Sacrificial Bride to the Feared Lord Hastings-Chapter 25: Conflict (3)

"Father!"

The cry of Joel’s oldest daughter filled the room as the door was opened.

Giselle stepped away from Joel and smiled after seeing her pride and joy. "Freya, we have spoken many times about how you should address your father. Your cries are quite loud."

Joel raised his hand to stop Giselle from speaking. "She cannot help it, and I am fond of it. It reminds me of when she was a little girl and would always come running to me. What troubles you now, Freya?"

Freya Valthorn pouted. She folded her arms to display just how upset she was.

"I have been looking at dresses all morning, and none has stood out to me as the perfect choice to wear before the king. What am I to do, father?" Freya whined.

"Not go," said Bella Valthorn, the younger daughter.

"It is not a laughing matter. We are going to stand before the king and many noblemen. Some of whom are not yet married. I must find the perfect dress so that I might capture their attention. You must send for the finest dressmaker in all the kingdom," Freya pleaded, yearning for a beautiful dress.

Giselle shook her head.

"I will do it, but it isn’t the dress that will have heads turning. It shall be your beauty to make the men fall at your feet, and the ladies will envy you. You mustn’t worry, my precious daughter. You will soon find a good husband," Joel promised.

"I could have had a good husband, but you married Ophelia to him. Why wasn’t I chosen to become the wife of Dante Hastings? He is all the ladies speak of when we gather, and they speak of him even more after the wedding. It should have been me," Freya whined and stomped her feet.

Joel could only smile. It enraged him to think of young ladies speaking of his enemy and his daughter yearning to be with Dante.

"Has Ophelia written to us?" Bella inquired, wanting to hear of the Hastings’ castle. "She didn’t say goodbye to us before she left."

"Hmph! That is because she was eager to get away from us and be with a nobleman. I always said she was scheming, and father allowed her to get what she wanted. You have greatly upset me this time, father," Freya said, unable to bear the shame of Ophelia marrying first.

As the blood daughter of Joel Valthorn, it was only fair in Freya’s eyes that she should have been the one to marry Lord Hastings and be part of this important moment between two families.

"Freya, dear. Your father always thinks of what is best for you. I’m sure a grand suitor is awaiting you at the palace. You must be patient," Giselle urged Freya.

"Patient? It must please you to see that your daughter did better than I have? I should have married before Ophelia, and you know it. When my brother returns, he will not be pleased," said Freya.

"Fine, fine. I shall make it up to you. I will send for the best dressmaker to come to you, and I will find you a husband better than Lord Hastings. I have never once forgotten about you, Freya. Lord Hastings wasn’t suited for you," Joel said, trying to please Freya.

Freya was happy about the dressmaker, but still upset about Dante. "Why wouldn’t he be good enough for me, but good enough for Ophelia? Is there something you are hiding from us?"

Joel looked at Giselle, wanting her to end this.

Giselle walked toward her daughter. "Your father has worked hard all morning. We should leave him be so he can be fitted for what he will wear to the palace. I will help you now."

Freya wasn’t finished with the matter of Dante and Ophelia, but she would let it rest for now.

Freya turned on her heels and headed toward the door with her arms still folded.

Bella waited for Giselle and walked beside her.

"When are we going to receive letters from Ophelia?" Bella whispered.

"I do not know. We must hope that she hasn’t forgotten us, but if you wish, we can write a letter to her and ask your father to send it. If he wants you to wait until we go to the palace, then you mustn’t go against his wishes. Understood?" Giselle asked, trying to keep the peace.

Bella nodded her head. "Will Theo be coming to the palace with us? He will want to see Ophelia."

"How can Theo travel in his state? He will have to stay here where the doctors can look after him," said Giselle.

Bella pouted. "That doesn’t sound fair. Then, I should go and write a letter for him to send."

"No!" Giselle exclaimed and grabbed Bella’s hand before she could run off.

Bella was startled by Giselle’s reaction. "Can’t I go to him? I have not seen him for weeks because you said he was too ill. Wouldn’t he be lonely since no one is visiting now that Ophelia isn’t here? One of us should visit him."

"I have been visiting Theo so he will not be lonely. I will see to it that he writes a letter, and I will personally deliver it to Ophelia. You must focus on deciding what dress you will wear to the palace," Giselle said, patting Bella’s hand as she spoke.

"I have already decided on a dress. It is Freya making a fuss because she wants to find a husband. I wouldn’t bother Theo for too long. I would just sit and speak with him for a moment, so he doesn’t feel sad about Ophelia being gone. Can’t I?" Bella asked, wishing for Giselle to agree.

"At this time, you cannot. Theo must rest, but I shall find a moment when you two can speak. Just give me a little time. There is much I have to prepare for our trip to the palace. Why don’t you help me?" Giselle suggested.

"Can I? You always prefer for Freya to help you," Bella said, eager to have a task to do.

"Your sister is a bit busy right now, so we shouldn’t trouble her. You can help me decide on where we should stay during the trip and where we should eat. Then we can decide on what shops to visit in the capital. We must keep this a secret," Giselle said, placing her finger on her lips.

Bella nodded her head. "I can keep it a secret. I wouldn’t want to hear of Freya being jealous. We should start planning now," Bella said and held Giselle’s arm.

Giselle couldn’t help smiling. She enjoyed the warmth Bella always gave her.

It would be unfair to burden Bella with Theo’s troubles.