Royalty Reading Livid Lips

He didn't try to have stalker-like tendencies and he didn't even try to read lips either. He couldn't help it; he'd just picked it up. He didn't even realize when he was doing it now except the only logical answer was that he did whenever he recalled conversations with people he'd never had.

She was outraged when she realized what he had done. In her standards, aristocratic men were supposed to be gents, not lip reading bastards. It had probably taken her fifteen minutes to pick up why he had been intently staring and she had the time. She was so bored and uninterested in the conversation with the older enthusiastic woman that she had begun to look around until she met his eyes. She faintly remembered him to be the son of a duke… or maybe he was the duke.

"I've never seen someone talk so much. How many horses does she have here?" he referred to the soon-to-be Duchess she'd just been ignoring.

She wasn't the type to be at a loss for words, but she was. She reprimanded herself, she was a Marquise, she was a respectable young woman and she was normally calm and cool. In her head, she was frantic. She mumbled, "I don't know."

"Are you sure?" The black-haired head tilted to the side, he was just being inquiring.

His second-guessing her snapped her out of whatever had gotten into her, "Yes I'm sure. What's it to you?" She definitely hadn't taken him to be inquiring. It made it seem a bit ironic that she had been calling him less-than a true aristocratic gentleman. He seemed to be affecting her more than she liked to realize.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tedi Rheese, and you are?"

His name was Tedi? It was almost comical, but she had already regained her composure, "Escha Kingly, now if you excuse me." And then she left him alone. If she thought about it she would have realized she hadn't even thought about her father's death once while she was with him.

Xx

She resented Francis Patel almost as much as she would have resented being named Francis. If the woman wanted to be liked by Escha she should have done a better job at seating her. Of course, she didn't mind being seated at a table surrounded by the mostly all intelligent Dukes, Counts and Marquises, like herself. What bothered her was the royalty that sat beside the man across from her.

Francis, the bride-to-be, would be lucky if Escha came to her wedding, if Escha had her way. Then again, if Escha had her way she wouldn't be anywhere near the bride and groom's new mansion. The rehearsal dinner and wedding were both to take place there. She was stuck there, with all the other temporary residents, just for a different reason.

Escha was under watch of tall blonde but chubby bride until discussions of her father's will were concluded. She didn't understand why there needed to be any discussions at all, not that anyone aided her in comprehending. Everyone treated her like a naïve child just because she was the twenty-one year old daughter of a dead rich Marquis. Most people she associated with didn't realize that growing up an only child in a wealthy family and losing her mother at such a young age made you grow up real fast. Unfortunately her father had been a good friend of the middle-aged Countess, soon-to-be Duchess, and put Escha in her care. Not that she couldn't take care of herself.

She opened her eyes and they saw the older man across from her. He just served as a reminder for the insolent lip reading jerk beside him. As the dinner continued Escha just so happened to see what an intellectual the lip reader was, s as smart as her /s almost as smart as her.

Xx

By chance, he walked by the open door. By chance, he heard a bit of conversation that intrigued and shocked him. By chance, he happened to stay around for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, he read their lips without much effort. He didn't intend for any of it but he couldn't erase time now, knowing what might happen. He couldn't do anything but wait either, knowing she would find what he had to say as ridiculous.

He did just that; he went back to his room, tried to sleep but really just waited for the theatrics of the next day.

Xx

She walked into the room freshly dressed and irritated. Of course, she was indifferent to everyone else's emotions when she swayed up to Francis. She practically snarled, "What is this all about, Francis?"

"Sit down, dear, and let me explain. Well, we've finished reading over the will and discussing what we're going to do about it," he watched her visibly relax at this.

"Why does everyone have to be here for the reading of it?" she finally paid attention to the world of people around her and scowled.

"I'm sorry, Escha. It's only the Rheese family and they're in your father's will. It's only right, you see, for them to be here." she was the only one in the room confused by this. Tedi and the rest of his family were well aware by now that that was why they were there; they were all intelligent people, seeing as they had not been told this. Francis and her groom had both overseen the discussions of her father's will as well.

"Ok. Just read it. Please." she sighed, desperate to get over it and maybe start getting over her father's sudden death. He wasn't as desperate for the reading of the will as much as Escha, Tedi didn't want it to be read at all.

