Chapter Text
An expansive sea of fog enveloped the estate grounds that day. The weather’s sudden turn, from yesterday’s pleasant and cool temperature to this morning’s dreary and dampening tone, made you all the more sluggish.
You had been perched on your bedroom window observing your father and Mr. Barnes as they prepared all sorts of hunting paraphernalia in the courtyard. They had been out and about even before you woke up; their spritely energy was quite the contrast against the depressing backdrop.
It was certainly a relief that the two of them got together. That was the most basic requirement to anyone who was seeking to court you or be matched with you—if there was even any difference at this point. All roads would eventually lead to one thing, anyway.
The second requirement was that they also had to get along with your aunt, which would only be revealed tonight during your dinner together.
Mr. Barnes seemed to be the type to befriend someone like your aunt; if that would be any indication about his character, then you’d soon know about it at least. Your father and Lord Zemo’s slight aversion to Aunt Isabel was already an established thing, and the addition of an outsider to your family’s dynamic would only make things more interesting.
Her whole process for matchmaking had been certainly bold that even your father was starting to just realize how exhausting the whole affair was. Not even Lord Zemo could understand her temperament, what more from a stranger that he introduced?
It was a stupid second requirement. Thinking about it now, things would've been a lot easier if you had been matched with—
An enticing yet strange idea materialized in your head. Perhaps all of this would’ve been easier if someone like Lord Zemo was matched with you.
If last night was any indication of it being possible… It’s even so absurd to think about it. You attempted to stop this line of thought, feeling some sort of guilt for having thought of him like this. Perhaps this was only your silly way of coping with his final plans on leaving.
Your attention snapped back to the grounds. A crisp shot echoed throughout the field, startling even the birds on the treetops nearby. Lord George and Mr. Barnes were seemingly all set for their hunt.
The two started walking off to a path leading off from the courtyard, accompanied by a few other people bringing their equipment. With their departure, it was now your turn to finally leave your bedroom and start the day.
Breakfast was already set downstairs for the two men already had theirs earlier. While eating, you decided to set your agenda for the day; you’ve brought with you a notebook and pen to scribble down ideas that might pop off your head.
You were tapping your feet on the floorboards, following a familiar rhythm when you banged your toes on one of the table’s legs.
Even after stretching the pain away, the aching feeling on your toes distracted you from forming coherent thoughts on paper. You paused briefly, before finding yourself following the same rhythm once more.
A desire to relive the events of your dance last night was unbeknownst to your conscious mind, but was very much apparent to the rest of you.
Finally kicking yourself to stop, you begrudgingly picked up your pen to scribble down some words and hopefully veer away from any distraction.
Inspect gardens; flower arrangement?
Study ledgers and notes from the office
You paused yet again. Lord Zemo was leaving soon. He sounded so decided about it that it frustrated you.
Write a letter to Helmut
Throw a ball before his departure
That last bit would’ve certainly stressed him out more.
Throw a ball before his departure
What was supposed to be an exhale was instead replaced by an aggressive huff. It was too early in the morning for this.
There was obviously nothing you could do about his plan to leave. And it took so long for you to realize this, hoping that deep down he’d want to stay—that’s what he would have wanted. That’s what you would have wanted.
After your meal, you decided to head straight to the back gardens for your planned flower arrangements. It would be best to keep yourself busy to refrain from thinking of more absurd thoughts.
Most of the blooming kinds of plants were planted just by the entrance of the estate; while the rest of the ones found here had just been potted, aside from the ancient shrub of yellow flowers that were kept there. It would be nice to refresh the vases found around the house, and you could possibly bring a bouquet for your aunt later.
A maid followed behind you with a basket as you weaved through the greenery. It was quite a relief to see the thick wall of flowers thriving; after being dangerously trimmed down for the ball you feared that there was no more saving it. You ran your hands through the tops of the leaves and budding petals. Drops of dew sprinkled on the grass as you disturbed their peaceful state.
As your hands flitted through the delicate flowers, a familiar sensation arose. The soft petals kissing the back of your hand was a memory you could recall in an instant.
You instantly pulled your hand away from the bushes, pricked by images of his lips on your hand.
Only a few flowers were collected in that area of the garden.
You were then to proceed to the front portion of the estate to pick a larger variety of flowers when the sound of a car approaching could be heard from where you were at. Confused as to who would want to travel this early and in these conditions, you rushed to the entrance hall.
A flashy red automobile rolled up the courtyard carrying two passengers at the back. As soon as they stopped, a familiar man came rushing down the vehicle and greeted you with much eagerness.
