Courting Trouble

Misery.

|Misery.|

The next day, Malisha woke up to what was by far the most chaotic morning of her life. She was practically thrown out of bed by the interior designer, who said that she was on a deadline and needed to continue working on her room and it was not even eight in the morning.

"So much for sleeping in," Malisha mumbled angrily even as she left her room to walk groggily down the winding stairs and into the elevator still wearing her new set of brown pyjamas bottoms and a white shirt.

She was feeling lazy and tired, so she opted for the elevator and ignored the  stairs that led all the down into the dining area. The elevator ride was short. Soon enough Malisha was exiting its silver doorways even as another yawn rocked her body as she began to walk towards the living room. Her eyes blinked repeatedly and she rubbed them wiping off the drool that had dried on the corners of her mouth as she did so. She had hardly slept eight hours and she blamed Duke for the late night.

In the living room, Malisha found chaos. The place was full of activity, activity that her mother seemed to be managing or attempting to. For the woman was busy running all over the place, barking orders even as the workers around her came in and left all at her bid and call. She looked excited and very much like an energiser bunny that was high on caffeine, which too was rather funny considering that she was also holding a coffee flask in one hand from which she would take the ocassional sip every once in a while.

Her sister Mishpa was acting even weirder. She was seated on a sofa, eyes glued to the television screen, something that rarely happened since Mishpa was a phone or laptop kind of girl.

“Good morning...” Malisha call out sleepily.

“Aah...there you are! The lady of the hour! I can’t believe it. You finally said yes! Come here let me have a look at that ring.” immediately she spotted her, her mother started, rumbling a hundred words per second even as her daughter frowned at her.

“Mother...how did you know?”

“Domina Carlisle called.” Sally Lenton replied not missing a beat.

“Yea...and it’s all over the news!It's all they are talking about. Can you believe it?” Mishpa chipped in.

“What exactly is on the news?” She asked her face turning to gaze at the TV.

“A press release on the impending nuptials of the all so hot and mighty Phaedra Gabriel Alexander Duke the third to one Malisha Kristina Lenton. It came in about half an hour ago.”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Malisha dropped into the seat that was beside looking both shocked and worried. Her mind was reeling as her thoughts went into overdrive. Duke was either too eager or too afraid that she would change her mind and for that reason Malisha could not help but feel like that announcement was some sort of fail safe.

"Can't blame him there. Would you?" And there went her inner voice again, but this time she ignored it. She was too busy trying not to hyperventilate to heed its comments.

“Nope. I don’t kid. The media presence out there is prove enough.”

“Wait, what?” This time Malisha stood to look through the windows for some sort of confirmation and sure enough, there they were. Camped right outside their front gate, were several media vans. They probably hoped for a shot or an interview with a family member but the guards at the gate were not allowing it. Either way that did not stop them and the news hounds continued to camp there with hopes that their persistence would eventually be rewarded. “How long have they been camping outside there?”

“Since early this morning before every TV station in the country broadcasted the news.”

"And aren't you a little well of information?" She questioned her sister even as she dropped herself back into the sofa.

"I try." Mispa shrugged her eyes still glued to the television. It was like a clue was hidden there, a clue to a hidden treasure that she could not afford to lose by looking away.

Once again their mother whizzed past them, this time barking to someone through the phone. In one hand she was holding a clipboard and a folder in her other hand.

“Hey, Miss information."  Malisha joked. "What exactly is mum doing?”

“I heard that.” Sally piped as she stopped to hover directly over them. How she had gotten there, none of them had an idea for she had only breezed past them just a moment earlier.

“She is organising your engagement party.” The General said folding up his paper and his eldest daughter turned to look at him surprised. Until then, she had not noticed him, what with all the people that were coming in and going out of the room. Like the soldier he was, the man had quietly blended into his sorroundings and had caught her unawares at the oddest of times.

Malisha did not respond to his statement. Instead, she looked around the room to check for anything else that she may have missed. True to form, she did notice something. Or someone. A female person who was seated on the farthest end of the living room. She was probably in her late twenties or early thirties and was wearing a sharp navy blue pant suit with black stilettos and black rimmed librarian glasses. Her hair was held up a tight chignon and in her hands was a tablet on which she typing away furiously. Looking at her made Malisha remember her outfit. Her white and brown flannel pyjammas were hardly appropriate for that kind of gathering and in that moment she felt extremely underdressed.

“By the way, when is the wedding? I have minimal tolerance for this kind of thing.” The General said, pointing out to the media presence that was waiting outside.

“Robert!” his wife scolded. The General harrumped in response as he stood up to leave. He looked agitated and Malisha was just grateful that his exit has saved her from answering his question. Malisha looked after him and saw that he had walked into the hallway and was now talking to the butler. The other man nodded a few times and turned to walk way. Soon enough she heard the front doors open and after a while, she saw him through the windows walking towards the front gate.

Malisha stood up again and walked towards the windows. She peered out and watched curiously as the butler went through the gates. He stopped before the journalists, talked to them for a few seconds, after which, the journalists seemed to back up into their vans even as their presence outside began to trickle away.

“Lisha? Lisha!” Sally called out again to Malisha effectively snapping the latter's attention back into the room. “This is Nelly and she's going to be your new assistant.”  Malisha looked and saw that she was pointing at the suited lady, who had now come to stand beside her. As Malisha walked closer, the woman stretched out her hand to greet her.

“HI I am Nelly. I'm so excited to be working with you.”

“Nelly?"