Xx

Doors were slamming one by one. Saying she was outraged was an understatement, she was affronted, to say the least, "An arranged marriage!" Whereas most young good girls were overjoyed to have their parents choose an eligible wealthy suitor for them, it is obvious Escha wasn't about to play the role of 'good girl'.

She held a proper two-hour tantrum, any longer would have been over doing it in her standards. She didn't come out of her comfy room though, or let anyone in, though others had tried. After getting over her rage and the trauma, she settled down with her frantic thoughts. She would not allow her life to be so easily taken over and ruined by a woman with a man's name and some eldest son of the Rheese family, Duke of Cardiff, she had only met that morning.

She had thought his brother was rude; he was an absolutely discourteous poor-mannered arrogant fiend. Of course, she was spitting out hyperboles in her head but she was not far off her mark. His consistent staring, smirking and grinning as he sat across from her with hands folded in his lap left her uncomfortable for the whole reading. He just had to be good-looking and charismatic; brown silky hair, enthusiasm and all. What really disturbed her was when his leer just grew wider when it was announced she was arranged to marry a Rheese heir; there was no shock, anger, or theatrics. That was why she spent her afternoon thinking and did not come out of her room till a servant pleaded her to come to dinner.

She sat rather quietly through the meal, a smirk of her own on her face, attempting to pierce the young man in good cheer beside her, holding her cold hand.

Xx

"But My Lady, you desperately need your bath! Miss Patel has demanded it! And tomorrow's your wedding day, don't you-" The poor girl was out of breath from chasing after her Lady down the lengthy halls.

Escha ignored the servant and knocked on the expensively fashioned door she had stopped in front of. She frowned, he wasn't the male she was expecting, he wasn't even royalty. He was just as confused as she was, "Oh. My Lady. Don't you have things to be doing?"

"Why yes, I do. I'm doing them right now actually. May I please come in?" she didn't have much patience at the moment, because like her lady-in-waiting had said, it was the night before her wedding. Imagine that, it had only taken two weeks since the date she was informed, for nearly a hundred wives, servants and chefs to put together another wedding.

"I'm sorry My Lady, but His Grace has permitted no one to enter tonight." The servant attempted to shut the door, in her face. Her face!

She huffed, "Well then, can you please retrieve 'His Grace' so I may speak with him?"

"I'm sorry My Lady, but he's unavailable at the moment." he told her dismissively.

"Even to me?" she was hanging by a thread and had never felt so pathetic in her life.

"Excuse me a moment, I shall ask him." And he did and shut the door so she could not walk in as she pleased. He returned, "He says especially you, My Lady."

The door was shut in her face and she allowed herself to be dragged by her lady-in-waiting back to her room. Her mood had changed dramatically from worried and anxious to fuming at the indignant smug spawn of Satan.

You could say she had given up. Tedi had been her last hope and he had dismissed her like a commoner without the courage to face her himself.

Now she would prepare to be wed the next day. At least she could now return to having good hygiene. During the two weeks since her wedding to the Duke of Cardiff, eldest son of the Rheese family, was announced, she had tried to turn Duke away. Escha had gone without a bath for at least a week now and when the Duke noticed the smell- how could he not? –, he said he loved how she would go to such lengths to get his attention and that he loved the naturalness of her scent. She hadn't allowed a single one of her ladies-in-waiting to comb her long locks since she had devised her plan; what the Duke had to say was that she looked like she had been fornicating, adding a wink. She wore her worst clothes and when he didn't comment, she gave her outfit away to a peasant for theirs one day in the street. She had been having the clothes washed every night and wearing only that horrid outfit every day.

"Oh how the images dance in my head of my wildest fantasies." he had replied giddily. He had, from that moment, surpassed his brother and become the most infuriating man she had ever met, epitome of incivility and absurd risqué comments.

Xx

She had been up since five AM, getting ready. Her dress had been in her mother's side of the family for generations. It was all white and embroidered in English lace, featuring multiple roses. The bottom of the dress floated downwards in tiers that continued all the way around. A band of lace accentuated the bodice. There was also a matching white lace veil and a custom set of shoes made for her. The shoes were white leather pointed-toe heels with pastel embroidered flowers and leaves, matching her dress.

