Freedom • Lord Tewksbury

ONE

Catherine Parker Scott. A lady if her father had anything to say about it. Catherine was a adventurous spirit, locked in the body of a girl who was forced to be something she didn't want to be.

Catherine spent her days pretending to be the perfect lady that her parents expected. It wasn't that Catherine didn't like being a lady, as a matter of fact, she was rather fond of it.

She liked the fancy dresses, the balls, and the embroidering. She enjoyed cooking, and baking, for they helped her pass the time, and she was good at them.

What she didn't like was the role her father expected her to play. The submissive daughter who would serve as the key to the family's rise in society.

Since she was young, Catherine had been told that she was going to marry into a title. Whether it be a Viscount, a Baron, or a Prince, the exact title didn't matter. All Catherine's father wanted was for her to get the title, so that their family, her father specifically, would move up on the social ladder. He wanted more advantages, more money, more influence.

Catherine thought that more of her father was the last thing society needed. William Scott was a harsh man, emotionless, and cruel. When she was young, Catherine had hoped that there was still love for her somewhere deep in his heart. As the years wore on, that hope was quickly snuffed out. Catherine was no more to him than a pawn in the game he was playing.

Catherine's mother was the same. William had only married her because her father was incredibly wealthy, and her dowry was large. His love extended only as far as the money did. If Thirza Scott wanted affection, she had to secure more funds for her husband. William only slept with his wife to produce an heir. When Catherine was born a girl, any lingering sliver of love for his wife disappeared.

Catherine knew that her mother did not wish to marry her off for advantage, but she also knew that there was nothing her mother could do about it. So Catherine played her role. She followed instructions, went to finishing school to become the wife that her father hoped she would be. She had attended four years of finishing school by the time she overheard her father talking about the man he had found for her.

It was late one evening, long past the time that Catherine was supposed to be in bed. The brunette had laid awake for an hour, staring at her ceiling as she tried to listen to her father's conversation in his office right below her bedroom. She decided she needed to hear clearer, and silently slipped out of her room.

She tiptoed down the stairs, and leaned against the wall, just next to the doorpost. Nobody could see her, but she could hear everything.

"Yes, he is the perfect fit for Catherine," she heard her father say.

"Do you think so?" Catherine heard her mother respond.

"He's a Baron, of course he's perfect," came the response. Catherine closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. The sole requirement her father has was the title? She knew it was important to him, but did her father truly not care if the man was of good moral character or not?

"William, he is thirty-seven. You would truly force our daughter into marrying someone twenty years her senior?" Catherine's mother asked. The brunette's eyes went wide at that statement. Twenty years her senior? Surely her father couldn't be serious. Catherine listened to the conversation a little while longer, before deciding that she had had enough.

But not just enough of the eavesdropping. Enough of living the life that would only force her into a future she didn't want. Catherine wanted to marry for love, not advantage. She didn't care if the man had a title, or even if he had money, as long as he loved her and treated her as such.

With this new resolve, Catherine turned and hurried back up the stairs to her room, formulating a plan as she went. She was a brilliant girl, despite her father's best efforts to keep her from being so. She was able to read, write, and do arithmetic, which came in handy in this very moment.

Catherine realized that she time lined up perfectly for her. Tomorrow she was to leave for her monthly visit to Ferndell Hall. Perhaps she would just never come back. It wouldn't be difficult to achieve, her aunt and cousin were even more brilliant than she was. Catherine knew that as long as she made it to Ferndell Hall, she would be able to be free of this life that her father was creating for her.

Catherine smiled as she made her way back to her bed, finally feeling tired. She had a long day ahead of her, she would need all the energy she could get.

Lauren Time:

Hey guys! Welcome to my Tewkesbury story! Yes I am aware that I spelt his name wrong throughout the entire book, but by the time I realized it, I was too far in to go back and change it all, so you'll have to live with it.

I watched Enola Holmes 2, and immediately became obsessed with Tewkesbury all over again, so here we are. It took me three days to write this whole thing, I was very motivated.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave me any constructive criticism that you might have, as long as it is indeed constructive. I always enjoy reading your thoughts.