The next days that had come were cloudy and filled with rain. The weather reflected Vienne's mood since the time in the marketplace. She longed to see Sebastian, as she hadn't seen him since Edward had cut their time together short. She had not seen him since her anxiety over Edward knowing the implication of their time together there.
She sat on the large windowsill, staring out the window as the rain dropped down.
"You've seemed to be in a dreadful mood as of late." Marie said as she folded the laundry.
"My heart is full of anxieties." Vienne sighed. She turned to Marie. "I haven't seen Sebastian in days, and my mind tells me if I am to see him, something may go wrong."
Marie's brows furrowed. "Because of what happened with Edward?" She inquired.
Vienne nodded. "He was furious; I'm sure my last bit of freedom is pending." She spoke. "He still has that stupid fantasy of me in his mind, but not a single thought in there could possibly make him realize I'm happier with Sebastian than I could ever be with him."
"Mr. Carter does seem like quite the stubborn man, doesn't he?" Marie hummed. "Unfortunate that you're caught up in all of this, dear."
"I just hope he loses feelings soon and realizes it's not worth it. I'm with another man for Merlin's sake." Vienne said. "Perhaps he sees it as some sort of challenge, and that's why he refuses to give up." She sighed.
"Do you think he's picked up on you and Sebastian?" Marie questioned.
"I'm sure he has; there's almost no way to hide it after what happened in the market. He completely ruined our day; it was so unexpected." Vienne replied lowly. "I just hope he doesn't take it to my mother. However, I highly doubt things will go my way, even if the situation is about me."
"Well then, we can only hope." Marie sighed, placing some of the folded laundry down on the bed. "I'll tell Ceci to keep her ears open around your mother; try and see if she mentions anything."
Vienne lay back, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, if I'm going to get exposed anyway, I might as well enjoy the time I have with Sebastian." She said as she stood up. Overall, it was a horribly discouraging and scary situation, but she wasn't about to allow those fears to overpower her into submission. "I'm going to see him."
"Good luck out there; it's awfully muddy."
***
Within an hour, Vienne was at the Gaunt Manor, ready to see Sebastian. She found him upstairs in the library, engrossed and distracting himself in the book he was holding.
He briefly looked up from his book at the sound of footsteps and saw Vienne walking towards him. Immediately, he dropped his book. "Vienne!" He said, breathing a sigh of relief as he closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her tightly. It had only been a few days, but it had been a few days of uncertainty, and that was enough to make him miss her more than anything.
It hadn't been a very easy week since the incident; Sebastian had been talking to Ominis constantly about what he was supposed to do now. Ominis tried his best to console his best friend, but there was only so much that he could do with words, as they couldn't act on anything right now. He felt somewhat guilty himself having encouraged Sebastian to go forward with his feelings with Vienne, but he knew Sebastian didn't regret it, so why should he?
"I missed you." Vienne said, pressing her face into his chest. It felt so good to be in his arms again.
"I've missed you too; are you okay?" Sebastian asked, pulling away to look at her. They hadn't had the chance to speak in person since the marketplace.
"I'm alright, worried, but alright. I've just been thinking about you all week." Vienne replied. "I've been on edge thinking that my mother is going to say something. It's been suffocating, really." She sighed, shaking her head.
Sebastian could see the exhaustion in her eyes, and he knew exactly how she felt. Living like you're walking on eggshells in your own home, just waiting for something bad to happen. He grew up in a home exactly like that with his uncle, and now Vienne was experiencing it with her mother. The ironic part being that Vienne was an adult, completely capable of making her own decisions. But Claudine didn't seem to see it that way.
"Come here, sit. I have to tell you something." Sebastian insisted, leading her over to one of the many couches. He needed to tell her about his encounter with Edward in the bar; he hadn't mentioned anything about it so as to not worry her more than she already was, but sooner or later, he had to.
Vienne moved with Sebastian and sat down on the sofa, curious as to what Sebastian had to say. "What is it?" She asked, raising her brow.
Sebastian sighed, looking away for a moment. "After you left from the marketplace the other day, I didn't leave for quite a while. I... stupidly went to a bar to let out my frustrations; trust me, I know it was a bad idea." He said with a dry chuckle, shaking his head.
"You in a bar?" Vienne asked, a hint of amusement in her tone, raising a brow.
"It wasn't my finest moment, okay." Sebastian chuckled. "But then just a little bit after I had entered, Edward came in and sat down right next to me. It was obvious that he had followed me in there."
That specific sentence piqued Vienne's curiosityâwhy did Edward follow him in? Especially after a display like they had in the marketplace. Which, ironically, was not the first time it had happened, yet Edward seemed persistent.
"After he sat down next to me, he said he wanted to discuss something about you but then asked me a few questions about myself. I answered vaguely, and then we started talking about you... I won't give out the specific details as they weren't very respectful, but I attempted to leave, and he followed me." Sebastian explained, causing Vienne's brows to furrow.
