It had been a week since Vienne had met Sebastian, and he had been a thought consistently popping into her mind. She didn't want to intrude, but she also desperately wanted to see him again. On top of that, she also wanted to speak with Ominis again, and since they lived with each other, it would be easier.
Sunlight peered through her window, quickly walking her up. She rubbed her eyes and rolled out of bed, her long ginger hair falling over her eyes. She walked over to the vanity and pushed her hair out of her face and pulled it back. She'd do her hair later, when she was more awake.
She made her way downstairs and to the dining room. Surprisingly, her mother was in there. Usually she was in much earlier than Vienne. "Oh, good morning, mother." Vienne said, sitting down on the opposite side of the table, creating some distance between them.
"Good morning, you're up late." Claudine replied.
Vienne raised a brow. "You're in here late; I see no problem with me waking up late." She replied confusedly.
For once, Claudine seemingly didn't have a snarky reply or a reply at all. A moment of silence passed between them before she finally spoke up.
"Mr. Edward Carter will be here around twelve. You'd better be presentable by them." She spoke up, lifting the cup to her lips.
Vienne's eyes widened. "Hm? What?" She asked, her mouth slightly open. That certainly threw a wrench in her plans to go see Sebastian and Ominis that day. And to be honest, she wasn't really fond of seeing Edward that day. Knowing that her mother would most likely make it awkward.
"Mr. Edward Carter will be here around noon; you'd better be presentable by then." Claudine repeated. "I expect you to be ready and here in the home by the time he arrives."
Vienne started to feel a little more anxious about her plan to leave. But the other half of her said she could go and get home and ready all before noon. It would still be awkward with Mr. Carter, but being awkward was better than her mother getting angry at her.
She decided to stick to her plan. She nodded her head. "Alright." She replied simply.
Claudine gave her a suspicious look, wondering why she was so quick to agree. She was waiting for some sort of protest-anything, really. She gave Vienne one last look before standing up to leave the room.
"Oh, mother," Vienne sighed, shaking her head. They could barely keep up a conversation anymore.
Nevertheless, the sooner her mother left her alone, the sooner she could get out of the house. She ate quickly, pushed away from the table, and headed up to her room again to get ready.
She got dressed in a simple, off-white dress with some frills and sat in front of her vanity to actually do her hair. She much preferred being able to do things herself, just the way that she liked them, rather than someone else getting to choose for her.
As she did her hair, she began to think of how the conversation with Sebastian would go. She knew close to nothing about him, but he somehow interested her so much. But hopefully, this would go well.
***
Once she was ready, Vienne carefully stepped down the stairs, trying to make sure she wouldn't make much noise. She didn't want her mother to be suspicious of where she was going if she heard. Sometimes she couldn't believe she was twenty-two and still couldn't leave the house without her mother interrogating her about everything.
Near the bottom of the stairs, she caught sight of one of the family maids, Ceci. For as long as Vienne could remember, Ceci had been working for the Austen family. She didn't know how old Ceci was; however, she remembered her father mentioning Ceci being around when he was young. So it was safe to assume Ceci had been around working for the family since George was a small child.
Ceci was your typical grumpy old lady, but under all of that, she was quite sweet if she had a soft spot for you. And luckily, Vienne was one of those. Ceci had been fed up with Claudine ever since she married George and into the Austen family, so part of her love for Vienne stemmed from the fact that she chose not to follow in her mother's footsteps.
"Ceci," Vienne dragged out in a sing-song voice as she finished her descent down the stairs.
Ceci sighed, knowing exactly what that meant. "What is it now, girl?" She asked, turning to look at her. She loved Vienne, but she knew her all too well.
"I have a favor to ask of you." Vienne replied, clasping her hands in front of her.
Ceci scoffed. "Could've guessed that myself." She snarked. "What is it? You need me to hide something from your mother again?"
Vienne's lip quirked up, telling Ceci all she needed to know. That is exactly what Vienne needed her to do. "Well, yes. But it's not that serious this time, I promise. I'm just going out for a while, and if she asks where I am, I need you to tell her that I'll be back before Mr. Carter is home." Vienne explained.
Ceci furrowed her brows. Usually Vienne didn't ever ask her to keep her going out a secret-since usually Claudine already knew with how nosey she was. So, she immediately assumed that there was something going on that Vienne was hiding from her mother. Mainly, where she was even going in the first place.
"And just where are you going?" Ceci questioned, raising a brow.
