A Victorian Romance

As soon as he pulled back Margaret found herself looking at the ground embarrassed. She could not believe she had just done that, and at her grandmother's home of all places! His compliment only made her blush even more and she found herself smiling a little as she glanced up at him to see the look on his face.

"You're quite the natural yourself, Mr. Mitchell." She said softly.
 
Brendon chuckled. "It was my first kiss, actually.." He admitted as he gazed again out at the sea. "It's getting late.... should we go to our own rooms as well?" He asked her, knowing the temperature was also dropping because of the sea air, and the cooling evening. He needed his rest for whatever events would take place in the morning, as did Margaret.
 
Margaret nodded her head as she pulled away from him slowly, not really wanting to leave his arms. She headed into the house slowly but stopped and turned to face him for a moment.

"Good night, Mr. Mitchell...Sleep well." She said softly before she went in and up to her room, nearly giddy as she flew to her bedroom and hopped onto her bed, bursting into a fit of giggles.
 
He hugged her, just a bit longer before she went to bed. He went then, to his own room after bidding her goodnight as well, smiling from ear to ear, and almost as giddy as Margaret! But of course as a general rule of manliness, he had to hide this, but he was certainly greeted with sweeter dreams that evening in his bed, and he honestly hoped tomorrow would be just as nice!
 
The next day Margaret dressed in a flowing dress, rather different from her usually poofy outfit. However, today she planned on walking the beach with her gran and a poofy dress would do her no good. Her parents would be spending the day on the balcony, watching from a distance, but she did not care; the kiss from the night before still left her light as air. She sat down at breakfast next to her gran while her father read the paper and her mother talked to gran about the nasty rumors she planned to spread about the people who had spoken badly of her.
 
Brendon had taken his bath just before bed, and woke up early, dressing nicely but a little casually just in case there were rambunctious activities ahead. He tried to tune out the topic of the rumors as he sat by Margaret, but they were a sore reminder of what happened and how lame he probably was for even passing out that day. He felt doubly stupid in front of Margaret's grandmother for some reason, and hid his misery by long drinks of coffee.
 
Margaret just at her food quietly as her mother went on about how horrible they were about it when they were just helping Brendon out. Her gran smiled a bit and nodded her head, letting her mother know that she was listening, even though Margaret knew that gran would rather be going for a walk. Margaret pushed her dish away quietly and slipped in when she had the chance to.

"Gran? Can we walk along the beach today? I was hopeing to look for shells and such." She said eadgerly as she smiled happily.
 
Brendon also ate quietly at the breakfast table, occasionally pointing out to Margaret's parents that he knew several of the rumor starters, and assured them they were hardly even worth being worried over. He'd gone to school with several of the boys who'd gossiped with his father, and they were definitely 'minds in the gutter' type of people anyway. With that discussion out of the way, he enjoyed the walk with Margaret and her grandmother on the beach, occasionally sneaking in a kiss or holding hands whenever he felt the grandmother was occupied or distracted with something else. It was certainly a nice day, and there were no clouds in the sky, or even any overly strong winds. "Did you sleep well, Margaret?" He asked when they were again, sort of alone.
 
Margaret enjoyed her time on the beach, her parents sitting on the balcony in the sun as Brendon joined her Gran and herself to look for more shells. She couldn't help but act a tiny bit giddy as they slipped for her parents view and soon ended up being just them and her Gran. She was more than eadger to steal kisses while her grandmother was bent over digging for a shell or walking a head of them as she rambled on about her childhood to them. Of course they would pull apart whenever there was a risk of getting caught, knowing better than to let her Gran see her act in such a way. A smile came to her lips as she looked up at Brendon her fingers locked with his.

"I slept very well, What about you, Brendon?" She asked softly.
 
"Slept better than I had in ages... must have something to do with not being at home." He said smiling and holding her hand as they walked. In the parents view he was proper as could be, but while alone basically, he certainly enjoyed the kissing part, and talking without having to be spied on. Brendon liked the grandmother since she'd known a life of kindness and had no reason to be mean to anyone. He admired Margaret, since she'd been through hell as he had, but still turned out to be such a sweet girl.
 
Margaret smiled a bit in understanding; his home really wasn't much of a home. If anything it was more of a prison than anything else. She was luckily though, her parents had started to lighten up now that she had taken a liking to him. She was glad that he was feeling better here though, she was hoping to have him visit here with her more often, maybe even just the two of them if her parents ever had to leave on business. Margaret pulled away for a moment to gather a few shells, not wanting her grandmother to get suspecious of her and Brendon. She placed on in his hand so it looked liked he helped and smiled a little more.

"Well I am glad, you really do need to get out of that horrid place Brendon...if illness or old age doesn't kill you your parents will!"
 
