Wildflowers | S.Jy

| 8 |

In the morning I didn't dress in my mom's old dress, I instead dressed up in another of my summer dresses. It had been enough of a change to make my grandmother raise her eyebrows at me, and my grandfather laugh in his seat by the dining table.

"Good morning," I chimed as I rushed to sit down on my chair and join the rest for breakfast.

"That's a nice change in attire," my grandmother commented and I only smiled as I poured a cup of tea for myself.

"I must be having a good influence on her," Mira remarked from my side as I only nodded and sipped from my tea before deciding it in fact needed two sugar cubes.

"So how was last night girls? Any future courtships to expect?" my grandmother questioned and stirred her tea gently, the spoon clinging everytime it hit the edge of the teacup.

"I wish grandma, but the only boy who ever looked in my direction last night was John Thompson," Mira complained.

"The Thompson family is quite wealthy, you should be happy. It is an honor to have such a wealthy man chasing you," my grandmother remarked and lifted up her cup.

"But I do not wish to marry John Thompson. He and I do not balance in a marriage," Mira complained.

"I hear he escorted you home."

"I didn't have no other choice."

"Yet you let him escort you."

Mira let out a small huff as she looked down towards her tea and sipped from it with a frown on her face. I knew I was slightly to blame for Mira's mood, but was I really? It wasn't me who had disliked dancing the waltz with her, nor was I the one who had begged Jake to give me his escort card. He had simply done it because he wished to.

"I hear mrs. Lee's nephew followed you home, Millie," my grandmother remarked and I nodded with a small smile on my face, "that was very kind of him."

"He was more than kind, grandmother," I shook my head with an excited smile, "we talked plenty. Oh, he is absolutely wonderful. He had me laughing and smiling the whole way home."

"Is that so?" my grandmother questioned and I nodded immediately, "I'm sure mrs. Lee will be pleased to hear that. She has been bothering me ever since his arrival, claiming he would be a perfect fit for you."

"He will be visiting her for tea on Tuesday," my grandfather nodded, "asked for my permission last night when he saw her to the door."

"Is that so?" my grandmother's eyes lit up, "then you must take the sunroom into use!"

"I was hoping to use the library," I shook my head quietly.

"Nonsense, you must use the sunroom. We'll have to be able to see you at all times," my grandmother reminded, "we can't have you go around and being promiscuous."

"It's just tea, grandmother," I reminded her with a small laugh, "can I at least show him the library, then?"

"You'll be given ultimately five minutes to show him the library, at most," she declared and I grinned widely.

"Oh thank you so much. I'm sure he'll absolutely love it!" I happily grinned.

"And you expect him to start courting you, yes?" my grandmother questioned.

"I don't know," I shook my head, "but I sure hope he will at some point, even without marriage."

"Now, Millie, we've been over this. He courts you, he marries you," she reminded sternly and I nodded, "understood?"

"Then perhaps we'll get to know each other first," I decided.

"That is what the court time is for," she shook her head.

"Surely it would be nice to get to know each other more beforehand," I let out a small laugh.

"I'll gladly be courted by mr. Sim even without much talk beforehand," Mira proudly announced, "I shall happily greet him on Tuesday and drink the tea with him," she announced as I shook my head and placed my hands on the top of the table.

"I'd like my tea with mr. Sim to be the two of us, as he suggested," I excused casually, "besides, grandmother," I excitedly started and looked back to my grandmother, "he is very polite, isn't he grandfather?"

"He is," my grandfather nodded.

"I will not have you with him!" Mira loudly complained and slammed her hand into the table.

Immediately it went dead quiet by the table. In confusion I looked towards Mira, who just sat and stared at grandmother with an angry expression. Abruptly my grandmother had risen from her chair.

"Enough, go to your guest room!" my grandmother loudly exclaimed and I immediately frowned, "get your doctor's box, dear," she muttered to my grandfather as I felt a warmth spread through the back of my left hand.

I frowned in confusion as I looked around the table, my eyes eventually dawning on Mira's fork, which had been slammed down and punctured the skin on the back of my hand. Immediately my eyes widened and nausea spread through my body from a lump in my throat and down.

My grandfather was quickly scrambling to go into his old office. He was a retired doctor from the local hospital, but had resorted to only helping whenever needed in Ailea Fields. It wasn't that often anymore, mainly because the others had begun accepting my grandfather was relatively old.

When Mira got up she dropped the fork beside her plate and marched out. Slowly small dots of red appeared on the back of my hand and I started to feel a small ache in the area.

"I think it is lovely that you and mr. Sim is getting to know each other more. I am in the full belief that your future marriage is one of companionate marriage, instead of the financial marriage. It suits you well," my grandmother calmly stated as my grandfather returned and sat down where Mira previously had sat, looking closely at my hand.

"You're lucky your cousin isn't strong," he remarked, "just a small puncture. It'll heal like a scrape on the knee," he assured with a flick of a wrist, looking through his small box to look for a bandage for me.

"Why would she do that?" I whispered in shock, staring down at my hand - which my grandfather had started to clean gently.

"I believe your cousin isn't used to rejection," he excused quietly, "I think she likes mr. Sim very much, but to me it is very clear that mr. Sim only has eyes for you."

"Well, I can't see him now. Can I?" I questioned and looked to my grandmother.

"If mr. Sim is anything like the gentleman you praise him to be, it will be no problem for you to see him tomorrow," my grandmother declared as I frowned and looked down at my hand which my grandfather already was wrapping in with the thin bandage he had found for me.