Vienne sighed, knowing there was no getting Ceci to keep the secret if she didn't get her answer. "To Mr. Gaunt's house. You know him; I've been there plenty of times."
She turned to walk towards the door and leave the conversation where it was before she accidentally slipped up and said something she didn't want getting out. But she wasn't getting away from the old woman that easily.
"This doesn't have anything to do with that young man who's living with him, does it?" Ceci questioned, a hint of teasing in her voice.
Vienne's eyes widened a little and turned around. "How did you know that?" She blurted out. "I meant the part where there's someone living with him-not that I have anything to do with him or anything." She stammered.
Ceci chuckled. "I know quite a bit, Miss. Austen. Word spreads fast around this town." She replied. "I'll keep your little secret. But do not let your mother find out. She'll throw a fit."
"Trust me, she is not going to hear about this anytime soon." Vienne replied. "And thank you, by the way. I owe you." She whispered before going out the door.
Vienne took one glance back at the house before walking towards that led away from the estate. However, she was stopped by the voice of a man named Mr. Thomas. Like Ceci, Mr. Thomas had been working for the Austen's for as long as Vienne could remember. However, he mostly worked outside in the gardens with the horses and did maintenance work. He was a sweet man who Vienne enjoyed being around.
"Where are you headed to Miss Austen?" He asked, leaning against the side of the stage coach he had just finished fixing up.
Vienne turned towards him, unaware that he had been there as she walked out. "Oh, Mr. Thomas, hello! I'm just going down to Mr. Gaunt's manor. I won't be gone long."
"Why don't you let me give you a ride down there? It's a bit of a distance to walk there by yourself. And those shoes don't look all too comfortable." Mr. Thomas suggested before cracking his signature but somewhat silly grin.
Vienne tilted her head, unable to hold back her own smile as she saw his. "Well, these shoes are rather uncomfortable." She chuckled before beginning to walk over to the man.
Mr. Thomas quickly opened the door of the stagecoach for her before putting out his arm for her. Vienne smiled and gave him a little "thank you" before he hoisted her up into the stagecoach and closed the door. He then pulled himself up and grabbed the reigns.
Vienne looked out the window as the stage coach began to move and watched as the acres of her family's estate rolled by. She vividly remembered coming out to these fields and the woods with her father when she was younger. It hurt her heart to know that she'd never be able to do that again. What a sweet life was ended all too soon.
Everything was so green and lively, it made her happy to see. Nature was often her first place to escape to after tense arguments or issues at her home. She felt comfortable out there-the memories that came with it made it even better.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but before she knew it, the stagecoach was stopping, and Ominis' home could be seen within view. Vienne's heart rate picked up as she saw the house-she obviously had a plan, but she didn't think too far into how she was going to actually carry it out.
Would it be weird for her to just show up? No, no, she'd done that plenty of times over the years she had known Ominis. Well, what if Sebastian didn't know that? What if he thought she was weird for it?
She shook her head and snapped herself out of her ridiculous thoughts as the door to the stagecoach swung open. Mr. Thomas assisted her out of it before bidding her goodbye and a good visit before leaving. Vienne was left standing in front of the manor alone.
The manor that once belonged to Noctua Gaunt, Ominis' aunt, still had a strange feeling surrounding it. You could tell that at one point, whatever family member who had built the manor meant for it to be that way. It was meant to be unnerving. However, when it came into the possession of Noctua, she did try to change some things to make it more welcoming, especially since she had always had the thought of giving the estate and manor to her nephew.
Vienne never knew what came of Ominis' aunt. She remembered her being a very kind woman-despite everything surrounding her family. But one day she just disappeared. Vienne didn't dare ask Ominis about it, especially knowing how close he was with her. She knew the pain of losing someone you loved all too well.
She took in a deep breath before walking up to the doors of the manor. Although the house was big, Ominis' hearing was impeccable, and she could knock on the door, and he could practically hear it from anywhere in the house.
Fist raised to the wooden door, Vienne knocked a few times before stepping back and awaiting an answer. She had to be careful about how much time she spent here, knowing that Mr. Carter would soon be at her home and her mother was expecting her to be there to greet him.
Quite some time passed as she found herself still standing there, waiting for an answer. But soon enough, she heard footsteps approaching the door. Although they sounded slightly different than Ominis' usual steps. The door opened to reveal Sebastian, standing there wondering who could possibly be knocking.
