When Fate Smiles [-Preface-]

Preface

Blue eyes stared blankly around a large, crowded ballroom, a slim, pale hand holding a flute of champagne, plump pink lips delicately sipping the dark liquid. The young woman, standing with a group of ladies but otherwise quite alone, wore a stunning red silk gown, which fell to the marble floor in a lovely show of elegance and class. More than once, the lady caught the eyes of her mother, whom she blatantly ignored. She would hear of that later, she was sure.

"Don't you think so, Lily?" The voice brought her out of her almost nonexistent thoughts, and she brought her navy eyes to the face of the speaker, a young woman named Annabelle.

"I'm sorry?" The blonde beauty did not show that she was disappointed in Lily's lack of interest, and instead inclined her head to indicate, Lily saw when she turned, a young man standing amidst the crowd.

"He is quite handsome, yes?" Annabelle inquired, her voice coy. Lily gave a nonchalant shrug, eyes only staying on the young man long enough to see the ring on his hand.

"Perhaps. And also quite married, if you would care to notice." Her gaze traveled back to Annabelle, who was making a face.

"Oh, posh. That's never stopped anyone before, has it?" Lily allowed a wry smile to cross her lips.

"No, of course not. But even you have yet to cross that line." The group of women laughed, and Lily shook her head at them, then excused herself.

Weaving her way through the crowd, she made her way to the back of the ballroom, where a set of glass doors opened into the gardens. Inhaling the wonderful scent of roses in full bloom, the young lady had only walked a little ways away from the open doors before someone cleared their throat, catching her attention. She turned, and plastered a polite smile on her lips. It was the young man from before, and a quick glance showed her that he had removed his ring.

"Hello," he murmured, gray eyes warm. She curtsied to him.

"Hello." There was silence for a moment, except for the sounds of guests talking and soft music playing. Her eyes having wandered, they went back to the young man as he cleared his throat once more.

"Would you like to dance?" She gave him a soft smile, then stepped a little closer. Despite the pleasant look on her face, her tone was icy when next she spoke.

"I saw the ring much earlier, my good man. I am not interested in holding a forbidden tryst with you; the prospect does not tempt me in the least. Go to your wife." And she swept past him in a flurry of skirts, elegance, and class.

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Later on that night, as Lily was settling into bed with a book, there was a light knock on her door. "Come in." The heavy oak was pushed open, and Lily was quite perturbed to see her mother stroll inside and close the door behind her, locking it. The woman's graying brown hair was still pinned into its complicated bun, and she still donned the cream gown she had worn. But her face, remarkably beautiful even in her increasing age, wore a mask of unbridled anger. "Mother, what do you want?"

"Don't you speak to me that way!" the older woman snapped, reaching out and snatching the book from her daughter's fingers. "Do you enjoy making your father and I look bad?" Lily quirked one brown eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Her tone was completely questioning, but her eyes portrayed the anger her voice didn't; they flashed like blue fire, reaching desperately for her mother's skirts. Looking as though she were holding back the urge to hit her, Lady Hathaway pursed her lips and said tightly,

"Your ignorance is not cute, nor is it appropriate, young lady." Lily, deciding to hold her tongue, simply stared at her. "I am speaking of your behavior regarding young Dallon's proposal." Unable to restrain herself, Lily barked out a bitter laugh.

"Dallon the Oppressor, you mean? I would not marry him if he was the last man on earth and I the last woman." From her spot underneath the many blankets of her bed, she gazed laughingly at the woman before her. "Of course, you only wanted me to marry him because it would be something for you to brag about, isn't that right?" When her mother said nothing, she continued, "You would be able to say that your daughter, your daughter, was married to the most esteemed man in all of England! That - "

"You shut your mouth!" At the woman's outburst, Lily smirked.

"No need to get riled up, Mother," she whispered mockingly, eyes glinting.

The two women stared each other down for a long moment, and Lady Hathaway was the first to speak. "You father is not happy about this either," she gritted out. "He and I will be speaking on it tonight. This issue will be resolved." With that, she turned on her heel, stalking to the door and, in her anger, attempting to wrench it open.

"It's locked, Mother," Lily murmured coolly, watching in nothing but amusement as her mother fumbled with the lock on the door before finally managing the task. "And I'm not marrying anyone," she added as the door slammed shut, the walls shaking with the force of it. Scoffing, the young woman reached over and retrieved her book, which Lady Hathaway had slammed onto a bedside table. Opening to her page, she began to read, and continued to do so until her eyes could no longer focus on the fine print.

When she lay down after putting out her lamp, she noticed for the first time the thunder rumbling outside. Snuggling down into the warm confines of her bed, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind, not knowing that Fate was about to smile down on her in the oddest of ways.

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The next day began dreary and gray, thunder rumbling in the distance. Lily's footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet underneath her boots, but the annoying chatter of her hand maid broke any silence that she might have enjoyed.

