Page 17 of Hawthorne

Oh, fuck. Not again.

I force myself to break the trance by clearing my throat and mumbling a quick “thank you.” She takes the chance to bow and retreat, leaving me alone in the office again.

I could lie and say I didn’t check her out on the way out, that I didn’t notice the gentle sway of her hips or the toned calves over those heels. But I did.

I fucking did.

“My baby,” my mother exclaims as soon as the doorman lets her in.

I step into the entrance hall, ready to welcome them in.

“Hello, Mother,” I greet, lightly kissing her cheek.

“How are you holding up here?” Her eyes are focused on the hall around her, not on me. “Is there anything you need me to do? Have you been alright on your own?”

I arch an eyebrow at her question while Edgar tries to hold in his laughter. If there’s someone who can make me feel like an irresponsible teenager when I am bloody thirty-one years old, it’s my mother.

“It’s been two days since you’ve seen me.”

“Two days is far too long if you ask me,” she fusses, looking me up and down.

What is she even looking for? Poorly ironed clothes? Nope, they’re clad. Underfed son? Fuck no. Camilla’s great at her job. And whoever cooked the food she asked for is also stellar.

I’m fucking fine.

“Well, imagine how hard it’ll be when he gets married, and you’ll have to stay away longer.” Edgar rolls his eyes. “What’s up, brother?”

“Edgar,” she hisses, turning to him with her hands on her hips. “Speak like the nobleman you are,” she snaps. “I’ve spent far too many years educating my children on proper etiquette for them to speak like common people.”

He shrugs her off with another roll of his eyes while giving me a side hug and whispering, “She’s already acting like you’re the future king and I’m future duke…as if we’re the most powerful in the country.”

I hold in the light chuckle. Edgar has lots of personality, but he is also laid-back and kind of a jokester. Something that has always clashed with our mother’s perspective of the world.

I am sometimes worried that it will bring him problems in the future. The world we have grown up in is rotten, full of prejudiceand ill intentions. While my brother is well aware, he very often still prefers to believe in people’s good side instead.

“Dinner’s ready,” I inform them, leading the way to the dining hall. “This way, please.”

Entering the room, we’re all silent and speechless.

After years of working for my aunt, I knew my knowledge and abilities were on point, but this…Camilla certainly outdid any expectation I had.

There are fresh flowers as the centrepiece of the table. A hue of dark green, white and different blues takes over. From there, I can detach three specific flowers: larkspur, sweet peas and baby breaths.

It goes well with the neoclassical decoration of the room. It’s essentially light in white and creamy shades with a few specks of blues and gold, giving it some personality. At first sight, it brings you back a few millennia, making it look like we're inside a Greek temple due to the Ionic columns that rise to the ceiling, between the glass doors that lead to the main garden.

The ceiling is covered in this beautiful trompe l’oeil painting, giving the illusion of a sky-opened dome. The same shades continue from the ceiling, down to the gold-embroidered turquoise curtains that are draped over the glass doors. A perfect balance between the three colours.

I would have asked for this if I had an important visitor, like a government official or a diplomat, not a small and simple family dinner with my mother and brother.

“Wow,” Edgar comments first.

Yes, wow.

“I guess it will do,” my mother’s voice comes out condescendingly, and I have to suppress some kind of retaliation. This won’t just do, and she knows it, but it is not the time nor the place to tell her about it.

Sarah Byron was the daughter of a Viscount who married up in the hierarchy with my father. She might not have been so up in the lather from the beginning, but she surely was able to keep the part and has been ever since.

Duchess Sarah Hawthorne is quite demanding. And will always be.

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