A bride’s sorrow
Violets;
Modesty
Faithfulness
Roses;
Love
Beauty
Hope
I have not had one word from her
Frankly I wish I were dead
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to me, "This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly."
I said, "Go, and be happy
but remember (you know
well) whom you leave shackled by love
"If you forget me, think
of our gifts to Aphrodite
and all the loveliness that we shared
"all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck
"myrrh poured on your head
and on soft mats girls with
all that they most wished for beside them
"while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..."
- Sappho
Evelyn didn’t even know what to think at this present moment. Her dress hugged her curves perfectly, her short blonde hair pushed and pinned back with a fancy pin that her soon-to-be husband had given to her as a wedding gift. She pursed her lips as her bridesmaids scurried around to make sure she was absolutely perfect. She tugged on the silk fabric, grumbling as she tried to pull it so that it didn't look so crumpled up or too messy. How many pearls were on this fabric? How long did this dress take to carefully craft? She tugged at her gloves, staring down at her engagement ring. It was too flashy for her standards, the large emerald nestled in the golden band staring back at her. It matched her favorite dress, he had mused when he gave it to her. How many times did she remove it from her finger? How often did she fiddle with it, the weight unbearable on it? She couldn’t remove it now, the ring soon to be pushed up against a golden band that symbolizes everlasting love and devotion. That was always what she had wanted, but the life of a Faro lady often pulled her away from any romantic endeavors, and her certain interests made finding a suitable husband … difficult. She was startled from her thoughts by one of her bridesmaids laughing and taking her hand with a look of sheer joy. “Oh, she’s crying! How marvelous it must feel to marry the one and only heir to the Sterling fortune!” She giggled, entwining their fingers and squeezing gently. Evelyn couldn't help but blush and chew on her cheek for a few seconds before she forced a smile and chuckled. “Well, of course! I am not marrying him to gain his fortune. Even so, it is certainly a welcome bonus to this affair! No… I love him dearly. I suppose in the same way that the sun loves the moon.” She felt tired as she pulled her hand away and dropped it to her side. She glanced at herself in the mirror and fixed her hair a few times, making sure the headdress that her veil sat upon was perfectly secured upon her head. The perfect bride for whomever she was set to marry. A perfect bride for him. Or at least that’s what her bridesmaids said. She heard the church bells ring, and she quickly turned around and stepped away from the mirrors that she had just been staring into. Her maid of honor, a young woman by the name of Martha, quickly reached up and fixed her veil. “You look beautiful.” She smiled, but Evelyn didn't meet her eyes or her happy expression.
It was just a step forward in the right direction. A life as a lady to a man who proclaimed himself to be a knight. A man who loved his fantasies more than any woman, and Evelyn was sure that he never would love a woman the same way he loved his fairytales. She snorted and pulled her veil over her face and began to walk down the hallways to the start of her life as Mrs. Sterling. No longer Evelyn Mora. No longer the woman who she so wished to be. No longer the person that she was. She knew marriage wasn’t the end of the world. She knew very well that it wouldn’t kill her, but she thought of her duties as a wife, and she scrunched up her nose.
