Lord Zahl

Elias Zahl had blue eyes that reminded Florence of old lapis. His dark hair fell to his shoulders and was as soft as silk. The man was gorgeous, and he knew it. He kept stealing glances at her and shot her a dazzling smile every time their eyes met.

Florence had fuzzy feelings in her chest. Except for the few dinner parties and balls she was forced to attend, she did not have much interaction with the opposite gender. She had danced with a few gentlemen before, but it was quite hard to hold a conversation while doing the waltz.

"... It was pure luck. What do you think, Lady Kalwen?" Elias asked.

The three turned to look at Florence. She had been lost in her thoughts and was not listening to the conversation. A blush spread through her face. "Apologies, my mind must have wandered off."

Lord Zahl grinned. "Gems, my lady. Your brother and I are venturing into mining gems in the west."

"Oh?" Richard did not discuss any business with her, so Florence was happy to hear about it.

"Mostly rubies. Do you like rubies, Lady Kalwen?"

"I do." Florence smiled, but her smile disappeared as soon as she met her brother's glare.

'What is wrong with him?'

"Well, I reckon that in a few months you will be showered with the finest rubies in the kingdom."

Richard cleared his throat, and for a brief moment, Florence thought she saw Elias flinch.

"Right, partner? I understand you reserve the best gifts for your mother and sister."

"That is correct." Richard's voice was clipped. "Shall we move back to the sitting room for a few drinks?"

"Yes. I would love a glass of chilled champagne," Lina said.

She was the one to lead the way, followed by Elias. When Florence headed toward the door, Richard grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"Stop flirting with him. He is not suitable." Richard sighed. "I told you, my friends are not marriage material."

"How do you even know that Lord Zahl is not?"

"I know."

Florence was angry. Her brother did not even feel the need to give her any more explanation.

'Do men discuss marriage matters like that amongst themselves?'

But even if Lord Zahl was not interested in marriage, she could try to convince him to help her with her plan. In fact, it would be ideal if he was not interested in marriage. She just needed to trick her mother into thinking that they would marry, then she could break the engagement for a reason she had not yet thought of.

"Fine," she uttered. Richard finally released her. He sighed in relief.

'I am sorry brother, but I have to do this. I do not want to end up with someone twice my age, just because he is a marquis.'

The two joined the others in the sitting room and continued their conversation about the new gem business. It was pleasant. Florence asked many questions, she was genuinely interested.

She did not smile at Elias as much as she did during dinner, which seemed to have calmed her brother down. She decided to talk to the earl in private when she got the chance.

After a while, Florence and her mother bid the men goodnight and headed to their bedrooms for the night. It was the perfect summer night, so Florence opened her balcony door to let the light breeze in. She walked out and stared at the starry sky for a long time.

'I wish Rick was more helpful.' She sighed.

When she took a step back from the baluster, Florence noticed movement in the distance. She squinted her eyes to try to see. It was Lord Elias, walking toward the stables.

"I have prepared your nightgown, my lady."

"Forget about the nightgown, Rilla. Get me my riding clothes, and a man's hat."

The maid's face paled. "Please, tell me you are joking."

"I am not." Florence grinned.

After arguing with Rilla, who failed to convince her not to go out this late, Florence sneaked out and headed toward the stables. A carriage had been readied, and luckily, she made it just as Elias boarded it.

She quickly saddled her mare and caught up to him. She made sure to keep her distance so that she was not noticed. Her heart was beating so fast with excitement and curiosity.

'Where is he going this late at night?'

Richard had told them that Elias would be staying with them for a few days, so he probably did not have a place to stay nearby.

Florence reached the town in no time. Just like the estate, everything was quiet. Except for the couple of taverns they passed, the town was asleep. But after a few turns, there appeared to be more people around. The streets were unfamiliar to Florence since she had never been to this part of town. It looked dangerous.

Elias' carriage finally came to a stop in front of a lively building. It was the brightest and there were women and men hanging at the entrance. Florence dismounted and made sure she covered herself fully with her cape.

"Darling, let me take care of you tonight." A woman grabbed Florence's arm as soon as she entered. She was probably in her late thirties but quite beautiful. Her perfume was too strong for Florence's nostrils though.

"Someone is waiting for me," Florence uttered, pulling her arm free. She pulled her hat down and made her way inside.

'So, this is what a brothel looks like.'

The place was dimly lit as white and red cloth hung from the sealing. It looked a bit mystical. There were sofas and chaises longues scattered around the room and most were already occupied.

Florence spotted Elias' red cape as he ascended the stairs with two women, one on each arm.

'Ah, so that's how it is.'

She had already seen enough. Sadly, things would not work with Lord Zahl. If her mother heard of this habit of his, surely she would oppose the engagement, and Florence would find herself back to square one.

It appeared Richard already knew about his friend's escapades, which explained his earlier behavior.

Florence took a step back to leave but bumped into a man, making him spill his glass of wine on both of them. He glared down at her.

"Apologies, sir." Florence bowed to him and tried to walk away, but the man grabbed her arm.

"That damn apology is not enough." He was clearly drunk. He was also squeezing Florence's arm hard, it was starting to throb. "Let me see you, you bastard." The man pushed the hat off, releasing her long blond hair.

'Damn it.'

"Woah," the man exclaimed.

"Let go of me," Florence ordered.

"How much?"

'Is he…'

"I am afraid you will never be able to afford it," she told him.

The man opened his mouth to answer her, but Florence planted her shin right between his legs. He fell to his knees with a groan, spilling the rest of his drink. She immediately ran for the door, then to her horse.

Florence kept turning behind her as she rode back to the castle. She was certain someone would follow her, to catch and punish her for what she had done, but no one did.

She found herself grinning, then she chuckled. She had never done anything of the sort before.

"This was so much fun."