Mysterious Lady
Christine paced the room furiously as her father tried to talk some sense into her. She couldn�t believe her father was doing this to her, it was not right! Forcing her to marry someone she did not love or even like for that matter. For once she did not care what her father said, this time she would not do as he said, no matter how good his arguments were. Suddenly she stopped directly in front of her father and jabbed her finger into his chest, �Burn you daddy! You can not do this to me and I will have no part of it. You can�t make me marry Lord Dawson and I swear I will not. I do not care what opportunities it will bring to our status of nobility. That means nothing to me, what does mean something to me is love and I do not love Lord Dawson.� She jabbed her finger into his chest at certain words to emphasize her point, her green eyes glaring up at her father with much anger in them.
His own green eyes glared back at her furiously as he raised his hand back and swung it across her face in a loud smack. He yelled at her, �Do not ever speak to me in that way Christine! I am your father and I will have none of this nonsense from you! You WILL marry Lord Dawson and to dam with this crazy feeling you call love!�
Christine clutched her cheek against the sting from his hand and lowered her head. Her heart felt as if it had just been crushed by large boulder. Yes, her father had hit her before and had spoken cruelly to her, but never such as this. She was his little princess he had always said, and he always treated her good when she acted, as she should. This, however, was different though, she was not sure how, but it was. Mumbling apologetically she said to him with her head still lowered, �Aye, father you are right as always. I�I will marry�Lord Dawson as you wish it so.� Her heart cried out in defiance though and in her heart and mind she vowed she would not. She did not yet know how she would get away from this, but she would find some way, she had to.
Watching his daughter run out of the room he sighed. He hadn�t wanted to do that but the girl was just so stubborn, and to talk to her father that way of all things, especially using words no lady should ever use. Why it was unheard of throughout the world. She was so much like her mother, very strong willed and stubborn, yet still with a certain amount of docility to her. Christine was just as beautiful as her mother was as well. With the same long, burnished golden hair and the same pale green eyes, why they looked almost exactly alike. She got her height from her father though, only nineteen years of age and she was already five feet eleven inches tall. He doubted, seriously that she would grow any taller, for she seemed to have finished her bought of growth. Thumping himself into a chair near the fire he stared blankly into it pondering what to do about her. Did not she know that it was her duty to marry a wealthy lord with many lands that would be added to theirs? They were already the highest of nobles in Airadon and in fact were quite close to the queen herself. However, when it came to land and money among nobles, the more you had the more respected and honored you were and the higher your status became. He honestly did not think that Lord Dawson was that bad of a man; he seemed quite decent and was always polite. Why did not Christine like him? Sure, he was not the most handsome of the nobles he could have chosen for her husband but he had what was needed for them to gain status, and Lord Dawson�s army allied with his own would give the queen of Airadon an even greater army than it already had. |
