Swept to Sea Read Free

spook her.
    This could not be real. It could not be happening.
    At last, she gasped in a small bit of air.
    "I told you to sit down, Eden. Now sit before you faint. Look at how pale your face is. You are a foolish, stubborn woman, just like your mother."
    Eden obeyed her father, sinking down onto the plush armchair across from him. She chose to ignore his cutting remark. As of late, she had become accustomed to them.
    "Y-you gave… Lord Rutger… my hand in marriage?" She managed to lower her voice, using every bit of her resolve not to scream at him like a panic-stricken child. How could he have done this to her? "Father, you know how I feel about that man. I cannot marry him, Papa. I cannot."
    "You can and you will, Eden. You know full well that we are in need of his money. Lord Rutger will be a respectable husband for you.” Respectable, ha! “We cannot go on living like we do now if you do not bring in money for me soon, you know that. His title will do wonders for our family name."
    Eden could tell just by the way Lord Rutger leered at her that the man was anything but respectable. Besides, he was not even born into his title. The man was a peasant by birth. He had not become a nobleman until later in his life when a foolish earl had taken pity on him and adopted him as his son.
    "Father, please, do not make me do this. Do not force me into a marriage with a man who I feel nothing for. I will be stuck in it for the rest of my life, for heaven’s sake! Please, Father." Do not force me into a loveless marriage like you and Mother had…
    As if reading her thought about her parents’ marriage, Eden’s father continued, "I let your mother read you far too many of those foolish fairy-tales when you were young, didn't I, Eden? There is no such thing as true love, and you should know that by now. You will marry this man and live a privileged life just like the life I have provided you with since you were but a babe. You will obey me and not say another word about it.” He slammed his fist down on the table, sending a teacup crashing. “I had enough of your pig-headed objections when you were a little girl. Your spoiled complaints will not be tolerated by any means in my old age. That is the last I am saying on this subject, young lady."
    The last sentence caused Eden to shrink back. Her father, never one to yell or scream, raised his voice with each word and his tone grew harsh. His face was red.
    Eden shook her head, staring intently at a loose thread on her frayed slippers. She knew that some couples had truly found love in real life, however rare it seemed to be among English aristocracy. Arranged marriages were much more prevalent, but Aimee Dawson's parents were in love with each other, and they had found each other against all odds. Aimee’s mother was a Frenchwoman and her father a British lord, and they had married despite the war which had divided their two countries.
    However, Eden kept her rebellious thoughts inside, because she did not want her father to be cross with her again. He was her only family after her mother’s death and her brother’s disappearance.
     
    Eden sighed as she leaned against her windowsill, forcing the jarring memory aside. Her conversation with her father had caused so much trouble, but she would avoid it all now. She would not have to marry Lord Rutger nor deal with her father's anger.
    But escaping these terrors would cause her to lose her friends. A shiver ran through her, and she tried to push the thought aside. If she ran away she would never see Aimee and Ivy again. She chewed on her bottom lip, stood up, and moved away from the window. The brisk night air seemed to follow her to the other side of the room nonetheless. Since they were at least five years old, they had known each other. Their mothers had been close friends before them. Aimee’s mother had practically taken over the role of Eden’s mother when she had died. Oh, how Eden would miss them all…
    Yet, I must