Had the groom woken up early? No. Had he even woken up at all? No. He still slept when Tedi checked on him at eleven thirty. It would have been the right thing for Tedi to do seeing as the wedding would begin at three. Tedi left him asleep though. He knew his brother didn't do well the morning after getting intoxicated.

Two PM and the groom was still left alone in his chamber. Why was this? Things got around, servants communicated. Nobody wanted to be the one to wake the hung-over Duke. Unluckily, the last-minute duty was Tedi's.

He walked through the sitting room to the master bedroom of his brother's large suite. Once he turned the knob, he was lucky not to get hit when the doors flung open. Thinking nothing of it, he frantically made his way to the bed and threw back the covers.

No one, no one and nothing was there. It didn't make sense.

Instinctively he ran to the doors to go and find someone. This time, when the doors flung outwards he stopped. Turning, he looked at all the windows and his question was answered. The Victorian curtains at one window were rustling. Tedi rushed to the window and found the perfect escape route; out the window, down the trellis and off the property. If Tedi s had been his brother in this situation /s hadn't been a gentleman, he would have let out a string of curses. He still stormed out of the room handsomely in his customized tuxedo.

Xx

Just breathe, keep breathing, she told herself, breathe Escha. In and out, slowly now, she lectured in her head. She wasn't totally shocked herself. She had thought of running away from marriage too but she hadn't. At first, she thought she couldn't follow through because of her parents but they were dead now, and she realized, she didn't really care about impressing anyone now. She had run into a brick wall when she knew her pride and self-respect mattered most to her.

Tedi had finished explaining everything to her fifteen minutes ago. He had rushed in and struck shock into all her ladies-in-waiting. There was even more gossip to go around when he claimed his brother, the groom, was missing. She dismissed all the girls and let Tedi explain the outrageousness of it all.

When the Marquise finally came into view, no longer surrounded, he was at a typical loss for words. The up-do her hair was in was doing wonders to him. The bangs sweeping across her right eye had him just wanting to brush them away with his fingertips.

Now her mind was working wonders with only forty-five minutes until the wedding was to begin. Silence ensued for five more minutes when she broke out of character, "Will you do something for me Rheese? I mean, something really important to me. Dignity means a lot to me, and so does my pride. It's the only thing that really stopped me from leaving like the Duke did."

"What is it, Kingly?" he asked softly, "You know, sometimes those things only end up getting in the way of what we feel truly matters."

It was hard for her to say. She didn't like to face the possibilities of rejection, she hardly ever had. Escha had lived such a sheltered life where she got everything she wanted, and she was only ashamed sometimes because of it. She said it anyway, "This isn't the time though." Her head shook slowly and hung low, "Rheese-"

"My name happens to be Tedi." he interrupted her. He would have grinned, but he was afraid she would throw a tantrum. She had actually blushed.

"Yeah… will you step in for your brother and marry me?" There, she had said it, "I remember when the will, my father's, was read because I have a photographic memory. Francis never said which one of you I was arranged to marry, you or your brother. It was just generally assumed I was to marry the eldest of you two, your brother, the Duke."

"Escha… ssshh. No." There was the rebuff she so highly feared, "We don't know each other enough."

"But we'll have years together if we do get married. Please, this means a lot to me." she pleaded.

"You don't hear yourself, Escha. What means the most to you is the pride your father left behind and installed in you. Excuse me for sounding selfish, but I'm not interested in a loveless relationship. I might have status, but I won't put myself in a marriage without meaning like so many others do."

"I'm so sorry, Tedi. You're right. I'm not myself right now." It was true. She wouldn't have recognized her words if it had been possible for her to hear them played back. A smile took place on her face when she thought about it, "Well, want to help me break the news?" After she mouthed Your Grace with a roll of her eyes.

"Of course, My Lady." he grinned and held out his arm for her.

"For a short period of time, I thought there was a possibility you weren't an arrogant jerk, but first impressions truly are everything."

A/N: I remember I wasn't pleased with this but now that time has passed the fluffy ending seems ok.