Abby's POV
A few minutes went by.
I opened the door when I heard Abbott's voice.
It seemed like he was angry at someone.
For a second, I felt relieved. At least it wasn't directed at me. I took a step closer, hoping to hear more of the conversation. It was Bastian. He was mad at Bastian.
I moved closer against my better judgement.
"How could you let this happen?" His voice was low at first and then it wasn't. "How could you let this happen in my absence?!"
"Abbott…" Bastian's voice faded away.
Abbott grabbed the vase on the stool near the portrait by his right and he tossed it at Bastian, he stepped out of the way…but only barely, it shattered near his feet.
"Abbott…" he whispered again. He didn't seem to be bothered by his murderous rage.
"Of what use are you to me, Bastian if you can't stop such…." He grabbed another vase to throw at him again and without thinking I got in-between them and it hit my hand.
"Abby!"
"Milady!"
They yelled simultaneously. They both reached out to me simultaneously but halfway, Abbott withdrew and kept his distance.
"Why did you do that?" Bastian asked me as he checked my hand.
I focused on Abbott.
I stared at him.
There was something about him that confused me.
Something I couldn't quite fathom or place my finger on, something that made me both afraid of him and in awe of him, something that made him the most terrifying man I know and a potential sanctuary on earth.
Something that made me want to be as far away from him as possible and as close to him as I was right now.
He was the one I always seem to be in danger of.
Abbott Raven was a lot of things including husband to me right now, something he clearly didn't want, but backing down wasn't an option.
I was scared but enough was enough!
"It wasn't his fault, Prince Abbott. It's mine" This bravery came from thin air. "I won't let you hurt him because of me! You want to hurt someone? then hurt me…leave him alone. Hurt me, I can take it!" I screamed in his face.
He opened his mouth to say something but then he stopped.
"You are right. It is your fault" He came closer and I took a step back. "You toy with people's lives like it's a fucking toy, Abby. You make decisions you have no business making..."
"I had a raven's seal, I had the right to demand to..."
"Fuck your Raven's seal, Abby Spencer!" He took a step closer to me... terrifying close, his voice dropped to a whisper. "You should have stayed in your world where everything was rainbows and unicorns. Married a good little boy and have a couple of little good babies. You should have stayed the hell away from me! And now, you will regret it. I promise you"
He turned around and walked away. Bastian followed behind him. And I was left standing there, my mind drifting back to the time of my life, he referred to as Rainbows and unicorn.
***
(A month ago)
I let Nanny Josie drag me through the hall past the awful portraits of grandpapa towards the sour puss face of my very dead uncle Joseph.
It was time like this that I am reminded to be grateful that mama is a great beauty and it somehow balanced out the awful appearance of my paternal side.
Don't get me wrong, papa isn't at all ugly but one couldn't exactly call him a great beauty with his average height, flat nose and big ears but what he lacked in appearance he made up for by being the best father in the whole wide world and even a better husband to mama.
"Are you paying attention to me, Abby?"
Nanny Josie's voice brought me out of my head and- no, I was not paying attention to her but it didn't stop me from nodding like a lizard.
"I am paying attention, Nanny but could you repeat yourself, please?"
She stopped walking and looked me straight in the eyes, her round face twitching a little bit.
"Abigail, child…you are eighteen years of age. Two seasons have come and gone and yet, you lack suitors or a prospective husband and your mama has thought it wise that you dine with the duke of Kyre, dearest Abby and…"
"I did?" baroness Ginny, mother dearest asked from the base of the stairs she was standing clutching a dangling necklace.
Her beautiful curly red hair bounced as she tried to figure out the necklace she was holding, two of our servants stood behind her, one servant holding several hair pins and the other trying to hold her still enough to jam it through her hair to tame the fiery hair that wanted to remain untamed.
"Ouch! That hurts!" mother yelled but paid no further attention to the servants.
"It won't if you would stand still, lady Ginny!" Mary yelled out loud.
Mother rolled her eyes.
I know what you are thinking, we are titled and therefore, servants should quake at the sound of our voice and whatnot but in the bluestone manor, our servants are more like tethers, holding us in the real world…preventing us from getting lost in the fantastic world in our heads.
We are a tad eccentric and conform as little as possible to the rules of the peerage…and by little, I mean we took the rules and we set it on fire. For instance, I am a proper lady yet hidden in my drawer is my friend, Charlie…. Did I mention he is a toad?
Mother knows nothing about being a baroness or any kind of propriety and could pick any lock in Dakra with her eyes closed.
She has no patience for hair pins or proper decorum, if eccentric was a person, it would be Baroness Ginny Baltimore Spencer.
And Father? He prefers sticking his nose into his mathematics books and spending hours trying to solve a math problem than bother with taverns and whore houses like other titled men, not that he would want to, he was as in love with mama as the day they first set their eyes on each other.
Hence me…the Honorable Abigail Spencer in all of my social awkwardness and incredibly happy life.
The front door burst open and a footboy rushed inside to yell... "The duke is coming! The duke is coming! Hurry '' he said before rushing out again sending the servants into panic.
"Make haste! Make haste!" Nanny Josie yelled at everyone.
More servants scurried inside to help hold mama still so Mary could get her hair under control while I picked at my corset.
"Stop doing that!" Nanny warned me off.
"I can't breathe! Why do I have to wear the damn thing?!" I asked her.
"Don't swear! You are a proper honorable…a lady. And to answer your question because you have a waist directly proportional to a pregnant cow, Abby" she answered before turning around to yell "Where is the Baron?!"
"Why are we hosting the duke, Josette?"
Mother asked Nanny Josie.
"Because you and Lord Baltimore think he will be a great match for little Abby….and so, you invited him for dinner"
"We did?" mother looked confused.
"Yes. The letter had the seal of the house of Spencer, Lady Ginny"
Mother turned towards the library and she yelled "Barry! Josette stole the seal again. I told you to burn it!"
"I did, dear"
I watched as father walked into the hall properly dressed for a change, his servant Kane stood behind grinning like he had achieved the impossible.
"I had another made" Nanny Josie said before pulling me towards the base of the stairs.
Soon, we were standing by the door with the politest smile while our servants pretended to be actual servants for appearance.
When the duke alighted from his horse, I tried to hold in a snicker.
"He looks like a horse" I observed.
"Good thing you love horses, dear" Nanny Josie said and it wiped the snicker away from my face as terror crept into me and I moved closer to my father for comfort.
"Father"
"Be still, Bubbles…you don't ever have to see Horse Duke after today"
"No, if all goes according to Nanny Josie's plan then she will be seeing horse Duke every day because she will be duchess horse face" Mary quipped in behind me with a smile on her face.
"Stop calling him horse face!" Nanny snapped in between her clenched jaw as she nudged me to stand upright like a constipated ostrich.
I watched as the duke approached us. He had red hair but his hair wasn't as vibrant as mama's or me, he had what I could describe as two protruding teeth. I will give him a little credit for trying to enclose those monstrous teeth with his lower lip but it was futile. It was simply undoable. He had long ears and they made him look like Wesley-my horse.
With exceptions to his face and teeth, he was what young maidens call a warrior. He was well built and he walked with confidence.
When he was close enough, father took a step forward to meet him.
"Duke Dustin, welcome to Bluestone Manor '' he brought his hand out for a handshake and the duke reciprocated.