Chapter 25
Much later, I learned that Millicent had followed me from the ballroom to the garden that night. Stalker behavior. Though she called it "interest."
After I managed to escape Millicent's clutches in the garden that summer, I found myself face-to-face with the man who would haunt me with his presence, the beast who weaponized my love for Cecilia as a means to control me. He was not human; no, such malevolence could only come from something far fouler.
"Florance," he hissed, his voice carrying that thinly veiled contempt he always reserved just for me, "you have not so much as greeted Matthias tonight. Are you openly defying me?"
Oh, how I wished for the strength to rip the cane from my hand and strike him squarely across the face. Or better yet, to procure a brick and aim for his forehead. But alas, I forced my face into the façade of calm civility. My lips curled into a calculated smile as I spoke. "I could not find him," I lied.
His eyes darkened. "Well," he snapped, "he is currently enjoying a drink by the entrance. Go now and make yourself agreeable. Spread your filthy legs for him if you must."
Why don't you spread your legs instead, since you seem so eager to please him?!
And so I made my way back to the ballroom. If ever there was a time to call upon the heavens to smite someone, it was then.
My eye landed on a table laden with wine glasses, each one sparkling like a tiny beacon of salvation. If divine intervention wasn't going to come from the heavens, then perhaps it could be found at the bottom of a glass.
I strode to the table, snatching the nearest glass. The first sip was sweet, unexpectedly so, and I downed the contents in one swift motion. I reached for another glass. And then another. And another. And more.
Placing the final empty glass back on the table with a loud clink, I let out a bitter chuckle. "Well," I muttered mockingly to myself, swaying ever so slightly as the wine's warmth seeped into my veins, "I suppose I am now perfectly equipped to spread my legs for that man."
I began to giggle.
I had scarcely managed two precarious steps toward the ballroom's entrance when a gentle hand caught my wrist. Turning slowly, I found myself face to face with Millicent.
"Can you repeat that, Florance?" Millicent asked.
I blinked at her, my mind attempting to claw through the pleasantly foggy haze of wine to recall what on earth she could be referring to. "Repeat what?" I slurred.
"What you just said."
I took a step closer, my movements slow, partly because the room had developed the unfortunate habit of tilting every time I moved too quickly. I had to crane my neck to meet Millicent's gaze properly. For a moment, I simply stared at her, blinking in drunken contemplation.
"Seriously. Why did you act as you did in the garden? And," I paused, "on the very first day we met as well? And why, are you so disgustingly gorgeous?"
Her lips parted slightly in disbelief. "You are drunk," she declared with a resigned sigh. "Come, I shall escort you to your guest chamber before you make an even greater spectacle of yourself."
I, however, had other ideas. I pulled my wrist free from her grasp, swaying slightly but determined to stand my ground, or at least not fall flat on it. "No, no, no!" I protested. "I am on a mission."
"And what mission might that be?"
I laughed. To my horror, it was a soft lilting sound that came out far too... alluring. Where had that come from? Perhaps the wine had unlocked some inner seductress in me. No, who am I fooling? My hazy mind and uncooperative body had betrayed me, acting out the very lessons I had been forced to endure. It was as though those cursed teachings had taken root.
I leaned closer to Millicent, the world tilting precariously with the motion. My cane clattered to the floor, abandoned as I steadied myself against her shoulder for balance.
"The art of seduction," I whispered, my lips curling into a mischievous smile.
For the briefest moment, Millicent's famed composure faltered. Ah, what a triumph that was! Encouraged by her fleeting reaction, I tilted my head ever so slightly, closing the already small space between us. My expression shifted into what I believed was the very portrait of irresistible allure.
I allowed my gaze to smolder, channeling every ounce of charm drilled into me during those insufferable lessons. My eyes locked onto hers, daring her to break the charged silence hanging thick in the air.
Her shallow breaths betrayed her calm facade.
"Like this," I murmured.
A faint flush climbed Millicent's neck.
After a long silence, Millicent finally spoke. "You are impossible." Her voice was far too composed for my liking as she stepped back, putting a measured distance between us. Oh, but I could see that faint glint in her eye, the suppressed temptation to press further if not for the many watchful eyes around us. "Come, Florance. Let us see you safely to your chamber before you manage to charm the entire estate."
I offered a self-satisfied smile. "I am utterly irresistible when inebriated."
Her lips twitched, betraying the faintest hint of amusement as she stooped to pick up my abandoned cane. Straightening with a practiced elegance, she handed it back to me with a quiet murmur, "I have no doubt."