Chapter XXVI.

Elisabeth ascended the steps to reach the floor where Victoria was on. "Victoria..." Elisabeth began.

Catching her attention, Victoria turned and faced her messenger, spy. "What is it?".

"I've talked to Pavel and he told me a few... interesting things to note.".

"Oh?".

"He has a wish to fully pursue Tamara Clarke. To make her his dutiful wife," Elisabeth spoke out.

Listening to her words, Victoria let her gaze drop to the ground, at first, before she looked back out toward the vast crowd. "And I have a great insight into how that is turning out..." She let her sarcasm venom her words as her gaze found Tamara dancing with Theodore.

Behind Victoria, Elisabeth approached her before she saw the same. Slight melancholy grew on her face in the form of a slight frown.

"I thought you told me you were going to do something about this..." Victoria's voice trailed off.

"I-... I'm trying, Victoria..." Elisabeth began. "I feel like I'm getting somewhere, but I just need more time...".

"Getting somewhere?". Victoria laughed at her words. "I also see how that's coming along...". Turning and facing Elisabeth once more, Victoria's face turned sour, anger painted across her expression. "My patience is slowly getting shorter and shorter... and so is your time here in Veurause...". A second later, she continued. "Make grave use of the time you have left...". Following her words, Victoria walked away from the bannister, leaving Elisabeth behind.

Elisabeth looked back over the railing, her eyes meeting Tamara and Theodore.

Below her, just as the orchestra played the final few notes of the song played, Tamara and Theodore slow their dance to a halt as they broke their hold on one another.

"Thank you for the dance, Ms Tamara..." Theodore's voice softly trailed off, his gaze kept on Tamara.

"You're a good dancer, Mr Theodore..." Tamara responded, trying to escape his gaze to stop the rose colour from forming on her cheeks but, simultaneously, embracing the beauty in his eyes. Making it almost impossible to break their eye contact.

And then happened what she expected the least. With Theodore taking a gentle hold of her hand again, he lifted it until the back of her hand and his lips reached a meeting point. He kissed her hand.

Before Tamara could react to such an action of his, Theodore let go of his mere grip upon her before taking a step back. "Ms Tamara..." his voice trailed off in a form of a farewell.

With him sending her a curtsey followed by a small smile, he turned around, but before he walked away, he stopped himself. Facing Tamara once more, he took in a deep breath. "I hope to see you again, sometime soon, Ms Tamara...". And with that, he walked away. Leaving Tamara speechless, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

Elisabeth caught a glimpse of the whole exchange between Tamara and Theodore. The frown on her lips only proceeded to grow bigger, matching her discontent. The feeling of heaviness accumulated in her chest.

It seemed as though Tamara only grew closer to Theodore, and Theodore to her. What more, Victoria took notice of this too. In the long run, things weren't looking all too good for Elisabeth. She was due to get deported back home from the Oxford household, back home to her mother and there, she hated it. Victoria knew that too.

A lump formed in Elisabeth's throat, partially due to Victoria's menacing words of warning of her being sent back home, but another - far greater - threat lured into her mind. She's slowly witnessing Theodore, her man, being taken away from her by a countryside woman. If she was to do nothing, she was due to lose him forever.

So, she knew she had to get to him before Tamara could. Elisabeth had to make Theodore enchanted only for her before Tamara had the opportunity to do just that...

With Elisabeth's gaze remaining on Tamara, who stood in the crowd for a moment more before she began to move, that was when Elisabeth found her cue to move elsewhere too. With her finding it difficult to breathe, she decided to leave outdoors for a mere moment or two. The thoughts and worries did not fall well on her stomach.

Descending the steps and found her way to the front. Opening the door and leaving into the cold, winter night, her feet were greeted with a further accumulation of snow than in comparison when they arrived at the residency.

Making her way down the steps of stone, she let the cold air cool her flaming chest.

Reaching a halting point, it was by a pillar of the stone steps, she allowed herself to lean against it.

Looking up at the sky, she noticed how it was clear. The stars twinkled in all their glory. But then something caught her attention. Back at home, in Veursau, she wasn't able to remember the last time she saw the night sky as clear as this. Ever.

She could see the stars in Veursau, but here... it felt as though she was able to see a little bit more. She was able to see a fraction of the cosmos.

A glow in the sky, cloudlike. She could just about see it.

And the more she had her eyes on the night sky, the more stars she was able to notice. With that, a smile - subconsciously - formed on her lips.

'Would for this...' Elisabeth began to think. 'Would people have a preference for the countryside so they could witness views as beautiful as this?...'.

To her question, she supplied no answer. She didn't want to. Instead, she closed her eyes before letting her mind rest. She hoped the worries within her might subside if even just a little.

She didn't notice when the main door opened.

Tamara walked out for the same reason. To get some fresh air.

Her attention was immediately grabbed by Elisabeth. Wanting to call out for her, Tamara decided against it as she wanted to maintain the serenity of the quiet, cold night.

So, instead, she descended the steps, getting closer to Elisabeth. "A beautiful night, don't you think, Ms Elisabeth?".

