Scorned (1)

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𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔡

There was commotion. 

Erin heard chairs moving, and her mother panicking to action first. 

"Oh, sweet holy!" Lady Sutherton gasped, the clacking of her heels approaching quickly. 

Erin groaned, pulling herself upright with a wobble. She pressed her fingertips against her throbbing forehead, her free hand stretching out to refuse her mother's oncoming help. "I'm fine, I---." 

"--Mister Ezra." She stepped over her daughter, the blade of her heels narrowly missing the stunned girl. 

"Mister Ezra, are you alright?" She examined him as if he were the one on the floor, dizzy and confused. 

He widened his eyes, peaking once at Erin. "Me? Yes Lady Sutherton, I'm fine. Quite perfect." He glanced down. "Lady Erina are you all alright? Quite a fall you just had there." He offered his hand with a blinding smile. "Allow me to offer my assistance."

Delayed, Lady Sutherton directed her concern to her daughter. "What happened? What did you do, break a chair leg? These chairs were gifted to us, Erin. Why must you do things that cause us such grievance?" 

She heard her mother, but her head turned to Ezra, burrowing her eyes into his. 

"Erina, your actions are nothing more than upsetting right now." Lady Sutherton sighed, and faced Ezra. "Forgive my daughter. She is still young in her mind despite her age---." 

"--I did not do anything, mother," Erin started with a hiss, glaring at one man only. "I am not of pre-prepuescebent age. I have no need for nursey aged toys and tricks. I do not, but apparently you do."

Her mother disapprovingly frowned at the mention of 'you' but not understanding she simply continued with a frown. "You will bring smudges your dress, please get from the ground at least."

"Yes, mother." She complied with the order like a sweet little child, but her face was growing and aging with thick dislike and animosity. 

She was getting to her knees, pushing through the layers of her dress when he opened his mouth again. 

"Lady Erina, please allow me to help you." He offered his hand again and she smacked it away so fiercely their knuckles briefly banged each other.

Stabilizing her feet and wrapped her hands over her chest. "Who is this?" she asked, pointing to Ezra and fixing her narrowing eyes. 

She wondered briefly if he was another one of those suitors that attempted for her hand every now and then. All of the men who had heard she was beautiful and all of the men who had hoped to be apart of the only few surviving true pure old noble class. A type of nobility that had been swallowed over the years by the crown. By law, gone were the days were one's lineage should determine their fate. Men of any background could be allowed to amass new wealth. However, more often than not, the new wealthy men and women who came from nowhere seeking wealth would often go back to nowhere.

In response, the royal policies and decrees had been changing for years, even the law on marriages of the classes. Inter-class marriage between those of lower birth and those of high birth---the first prince had inadvertently done it, and thus the law was changed. Now it would be so that a man should be allowed to freely court for a wife and a woman would be allowed to accept or reject. This was the law, but for Erin, her choices remained limited. 

Lady Sutherton swallowed. "Well, this is not exactly the most proper meeting, but...?" She forced a thin smile. "Erina, this man is Ezra, Ezra Radcliff--." She only paused to take a breath when Erin interrupted. 

"Radcliff?" Erin coldly blinked. "Never heard of such a family name. Mother, I thought you told me to never dirty the hem of my sleeves. Surely if I offer my hand I might smudge it."

Lady Sutherton's eyes went wide. "Erina, he's going to be our new butler, the caretaker of this estate while we are away."

"New butler?" she said, scoffing at the realization. "What of the last one?"

"Erin, I beg, do not start with your goads and jokes." 

"Wasn't a joke," she said, starkly. Unfolding her arms, she stared at Ezra. "Do you know what happened to our last butler?" 

"Erina," Lady Sutherton chastised. 

She neglected her mother and kept her eyes on him. "And do you know what happens when someone disrespects or displeases a Sutherton?" 

"And Ezra?" Lady Sutherton forced a smile. "This is my daughter, Erina Sutherton." She firmly pressed her lips together, growing anxious as she felt the heat of her daughter's burning eyes. She didn't like the look that was cooking in them.

"A-and, now that you two have met, she shall be making her leave. Right, Erin?"

She continued glaring, unresponsive. 

Lady Sutherton cleared her throat and plastered on a smile. "She will be making her leave," she weakly said, grimacing at her husband who was still seated drinking tea. "Um, Daviyd, perhaps we should take Mister Ezra to another room to see---." She stopped, going pale as her daughter marched to Ezra. 

Raising her arm slowly, she pointed her finger at him. "You." She spoke with lethal dedication. 

"It is lovely to be properly introduced to you, Lady Erina." He spoke in a reserved manner, giving her the brightest of his smile. "I hope you'll be able to forgive my indulgence---." He paused and cleared his throat. "---My apologies, my tongue slipped, I meant to say indigence. I wish I could have acted to help before you missed your chair and experienced such…," he said, sucking in the air. "Discomfort."

Erin fell silent. 'Discomfort'. Those words were incredulous and made her twist her face. There was one thing she was feeling.

Dead.

She wanted him dead, deader than a landed fish.

She honed her murderous stare, sharpened nonexistent fangs, and prepared her method of destruction.