark and quickly went back to normal with a smile. "Okay"? "I shall see you later then"? Agustin replied.
"At the wedding banquet, yes". My mother replied". "She shall be traveling with us and to change clothes". Agustin nodded. "I certainly hope she will be wearing the dress I gifted her". He chuckled walking away.
Soon the ceremony began. Emilio walked down the aisle and music began to play. This love song that Amara had always adored. Then there was a silence with Amara appearing at the end of the aisle arm in arm with our father walking slowly down the aisle.
My mother smiled brightly with tears streaming down her face. She didn't cry at Nolan's wedding, she just sat there with a little smile. I don't think she liked Relina that much when she married into the family. My father gave my sister away to Emilio and sat down in his chair and handed my mother a handkerchief annoyed.
"Didn't cry at my wedding mother". Nolan said. She ignored Nolan and smiled happily at Amara. Whose veil was lifted and Emilio kissed her prompting everyone to clap. Amara looked happy. A different kind of happy.
Everyone began to leave after the ceremony was over. Commenting how beautiful it was and how they couldn't wait for the banquet. One by one we kept getting stopped by people congratulating my mother and father. Taking a quick glance and commenting on me getting married soon also. "In due time". My father said annoyed.
The last person to stop us was a smiley faced Agustin. He held his hands behind his back like he was some soldier that was wanting for his commanding officer to say something. His smile was eerie and he kept looking back and forth between my parents and me. "Lord Abarca". My father cleared his throat. "We shall have a word soon". Agustin shook his head. "No I would like a few words with you daughter if that is okay"? My father looked at me shocked my ownself was shocked too that Agustin would give another try to talk me after being snubbed earlier.
"Canary"? My father said, waiting for an answer. "I- um I guess". "Good". Agustin said, holding his hand out. I took it reluctantly. He led me a ways over where my parents could still see us but couldn't hear us. My father, who didn't really care that Agustin was having a conversation, got into his carriage with Nolan while my mother still stood there waiting.
"Does the name lady E.W ring a bell"? Agustin said with a grin. "A.W does infact ring a bell". I said. Considering the fact that I was E.W a name that I took on in Qiaiar. In Qiaiar or in any kingdom for that matter a woman who was unmarried could not own a business. If they came up with a business and they were unmarried that business would be seized and if by some chance that business was popular it was then sold off to the highest bidder.
And so when I was younger I had a knack of designing clothes and jewelry. My grandparents saw this and created the name E.W for me. And if the identity of E.W would somehow be found out my grandmother would say it was her business. When really it was her business. Eldreana Wilter is what E.W stood for. So while my grandmother owned the business I was the one operating it. This was the real inheritance. On the case that my grandparents would pass away I would inherit the fashion and jewelry my grandparents left behind.
The Wilter family still owned E.W Company. There were no laws against me working and operating the business since in a way it would be owned by my uncle. But I was practically the owner. The garment designs were mine, the jewelry designs were mine, and every project that would come by it was me who was working on it.
The real question here was why Agustin was bringing this name up. "I would hope it would". Agustin said fumbling around with his cufflinks. Then I began to look in great detail at his cufflinks. They were ruby encased in gold. Ruby gold encased cufflinks were rare in the empire unless you had a lot of money. I've only seen the emperor, a noble with a lot of wealth, and the Wilters. Not my fathers family. Just the Wilters. Because I had made those cufflinks and they were mainly popular in Qiaiar. "How did you-"? "How did I get these"? He chuckled. "Things from Qiaiar are hard to get unless you're a traveler or a noble who has a lot of money hence why only the emperor and two other nobles have these cufflinks…That is until now".
"Here's the thing, Canary". Agustin drew closer to me still grinning. "I must admit we got off on the wrong foot by insulting you, threatening people, even tricking you". "I'll let you marry the Wolf boy, how bout that". I raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon". "Yes you're planning on running off with the Wolf boy if he even agrees". "Who-". "It doens't matter who told me Canary". "What matters now is that i've realized that I do not need to marry you to get what I want".
