Daring, Charming , Real

Ch. 28

Perspiration saturated my palms as I fumbled back and forth on my heels. The wooden floors beneath me creaked with every movement and echoed off the walls of the dimly lit hallway. I looked around as if I had never stood here before and waited for everyone to settle downstairs before I joined them.

Polly had arrived after the Shelby siblings and from what I could hear she had barely spoken a word other than to Arthur and Ada. I rubbed my hands across the tops of my skirt trying to dry them but it seemed to only make things worse . More clammy and less comfortable. Angelica was standing along side me looking intently over each framed photograph on the wall. Occasionally she would whisper a question over in my direction about who was who or if I knew anything about the people pictured. My responses were typically cut short by busied chatter below that I was eager to eavesdrop on.

She gave a gentle smile before placing her hand on my shoulder, "Everything is going to be just fine , Emilia."

Reluctantly I nodded but there was not a single part of me that believed her. The fact I was in the same vicinity as the woman whose son I slaughtered meant that everything was not okay. It was a death sentence that I had been forcefully bribed into by a silver tongue devil and his two cronies. He laced every word with husk and silk to make me feel safe and as soon as the party arrived he made a swift exit to play host, leaving me to rot in fear on the top floor. The thought made my skin boil and flush a bright red. I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves just as footsteps ascended up the stairwell drawing near to us.

Panic flickered across my eyes as I turned to see who was coming and huffed a sigh of relief when I was greeted by Tommy. He stopped just short of the top step holding his hand out towards me.

"Would you ladies care to join us?" He asked with a soft smile that seemed to ease my nerves only a small bit.

"Sure." Was all I could muster as I walked to join him, linking my arm with his.

Angelica followed closely behind but still gave us the room we needed. Both sets of our heels clicked against the floorboards causing a sudden hush over the dining room where the Shelbys now sat.

"I promise you are safe." Thomas whispered against my temple as he placed a kiss on my skin before we reached the threshold and looked over the prying eyes before us.

Arthur and Jon's face lit up in excitement to see that I hadn't hid away like I originally planned to do. The small inkling of shock still crept behind their smiles that I had mustered the courage to join them. It made me feel somewhat reinforced by the grand entrance Thomas was so keen on me making.

Finn sat with Ada on the other side of the table, both of them fully engulfed in a card game despite the fact she had arrived only minutes before . Neither one of their heads even bothered to glance in our direction.

But Polly had noticed. In fact she was fuming from the floral arm chair she resided in. Her lips pressed into a thin line and her dark eyes beading in my direction. Hatred seemed to pour from her very veins and douse the air with its fumes. I couldn't just see her wishing death upon me but I could feel it deep inside my bones.

"I agreed to come on the exception she wouldn't be here." She spat.

"She lives here Polly. There is no sense in making her leave for a family gathering."

"She is not family." Her words gutted me whole and left me out for the birds to eat. It was almost as if I could feel the vultures pricking at my skin with each syllable she seemed to muster.

"Doesn't matter how you feel about it, she's my wife . Everyone here deems her family just as they find Esme and Linda family." Thomas retorted and then continued before Polly could open her mouth,"Besides you should be a little more grateful to your kin . She has brought something for you."

"I don't want anything that devil spawn has to offer." She crossed her arms over her chest to keep from digging her nails deeper into the fabric of the chair.

Thomas scoffed and pulled me to the side gently allowing Angelica to emerge from the foyer. The silence that followed was deafening. The stale air seemed to open up and cascade over the tension that was building. It pulled and kneaded until the only thing left was awe.

Pollys face unscrewed , dropping to pure shock. The way her eyes widened and scanned over Angelicas body gave me every indication of what I should have already known. Every piece was given to me I was just to damn stubborn to put them together even when Thomas attempted to force my hand.

It was a living miracle.

"Anna" Polly stood slowly , her breathing catching fiercely inside her chest.

"Mother." Was all Angelica could say before she was pulled into the woman's arms.

I watched as they embraced for what felt like eternity . My mind was swimming with questions and burning with shame. The looks upon Linda and Esmes faces told me they were doing the same.

This mystery woman was not a midnight lover of any of the Shelbys, she was their cousin.

Michael's sister.

Polly's dead daughter.

"How?" Polly finally broke the silence and looked over Anna's face , wiping the tears that stained each cheeks with her thumbs. She shook her head in disbelief before asking again.

"My father was stationed away after the war. He had picked up enemies in his line of work so he told everyone his family had died tragically."

"Spring fever." Polly whispered.

"Yes" Anna shook her head sniffling, "But i wanted to come back . I wanted to find you and find my real family. I tried so many times and failed."

Thomas cleared his throat gaining the attention of the room. The light in Pollys eyes didn't fade when she turned towards my husband as I thought it would. She just stiffled a smile still holding tightly to her daughter.

"Anna fumbled into our office and came into contact with Emilia first. Emilia realized how dangerous it could be for word to spread at first about her homecoming so she hid her away from all of us until they had both determined for certain it was real." His lies came so quickly even I couldn't detect them at first until I fully realized he was speaking of me. My train of thought was ripped from me as Pollys eyes turned towards me, a small spark of disbelief lingering between us.

"I was unsure if it could be true or just one of Thomas's enemies attempting to gain insight on the inside." I went along trying to anwser as honestly as I could so I wouldn't give everything away, "Even thought maybe she was here to steal away the Shelby brothers."

Scattered laughs came from everyone in the room. Even Anna joined in and nodded as if she was agreeing to play along.

"When Emilia told me I was in shock but I wanted to wait until the right time to bring it to your attention." Thomas said.

"Polly I-" I started before taking a small pause. The fear that had been stuck in the depths of my chest was now beginning to surface. But I pushed it away, pulling each word quickly so not to lose courage to say them, "I'm so very sorry for everything you have lost this year. You havent deserved a single cruelty this world has dealt to you. I wanted to bring some kind of joy to you even if it changed nothing about your feelings towards me. I just wanted to show you that there is still kindness for you in this lifetime."

Her eyes seemed to soften for a moment. The edges of her mouth tugged up slightly despite the obvious mental battle she was having against it. I watched her wipe the back of her hand across each cheek before standing a little taller.

"Thank you, Emilia."