The Glass Rose

Chapter Three

Adelaide doesn't bother to make her sudden reappearance at home quiet. She slams open the door so it hits the wall, making a loud sound that vibrates through the mansion. Her face was a red it had never quite been before and her eyes wide. She couldn't put her finger on the emotion she was feeling. It was a strange mix of things that she didn't know could fit together.

"Whatever was that for?" Her mother asked as she saw her daughter standing in the doorway with a pale face. "Are you feeling alright, you look ill. Maybe you should sit-"

"Is it true that I'm getting married?"

"Come sit dear." Her mother grabbed her hand and pulled her into the sitting room after closing the door. Her eldest sister, brother, and father were already sitting there, clearly not predicting the blonde to join them. Her mother sat her down in a chair and sat beside her. "Might we get some tea please, Mrs. Green?"

"Of course, ma'am." The room was silent for a moment and all eyes were on Adelaide. They looked at her as if they all knew more than she did.

"Is it true that you practically sold my hand in marriage to Martin Edwards." She watched as Caroline's eyes widened and she too looked between her parents. She knew that Adelaide would get married, but had no idea how serious this situation was.

"Yes." Her father said, not even bothering to look up from his paper. Dread settled in Adelaide's stomach. This wasn't a nightmare or a cruel joke, this was reality. She didn't know which hit her harder, the fear or the betrayal she felt.

"What? How can you do this?" Caroline asked, standing up from her seat. "She is your daughter! How can you force her into marriage with a man she has never met?"

"Caroline, sit down."

"No! This is cruel!"

"Caroline, sit down!" Their father yelled, his face flushing red. She did so immediately but sat on the edge of her seat. "This is a wonderful opportunity for her."

"You mean for you?" Adelaide asked, at last finding her voice. "This isn't about me at all. He has money so I'm sure you made some kind of deal with him when he asked for my hand in marriage. Please don't sell me to that man as if I were nothing more than cattle."

"You are selfish! This family has given you everything we have, but it's still not enough for you. You seemed eager enough to join this family when we adopted you, and yet you want to act like a lower-class woman." Tears had begun to roll down her face at last. Caroline reached over and held her hand in hers. "You have taken advantage of everything we had. We even let you spend a significant amount of time in London and yet when we ask you to do one thing you dig your heels in the ground."

"The only reason you let me go to London was because I felt unsafe here! You let me go because after what happened because you wanted me silenced. Someone tried to kill me and the only thing you were concerned about was your reputation! You only let me go to keep me quiet."

"Do not yell at me!" More tears rolled down her face. "You know we told you to remain silent for your own good. You know people would never stop talking about it. They would make all sorts of assumptions about why you were walking by yourself at night."

"I should be able to go for an evening stroll to clear my head without being stabbed! Is that too much to ask?"

"And who's going to believe you, dear?" Her mother asked her calmly, flipping to the next page in the book she had picked up. "Most women don't go out to clear their heads. You know people would assume you were doing something you weren't supposed to be doing."

"Someone tried to kill her! This isn't her fault!" Caroline butted back in.

"And yet no one forced her out of the house at night."