Needless to say, he was a little shocked to see Vienne standing there at the door. Ominis had spoken of her, saying that she lived nearby and that the two were very good friends, but it wasn't what he was expecting.
"Miss. Austen," he said, the words leaving his mouth quickly as they were accompanied by a slightly puzzled look.
Vienne gave a little smile. "Hello, Mr. Sallow." She smiled. "Pleasure to see you today."
Sebastian stood there, staring for a moment before snapping himself out of his gaze and clearing his throat. "The pleasure is all mine." He replied. "... What brings you here today?"
"I'm here to see Mr. Gaunt," Vienne replied chipperly. It wasn't a lie, after all, but it also wasn't the whole truth. "Is he in at the moment?"
Sebastian shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. He's been out for the past couple of hours, but I'm sure he'll be home soon." He answered. "But I'm sure he'd skin me alive if he found out I didn't invite you inside. It's rude of me to keep you standing and waiting out here in the sun."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose-I can come back later-,"
Sebastian shook his head. "I insist," he said, opening the door wider for her.
He wasn't lying. Ominis would be upset if he found out Sebastian didn't let Vienne inside. However, it was just a little plus to have a beautiful woman in his presence. (But we don't have to talk about that.)
"Right this way, Miss Austen," Sebastian spoke up, gesturing for her to come inside.
Vienne knew there was no reason to protest, so she stepped inside. It occurred to her that she hadn't been inside Ominis' manor in quite some time now, but it felt good to be back. She had spent hours here over the years, and at one point, this place had become refuge for her-away from all the craziness her mother brought into her life.
Her head turned back to Sebastian. "And by the way, Vienne works just fine." She smiled, quickly wanting to get rid of formalities. It felt more casual and comfortable that way, as if they had already known each other for quite a while. That would certainly help move things along.
Sebastian cracked a surprised smile. "Well then, I insist that you call me Sebastian, please." He said, his smile forming into a grin.
Vienne mentally patted herself on the back and she couldn't help but smile. That was quick, and it seemed like her plan was already moving along smoothly.
Sebastian led her to the parlor before sitting down opposite of her. He wasn't the best on proper etiquette when having guests-especially after spending ten years of his life in the worst place on earth-but he knew the basics and he did really want to treat Vienne right. He felt a little silly already caring so much for her after only talking to her once but there was just something about her that made his brain tick.
As Vienne sat down, she found that this was more than likely the perfect opportunity to get to know Sebastian a bit more. Technically, that was her plan all along, but she had also planned on talking with Ominis while he was here. But since he wasn't, all the attention could be focused on Sebastian.
"So, Sebastian," Vienne started, testing the way his name rolled off her tongue. Sebastian couldn't deny that hearing his name from her lips made him swallow hard. "What brings you to town? Ominis didn't mention anybody coming to stay with him. I was quite surprised to find out that he had someone else living in his home."
Well, that was a strong question to start off on.
It was obvious that Vienne had no ill intentions with that question simply because she had no idea, but Sebastian could feel his heart pick up for a brief moment. How could he come up with an explanation for why he was here without dropping the devastating news that he was just released from Azkaban a year ago? That was definitely not the kind of information he wanted to give so early into the conversation.
"Nothing too interesting... Just a bit of a vacation, I suppose you could say." He replied.
Vienne snorted. "Oh, I see. However, I hardly see this town as a vacation." She chuckled.
Sebastian let out a small chuckle, leaning back into the chair. "You may have a point," he said, a bit of teasing in his voice. "But sometimes a bit of a change in scenery is exactly what one needs."
"I suppose you're right." Vienne spoke. "So what are your plans for after?" She asked, hoping that she wasn't prying too much. She was simply just curious about him, and he seemed decently open.
"Hogwarts, actually. I was extended an invitation to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and fill in Professor Hecat's old position on Headmistress Weasley's request." Sebastian answered, sitting up a bit more in his seat.
He was surprised, honestly, that he was offered this position. Obviously, his track record did not look the best. However, Professor Weasley, who was now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, had known him since he was eleven. She knew all about his home life and what had happened on that terrible fated day in his fifth year, and she understood where things went wrong. She wanted to give him a better chance at life than he had for the past ten years.
Vienne looked pleasantly surprised. "A professor?" She asked. "You must be rather intelligent then." She grinned.
