"It's been a while hasn't it dear fig tree?" I asked as I removed my self from my staddle landing on my feet as I walked the overgrown pathway towards the tree.
Oh the memories we shared here.
It felt as if it was only yesterday that Alexander would place kisses on my hand and cheeks as he recited beautiful poems to me and called me his flower.
I was so foolish to actually believe that love was eternal and that a childhood love was enough to last until adulthood.
I would have believed him more if he had said that he fancied me.
That seemed quite more fitting.
"Oh dear." I said as I felt a heavy rain drop fall at the top of my head, "it has started raining already? I haven't even began to enjoy my afternoon as yet. Come on girl."
I ran to where I had left my dear girl Cepheus as I quickly hoisted my self onto my saddles.
"Come on girl. It's getting quite dark here. Hyah!"
Cepheus, like the champion she was, was off like the wind as we made our way home.
"Good girl." I said as I petted her on the head and fed her some carrots after she had brought me safely home, despite me being drenched in the droplets of the rain.
"My Lady where have you been? Are you quite alright?" asked Mrs. Dilberry the cook when I had entered the house through the kitchen.
"I'm quite fine Mrs. Dilberry. Mm smells divine."
"Don't you dare." she said smacking my hand as I was about to steal a scone, "it is for the guest."
"Oww. I'm quite hungry you know."
"Well hurry and get washed up and join them in the sitting room. They are expecting you." she said shooing me away, but I had no intentions of seeing anyone right this moment.
"Where is my dear sister? In the library enthralled by a book I presume?" I asked as I managed to swiftly steal an apple without Mrs. Dilberry noticing and I took a big bite, but the sound of my chewing seemed to had alerted her to what I was doing, and she placed her hands on her hips as I gave her big teethy smile, no doubt having apple pieces stuck in my teeth.
"Child what am I going to with you? Your sister is also in the sitting room waiting for you now go on." she said smacking me on the butt and I finally left.
I really admired Mrs. Dilberry, not only for her cooking, but for the fact that she was like a second mom to me and always looked after me.
"My Lady thank goodness!" exclaimed Miss Margaret when she saw, "I have been looking all over for you. Come. We need to get you ready."
"Ready for what? I have already told mother that I will not be joining them for tea today."
"Lady Adelia this is quite important." she said as she continued pulling me by the arm towards the baths, "there is a gossip about Lord Alexander will be proposing to you so we must get you looking your best my Lady."
"There is what!?" I exploded as I pulled my arm from her hold as I marched towards the sitting room in rage.
"My lady please! Wait! Your mother will have my head if I allow you to show up like this!" pleaded Margaret as she ra behind me, and although I felt a slight tinge of guilt for as I was about to get her in trouble I was not going to let this slide.
"I'll be damned if I agree to a marriage that was planned behind my back!" I said as I barged through the doors of the sitting room after the door men had graciously opened them for me.
"Adelia!" gasped my mother as she saw my mud covered attire and wind tousled hair, "please do excuse us my lord, and lady."
"No. We need not to be excused." I said stepping farther into the room to greet out guest, "please do forgive my lack of manners lord and lady Astros, but I have no intentions of marrying your son, especially if that decision has been made for me.
"I must say that I agree with my lady Adelia. What's the fun in being married if your life's partner has been chosen for you?"
"Exactly. Took the words right out of my mouth." I said tuning towards the person the only person who was on my side, and that is when I saw him for the first time in what felt like forever.
The rate of my heart had increasingly sped up as he began to smile, and he looked the same, and yet so different.
"Alexander." I managed to breath out after a few more seconds has passed by with us staring at each other in silence.
"Adelia."
"It's been a while." I said as he began to approach me, and in that moment it felt as if it was just the two of us the room, in fact it felt as if it was just the two of us in the world.
"Yes I agree. It's been far too long."
"How was your studies in the Americas?" I asked as he finally stopped to stood in front me as he took my hand and a placed a sweet tantalizing kiss on it like he usually did.
"It was quite refreshing to say the least. What about you my lady? How has your time been?"
And that's when I remembered how I had lived my years when he was not here, and I pulled my hand from his as I wiped it against my attire as I said, "the years spent when you were not here were the best years of my life my lord. If only I could relive them again. Better yet, if only you would leave again, only this time don't return."
"Uhh Adelia may I speak with you for a moment please?" asked my father as I had a battle of the stare with Alexander, "please?"
"Why ever would you want to speak to me in private regarding matters of my own life father? Where was this common decency when you were planning to marry me off without my permission."
"Adelia please you are being ridiculous. You knew of this arrangement ever since you were young so what has changed now?" he asked, and I briefly glanced over at him, before returning my steely gaze to Alexander saying.
"Time changes people father. Whether we like it or not."
"I see it has changed you my sweetest flower Adelia." said Alexander, and my heart made quite a ridiculous flutter, but I remained unaffected and apathetic.
"As so it did you my dearest Alexander. As so it did you."
"Mother, father. We're leaving. I cannot stand to be in the presence of rude, untidy mistress any longer who doesn't know how to behave in the presence of a high class man." he said brushing passed my shoulder.
"And here I thought that you were a regular member at the brothel." I said, and I smirked when he had abruptly stopped and turned around to give me one final hard cold glare and I folded both my arms over my bosom as I matched his icy gaze.
"It was really nice to see you again dear." said Mrs. Astros and I smiled and gave them a polite bow before they left.
"Now that that is settled, let's eat." I said, but I was met with an unpleasant slap to my arm from my mother as soon as the guests had left, "oww! Mamam!"
"I am disappointed in you Adelia. You have put our family and our name to shame."
I looked over at m father, and my sister, and they both seemed to have been sharing the same sentiment for they looked away, and I sighed.
"Margaret!" called out my mother.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Clean this mess of my daughter up right this instant." she said waving me off as if I disgusted her, but I was too busy stuffing my face with sweet dessert to care.
"Yes ma'am. Right away ma'am."
"I swear you can't find good help these days." she said before leaving with my father and sister behind her, and Margaret hung her head in shame, and that's when I started to feel bad.
"Please. Right this was my lady." she begged with her head hung low, and I nodded and followed her to the baths for it was the least I could do.
I had caused enough trouble today already, and I know that I wasn't going to hear the end of it.