"I suppose I lost my temper at some point after the conversation started going in a direction I didn't like... And well, we were close to having a fistfight for a moment there."
Vienne's eyes widened. "You fought him in the bar?" She exclaimed.
"I almost did." Sebastian corrected with a chuckle. "Trust me, he deserved it."
"Well, I don't doubt that!" Vienne laughed. "I'm just shocked that you would go so far to do that for me. I'm sure at any moment there could have been something that could have gone terribly wrong and gotten you into a lot of trouble."
You couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be trouble after doing something that a member of the Carter family didn't like, but Vienne was surprised that it had been several days, and she hadn't heard of him taking any action about it. Perhaps Sebastian really had scared him offâwhich, in a way, made her feel better.
Sebastian's brows furrowed. "Vienne, of course I'd do that for youâI'd do anything for you, especially if it'd keep you safe. I love you, and because I do, I'd never let anybody say something so horrible about you. All I want to do is to keep you safe." He spoke.
Vienne had to admit, knowing he was willing to go to great lengths in order to protect her and her dignityâwhether she was there or notâwas extremely attractive. Of course, she didn't want him to get into trouble, but knowing it made her feelings so much stronger for him, if they weren't massively strong already.
"Good to know." She smirked, leaning over to him. "Scar ex-prisoner Sebastian Sallow protecting his girlfriend."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Don't let it get to your head, my love." He chuckled.
Vienne chuckled before shifting on Sebastian, leaning against him and getting comfortable in his arms. There was a pleasant silence between the two of themâwhich had been the most peace Vienne had felt in a while. It was nice; she felt safe, and she knew it'd stay that way with him.
"...Sebastian, can we stay like this for a while?" She asked quietly.
Sebastian couldn't help but smile hearing her words; the fact that she felt safe when she was with him meant the world to him. "Of course, my love, of course."
***
It was nighttime at Luis Austen's Manor; the three children were fast asleep in their beds, and Elizabeth was getting ready for bed, brushing her hair in the vanity mirror of their shared bedroom. She felt a cool breeze rush past her, which caused her to turn around and see that the door to the balcony was wide open.
Leaning against the balcony was Luis, who seemed to be in a deep state of thought. He did this often, getting lost in thought, but Elizabeth could tell that this was different than those times; something was wrong.
"Luis, dear, what are you doing out there?" She asked, feeling slightly chilled from the air.
"Just thinking." Luis replied, but it was mumbled enough for Elizabeth not to hear it.
Elizabeth stood up and walked over to Luis, placing her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" She asked with a knowing tone; something was bothering him. "I know that face." She said, her other hand going to gently grab his jaw and move him to look at her.
Luis let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "That obvious, huh?" He commented dryly. "I'm just thinking about Vienne again, I suppose, and my mother. I know I promised her I'd talk to Vienne about it all, but I can't help but feel like there's something wrong with this whole thing. I mean, I shouldn't be the one picking the person she stays with for her entire life, and neither should my mother."
Elizabeth shrugged. "Then it's that simple, don't. Just let her make the choice herself." She said, tilting her head a little.
"That's how it should be, yes." He sighed. "But my motherâshe's got me worried sick about everything with her conditionâI feel like I'm in between such a rock and a hard place. I understand she's worried, but Vienne should be able to make that choice for herself... but if she doesn't make that choice soon, I don't know what will happen to Mother."
"Luis, Vienne is her own person, and as much as I love your mother, she can't control Vienne forever." Elizabeth spoke. "Trust me when I say the better outcome is to let her choose for herself, regardless of what your mother says."
Luis nodded, knowing that Elizabeth was right. He knew all alongâhe knew this was Vienne's choice, but the anxiety in the back of his mind, the anxiety that Claudine had planted, was clouding his judgment out of fear. "I know; I'm just so stuck." He sighed. "I hardly know this Edward fellow anyway; I'm not sure why my mother is so insistent on him anyway."
"He's rich and has status; I think that answers your question." Elizabeth chuckled, shaking her head. She understood Claudine's concerns about Vienne being supported throughout the rest of her life, but it was no secret that George left Vienne a massive inheritance, but truly, it was keeping the status that Claudine was actually worried about.
"I suppose money really does mean that much to her." Luis scoffed. "I'll talk with Vienne, see what she wants, not what my mother wants. I need to hear both sides."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. "That'd be good." She smiled. "But for now... I'm tired, and you need rest too. So come to bed already."
"A beautiful woman inviting me to her bed? How could I say no?" Luis grinned, a dorky smile on his face.
Elizabeth laughed, rolling her eyes. "What a charmer you are."
A/n: Sorry for the consistently bad upload schedule! I've had two family members hospitalized this past week and it has just been crazy  for me since. I hope to post more regularly but we'll see! Thank you for reading!! <3