He raised his finger pointing at me with this half serious half joking look on his face. "You are E.W correct". I stayed quiet; this seemed to be all the confirmation for Agustin. "So you are E.W". "What do you want from me". I said, frowning at him. All I could feel was anger and fear. Agustin had to be crazy. How could his personality change like that? One moment he was this uptight arrogant man who thought I was unworthy of rejecting him. And now he was a calm man wanting me to go off in the sunset with Stellan all because I was E.W.
"You're crazy". I said taking a step back from him. All he did was take a step forward with that freaky smile of his. "I know I might come off a bit erratic as my uncle and Shimon have told me before. I'm really trying to fix that". He rambled on a bit about things he needed to change before stopping and staring at me wondering if I had witnessed all of that. To which I unfortunately had to. "Heres the deal I need to start open a trade way with the Qiaiar to strengthen both me and Shimon's place in this battle for the throne.". "And you my little E.W princess are just the key to do that".
"So my offer comes again". "I shall let you marry that Wolf in exchange (if the Wolf family even lets you) start a business opportunity with me". H beheld out his hand smiling from ear to ear like a kid who was asking for candy. "This business plan is all you truly want"? "Yes isn't it what you want also"? He asked. "And how do you know this"? "Well a certain uncle on my travels showed me drawings of the designs you've made it is un fact how I fot these cufflinks". "You visited my uncle"?! "No no no no I saw him in my travels in Qiaiar and when I saw you calling him uncle in the summer outings I connected the dots".
"Why didn't you just do it this way in the first place"? "Well like I said Shimon and my uncle said I am erratic in my actions now I see so too". "Hmmm". Agustin said tapping his foot. "I truly need to fix that". "So i'll let you marry the Wolf boy if you decide to do the business with me (If they let you)". "Why do you keep saying if they let me"? Agustin patting me on the shoulder to which I shrugged off. "My only word of advice when dealing with Stellan is don't wear his favorite color to the wedding banquet".
"What"? "Deal or no deal"? Agustin held his hand out. "You promise"? I said. I don't know why I was agreeing to the deal with Agustin and why I was trusting him so soon. But I shook his hand to which he replied with a cheery smile. "Just remember to not wear red"! He yelled walking away.
To which to his advice I didn't listen to nor did my mother listen to. So I showed up to the banquet wearing red and getting an annoyed glare from Agustin who was standing in the corner with a glass of wine in his head. I stood in a corner also. My eyes frequently finding their way to look at Stellan who was talking,laughing, and sometimes dancing with different people. I was simply waiting for the chance to get Stellan away and talk to him.
The night dragged on and on. Soon it would be ending a friendly reminder from Agustin who somehow made his way on the dance floor with a random woman. Now or never my mother mouthed. So I made my way to Stellan, My steps felt heavy and he felt far. I quickly made my way over to Stellan who was finally alone by the refreshment table. I tapped his shoulder making him jump when he turned around noticing it was me.
"Canary"! Stellan said half excitedly half worried. "Anything the matter"? He asked. "Yes I was wondering if I could have a word on the terrace? "Uhhhh-sure". Stellan said, setting down his cup. I began to feel that maybe I shouldn't be doing this. That I shouldn't be saying this as we made our way to the terrace.
I was speaking but I couldn't hear the words that were coming out of my mouth. I began to say the words that my mother and Amara had told me to say even pulling out the paper that they had given me. The more and more I talk the more Stellan's expression began to darken. Then I began to feel my expression begin to darken.
My words trailed off and then I remembered a key detail that none of us remembered. That even though you may have feelings for someone they won't always share the same feelings for you. That even if I loved to read books I was not good at reading the books of people feelings and expressions. That Stellan's looks of longing and worry weren't those of love but those of a friend. I was wrong…not everyone will share the same feelings for you….I was wrong.