Brendon chuckled a little as he held the shell. "I know... but there's not much I can do, you see. While my parents are away, is the only time I ever have freedom. And because of this, I'm more susceptible to all sorts of rumors my father might use at parties or events, simply because he doesn't want his own son to be more well liked than he is. Or respected. So. I'm pretty much ruined for making it in the world, without my parent's support, or a red cent to my name. Certainly I have skills in making money yes, who else but me got my parents so rich as they are? In any case,... I don't know. I'm...... technically out of luck and only holding off fate as long as I'm allowed." He shrugged helplessly. A man of such power and talents, unable to use anything against his parents from sheer morale code, and because he knew they'd always better him in all things when they wanted to.
 
Margaret sighed a little, it seemed that Brendon could never escape his horrid parents. Not that she even considered them his parents, that was far to kind of a title for people that would do such things to an innocent child at such a young age. She frowned a little as she looked down at the sand, mumbling a bit under her breath so only Brendon would hear, not wanting her Gran to hear her.

"If I were you I would not let them near your grandchildren, if they did such things to you what is stopping them from doing it to your child?...I'm sorry if I sound rude but I have never met two people that make me want to hate them so..." She said softly, caring deeply about what happened to him but knowing that there wasn't much that she could do.
 
Brendon shook his head in agreement. "They'd torture my children simply because he or she was born from me, and therefore unholy and evil." He replied, frowning. "I wish there was something I could do to get away from them... but, since there isn't, I just try my best to go with the tide...Mostly I can keep my head above water. Mostly." He added as he too, pretended to be occupied in searching for pretty sea shells and hearing all about the grandmother's happy life.

He also cared about Margaret, and certainly didn't want to let his parents make her miserable, or those rumors ruin her reputation for that matter. "And it didn't sound rude... Its the fact they are some very religious Catholics who take punishments far beyond 'normal measures." He added.
 
Margaret frowned unhappily, she did not like this situation at all. Here was Brendon, someone she cared for very much, unable to leave a place that hurt him even though he certainly could take care of himself. She wiahed she could help him but marrying him now would be rushing it and might make her own parents suspecious of her reasons for doing so. She let out a small sigh and stood up, her Gran having stopped talking and gotten busy with finding shells in the sand again.

" Whether they are religious or not doesn't matter, what they did was still very wrong. I can't even believe that church would allow such a thing to happen to a poor young boy...It really opens one's eyes to the truth."
 
"Hmm. I can't help wonder sometimes, what they must have gone through to think abuse is okay though.." He added, occasionally asking the grandmother if she needed anything. "As for truth, that is all according to one's belief system, so every truth may be different, but there are similar principals in all religions. I learned early to break from the masses and find my own." He knew that was another reason his parents despised him so. He couldn't act like the masses: Hypocritically pious, yet damnably judge-mental and cold at the same time. It was one thing about himself he could at least be proud of. To hell with the rest of his abilities.
 
"Well whatever they went though does not make up for what they have done. As for religion, well I've never believed like my parents, I mean I do have faith, but not the same way like my parents. If I was like them then I certainly wouldn't be like I am now." She said as she wandered over to him.

She looked over a few of the shells she collected and gave a couple of them to her Gran to carry. Eventually the group stopped and relaxed, Gran taking a seat on a nice rock as she looked out at sea, sending them off to wander on their own for a bit. Margaret slipped of her flat and walked barefoot in the sand, happy to feel it get between her toes and warm up her feet.
 
Brendon smiled, following Margaret and also taking off his shoes and socks. But he went a step further and actually let his toes sink into the surf, washing cold water over his ankles. "I agree nothing excuses their behavior, or your parents' either. I can imagine they haven't been kind to you very much." He said in a low voice just so she could hear. He found an even prettier shell right there on the shoreline, it was conch shaped, but very small, no bigger than his finger, and pure white with traces of gold. He decided he'd keep this one as a momento from this nice vacation. He knew he'd need all the good memories he could store in his mind.
 
Margaret smile sadly, she was in a similar situation to his, her parents had beaten her more than once before and over the silliest of things too! She tried so hard to make them happy but it seemed that they would only be pleased once she was married and popping out grandchildren for them.

"Yes, but they have gotten better since I've met you. I think that it's only because they assume that I plan on marrying you very soon." She said softly as a small blush came to her cheeks.
 
Brendon gazed serenely out into the rolling waves, plopping down in the sand after using his jacket as a blanket for both of them to sit on, so neither of them would ruin their clothing. "I think........ honestly our parents had an ingenious idea for once, in pairing us up. Truth be told, I've not liked any other female as much as I have you even when we just first met. It feels like I'm able to talk to someone on equal levels, and not have to feel... like I'm damned." He glanced out of the corner of his eyes, which were now completely gold without a trace of blue or grey, and they practically rivaled the sunlight in their glowing hue. "Truth be told, Lady Margaret.. since I met you, I've actually felt.... more like I've been 'saved' so to speak. In spite of anything that happens in the future, should anything unfavorable happen to either of us.. I -am- glad I met you." He was being perfectly honest, and damned to forced marriages. He basically told her he'd never protest at all if they -did- marry. He'd be perfectly happy, as long as she was.
 
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