"Upon my words, Isabella! They mean nothing to me." he enclosed the distance between them by covering her in his arms. At her ear, his lips almost touched her skin, he whispered, "And now, Isabella, please tell me, who is your choice?"
***
Isabella...
They started off from the Marchwoods' Estate in the early morning and it was around late noon when they arrived at the Lockwoods' castle. Isabella and Margaret had already become friends, intimate sweet darling sisters, as how it could be perceived.
"Margaret," Mr Lockwood called, climbed down from his horse and walked to the ladies, "and Miss Marchwood, is everything all right?"
He asked the question because he saw Miss Marchwood had been rubbing her temples around half an hour before they arrived. He peeked through the carriage window and asserted his guess when he saw how pale Miss Marchwood's face had become.
"Andie, not quite all right, Isabella was feeling unwell because of the long ride," replied his sister quite worriedly.
As Mr Lockwood attempted to give some comfort and sugary solace, the atmosphere of the surrounding was engulfed by an air of cool darkness. Of course, it was only figurative, not physically pitch dark despite the actual chilly weather, however, there was indeed a shift of atmosphere.
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Lord Horton just arrived on his horse. Rather nimbly, he jumped off it, took off his leather gloves and threw them to a servant who was quick enough to catch them. His lordship walked with his back so stiffly straightly that matched his countenance. He didn't give a polite smile or greetings but he simply looked at Isabella with the sight as how a King looked at his own slave, disgusted by the subject in his eyes with a contrast of his glorious pride. Perhaps it was not how Lord Horton pictured it, yet, it was how Isabella pictured it.
"Christopher, welcome!" Mr Lockwood said warmly, "I believe you haven't met Miss Isabella Marchwood. She is the daughter of Viscount Marchwood. Papa also invited her for the stay. I can't wait for the start of the fun ahead!"
Lord Horton put his hand back into his pocket and gave Isabella a nod. No kind welcome or other comforting words.
As he turned and started walking past them, Isabella couldn't hold the itchy indignation of being treated as less a lady, she raised her voice a bit and commented, "Lord Horton, given the wonderful idea that we are going to spend three marvellous weeks in the new Estate, I don't believe that I'm being too rapacious to ask for better greetings and to be treated with a bit more kindness and warmth. You see, as we seek to create joyous memories, I hope that they will not be disappointedly diluted by your frigidity. Thank you."
Miss Lockwood was rather shocked by her gallantry and Mr Lockwood appeared to be a bit nervous and smiled anxiously, "Surely, our times will be wonder-"
"Oh, Miss Marchwood," Lord Horton looked at Isabella with his cold serious eyes and affectionless he commented, "Unlike what you believe. You are indeed rapacious to ask for such demands. You may find it potentially joyous and wonderful, however, I hardly do. Don't you find it rather too selfish to force your emotion onto others who feel the opposite? To have your own expectation is your liberty but to behave according to my liking is my own choice of habit. However, Miss Marchwood, given to our lack of acquaintances, you are excused. Thank you."
Isabella's face blushed steamingly hot with the mixture of anger and shame. She gnashed her teeth and forcefully pinched her sight at Lord Horton's back as he walked away. "What an arrogant obnoxious man! A handsome face with an ugly heart!" she finally uttered.
"I know, Isabella, that's what I've been trying to tell you." Miss Lockwood echoed.
"That hideous dracula! Hideous, indeed!" Isabella's face was still boiling red. Such red of anger was different from her red of lady-bashfulness. Mr Lockwood looked at her and found her adorable.
"Miss Isabella, for one thing I'm sure, and that's you are lovely and it will be a waste of energy to spend on a heated temper towards a cold person like Lord Horton." Mr Lockwood said with a warm smile on his face and his sister looked at him with a playful appearance.
"Isabella, stop being angry now. He won't change anyway. Let's go inside. I'll lead you to your bedroom. It's next to mine!" Margaret took Isabella's hand and pulled her along.
The Castle was magnificent and overwhelming. The tall walls were built by strong heavy stones and its outlook reminded Isabella of the dwelling of gothic tales and legends. She imagined the Castle was a tremendous cell that contained many untold stories and secret history. She thought about the undiscovered skulls beneath the ground of a dungeon and locks of golden curls which were used to knit every curtains in the masters' and ladies' rooms. She pictured a pitiful young maiden wasted her beauty in waiting for his knight to come home and her tears fell from the balcony and cascaded onto the ground and gathered into a pond. And, how the knight never returned and the maiden became bitter and revengeful that she turned into a bloodthirsty wicked spirit who ate young pretty girls alive if they ever trespassed the premise.
Her heart throbbed excitedly with every story that she imagined and she marvelled, "How majestic and splendid the Castle is!"
Mr Lockwood and Miss Margaret thought that she meant to praise the beautiful outlook of the Castle but Isabella actually worshipped the adventurous stories the Castle kept and inspired. Indeed, how majestic and splendid they were!
***
Christopher Sebastian Amott Horton was abhorred at the thought that he had to be alone forever so he forced solitude upon himself before the world could do that to him. How could happiness be murdered so quickly? On one end it was happily ever after and an eternal regret was on its opposite end. It was a shadow gloomed by deaths. The distance between heavens and hell was only one day apart. For seven years he'd closed himself from the world. He had no desire to be touched or bothered but he wanted to live in nothingness that he could be spared from feeling something.
The reason why he accepted Earl Lockwood's invitation was because he believed it was a mere warm kindness offered by his teacher. He didn't want his teacher to consider that just because his oldest student relinquished his position in the Justice department for a professorship in Cambridege's faculty of Philosophy would mean that he carried no remembrance or gratitude for his teacher's lecturing and guidance. Therefore, he accepted the invitation with a respectful heart and not a materialistic tainted one as how everyone perceived - being allured or compromised to carry a beneficial courtship and marriage.