She nodded. Malisha shook her hand just to be polite. Deep within Malisha was frowning. However, Nelly looked so happy and so excited to meet her, that she almost felt guilty for the thoughts that were going through her mind and for what she was about to do.

"Excuse me," Malisha dropped her hand and smiled too sweetly before pulling a surprised Sally to the side. “Mother? What is this? Who arranged this?” her daughter pressed her looking every bit annoyed.

“Your fiancè, of course!” Mishpa yelled gleefully looking to be enjoying the drama even as it unfolded.

Malisha's gaze moved from her mother to Nelly who was now giving her an expectant look and she groaned out in frustration. Irritation flooded her and in a bid to rein in her raging emotions, she stomped out of the room and got into the hallway.

She retrieved her phone from her pyjama bottoms, gripping it so tightly, that her knuckles grew numb as she thought of a few choice words to say to her culprit Duke.

“What is the meaning of this?” That was the first sentence that she ended up speaking to Duke and definately not his expected greeting.

“Good morning my love--” he started to say, but she cut him off with an irritated tone in her voice.

“Really?”

“What's up?” he finally asked with a laboured breath.

“A personal assistant!” the girl snapped angrily.

“Oh that." Her fiancè said even as the truth began to dawn on him.

"Yes, that." She replied with her tone still annoyed.

"Well, I figured that with all you'll have to do now, you may actually need an extra helping hand. You know to help.”

“Mmh?And you didn’t think to consult me first?”

“Really? That is why you are sounding  so riled up?  I mean, I thought the press release would do that, but no, not this. Definately not this.” Duke joked, reeling her in, but she did not find it hilarious.

“Duke!” she warned and immediately he felt the threat in her voice.

“Okay!Let’s do it this way. Right now I’m in a meeting with some foreign dignitaries that I can't put off for later. Let me call you when I am out here and we can discuss it. Even better, let’s have lunch together, then we can talk and iron out the situation. Is that okay?”

“Fine!” Malisha retorted and Duke smiled.

“In the meantime, please be nice to her and let her help. She is really good at it. I promise you.” At that point, the connection went dead and Duke surmised that Malisha had hanged up. He handed his phone back to Alfred frowning. He truly hoped that things would work out but until he met her he could not be sure. With another tired sigh, he pulled on an effortless smile and walk back into the meeting.

After Malisha's conversation with Duke, she remained standing in the hallway staring her phone in a mad daze. After a moment her mother came into the hallway, hobbling after her with her folder still in hand while she carried two pieces of fabric in the other hand. On her chin, between her cheek and her shoulder, she held the house phone and was talking to someone on it even as she advanced towards her.

“I’m not sure let me ask her." She said into the phone before lifting the two pieces of fabric in front of Malisha's eyes. "So, what do you think? Peach or blush?”

Malisha did not respond. However, that did not faze her but instead, she went back to her telephone conversation and told the planner something that Malisha did not get.

“Miss Lenton?" Nelly walked in next. In one hand was her tablet and a planner in the other. “I just got an email from Alfred and I penned in your lunch appointment with the Phaedra for 12:30. I think that leave us with ample time to go shopping for your new wardrobe, visit the wedding planner and oh..." she trailed off, furrowing her forehead even as she adjusted her glasses over her nose. "Do you have any ideas about how you want your wedding dress to look like? We need to start on that promptly, otherwise we won't be able to beat the wedding deadline.” Again, Malisha did not respond. She was still stewing from her conversation with Duke and was quite unhappy with how he had handled it. “By the way, when is the wedding? We need a date so we can work out a schedule for you," Nelly continued to tell her seemingly undeterred.

“Has she told you then ?” Mishpa yelled from the door way.

“Told her what?” their mother joined in, muting her conversation with the planner to chip in.

The house was now like a zoo and the cacophony of noises that sorrounded Malisha proved too much for her to bear. In the end, she exploded pushing every one away as she did so.

“Stop it! Stop it! Everyone just stop it!”

“Dear, what’s wrong?” Sally worried even as she put down the phone away to talk to her daughter.

“Nelly! Take the day off, mum leave me alone and you,” she said turning to Mishpa. "Will you please stop yelling?" she added, taking control of the situation.

“But...but the Phaedra?” her new personal assistant stammered with a terrified look on her face.

“If he asks, tell him that I insisted.”

"But Malisha..." Malisha turned to her mother with a terrifying look on her face.

“Mum, what exactly are you doing?”

“Dad told you, she’s organising your engagement party.” Mishpa chipped in again just as her mother began to explain.

“Daughter, I am just trying to do something nice for you.”

“Without consulting me first? What is it with you people today?” she shouted angrily.

“It’s not like you can avoid it. ” Mishpa laughed chipping in again and her sister threw her a dirty look. Surprisingly, the girl turned and walked out of the hallway and Malisha turned back to regard her mother.

“Who are you going to invite anyway. Society shuns me and I lost all my friends. Remember?”

“That won’t stop them from coming, especially that Genevieve.”

“Mother...” her daughter groaned.

"I have only been engaged one day and it feels like whole world is crushing down on me." she thought miserably to herself.

“By the way, that lady from the volunteering centre called.” Her mother again.

“Who?" Her inner voice perked up and Malisha groaned again.

"Mrs Walt?”

“Yes her. She said something about having you back, I can’t recall clearly, but you should probably call her back.”

Malisha opened her mouth to protest respond, but her words fail her. Eventually, the weight on her chest became too heavy to bear and she rushed out of the room, leaving a trail of puzzled faces in her wake.