he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was not passionate or exciting, but pleasant. Having nothing to compare it with, Miranda thought the kiss to be very satisfying. Feeling that Lord Hammil was taking enough liberties with her, she backed away removing herself from his arms and taking several steps away from him. She wanted to put plenty of space between them.
“You have made me a very happy man, Miranda. I will see that you are taken care of properly. Everything you will ever want will be yours.” Lord Hammil grabbed the chair next to Miranda’s and pulled it closer so he could sit next to her. Miranda slowly sank back into her chair, fixing the folds of her gown with one hand while Lord Hammil grabbed the other and held it in his.
“I know we have spent much time together but there are some things which you may not know about me. I know that I may seem weak and docile compared to some other men, but I’m really not. It may look like I couldn’t protect you from harm but appearances can be deceiving. I have much power in this world of ours and I feel I could protect you and do it well. However, there are things that I expect out of my wife and these are qualities I feel you should be aware of. I enjoy the sight of you, it pleases me very much, and your demeanor and obedience is satisfying. I feel that my wife should also be trustworthy, obedient to my command at all times, and faithful. Do you have these qualities?” Lord Hammil stared into Miranda’s soft brown eyes awaiting her answer.
“Of course!” replied Miranda hesitantly, feeling a little uncomfortable at having her virtues questioned, but also knowing that she wasn’t quite sure if she was going to be able to live up to Lord Hammil’s expectations of her. He was expecting her to be a perfect person and in this world she knew that she was not. A smile rose upon his lips as he continued.
“Good, because I feel that you do as well. I am a jealous man at times and get angry when people touch the items that belong to me without my permission. I would kill someone if they touched you where only I will be touching you.” The image of Lord Hammil caressing her body and lips almost made her shiver with distaste. This feeling caused much concern for Miranda. Lord Hammil wasn’t an ugly man by any means, in fact, he was quite handsome, but she still could not believe the hateful words that were coming out of his mouth. She wanted to take back what she had said to him about her father agreeing to the marriage, but knew that now she could not. Her eyes ran over Lord Hammil’s form as he ran his fingers through his hair and over his mustache, as if it was a nervous habit. Miranda’s eyes widened as she saw his hands shake as he spoke.
“I must have order in my life and because I am a public figure I demand perfection. Do you understand what I expect from you?” Lord Hammil grasped her hand tighter in his. Miranda almost flinched from the pain.
“I understand perfectly your expectations of me,” replied Miranda as she tried to smile but couldn’t quite accomplish it.
“Good, very good, I’m glad we understand each other. Now, there is another matter I wish to talk with you about. I am leaving on a ship tomorrow to go to New Providence, in the Caribbean. I have an estate down there and wish to check on it, as well as to take care of some personal matters for the queen. Would you care to join me? I know it is short notice to expect you to be ready in time, but I thought perhaps we could marry at my estate down there. I can send word ahead to make it ready for our coming. I have always wanted to get married in a tropical and beautiful place like New Providence. Would you indulge me, my sweet?” Lord Hammil stared longingly into Miranda’s eyes, hoping she wouldn’t say no.
Miranda was stunned by the request and yet pleased by it. She still hadn’t heard from her father and was starting to get concerned for his welfare. By joining Lord Hammil to New Providence, she could find a way to Eleuthera Island to see if her father was hiding out there. The thought brought a brilliant smile to Miranda’s face.
“If that is your wish, Leonard, then I will obey. I have never been to the Caribbean,” Miranda lied smoothly. “You have made me very happy with your request.” Suddenly, Miranda leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon Lord Hammil’s cheek. He caressed the smooth skin of her cheek and was about to partake in her lips when they heard a knock on the door.
“Enter!” said Lord Hammil, frustrated by the interruption.
“Forgive the intrusion, milord, but your guests are arriving,” said a servant with short brown hair and glasses.
“Very good, thank you.” He then turned to face Miranda again.
“Shall we?” he asked as he lifted Miranda from her chair by her hand, not waiting for a response from her, and walked to the door. Standing in the hallway was Davy. He followed quietly behind the pair as they entered into the Hall, their eyes falling upon the people waiting for them.
Hours had passed and Miranda was still in conversation with many of Lord Hammil’s guests. He had already made the announcement of their engagement to the masses. The smile on her face felt permanent, and she would have given anything to be alone so she could act like herself instead of this stranger she was becoming. It frustrated her immensely. Miranda knew that if anyone saw her act inappropriately that she would bring shame to Lord Hammil, and from his behavior earlier, she didn’t want to do that. Miranda felt her feet becoming sore in her tight shoes and knew she had to sit in a chair quickly before she lost all patience and threw them across the room. “That would surely be a spectacle,” Miranda whispered to herself as she gave an unladylike snort, excusing herself from the stranger before her and sitting longfully into a chair.
Miranda could see Madam Fairaday glancing over at her from a group of women she was talking with. She waved for her to join them. Miranda stood and walked over to the group, her feet still aching.
“You all know Miss Smyth, Lord Hammil’s fiancé?” The women glanced over at Miranda kindly, except for a few who snubbed her. Miranda tried not to let her smile falter.
“You are very fortunate to be marrying Lord Hammil,” said a woman who had a slightly crooked nose, pale complexion and bright red lips. She also had bright colored feathers peeking out from her hair and looked very similar to a peacock in her blue dress.
“Yes, he’s quite a catch. I’m indeed fortunate.” The woman pressed her lips tightly as she took a sip from her drink. The rest of the women kept eyeing her tersely but Madam Fairaday guided the conversation to all of the topics she knew Miranda was aware of. Miranda seemed quite intelligent to the women before her, but soon she was getting tired and her feet started bothering her again.
“Please excuse me ladies, but I believe my fiancé is looking for me. It was nice to meet all of you.” Miranda winked at Madam Fairaday and left the circle of women. She then moved back toward the hallway and sat into another chair, her hands instantly moving to massage her feet.
Davy remained in the room and watched over her as usual. There were a few times when his eyes didn’t fall upon Miranda during the evening and that was because he was entertaining a beautiful woman. Her name was Lady Eleanor and Davy was quite fond of her as she was of him. He was currently leading her around the dance floor making friendly conversation, hoping that he could lure her into his bed for the night. He smiled as he remembered the last time he had done so. Though Davy was always aware of Miranda’s movements, he also had needs that he had to look after as well. At that moment though, his eyes were focused on Miranda and he noticed when she suddenly rose from her chair and left the room unattended. Davy quickly made his apologies as he hastily kissed Lady Eleanor’s hand leaving her on the dance floor. Not paying much attention to the disappointment that covered Lady Eleanor’s features as he left, Davy kept his attention upon Miranda. When he caught up with her he grabbed her arm in a light grasp stopping her.
“Where are you going, Miry?” Miranda turned around at the familiar voice and replied