"Miss, can't you step a little shorter? You are ruffling the skirts of your dress."

"The skirts are meant to be ruffled, Polly." She glanced at the girl from the corner of her eye. "If they were not, they would be hanging on the walls, correct?" The young girl flushed scarlet.

"Yes, I suppose so, miss, but - "

"Oh hush, Polly. We are here besides." As she spoke, Lily reached forward and opened the door to her father's study, where she had been summoned. Of course, she had been summoned over two hours ago, but she had been in no hurry to see the man, and had deliberately taken a long, hot bath. As she stepped inside and shut the door, her eyes roamed over her father, who was sitting at his desk, and landed on a man who was standing in front of it.

He was tall, his shoulders broad. Immediately, she knew that he was insanely wealthy; he was clad in an expensive looking silk shirt and soft velvet jacket, the former a deep purple and the latter a midnight black. His shoes were shined so much that they almost caused her to cover her eyes, and the black cane he held was studded with diamonds and a lovely purple stone. Her eyes traveled up to his face, and she couldn't help but stare in approval.

Jet black, slightly curly hair touched the collar of his jacket, the locks shiny and not out of place in the least. His skin was tanned nicely, and the color only brought out his gray-green eyes. His nose was slightly crooked, as though it had been broken, but his jaw was strong and square. A muscle jumped as she continued to stare at him, and she finally stepped away from the door, watching as his full lips thinned into a straight line.

Lily stepped up to her fathers desk, curtsying to him. "Good morning, Father," she murmured, completely ignoring the man at her side. "You rang for me?"

Lord Hathaway was a strong man, who's face resembled that of a Greek god, though he was far from it. His hair, which had once been as deep a brown as Lily's, had dulled with time, and there was a splattering of gray hairs at his temple. He did not smile at his daughter, though she had once been, and still in some ways was, the apple of his eye. "I did. I would like to introduce you to Lord Lukas Portland. He has come from the coast at my request." Glancing up at the still silent man, Lily nodded, inclining her head to him, a gesture to which he didn't respond.

"Yes, and?" Lord Hathaway fixed her with a stare that made her skin crawl with nervousness, then,

"You are to marry him this afternoon." There was silence for a full minute, and Lily could feel Lukas's eyes on her, gauging her reaction. After a moment, Lily blinked, and her father's words finally settled in.

"What?!" Her pretty face contorted in anger, her eyes wide. "Father, you cannot - "

"I can and I have. You are dismissed. I will send for you later." Opening her mouth to retort, she hadn't even gotten the words out before her father spoke again. "I will not hear it, Lily. You have been dismissed." Lily's mouth clamped shut with an audible snap, and she took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Pursing her lips, she curtsied to her father, then spun on her heel and strode angrily out of the study, slamming the door after her.

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Lukas's Point of View

As the door to the study was forcefully returned to its frame, Lukas Portland turned amused eyes to the man sitting at the desk in front of him. Lord Hathaway was rubbing his temples, as though his head were aching, and when he looked up at his guest, his smile was wry, almost pained. "You see now what I speak of?" he asked. Lukas nodded.

"I do. She has quite the temper," he responded, remembering vividly the way her eyes had flashed. "Has she always been that way?" Lord Hathaway nodded.

"Yes, ever since she was a child. I'm afraid her mother and I did not know what to do with her, so instead of toning down her wild nature, we only nurtured it and allowed it to grow. That," he gestured towards the door, "is what has become of it." Lukas nodded.

"Very well. Is there something I need sign?"

A few hours later, Lord Hathaway sent for his daughter once more. The girl appeared in a blue silk gown, white gloves on her slender hands and a fan in her slim fingers. Lukas watched her as she approached, seeing the stubborn angle of her head and the anger hidden in her eyes. She did not look at him, but curtsied to her father and stood silently.

"Lord Portland has asked that we hold off on the official ceremony, but there on the desk is an contract stating that you are his wife. Sign your name, please." Without a word, but with obvious anger, Lily leaned down and, removing her glove, picked up the feather pen, dipping it in ink before signing her name next to his. The lines were elegant and gentle, despite her livid countenance, and she straightened after setting the pen down very gently. Lukas had never seen her kind of control, but he had a feeling that it came at a price; she was going to explode very soon. Lord Hathaway seemed to sense the same thing; he kept his voice quiet as he spoke. "Thank you, Lily. Polly will accompany you back to your rooms and get you packed."

"Packed?" Her voice was strained but otherwise calm.

"Yes dear. You will be leaving for Illiade tonight." In the silence that followed his remark, Lord Hathaway looked as though he were expecting the worst, and Lukas watched Lily carefully. To his surprise, she simply nodded.

"Very well."

With a small curtsy, Lily Hathaway turned and left the study, the door closing much more quietly than it had hours before. With a grunt, Lukas stared at the wood, a little more than intrigued. This was going to be interesting.