The Unloved Heiress Goes Rogue

Ominous

Raine POV

My mother clapped her hands together, her face wreathed in smiles as I stood there, staring into the mirror, my stomach churning as I fought back the urge to vomit. This was beyond anything I could have anticipated and I wondered if Edgar Rosethorn had intentionally chosen this dress or if some sort of mistake had been made. Surely I could not be expected to wear this? I shuddered at the mere thought of it.

"Isn't it lovely? I sent your measurements to Mr Rosethorn personally and he had this dress personally custom-made for you" she trilled, while I stood there in shock.

The dress fit like a glove. It was tight, the bodice pressing and pushing up my breasts to the point that my cleavage was almost spilling over. It grasped my hips tightly and then skimmed down my legs with a long slit that went up almost to the top of my groin. Any underwear I wore would be seen immediately. It was revolting. Almost as though he was showing off that he had me under his control. There was no veil because he had told my mother he wanted my face to be seen and given instructions that makeup was to be applied and my hair to be left free to cascade in waves down my back. I blanched, feeling as though I was some sort of doll that he was dressing to please himself.

"It's certainly unique, isn't it mother" Summer's voice is gleeful from behind me.

She tilted her head, her big eyes blinking at me, filled with amusement "I daresay that he's going to enjoy taking that off of you during the wedding night almost as much as seeing you in that dress as you walk down the aisle" she purred, causing me to feel even more sickened.

"Summer" Mother hissed, glaring at my sister who widened her eyes and tried to feign innocence "that is hardly appropriate. Please refrain from speaking about such things to your sister. Isn't it enough that she's getting married to Mr Rosethorn instead of you?" she reminded her.

Summer looked mutinous. I glanced at my mother, surprised. Mother looked stricken. "Summer was supposed to marry Mr Rosethorn?" I asked slowly, turning around "but you said that he had decided on me? What is the truth?" I demanded icily.

Mother looked slightly fretful. "Don't worry about it, it's simply a slip of the tongue" she tried to deny, but I shook my head, suspicious now.

"Don't lie to me. If I'm going to marry this old bastard" I raised my voice, causing my mother to look at me in shock "the least you can do is tell me the truth" I almost shouted "Was Summer meant to marry Edgar Rosethorn, not me?"

Mother sighed. "You don't need to make such a big deal about it. So what if Summer was the one that Edgar Rosethorn intended to marry?" she said nonchalantly as my eyes widened in rage "Summer didn't want to marry such an old man. Not to mention his other wife committed suicide. We need the money to save our business and when we suggested you instead, Mr. Rosethorn was more than amiable. He likes you as well. As far as he was concerned as long as he married one of the Stockland daughters, it didn't really matter which."

It didn't matter? I was marrying and old man and my mother and father had offered me to him on a silver platter while Summer had gotten away scot-free, just like always. Bitterness welled up inside of me as I realized why they had resorted to blackmailing me and threatening my grandmother. Because if I had known about this, I would have put up more of a fight. Summer had always been the golden girl, the darling of mother and father's eye. Whatever she wanted, she got. I was always collateral damage.

"Really Raine" Mother said, scolding me "how can you be so selfish as to want that for your sister? Summer has a bright future ahead of her. She's going to do great things. If she were to marry so young, she would be wasted."

Wasted? I could feel tears pricking my eyes. Mother thought I wasn't capable of doing great things? Of being able to have a bright future? It wasn't as though I wasn't intelligent. I worked hard for what I had and I had never been one to accept being wealthy as an excuse to be lazy.

"So you just sacrifice me and that's it?" I rasp.

Mother waves her hand dismissively. "It's hardly a sacrifice" she exclaims impatiently "Edgar Rosethorn is rich Raine. You'll lack for nothing. He'll keep you more than comfortable. I heard that he spoilt his first wife, so I can hardly believe that she committed suicide. She must have had some mental problems" she said raising her nose in the air and sniffing.