She thought back to her agreement with Mr. Sterling. He laughed and said that he needed a wife. So many women were throwing themselves at his feet, and he was getting sick of it. Evelyn would laugh and sip her wine before she hummed and set it back down. “How about we marry then? A true ruse.” She would coo and reach out to hold his hand. He’d blink and smile. “But, of course, Miss Mora. How truly scandalous it would be! A knight marrying a woman of your background instead of one of nobility?” She would frown, and he noticed immediately before he quickly chuckled nervously and squeezed her hand. He would sigh and look down before speaking once more. “I know neither of us is each other's particular … preference, but I do believe that with a little bit of planning, we could pull this off, no?” He would give a wink, and she couldn’t help but laugh at that. She loved him, but not in the way that everyone expected her to. Not in the way that he needed to be loved in the eyes of society, and she knew he didn't love her in the way they wished. She supposed that they were peas in a pod. Two completely similar people who struggled to be who they truly were. He didn’t tell her when he would propose. He had wanted to keep that part real. She remembered the night extremely well. A warm summer’s eve at a ball that no one had particularly wished to go to. The heat was unbearable, and she continued to fan herself with a fan that wasn’t exactly working when Richard had called everyone over with a joyous laugh and a smile. “Ah, Evelyn. How your beauty is shining tonight. Much like the stars above us. I consider myself ever so lucky to be courting you and even more so that you might one day be my wife. Perhaps, tonight you shall finally answer my question and tell me this… Will you marry me?” He had kneeled down in front of her and pulled out a box that was obviously much too fancy and much too expensive for most people at this party. He had truly spared no expense. Evelyn couldn't taste the wine on her tongue. Nor smell the perfume of her so-called “lover.”. She felt embarrassed, but she quickly put on a smile and gasped. She touched his face, cradling it in her hand as she smiled and felt her eyes begin to wetten. She blinked away her tears and leaned down to kiss his forehead as he took her hand in his own and slipped the ring onto her ring finger as she loudly said, “But, of course…” It was as simple as that. Wedding planning immediately got into action, and she eagerly used her soon-to-be husband’s money to make the wedding of her dreams. It would be perfect, and she knew this would most likely be the only wedding that she would be a part of that required her to be in the main role.
Evelyn had stared at him with a sorrowful look when they sat down in the parlor of their new mansion. A gift from the man that had bailed her out of jail all those years ago. She had done well by his side, and now he repaid her for all she had done for him. Evelyn chewed on her lip, and she finally sighed out. She knew he had a daughter that wasn’t too fascinated with him or interested in whatever he did, so she was more than happy to swoop in and get the funding she deserved to get. She’d never admit that, though. She had a proper facade to uphold, and a greedy outlook on life wouldn't be a good appearance for someone who was freshly into nobility. She didn’t want Richard to be slandered for her misgivings. She didn’t realize she had stopped walking when Martha smiled at her and handed her a bouquet of flowers. She glanced down at them and let out a hefty sigh. Violets and roses. She half wondered if he had chosen this especially for her in account of her mentioning that the poem written by the lovely Sappho was her favorite. A poem of lost love. She ran her fingers across the flowers, her eyebrows scrunched together, and she softly recited the gentle words of that poem. “Go and be happy. But remember whom you leave shackled by love…” She muttered and looked up as the doors swung open and the familiar wedding march reached her ears. She began to walk down the aisle, and she half wished her eye had been caught by a familiar head of graying brown hair and a stern look. She glanced around only once, and much to her dismay, Keigan didn’t show up. She had personally invited the clerk, but she supposed it had been too much to bear. Not after that night they had spent together before Evelyn and Richard had finally agreed to the plan. Keigan was never one to involve herself in messy relationships unless she knew it was for her and/or everyone’s benefit. She supposed that's why she woke up that next morning to find a violet resting on the pillow next to her. A silent farewell to lost love. She should've never told Keigan about their idea.
It didn’t surprise Evelyn that Richard looked amazing up there. He looked like he belonged amongst the people who busied themselves with watching their performance of a lifetime. Everyone had bought tickets to this grade A circus act. Evelyn was on a tightrope, and there was no way she was getting down now. She smiled kindly towards Richard and took his hand when he offered it, before glancing behind her as the man who had been walking her up the aisle cleared his throat for the priest to begin. The ceremony was all a blur to her. She said her written vows, the lies escaping from her mouth as a forced smile danced upon her lips. Her hand got a gentle squeeze from Richard when he noticed she was crying during his vows. She didn’t know if they were happy or sad tears, but she knew one thing. She would never be lonely again. When he lifted her veil, she stared up at him and sighed before going into the binding kiss. Were their lives ever going to be the same now? She knew that with the rings on their fingers, their “love” was now known to the world, and she was… trapped with no one to save her. Even if this was a fake marriage, she knew she would have to give a dazzling performance, and as she and Richard left the church and got into the carriage, she leaned into him and began to cry silently. All he could do was hold her.