"That would be quite egotistical of me to give that compliment to myself, wouldn't it?" Sebastian mused. "But enough about me; I'm quite boring, to be honest. What about you? What are your endeavors in life? Or things you wish to accomplish."
That was actually a question that stumped Vienne for a moment, as she couldn't think of an answer quickly at all. She thought about it for a moment-truly, she didn't have that many plans for her future. She was so caught up in trying to keep her mother from deciding her future that she barely had time to think about what she'd actually do with it after her mother would finally stop.
Sebastian noticed this, and it confused him a little. Vienne seemed like a bright woman who could easily have many opportunities laid out in front of her, so why did she look like she had absolutely no answer?
"Well, to be honest, I don't really think I've thought about it much." She finally admitted with a little sigh. There was absolutely no reason to lie about and say she did have ideas or a plan. It slightly saddened her to realize that she had been fighting for her own future for so long that she hardly had any time to think of what she'd actually do when she got it.
Sebastian's brows furrowed. "Really? Any reason and particular why that is?" He asked curiously.
Vienne pursed her lips a little. "Well, my mother has my whole future planned out, it seems." She replied. "She wants me to get married to some man around here-any man, really, if she's desperate enough. She's been trying to force me into marriages for the past year, ever since my father passed, and I've spent so much time arguing with her against it that I've hardly had any time to think about it myself."
Sebastian's heart sank a little. He hardly knew Vienne, but he immediately felt sympathetic towards her and for what she was going through. He knew all too well what it was like to have issues in the home. "But you're an adult, a grown woman. Why in Merlin's name would she be doing all of that over your own choice?" He asked, absolutely puzzled.
"That's the thing; she doesn't care much about my thoughts or feelings on the matter." Vienne spoke, a little sadness in her voice. "Ever since my father passed, she's been like this. I mean, she's always been a tad overbearing, but this past year has almost been unbearable. I can't even speak with a man without her proposing something between the two of us."
Sebastian thought about it for a moment; Vienne's mother certainly didn't sound like someone he'd want to be around often. It was just mind blowing to him that Vienne was twenty-two and Claudine still felt like she had the right to control every aspect of her daughter's life.
"I see. That does sound rather unfortunate." He spoke. "But I wouldn't allow her to gain that power over you. You're your own woman; make your own decisions. You'll soon find out that you're much happier that way than you could ever be allowing someone else to make those decisions for you."
Something ticked in Vienne's brain after Sebastian said that. She couldn't recall anyone ever saying those words to her-in fact, most would just tell her to fall in line with her mother to avoid conflict. Sometimes she felt so alone in her life, knowing that she was the only one that opposed such things, but now, after this, she didn't feel all too alone.
"One day," Vienne replied with a little sigh. "I don't think it'll be anytime soon, but I'll keep standing up for myself, that's for certain."
***
The stage coach was dead silent; the only noise was coming from outside, the gravel crunching under the wheels and the stagecoach itself shaking from side to side. Edward Carter sat alone, looking out the windows of glass. Claudine Austen had invited him over the afternoon, mentioning that she would love for him and Vienne to get to know each other more.
Edward accepted the invitation and was now on his way to the Austen home. He had only known Vienne for a week, but she was interesting enough for him-beautiful too. And since her mother already seemed so keen on the two, he was sure getting to know her wouldn't be difficult to get to know her.
Many still wondered how Edward was still a bachelor. The town was infamously known for families marrying off their daughters to the richest men they could find for status and wealth. So, many wondered how Edward was yet to be married as his family had enormous wealth.
However, he had somewhat prided himself on being the most desirable bachelor for quite a while-it fed his ego, so he attempted to stay single for quite a while, or at least make sure any flings didn't become serious. Sure, it left a couple strings of broken hearts in his wake, but nothing enough to deter him from that.
But once Edward found out that the Austen's daughter was available, mainly because Claudine couldn't shut her mouth about it, his interests shifted a little.
His father and George Austen had known each other for years, having met through their mutual wealth in the town. But now George was gone, and Edwards' own father had brought up George's daughter, Vienne.
Edward wasn't sure why exactly he was doing this. Was it the wealth? The ego boost? Or was it because he was actually interested in Vienne? Well, perhaps it was a little mix of the three.
But it was simple in his mind-all he had to do was woo Vienne, gain favor with her brother, and everything else would fall into place. Claudine obviously already had favor with him, and she did it all by herself, by choice. So that was already checked off the box. To him, this was all going to be so easy.
