The Forsaken Heiress

EDITED.

"Justice may be a virtue of the heavens, but in the hands of the forsaken, it becomes a weapon forged in fire and blood." ~Araneae Ruber

 ~

LUELLA AND the cloaked man walked some distance from the room they were previously in. They had walked until they reached the center garden behind the main banquet building.

The cloaked man heart was still racing at the close contact they were in. Luella had his finger locked in with hers as they walked. 

It felt so normal that she didn't even think to release him from her grip. But again, it wasn't as though he was complaining, rather; he was overjoyed at the thought of holding her yet again.

Before stepping down the stairs of the garden, the cloaked man pulled her back and pinned them together to the pillar. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and the other pinned one of her hands above her head, leaving just one hand free for her.

It was never his intention to bind and bond her to him. He just wanted to hold her closer than necessary.

"What is the meaning of this Mr. Stranger"

"Oh, Mr. Stranger? Is that the nickname you have given to me?"

"Since you do not want to say your name, I would rather go with Mr. Stranger or Mr. Cloaked man"

"I refer Mr. Stranger."

"What is the meaning of this Mr. Cloaked man?" She asked. Luella was not going to let him have his way with her anymore. She had being acting weird since she met him in the hallway. 

Getting flustered? Blushing? Shuttering on her words? Even crying. When last had she cried? She didn't even cry at her father's death, so for her to suddenly burst into tears just because she took little comfort from a stranger?

Little Comfort.

When last had she had such comfortable feelings? Though she thought her tears were from her cheating sister and fiancé, she didn't pay attention to it or even bother to change his mind. 

All Luella wanted was the comfort she got from him.

She needed to let him go and off her mind. That comfort was not for her. She was not one that needed comfort. After all, she had been the one who brought down the pride and dignity of Van-Rensselaer dukedom. 

She was a shame.

A disgrace

And a stain to the dukedom.

Therefore, she would have to work day and night tirelessly to find anyway to regain that glory. 

Luella lived for the dukedom. Therefore, she had to shoulder every pain that comes her way.

Comfort was something that was like a fleeting dream to her.

Hence, this strange man that had given her few seconds of comfort had to go. It was enough to keep her going.

His eyes furrowed and twitched at the name she called him. "Mr. Cloaked man"

"Don't push it, Mr.—"

"Mr. Stranger" He completed.

She sighed as she used her free hands to massage the side of her temple. "I feel like I am dealing with a child," she muttered underneath her breath, believing he hadn't heard her.

But he did, and in response, his hands squeezed around the areas he held. 

He pulled her closer around her waist. This gave her a slouching position as her left hand was still hung and pinned in the air.

"I feel uncomfortable, Mr. Stranger."

"Would you feel less uncomfortable if I held you in my arms like I did before?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Luella's eyes widened at his words. She was tempted. 

She was really tempted to agree. The comfort she got from him was really intoxicating. 

But she had to still herself. 

Noticing her debating eyes, he added. "You looked very relaxed at that moment, considering the fact you had just seen something heartbreaking between the ones you trusted and loved the most," Luella uttered nothing as she felt her body relax in his hold.

Luella mentally snorted at his words. Loved? Probably. She loved Louisa as a sister and family should. But Trust? She didn't trust Louisa with her life. 

Chandler was a whole other thing. She neither loved him, cared for him, nor even trusted him. He could die for all she cared. 

She sincerely wished she had caught him with another woman, other than her sister, that way she would easily have a reason to annul the marriage. 

But because it was her sister… Anymore humiliating feat to the dukedom would completely destroy the dukedom's reputation. 

The cloaked man released her from his hold, and without complaint, she let herself into his arms. He stepped back till his back rested on the wall. 

Hidden by the darkness of the night, he pulled the cloak over her body. 

He shielded her from the prying eyes. 

He shielded her from the pain she was feeling

And he gave her comfort, bliss, and satisfaction. What ever she wanted to talk to him previously was long forgotten. 

Luella wanted to enjoy this feeling, even though it was just for a moment.

She placed her head on his beating heart. The man calmly traced his finger on her back, given her a calming effect. They both wished the night would be longer so they would stay in each other's arms for a long while.

"Marry me," He suddenly asked. He watched as her face fell into a frown. 

'Was she offended by my question?' He mused to himself. 

Luella would have said he disrupted the moment, but she was more annoyed that she was engaged with Chandler Havemeryer. 

Though she didn't like him, she was not as shameless as her sister to date two men at the same time. Especially one that she had zero interest in.

Realizing where her thought process was heading, her face suddenly turned red as beetroot as she placed her head back on his chest.

'Had I already agreed to marry this man? A man I don't know? A man I have never seen before.' She thought calmly. 

She bit her lips as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "How can I marry a man I have never seen nor do I know anything of" She asked, countering his question.

He smiled as he thought of her question. "Well, you are not wrong about that."

He pulled the back of her head very close to his face. "Then why don't you take off the mask?"