“My word, look who we have here.” Lord Wilson caught you by surprise and ruffled your hair like some dog. Before you could protest, he had already laid both of his hands on either side of your shoulders, as if checking if you were really there.
“Good morning to you too,” you groaned. Nothing much has changed about him, except of course how he was much bigger now compared to the boyish teenager you once knew. The coat he was wearing only made him look more rugged.
Wanda was next to step out of the vehicle. She made her way towards the two of you with a smile directed towards you, and a look of annoyance towards Lord Wilson. “Good morning indeed. Sorry for arriving on such short notice.”
She stepped forward to give you a hug before adding, “I believe Lord George is expecting us?”
“Um… I’m not quite sure—”
“Is James here as well? I can’t wait to scare the living daylights out of him,” Lord Wilson interrupted.
“They headed out a while ago to shoot.” Not really expecting guests today—your father didn’t mention anything of such—you paused momentarily. “I will send someone out to fetch papa. Shall we wait inside?”
The two guests seemed to agree. You gestured for them to go ahead of you through the entrance hall, while you spoke with a footman to deliver a message to your father.
You only noticed how cold it was outside once you reentered the building. It was significantly warmer indoors, and not just for obvious reasons; the fireplace had recently been lit in the main hall by the looks of it, and naturally, that’s where the two gravitated towards. With the traveling they’ve done to reach the estate, it must’ve been a chilly journey.
Lord Wilson plopped himself down on one of the sofas situated near the hearth while Wanda followed suit. You sat just opposite to them on a tall reading chair.
The group seemingly exhaled in unison, allowing the warmth to gradually spread throughout the room.
You were the first to speak up. “Samuel, why exactly are you here with—”
“To answer your question… Well, that’s why we visited today,” Wanda replied instead. “I mean, you are well aware of why I am here in the first place.”
Trying to piece together what she could possibly mean by that, it took a good few moments for you to come up with no answer. Lord Wilson was growing impatient by then and decided to give you a hint.
“We’re getting married.”
“What?”
“Sam!” Wanda sharply turned her head towards him, giving him a look that seemed to consider throwing him into the fireplace.“Not yet, but highly possible,” she amended quickly.
It was just overlapping ramblings after he dropped the news.
“How could you have possibly met Wanda? I do not wish to insult anyone but—”
“Aunt Isabel referred me—”
“Referred? Really? Could you have possibly worded that more romantically?”
“Well, why don’t you have a go at explaining it then?”
“We’re going out of the country in a few days.”
“Sam!”
“Wanda could you—”
“We’re returning home so that he could meet my parents,” Wanda replied, attempting to rush the words out in one breath.
“Wow.” The lively chatter had now died down. “Congratulations, you two!”
The group was further discussing about the news when a faint sound of rubber squeaking against the tiles came within range. Eventually, the footsteps were replaced by a loud “Wilson!”
Mr. Barnes then came into view. The lower half of his attire was damp, with bits of greenery sticking onto him. Other than that, he was sporting a grin that was unlike any expression of his that you had seen before.
“I thought you sent for Lord George,” Lord Wilson teased, pairing it with an exaggerated sigh.
Though, Mr. Barnes was in no joking mood and instead went straight to his old friend to embrace him warmly. Lord Wilson reciprocated with a smile gleaming with joy.
After what seemed like a minute or so, the two broke away from each other’s arms. Mr. Barnes spoke first, “Why didn’t we get to see the two of you last night?”
“Well, here we are now,” replied Lord Wilson. “We did, however, stumble upon Helmut. If you went earlier it would have been a proper reunion—all we’re missing is Rogers.”
Mr. Barnes cleared his throat.
The two men stood in silence while Wanda eyed her partner in confusion.
You ought to say something, though no reply appropriate enough ever came to you.
It took a while for Mr. Barnes to think of a reply. “Yeah he would have loved to dance with Lord Zemo,” he said with a strained laugh.
Laughing along with him, the group found it easier to just do so and not question anything at all.
Another set of footsteps was heard entering the main hall. Your father strode in with his cap and hunting cloak still on; his clothes were still surprisingly dry, seemingly unaffected by the damp environment outside.
“Sam! Great to see you back here in the countryside.” Your father greeted him with a side hug and a firm pat on the back. “Why don’t you join me and James, then we could talk about your plans?”
Even your father knew of this—or at least knew of it earlier than you did.
Lord Wilson turned to Wanda from behind the couch and squeezed her shoulder. “I won’t take too long.”
The two men exited the main hall, with Mr. Barnes just trailing behind them.
