Bambi and the Duke

She stared hard at the black and white squares on the board where Leo had moved his bishop. Chewing her cheek, she looked up at him before whining, ”Lord Nicholas lied!”

”There there, Vivi. Lord Nicholas didn’t lie. I go easy on him when we play chess. I wouldn’t want him to think I am an expert so that he invites me to the soiree where men usually play with money and valuable items kept on the front to trade,” he smiled at her cheekily.

When Lord Nicholas had told her the way Leo often lost to him in the game, she had been happy and out of the same hope that she could win, she had sat in front of the board to only be losing against him with a lot of loss.

”And here I thought you got better,” he teased, to see her mouth twist funnily.

”The only practice I had was Paul and most of the times he didn’t play the game right. But Jerome often offered to play and help me practice...in the...when he was here,” she ended her sentence when she saw his smile dim down at the mention of Jerome Wells. She moved her black chess piece forward.

”You must have spent quite some time with him for him to be so interested in wanting him to take you as his wife,” he commented as he moved his white soldier in the front.

As much as Leonard wanted to be angry and was jealous that he couldn’t or had lost his time with Vivian to be replaced by Jerome, he could do nothing about it. With him being away from the Carmichael’s mansion, spending time with Vivian before was limited to only exchanging a sentence or two when he visited in the past.

But that very limited amount of time which both of them had spent with each other was what kept the spark within them ignited for such a long time. Almost growing around each other, the connection they shared was different than the rest. It was a seed of love that had been sowed when they had met to blossom as time passed.

He saw Vivian tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear, her small lean fingers running down her neck before she brought it to place on her lap. Her eyes fluttered to close and open once in a while, looking at the board in concentration when he knew that she was aware of him looking at her.

A smile formed on her lips, ”There!” she exclaimed to kill his pawn and push it aside, ”I am getting better,” she looked up to meet his eyes.

”That you are,” he answered, his gaze following the black piece and knowing to wonder what she was doing. Vivian always liked to save both her king and queen, yet this time she had left it open for an easy attack, ”Have you learned new tricks,” she smiled at his question.

Though Paul wasn’t good at the game and couldn’t be called as a beginner, she had learned a few things from Mr Wells. As good as a teacher Leo was, Jerome would often explain at the end of the game of how she could save her pieces even during the worst of times.

”The place we are going tonight is going to come a little more than a shock to you,” she heard Leo inform her. She did hear from him that it was exclusive for the elites but now that he spoke about it again, she couldn’t think of a reason of why anything in the theatre would come to her as a shock. The last time she had been there, she had enjoyed every bit of the play and music they had orchestrated. It had been a wonderful experience to see something so out of the world. It was sad that the local villagers would never have the luck to have a glimpse of it while the rich men and women of the society enjoyed it.

”I want you to keep an open mind,” she nodded her head to his words.

By the end of the game, Vivian had lost to Leo with her king having nowhere to go even though her queen was still on the board. As time passed from noon to evening to night, Vivian had gone back to her room to dress for the evening. Before she could wear the dress she had picked from the closet, a maid had arrived at her door with a gown and many other layers in the hand telling, ”Master Leonard would like you to wear this, milady,” another maid stood behind.

Shy to strip her clothes in front of them, she had used the wooden divider that stood in the corner of her room which stopped them from seeing her naked. Wearing the underclothes, that consisted of the pannier she stepped out of the divider so that the maids could start dressing her.

The maid pulled the threads of the corset and she had to wave her hand for the maid to stop pulling it. Any more and she would pass out due to lack of air. Each cloth was worn one after another and thankfully it was thin which didn’t make her feel fluffed up. With the skirt in place, one of the maids placed the stomacher which was a V-shaped triangular panel on the front of her open peach colour silk gown. The stomacher was embroidered with threads to form a flower-like design which was woven intricately.

Hearing Vivian’s light footsteps, Leonard turned around to feel his pulse stop for a mere second as he saw the beautiful woman he had fallen in love with approach him.

He could tell by the way she walked that she was conscious of the way she looked right now. Her lips had been painted to bring out colour of light red which was ready to be kissed.

Vivian saw Leonard who was dressed in expensive slacks and shirt where he wore a black double-breasted jacket on it. She had always seen Leo with his hair falling on the front of his forehead, so used to it that she had never seen him like this now with his hair combed back. It made him look more matured and maybe a tad bit intimidating with his eyes now completely visible to her.

When she came to stand in front of him, he picked her hand and leant down to kiss the back of her hand on the gloves. Secretly she wished she hadn’t worn the gloves, his gesture made her heart feel warm. As his lips had touched her hand, he had continued to keep eye contact with her.

”Good evening, milady,” he pulled back to stand straight and tall in front of her.

”Good evening, kind Sir,” she greeted him with a smile.

”Shall we go?” he asked to see her nod. Still holding her hands, he helped her get into the carriage before following to sit inside with her.

At the arrival at the theatre, she could see some of the guests who were leaving the place while there were some who had only arrived like themselves. Both Leo and Vivian stepped inside the theatre, making their way as a woman stood at the front of the desk asking to verify the guest invitation.

When the couple in front of them passed by, the woman asked them, ”Your invitation please,” she asked politely with a sickly sweet smile which Vivian tried to ignore. The woman was a vampire, her bright red eyes stating that she belonged to a lower class than the ones of pureblooded vampires. Leonard pulled a white rectangular card from his inner jacket and handed it to the woman, waiting for her to verify what she needed to.

”Thank you,” she returned the invitation back to him, ”I hope you enjoy your time here,” Vivian and the woman had the briefest eye contact before they passed the desk.

On their way, Vivian could tell that most of them here belonged to the highest degree of class in society. The way they looked, spoke, wore clothes of such fine silk, they stood apart from the general crowd. Some of them were loud while some kept to themselves.

”Good day, Duke Carmichael,” someone greeted Leonard to see it was none other than his friend Maximillian Gibbs with a brunette who stuck close to his side.

”I was hoping not to run into you today,” spoke Leonard, his words friendly with a small smile.

”You did anyway. I see you brought a future councilwoman here,” said Maximilian, his odd blue eyes looking at the couple. He went to approach the lady, ”Milady,” he kissed Vivian’s hand. Congratulations on the first test.”

”Good evening, Mr Gibbs. Thank you,” she greeted him.

”Your mentor must be really happy that you passed that he’s brought you to a place like this,” Maximillian smirked as he spoke to Vivian.

’This place’? Leonard had asked her not to be too surprised and now Mr Gibbs was making it more suspicious. With everyone dressed to the top, she didn’t understand what was the big deal when it came to the time during the night here.

Before Vivian could ask, Leo spoke, ”Why don’t you humour your lady, Max,” tonight Leo wanted to keep his Vivi to himself and didn’t need anyone distracting them, not that they could.

”Aye,” the blue-eyed vampire smiled cheekily, bowing his head in a playful manner he walked away with the woman he had brought here.