However, as he watched the world around him move while traveling to the Austen home, something caught his eye. He was passing by the old Gaunt Manor, where the late Noctua Gaunt's nephew now resided, when he saw two people out near the front of the house.
One was a man he had never seen before, and the other he quickly recognized-that ginger hair was unmistakable. His eyes widened-it was Vienne!
What in Merlin's name was she doing over there? And who was she even talking to? She looked awfully comfortable during the conversation as well. Sebastian and Vienne's conversation had somehow made their way outside as they walked and talked around the property-however, Vienne didn't know how much trouble that would get her in later.
Edward's brows furrowed in confusion; he was on his way to the Austen's house, so why wasn't Vienne there waiting? Surely she was told that he was coming, right? Claudine would never have just let that slip her mind.
He felt a pit of frustration form in his stomach, especially seeing Vienne speak to some unknown man. He was new; Edward certainly knew that much. So how come she had the confidence to talk to him like that? She didn't know where he's from or what he'd been doing.
Edward scoffed, shaking his head. Ridiculous. He'd just have to deal with it later.
As his stagecoach pulled up to the manor, he stepped out and took a deep breath to compose himself before walking up to the doors of the Austen home. After knocking, the door was swiftly answered by Ceci, who just gave him a look before leading him inside. She knew how this was going to turn out already. Regardless of the fact that she had kept the secret-she knew Vienne was in for a world of trouble now.
Ceci led Edward to the parlor, where Claudine was anxiously pacing around the room, waiting for Vienne. Where could she have possibly gone, and why wasn't she back yet?!
But when she heard the door open, her head whipped up, showing her concerned expression. That was, until she saw Edward standing there beside Ceci, then she immediately composed herself. "Oh! Mr. Carter, it's so good to see you." She said, forcing a smile.
Ceci quickly excused herself and left, muttering under her breath how much trouble Vienne was about to be in for being late.
"Mrs. Austen, it's a pleasure to be here." Edward replied. "Thank you for inviting me over."
Claudine nodded her head, looking towards the window for a brief moment as if trying to check if Vienne was coming again. "Of course, of course! I'm so terribly sorry Vienne is late-she must've wandered off again. That girl." She forced a laugh to try and seem calm, but just under the surface, she was extremely mad that her daughter had disobeyed her orders to be back before noon.
"Not to worry, I'm a very patient man." Edward replied.
But he couldn't help but get that image of Vienne talking to that man out of his mind-he was still frustrated about it somehow. He had no idea who that man thought he was to be talking to Vienne like that, but he wasn't happy about it.
He took a step towards Claudine, leaning in slightly. "However... On my way here, when I was passing Gaunt's old manor, I saw Vienne out in front of the house talking to some man there. I didn't recognize him at all." He spoke, his voice a little low.
Claudine's brows knit together; who on earth was Vienne speaking to? Obviously not Ominis; everyone knew who he was. So who was it at his home speaking to Vienne? And why was she there speaking to him instead of at home? And something told Claudine that Vienne had gone there just to see whatever man Edward had mentioned, which was highly inappropriate in her mind.
"I beg your pardon?" Claudine questioned, puzzled by what he had said.
"Apologies, Mrs. Austen, but I'm only relaying what I saw." Edward said, "I do hope that man is nothing dangerous. Vienne doesn't seem to know what she might accidentally get into."
Claudine internally panicked. What on earth was Vienne doing over there talking to a complete and total stranger when she was supposed to be at home? She feared this might thwart her plans for the day. But she wouldn't allow that to happen.
"Well, it won't help to dwell on it." She sighed. "But please, do take a seat, Mr. Carter; I'll send someone to fetch her, and she'll be home soon. Please, make yourself comfortable."
***
Meanwhile, Vienne was blissfully unaware of the fact that Edward had seen her and Sebastian speaking outside as he was passing by. She was blissfully unaware of the sheer amount of trouble she was about to be in.
"And that pretty much sums up how Ominis and I became friends." Sebastian spoke as he finished up his story about how he met his best friend. To Vienne, it was fascinating to hear how Ominis was when he was younger, since she had met him when he was eighteen years old.
"You two sounded like quite the handful," Vienne chuckled, keeping her arms politely tucked behind her back. "Your sister as well."
Sebastian chuckled. "Well, it was mostly Anne and I, I'll admit. Ominis was the one always keeping us out of trouble. He went through a lot for us." He replied, thinking about just a few of the many times Ominis got him and Anne out of trouble.