Mr. Barnes left without even greeting you.
After watching them walk away from the hall, Wanda stood up from her spot and settled down beside you. “Well, I guess that leaves the two of us.” She may not have noticed the confused—and bordering sour—state you were in.
Erasing the frown that was about to paint your face, you turned to Wanda and placed your hands on hers. “Do you care to join me and pick flowers out front?”
A laugh spilled out of her, perhaps not sure if you were serious or not. “And roll around on the grass and make crowns out of twigs?”
You chose to nod in agreement; the two of you excitedly rose to your feet and made your way out of the hall.
The temperature outside seemed to have dropped further, which required a thicker coat and pair of boots. After you had dressed appropriately, you met with Wanda at the front of the house. There was already a basket at her feet, and a pair of shears peeking out of the lid.
She raised a brow when she caught sight of you. “Are you going to work?”
“Pardon?” You looked down to inspect your attire. It was similar to the one you were wearing when she visited you at the office. Once the realization hit, you shook your head. “I barely do any of that anymore. Looks like we are out of business.”
A look of concern suddenly formed on her face. “Really?”
“No,” you chuckled. “It’s just that our schedule has been weird recently.”
“Mr. Barton…” Wanda mused. Even she knew of his notoriety at the office.
With that, you made your way towards her, linking your arms together, and began walking the path that led to the entrance gate.
The two of you walked in silence, basking in the biting cool air. The fog wasn’t as thick as it was that morning, though once you looked back you could only see a faint hint of red from the guests’ parked vehicle.
When you had reached the flowerbeds, you immediately went to work selecting flowers while Wanda tucked them in the basket. Most of the roses had wilted in the area already, so you proceeded to the further beds where wild patches of various flowers remained.
You spotted a couple of flowers similar to the ones you saw at the Zemo's Manor. These flowers were new; if these had been here before, then you would’ve probably noticed them. Or perhaps they’d been here all along and you had been too blind to see him—
“How did Aunt Isabel even introduce Sam to you?” You suddenly spoke up, as if coughing out the words.
Wanda paused, eyeing you for a moment. “Well,” she replied, “our dear aunt simply sent me a letter with his name and address.”
“Oh god.” Only now have you deduced that the situation you were currently in was nothing compared to what your cousin had to go through with your aunt.
“It all managed to work out at the end of the day,” she chuckled.
You couldn’t disagree with that, honestly finding the pairing perfect. Such a thing was possible, apparently.
The two of you continued to go through bushes of flowers while Wanda recounted to you the whole story.
Of course Aunt Isabel knew of Sam, with his Wilsons being one of the richest and most powerful in the county. While all of these things would be considered enough of a reason to marry into their family, the fact that Sam served in the military may be a cause for contention—especially on the side of Wanda’s family. Apparently, the military was sending aid to the other faction in Sokovia’s civil war.
Wanda was tasked to keep silent about their match. Her parents only knew that Aunt Isabel planned on introducing her to Baron Zemo and they expected her to come home with a ring. Though, now that the true lovers were finally together, it was only right that she revealed the truth to them before their relationship could develop any further.
“I just don’t understand how…”
“Hm?”
The two of you were sitting on low gardening stools at the edge of the field, right beside the gate. Bundles of flowers were tucked away in the basket, ready to be prepared into an arrangement.
“How were you able to agree with the terms of our aunt?” Not really knowing how to word your thoughts, you attempted to continue, “you know, with her clever schemes…”
“It is quite difficult to get a sense of her character at first, but I think she’s not purely evil inside.” She paused, seemingly considering her answer. “Perhaps her reasoning and motives do not translate well for other people.”
“I suppose… But that does not totally excuse her actions.”
“That is true,” Wanda replied.
“And she's still objectively harsh at times.”
“Look, I am not defending her—”
You raised a brow in response.
“But… We compromised. I made options for myself, you see,” she explained. “I allowed myself to be matched on my own terms. It was an excuse to see the world, at first. Yet over time, I found myself completely and hopelessly falling in love with him—with Sam.”
“I do think she’s really trying. Especially in your case; you're the closest reminder she has of your mother,” she added.
You were silent for a moment before choking up a response, “Sorry, I—”
“What ever are you apologizing for?”
You could only shake your head, quietly dismissing whatever foolish thing that was about to come out of your mouth. Perhaps all of this could’ve been solved if you had been vocal with what you wanted—which until now wasn’t even that clear to you.
Quickly recovering, a new question was thrown instead. “How long will the two of you be staying in Sokovia?”
“There aren’t any signs of the war stopping anytime soon. Perhaps my family should consider relocating as well.”