"Mental problems" I muttered "was she young as well?"

Silence. It was enough to answer me. Edgar Rosethorn, it seemed, did not want wives that were of the same age and preferred younger, more beautiful ones. I bit the inside of my lip, wishing I had the nerve to rip this dress off and storm away, right then and there.

"We're doing this for your sake just as much as his. Think about it Raine" mother urged, putting a hand on my shoulder as I flinched from the touch "you'll never have to work a day in your life. You'll spend your days in luxury having every single need of yours attended to. You won't have to lift a finger. Doesn't that sound like heaven?" she asked approvingly.

Heaven? It sounded like pure hell. Who on earth wanted to spend their life idling away and doing nothing? I shot a glance at Summer and saw that she was nodding with a wide smile on her face. Summer it seemed, approved of that lifestyle. Nothing surprising there, given her own penchant for doing nothing but lazing around all day and pretending to be suffering from a weak constitution.

"Then shouldn't Summer be the one to marry him, seeing as that's what she likes?" I shot back.

"Summer is too delicate. Edgar Rosethorn needs somebody that is made of sterner stuff" Mother said, stroking my hair as I fought back the urge to yank her hand away "and you'll make a good match. When he dies, you can marry again" she suggested as the blood drained out of my face.

Edgar Rosethorn was not so old that he didn't have a good many years ahead of him. I would be mature aged before I was free of him. Not that my mother or father seemed to care about that. I raised my eyes to the mirror, the girl in the mirror had a haunted expression on her face. The dark circles under her eyes were testament to the lack of sleep she had been getting as the date of the wedding drew nearer. The paleness of her complexion was due to the constant nausea she had been feeling since she had been told the dreadful news and she had lost weight over the last few days, her appetite rapidly decreasing.

My mother frowned. "You look a little peaky but we can fix that up with makeup on the special day" she patted my shoulder.

I said nothing. My mother nodded to the servants and they began to help me out of the dress while Summer's eyes remained fixed on me. The servants reverently hung the dress back up as I shimmied back into regular clothes, my chest relaxing as I felt like I could finally breathe again.

"Now, unfortunately, we can't have any guests at the wedding" my mother sounded dismayed by this and a little put out, "as Edgar Rosethorn has insisted on privacy after the debacle from the last time."

I didn't bother to ask what happened last time. There was nobody I wanted to invite to this disastrous wedding anyway. I would simply be made fun of or pitied. As it was, Summer continued to look as though Christmas had come early. I scowled at her but her smile only grew wider and more malicious.

"Not even grandmother?" I asked tersely.

She was the reason I was doing this. The only reason. It had been so long since I had seen her too. Everytime I tried to visit, I was told she was too ill to have visitors/. I missed her greatly.

"She deserves to attend the wedding" I began, turning to my mother "it might be the only one she gets to" I added darkly.

My mother sighed. "She's not well Raine, you know that. We'll take photos and you can show her them afterwards" she improvised.

"I haven't seen her in months" I protested "and I miss her. If anybody is going to be at my wedding, I would want it to be her" I added, trying not to pout as my mother began to look frustrated.

"I already told you, she's sick" my mother snapped "having her attend your wedding will only cause her to become even more ill. Do you want that for her?" she demanded as I swallowed hard "do you want that on your conscience Raine?" she raised an eyebrow "considering how much you claim to care about her" she added as I my shoulders slumped and a feeling of resignation swept over me.

"No" I mumbled "I don't want that for her. Promise me after the wedding, we'll all go and see her" I pinned my gaze on my mother.

A strange expression crossed her face, but when I looked closer it was gone and she was smiling and nodding at me. "We'll all go, spend the day with grandmother" she proposed "I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to see the photos of your wedding. I'll make sure there are plenty of good ones."

I would have to be content with that for now, but as I silently turned and left the room, I couldn't help but wonder what that strange expression was on my mother's face and why she seemed so determined to make me wait until after the wedding before we visited my grandmother.