chapter 32
The ballroom gleamed with light of a hundred beeswax candles. Lively strains of music floated on the air as couples swayed in the rhythm to the tune the orchestra played.
Lillian stood on the sidelines with Eleanor who tried to make small conversations with a pair who approached but Lillian's mind were going in thousand directions
Like how she would tell Evan to night,
How exactly could she tell him the truth and where to begin?.
she couldn't just tell him
'hey you didn't marry the woman you think you married, but instead her twin sister... yes me.'
and in fact there were no calm way to break the ice, nothing that could justify
her actions. he would hate her.
and he would despite her forever.
that scared her more than anything,
And breaking the truth in a ballroom was not her intention, she didn't even known that they would join a ball had it not been for last minute, now both and her sister were in the city and rumours were already spreading,
'God.... it is the twins!.... has she returned?'
'I heard she was banished'
'Poor one, it must hurt her to see her sister now married to an earl...'
whispers broke in and while Lillian was pretending to be her twin sister it didn't hurt less, they were speaking about her in hushed tones, suddenly Eleanors hand squeezed hers, "I guess were giving father something to talk about,"
that made Lillian smile, indeed, her father would have a fist once he finds out, or if he already has.
Suddenly in the middle of her inner turmoil a clicking sound of a glass broke her thoughts and gathered everyones attention, Lillian's throat closed up as Evan took the podium looking handsome as the devil,
"Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas. As always in Hartwick tradition this year will be slightly different when it comes to charity, for I have come to know as many others that my dearest wife Eleanor has an deep fond for animals, which has rubben off on me as well.... this christmas charity will be dedicated to my wife, on animal shelter."
A warming sensation swept inside of her, reducing all the anxiety she felt, Evan's eyes held hers across the room. Proud and beautiful, he moved like some dark prince, resplendent in black. His linen--cravat, shirt, stockings and gloves-- were snowy white; the only hint of color an emerald stickpin that winked like a large green cat's eye on his perfectly tied neck cloth. Lillian felt in trance as Evan strode forward.
She waited for him to come to her, to kiss her, his wife.
He passed her and took her sister's hand instead, brushing his lips over Eleanors knuckles, a kiss against her smooth cheek. Eleanor briefly cast a confused and horrified at Lillian who froze in place as if someone poured a bucket of water over her,
with an difficulty to breath she had never experienced anything alike it
Bile burned inside Lillian's throat, scalding and raw. He didn't know her. After all they'd shared, everything they'd been through together, how could he not know her? how could he not see the truth staring at him from only a few feet away?
No one seemed to take notice thinking indeed he held the hands of his wife... Eleanor.
After that, the evening only grew worse.
Her husband and sister whirled by, arm in arm. Eleanor looked elegant and vivacious in the golden gown, and Evan, dearest evan who had no clue was dancing with the wife he ought to have been married with from the start.
Unable to watch any longer, she turned and rushed from the room.
**
Evan looked at the corner of his eyes and saw Lillian face drop as he grasped the hands of her sister. For playing with him he was about to teach her that she had walked into fire,
"I--- Lord Hartwick, You have mistaken me, you don't understand---" her sister tried explaining but Evan held her still, "I am not fool enough to not have understood it by now, you will play along and dance with me, smile" he clipped as people gathered around, dancing as well.
"B--- but" Eleanor, the rightful bride as he did not want to be remembered off now looked at him and Evan wondered how in the bloody world he could have been that easily fooled, Lillian's eyes had a deeper shade of blue and while they were remarkably alike in features he could tell that being close to her face she did not look identitcal to her.
"I know everything madame.. now prey tell me when this scheme began or have i never meet you at all?"
Her face fell, "Oh god, you know! that's why you did this?... dear lord, i for once thought you truly confused us together"
"Answer my god damn question while i have the last ounce of patience in me"
"I-- uh, I don't think I should be the one answering that, my lord... What you should know is that Lillian wanted to tell you, she was about to tell you..."
"Oh is that so? she couldn't have told me all those months? Enough with the excuses, tell me this one thing, when did you two switch places"
He looked down at her with a passive face, she blinked and looked around, "Right before the wedding..."
That was all he need to know, his anger only increased... so he propsed to Eleanor but wedded her twin.
What kind of sick world was he living?
"Please you have to understand.... my sister didn't want it to be this way--- she loves you---"
That was the last string he had left, "Do not tell me no more, you have played this well, a man can be fooled only that much in his life..." his eyes searched for the woman behind everything, seeing her figure across the room and out the doors he let go of Eleanor, "Now anything more to add to your lies?"
She meet his thundering face but didn't back down, "That letter---- Lillian told me you read it, it was to me.. Kevin, he is the man I love and always did, my sister may have done her wrongs but she only did it for my sake, she knew how much I love him, and she sacrified her own happiness for me...I am the coward, I couldn't broke of the wedding because I feared father and cared what everyone would think... Lillian never did, she was banished to Ireland because of her courage, father never cared of us... I know you don't want to listen but my sister truly loves you..."
Her eyes moistened as she wiped a tear, Evan clenched his jaw looking away as he took in the words,
Looking away sharply he let go of her, "Excuse me," he walked away as his own anguish hit him, he didn't want to believe her words,
he didn't want to think good of the decietful woman that toyed with him,
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A/N : do you think Evan was cruel for this? Let me know!
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Lillian's Deceit
Historical Fiction[COMPLETED] Lillian Windsor has been shunned from society after a huge scandal, the twin sister of the royal family vanished and were sent to Ireland. But a vow she kept for years made her return to England where something she weren't prepared for...