“You could always stay here with us.”
“That sounds like a really tempting offer, but I do have some matters to attend to before I could actually settle down.”
Not long after your conversation, the two of you decided to head back. Reaching the courtyard, you were surprised that Lord Wilson was also there and preparing for their departure already. He stood by the entrance hall along with your father and Mr. Barnes.
“Must we go already?” Wanda approached the men, leaving the basket with you.
“We have yet to visit my parents. That’s another long drive from here.”
She made a face at him before turning back to you. A smile lingered on her face, however.
Just looking at those two interact made you giggle. And even possibly jealous. “I’m still surprised that you and Samuel are together.”
“Did Lord Zemo never mention it to you at all last night?” She replied, stepping right back beside you.
You could only frown in response.
Wanda sighed, “I had to pull him aside and explain the situation. That poor man seemed more livid at Aunt Isabel by the second.”
He never mentioned any of this to you.
“Wait…” Only now did some things click in your mind. “With Sam in the picture, I take it that you and Helmut aren’t matched together anymore?”
“As you may have known, I’m also against our aunt’s schemes. I’m sorry that I had to keep this one a secret.”
“The two of you aren’t together anymore?” You pressed.
She scoffed as soon as you said that. “We weren’t even together in the first place.”
“Oh, right.” Your eyes wandered off to Mr. Barnes, who was now listening very closely to Lord Wilson and your father’s conversation.
Wanda followed the direction of your gaze. “Over time, I have seen you grow more and more conflicted over…”
She didn’t have to complete the sentence to know what problem she was referring to in particular.
“I know it’s not my place, but after what has happened, I can’t help but blame my presence on the outcome of your agreement with Aunt Isabel.”
“No, don’t say that,” you replied, “I’m really glad to have finally met you.” Grabbing her arm and soothing it, you turned to face her.
“I know, but I do think I made things more complicated on your part. With Lord Zemo being matched with you ever since, this whole situation would’ve never happened in the first place.”
A few beats passed. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I had the impression that your match was called off to accommodate my arrival,” Wanda replied slowly as if gauging your reaction.
“Oh.”
“Am I mistaken? Because the way Lord Zemo has spoken about your relationship implied that—”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite follow.”
Wanda was about to reply when Lord Wilson called her to come aboard the vehicle already. You hadn’t noticed that the car’s engine was already on.
A look of concern could obviously be read on her face. She ignored him and replied, “I think it would be best if you talk to him about this directly.”
“What? No, you don’t understand—”
“Love, we're leaving!” Lord Wilson called once more.
“Coming!” Wanda said her goodbyes to you amid your incessant requests for her to explain. She walked towards the vehicle while you followed closely behind her.
“Wait—”
“Look, I do think that’s the only way of going about this. I might do more harm than good by feeding you false information.”
You paused your childish attempts to stop their car from leaving when your father approached you to ask what was wrong. Steadying your breathing, you tucked your hands closer, feeling the biting chill of Wanda’s revelation. There was nothing you could do now, you conceded.
Before driving off, Wanda called out to you for the last time. “Create options for yourself, dear cousin! Don’t let our pesky aunt stop you.”
“Stop her from what, exactly?” Lord Wilson asked in a much more hush tone than hers.
“We’ll receive news of it soon, you’ll see.”
Final goodbyes were said, and the young couple finally left the estate.
Mr. Barnes attempted to make small talk with you while what remained of the group made their way to the dining hall—like nothing was ever off a while ago. Lord George was ahead only by a few steps, though the distance did not allow you to gradually walk past Mr. Barnes as an excuse to speak with your father.
Your mind was too busy running different scenarios that you could only nod to whatever the man beside you was talking about. It was dizzying and surprisingly exhausting inferring what the possible outcome of your situation could be.
You could only hope that you’d be as happy as your cousin was.
Lunch was a quick affair. Lord George and Mr. Barnes did most of the talking while you continued to passively listen to their conversation. Your father asked you about some ledgers he stored in his office and if you’d like to go over them. He even suggested asking Lord Zemo to lend some of his journals as soon as he returned.
The slightest mention of his name made your stomach plummet.
You couldn’t take it anymore; it was necessary that you spoke with him at this instant. All of the information Wanda had revealed was simmering inside you, frantic, itching to be verified.
It must come from him. He must tell the whole truth.
You shot out of your seat, feebly explaining that you weren’t feeling so well, before rushing out of the room.
It was always supposed to be an easy choice—a choice that apparently had already been made on your behalf by Aunt Isabel.