A smile jumped to my lips before I could surpress it, and took his offered elbow with my gloved hand. I wasn't sure what it meant; before, I had felt that he felt forced into giving me his elbow because it was expected. Now, I secretly hoped he did it because of his own accord.
Well, so what if I was warming up to him? We'd let it get as far as our engagement ball, it was now only a hop, skip and a jump to the actual ceremony. Yes, the engagement wasn't all I had hoped my engagement to a man I love would be, but marrying Elliot wouldn't be the end of the world. And who knows? I could grow to love a man such as he, I was sure of it.
Infact, had we met under the right circumstances, I was sure I would have fell for him on my own. Well, except for the pompous, show-offy side that he sometimes threw out. No, the real Elliot was quite a different man than the show he put on for the public.
"Yes, indeed, nothing quite like it back where I come from." Elliot looked at the sky and down at me, a genuine smile of content written on his face.
"Oh? So you live further up north then?" We came to the end of the walk, and we circled around, ready for another round around.
"Well, yes and no. My family is originally from there, though I haven't lived there for sometime." I could tell Elliot was extremely comforable, even going as far as to occasionally touch his hand he wasn't using to escort me to my hand. Not that I minded at all.
"You travel a lot then?" I asked, curious.
"I've done a bit, can't say I like it much though. And I can hardly afford to, now-" He stopped completely, horrified. His speech broke off, as he realized what he said. "Now that I have so many acquiantances in town." He rushed out, clearing his throat, hoping it would cover his mistake. He pulled me along so our walk would continue.
His body language gave him away though, and I knew something was wrong. "Mr. Samuelson, acquiantances would hardly hold you back from traveling, especially to see your own family. You can hardly count that as an excuse."
"Well, I don't like to travel, so there, that puts an end to it." He sounded a bit angry, but the anger seemed less directed at me, then at himself.
"Surely you could allow the discomfort, at least to see family?" I couldn't understand what was bothering him. Family meant everything to me, and I hoped the same went for him. If we were to marry, I would want him to hold family as close as I did. And now that I thought about it, it was strange he hadn't even mentioned his own family, until now. Perhaps that's why Elliot wanted out of the marriage in the first place, because his parent's wouldn't approve. Did they even know we were to be married? Was he so ashamed of me, that he would go so far as to hide me from his family? They hadn't shown up at our engagement ball, as what should have been required of them; I could only think the worst.
Elliot's pace increased, and I had a hard time keeping up. "It's a bit complicated." Is all he offered as an answer.
"Complicated how Elliot?" I let go of his arm and stopped, as he walked faster, and further away. "Complicated as in a marriage perhaps? Complicated as in a bride you don't want them to find out about?" My voice got smaller, as I grew more self-conscious. So maybe we weren't even planning on going through with the wedding, and maybe I was fooling myself, but I thought we had grown to like each other, at least tolerate each other. The least he could done is introduced me to his family.
He stopped, swivelled around and softened his voice. "No, no it's nothing like that, Nora. Where would you get a crazy idea like that?" He walked towards me, looking into my face.
"It's the only answer that makes sense." I breathed out, throwing my hands up in exhausperation. "Unless you're hiding some deep dark secret that you don't want me to find out."
Elliot visibly gulped. "Hit that one right on the head, didn't we?" He muttered under his breath, but I still caught it.
"Then you are hiding something from me!" I claimed triumphantly, although it was a hollow victory. I felt coldness running through my veins. I felt betrayed, alone, unsure where we stood anymore. Half of me, my sensible half, felt like sitting down and demanding Elliot to tell me the truth, but the other half of me, my heart, felt like running away, refusing to hear anything that could hurt me and my new feelings for Elliot. I didn't know what to do, and so I stood, dumbly and numbly waiting for Elliot to make the next move.
"Not just you, but everybody. I'm-" Elliot rubbed his neck, unsure of where to go, what to say. Finally, it seemed like he was going to go with the truth. "I'm not at all who I say I am. Who I look like. Heavens, I'm no even using my real last name. I'm flatbroke Nora. A pauper, a debtor without a sixpence to my name. I'm a sheep in a lion's coat, and I'm sorry."
I froze, looking Elliot straight in the face, although he looked everywhere but at me. "How? Why?" I felt tears swelling up, and I forced them down, hoping not to show any emotion to my fake fiancé. Fake in more ways then one it turned out.
"It's not all my fault." Elliot insisted, "Well, mostly not. And Mr. Scotts-"
"Enough." I stopped him there, holding up a hand for silence. "It's enough to have lied to the whole town, but now to bring the blame to another gentleman?" I gave a hysterical laugh, that sounded pathetic and broken.
"But Nora, you have to understand-"
"Understand what Elliot? That you've lied to my father? My family? To me? I understand that clear enough."
The tears were well underway now, and they weren't going to be stopping anytime soon. I turned around, unable to face him anymore.
"Nora please-" Elliot reached for my hand but I pulled away.
"Having a lover's spat, are we?" We both turned to the voice, and who of all people but Charlotte Evans, standing in the doorway looking, looking as if she had just won a coveted prize.
That was the final straw. "He's all yours." I insisted, pushing my way past her and back inside. The last view I saw of Elliot was he as he shuttered, alone with Charlotte.
Good, I thought. They deserve each other.
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