Through the discussion she was having, Vienne suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be home by noon. She suddenly felt her heart drop, and she practically went pale. There was an extremely small chance it wasn't noon yet. Very small.
Sebastian noticed this and stopped walking. "Vienne, are you alright?" He asked, his brows knit together in confusion.
"No-I, uh, yes, everything is fine, but I've just realized I have to get home." Vienne mumbled out, mentally scolding herself about how she could even forget in the first place. She told her mother she'd be back by noon, and now who knew what time it was?
"Oh, well then, I'd be more than happy to accompany you back." Sebastian offered, knowing it was only the gentlemanly thing to do to walk her back and ensure she made it home safely.
Vienne's eyes widened at his offer, knowing that'd just probably get him into trouble. "No! I-I mean, thank you, of course, but I'll be just fine!" She blurted out, already taking steps backward. "Thank you for having me! So sorry its abrupt!"
She needed to get home fast.
Sebastian watched in utter confusion as she took off towards the road, wondering what in Godric's name just happened. "Was it something I said?" He said out loud, raising a brow.
Vienne ran as fast as she could back down to her home, her breathing as heavy as ever. If there was any chance that Mr. Carter wasn't in the house yet, she was going to take it in a heartbeat. She could already hear her mother's angry voice in the back of her head.
Reaching the house in a surprising amount of time, Vienne rushed inside, hoping that nobody was around so she could spruce up really quick and get her head on straight before going to speak to Edward or her mother.
But the moment she got a few steps in, Claudine seemingly appeared out of nowhere-as if she was waiting for the very moment Vienne was going to get home. And it practically stopped Vienne in her tracks.
"Vienne Austen, where have you been?" Claudine seethed through clenched teeth.
"I was just out and lost track of time, I promise. I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't mean to be gone for this long." Vienne blurted out, the words just coming out of her mouth before she could think about it. She had become so used to apologizing for things she didn't have to, to her mother; it felt normal at this point.
"Well, tell that to the man you were seemingly so ecstatic to be speaking too earlier." Claudine scoffed.
Vienne's heart absolutely sank; how did her mother know that? Her first thought went to Ceci-did she tell her? No, no, Ceci wouldn't do that. So how on earth did she know where she was or who she was even talking to?
But that was when she realized that there was no point in even arguing, as it had come to that many times before already. "Maybe you could've gotten away with this before, but today is not the day for you to do this," Claudine scowled. "You will clean yourself up, and you will go talk to Mr. Carter and apologize just like last time."
Just like last time.
When Vienne thought about it, her curiosity about Sebastian had gotten her in trouble twice. Over the same man too. And all because her mother wanted things to be a certain way.
What was even the point in trying to say no anymore? Vienne sighed before nodding her head. "Sorry for being late again." She said before excusing herself.
She spruced up a little before entering the parlor where Edward was currently seated. He seemed to be deep in thought about something before being thrown out of it when she opened the door. "Miss Austen, you're here." He said, quickly standing up.
"Yes, sorry about my tardiness; I lost track of time while I was out." Vienne said, stepping into the room. "But I'm here now."
Edward knew exactly where she had been, what she was doing, and that she was more than likely avoiding bringing that up, yet he held his tongue. He wanted Vienne to like him, so the last thing he needed to do was to make her feel bad, regardless of his feelings about the situation.
"No need to apologize; we all get lost in time sometimes, do we not?" He replied.
As Vienne attempted to take a seat, he gestured for her to stop and instead held out his arm. "Come, walk with me. It will be much better than just sitting around."
Vienne, knowing that her mother was close by, more than likely listening in, took Edwards arm with no protest. She reflected on her conversation with Marie that took place almost a week ago about trying to seem like she really did like Edward in order to make her mother stop pestering her as much. She had already kind of butchered that plan, but she could still try to redeem it.
She took Edwards' arm, and he led her outside to the gardens where they could talk. And just as suspected, Claudine was right near the parlor, listening in. When Vienne looked back at her mother before exiting, Claudine gave her a very stern look as if trying to remind her to "behave.".
Vienne remembered what Sebastian had told her earlier about how she could make her decisions outside of her mother. She was an adult, a grown woman, someone who should be able to make the decision over herself and what she did.
But right now that felt as if it was never going to happen.
A/n: I hate Claudine, my own character. But then again, who wouldn't?