Sweet Escape

Twenty-One

"I have never been more embarrassed in my entire life." Elizabeth fumed. "I knew it was that damned Sera who started the rumor."

"It's not really a rumor." Henry said. Elizabeth shot him a glare that made him quickly shut his mouth.

"Raphael is going to be here in a few weeks. What are we going to do?" She continued to pace the floors of their bedroom. Hands on her hips, frustration clear on her face.

"Do as Archibald said and wait." Henry suggested. She stopped in her tracks and turned to him. Eyes filled with fire.
"You need to stop talking right now unless you are ready to tell me something useful."

"Elizabeth, I am just trying to get you to see the truth." Henry said.
"And what truth is that?"
"Charlize needed to get away. Not just from this household but...from you." He said. Her eyes narrowed at him.
"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I've spoken to Archibald-."
"You did what?" She spat, venom radiating in her tone.

"Charlize is my family too now and I was worried, so I went to speak to him to try and understand what he was saying she needed time for since you didn't want to hear him out."
"How dare you?"

"Charlize was having a hard time adjusting after her father passed-."
"We all did."

"She felt as if she lost the only person that allowed her to be herself." He said.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Her face crumpled in confusion.
"That is something you will have to speak to Archibald directly about, but he told me that Charlize felt as if she had to be careful of everything she did as to not upset you."
"That is absurd. Charlize did whatever she liked regardless."
"But did you notice any change in her behavior? How she was quieter or more...unlike herself?"
"No, she was fine. How you met her is how she has always been. A pain." Elizabeth said.
"Not according to Archibald."
"I know my daughter."
"I am not saying you don't but...Archibald said she was not happy. Especially when you tried to send her to Liza after some incident he didn't tell me about." He said. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed as she searched memory. She gasped.
"Dimitri." She said suddenly, snapping her fingers.

"What do you mean?" He asked. She hurriedly left the room and he followed.
"He must have been lying to me. He has to have known where she's gone."

"He clearly said he didn't." Henry was still confused as to where she was going.

"Even though I told him to stay away from her, I'm sure they were still speaking in secrecy." She continued through the halls toward the front of the house.
"You did what?"

"If I can't get answers from Elliot, I can surely get them from Dimitri."
"Have you not heard anything I just said?" Henry stopped her and she finally faced him.
"I have and sure, she may have not been happy, but that does not give her the right to run away from her home." She argued.
"It does if she didn't feel as if it were her home." Henry fired back. Elizabeth let out an angry huff.
"We can argue about this later, but the priority is getting my daughter home." She said. "Being gone as long as she has...what will people think? What am I supposed to tell people now? It's not as if I can say she was with family for the summer when she decided she wanted to disappear in the middle of the fall."
"Is that truly all that matters to you?" Henry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Only women who have been indecent are sent away without warning. All women have is their dignity. Once that is gone, they have nothing." Elizabeth said. "No man will want to marry her, so then what? I won't let her ruin her reputation further." She gave him one last hard stare before turning from him.
"So then where are you going?"
"We are going to visit Dimitri." She made her way to the front door.