Hitching a breath in fright, Elisabeth opened her eyes before darting her gaze to Tamara. "My god, Ms Tamara, you gave me quite a fright!".

"My sincere apologies, Ms Elisabeth..." Tamara responded, concurrently greeting her with a curtsey.

Elisabeth didn't reply with a curtsey. Instead, she kept her eyes on Tamara for a second more before looking elsewhere. "It is a pleasant night, yes...".

Noticing such action and remembering Eileen's words from a few days ago, Tamara had a question she wanted to ask Elisabeth. But such a question led to her facing slight inner turmoil as to whether to even ask the question or not.

"Ms Elizabeth..." Tamara began, she decided to go through with the question. Not wanting to wait and see if she gained Elisabeth's attention, she knew Elisabeth would listen either way. "I am unsure why but... I have a feeling as though you dislike me. Why?".

Elisabeth couldn't help but laugh at Tamara's words. "Dislike?..." she asked but then she stopped. The smile that was on her lips decreased to nothing. "What are you trying to achieve with Theodore, Ms Tamara?" Elisabeth dismissed Tamara's inquiry.

Tamara was about to retort, asking what Theodore was to do with Elisabeth's alleged dislike toward her. But upon a second thought, thinking back to how Theodore behaved in Tamara's presence, slowly everything began to fall into place. "Is this all about Mr Theodore? Do you dislike me due to how Mr Theodore behaves in my presence?".

"Behaves?..." Elisabeth started. "I'd say that you're trying to lead him on, Ms Tamara.".

"Lead him on?". Now it was Tamara who laughed at Elisabeth's words. With that, she stopped for a second, looking at the woman opposite her. "You were there when his mother said all those things to me... You... you even laughed at me.". She paused for another second, startled by some sort of realisation. "You laughed... I- I didn't think much about it, but... all those things she said to me and yet you found the nerve to laugh at me, to be on his mother's side.".

"Did you really think I would take your side?" Elisabeth's words expressed nothing but venom. It was a different side to Elisabeth, a side that Tamara had not seen before.

However, with Elisabeth thinking that saying those words, belittling Tamara would bring her joy, and satisfaction, she was proved otherwise when slight guilt began to build up within her. In her chest. It caused a small lump to form in her throat.

Tamara was about to say something but then decided to remain quiet. She let the words within her subside. "I'm sorry..." were the words that left her parted lips. "I apologize for whatever it is I did. Of which I am unsure what action of mine caused you to have a disliking for me. Both yourself and Ms Victoria.".

To Tamara's words, Elisabeth clenched her jaw. "Don't waste your breath...". She paused for a moment, turning to Tamara and looking her in the eyes. "With all due respect, there's no reason for me to like you. We are two different classes, Ms Tamara.".

Elisabeth's words caused Tamara's heart to sink like an anchor of a ship, reaching for the seafloor. It caused her to feel numb. She knew better, or at least that's what she thought. She thought she knew better than to befriend people of the higher class. 'But what about Diana... and her mother?' Tamara thought to herself.

Elisabeth noticed Tamara's silence, furthermore, the slight frown that formed on Tamara's lips. It furthermore added to the guilt Elisabeth felt and she hated it. Clearing her throat, that was when she spoke up. "Ms Tamara... May I give you some advice?".

As a reply, all Tamara did was look at Elisabeth.

"Don't let your heart break... I'd recommend that you cut all ties with Theodore once and for all. Otherwise, I'm unsure how things will end for you, Ms Tamara.".

Elisabeth's words were a hard pill to swallow, but it wasn't like Tamara hadn't thought about such already. "It's not like I've already thought of that before..." Tamara's mouth went off before she could have stopped it. She couldn't control the hurt in her voice and Elisabeth noticed.

"Well then... you must leave him at once, Ms Tamara. Forget him, get over him. Find someone else, for your heart is due a heartbreak if you keep your interest and intrigue upon Theodore...".

Once again, Elisabeth's words came at Tamara like a ton of bricks, but she was already acquainted with the ideology of Elisabeth's words. She knew what she had to do. "That... that I'm very well aware of..." Tamara just about mustered up the strength to say just that.

Elisabeth hated what she felt, the regret she began to feel. Was it something in the air? Was it perhaps the cold? She didn't know. So taking in a deep breath, she took a step back before letting her gaze fall to the ground. With that, she began to walk away, leaving Tamara behind in the cold.

On her way to the front of the house, Elisabeth stopped mid-way on a stone step. Turning around, her eyes were met by Tamara's figure, the way she had her head down ever so slightly. "Ms Tamara?..." she called out.

Responding to the calling of her name, she looked at Elisabeth.

"Are you coming in?" Elisabeth further spoke out. An inquiry.

Tamara looked away before she could respond. "I'll stay out for a little more.".

Not uttering another word, Elisabeth kept her gaze on Tamara for a second more before continuing her way up the steps.

She entered the home, the heat embracing her cooled skin from the cold. She couldn't shake off the feeling that accumulated in her whilst she spoke with Tamara.

But, just like Tamara, Elisabeth knew what she had to do. In the name of Victoria, she wanted to satisfy her. But also in the name of her man, she wanted to protect him.