Lacey Evans's Story

Valentina looked at Raven and Decker, the smile on her face slowly returning, and slowly stood up.
"Well...I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you all, but...right now, I'm feeling a little under the weather...just slightly flushed. So...I think I'm just going to go freshen up in the ladies room, and then take a little walk around the garden to clear my head." She said softly, gently picking up the rose Decker had given her and holding it down at her side. Decker and Raven seemed to be having a little bit of a moment, and...she was in no mood to stick around and prevent it from happening. "Please, continue your conversations, and I shouldn't be too long."
The last part was a lie, but it was a lie told for a beneficial reason. So...it couldn't be particularly harmful.

Giving a small, gracious curtsey towards Decker and his sister wives, Valentina smiled.
"You women really do look stunning tonight." She remarked, flashing a warm smile at Raven, Shelby and Lacey in turn, then turned slightly and walked towards the end of the garden, which was completely empty at that moment in time.

Raven stepped away from the table as Decker gave his speech to the guests, keeping her head down and just hoping that everyone's eyes were on her husband instead of her. But who was she kidding? As charming and well-spoken as Decker was, people couldn't help giving in to their curiosity about his wives. The very least she could hope for was that most of their eyes were on Decker.
When he asked Lacey to leave, her head lifted quickly to look at them both. The pattern seemed to form now where every time the blush in her cheeks had receded slightly, something happened which caused it to return even redder and burn even hotter than before. What could he possibly have to say to her that he couldn't say in front of her sister wife? Or perhaps it was what he wanted to do...
The possibilities that swam around in her head were disturbing and terrifying, so she instead forced herself to consider that, no matter how small the chance might be, maybe he wanted to talk alone because she was the one he was falling for. This calmed her terror slightly, but not the erratic beating of her heart.

Raven turned back to Decker, that brightness lighting up her eyes again.
"Then, yes. I'd like to stay with you..." she told him with her soft, quiet voice with a smile at her lips. "After all...The more time I spend with you, the less time it'll take for me to become comfortable with you, right?" It was also the fact that the more time she spent alone with him, the less time he spent possibly falling for the other girls. The selfishness of that thought shocked Raven, and once it had made its way into her head, she found herself trying to justify it. She still clung onto the fantasy that there was one other person in the world she would be as perfect for as he'd be for her, who'd love her and protect her and make her feel special, and maybe...Just maybe Decker hadn't actually stolen that possibility from her. Maybe this entire ordeal was a blessing in disguise and Decker was that man...But he couldn't be, if he was dividing that love between her and three other women...And, from what she could tell, Shelby didn't want to be his wife. She didn't want to love him, and Lacey...Lacey was just a little girl who probably didn't understand the full meaning of love, and Decker didn't seem at all interested in entering into that kind of romantic relationship with her. That just left Valentina...She had no idea what Valentina's feelings were, or Decker's. But she couldn't possibly be that desperate for that kind of affection, could she? With that beauty, that confidence, that grace...She'd probably had plenty of men's attention before she was taken, whereas Raven had never had any...
No matter how much she justified that thought, no matter how logical her argument, she still felt that pang of guilt in her chest...But she brushed that feeling off to the side to dwell on later, and focused her attention - and her smile - back on her husband.

(I'm here, finally!)

When Decker asked Lacey if she wanted to open her presents, she nodded and giggled excitedly. A few moments later, she saw him walk off with Raven. She was a little jealous; so far she was the only one to receive alone time with their new husband. It sounded weird to her when put like that. "Their" husband. Thinking about it, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. About sharing a man with three other people. The three other girls were older than her, and she figured would receive the most attention. Being the youngest, she sighed and figured she'd be treated like a child. She didn't want to be treated to like a child, she wanted to be treated like a wife. "Wife." That word sounded weird too. Was she ready to be someone's wife? She wasn't sure...

For the first time all night, the smile left her face.

Lacey looked up, her eyes showing the confusion that was clouding her mind. "I'm not sure," She whispered. She was trying to sort out her thoughts, and which thought exactly had made her upset. "I just...I...I don't know if I'm ready for this. To b-be a wife.." She bit her lip, as she looked at Decker helplessly. Her eyes pleaded with him to say something that would comfort her, something that would assure her she was ready, she was going to be fine.

When she'd travelled far enough down to the end of the garden, Valentina looked back towards the door leading inside, a small, smug smile on her face when she laid eyes on Raven and Decker.
One thing Valentina hadn't wanted was to be First Wife. And that was her primary worry when she had seen the rest of Governor Delaney's wives...one who wouldn't say a word for her shyness, one who was merely a little girl, and one who couldn't have hated him more if she'd tried. And her attitude for the wedding day had been simple: be sweet, charming and act like you were settling in. Her game plan for any time after that was also simple: keep to herself, do what she had to do, and try to get through this in her own little way. But again, after seeing the brides at the table, she had been completely terrified that Decker would begin to show any affection for her. Which, judging by the way he had been looking at her at the table, she needed to stop before it went any further. And so she had excused herself.
But, seeing how Decker and the little shy bride were hitting it off in her absence, that didn't look like a worry for her anymore. And, with regards to genuine love and affection...it looked like Raven would be recieving the most of it. Which wasn't something that bothered Valentina at all.
She couldn't promise herself that when it came to the bearing of children, the same would apply, and although that scared her slightly, she knew she'd probably just have to accept it. Lacey was too young, and Shelby just wouldn't co-operate. And although neither of them payed a lot of attention to her, she still valued them as family in a way and would do what she had to to keep them safe and unharmed. Not that she suspected Decker would ever bring harm to them, but...it was just a precaution.
With Raven, she wanted to be more of a friend, than a family member. Which would make this whole situation kind of complicated...something she wasn't looking forward to at all.
Raven seemed already smitten with Decker, and...could two friends really share a husband? Without it feeling like a competition? Maybe not on Valentina's part, but...if Raven really loved him, then...would she not grow to resent her?
And if Valentina found that she did have to bear Decker's children at some point, would Raven hate her for it? Would she mind? And how would he feel about all of this?
So many questions she found herself asking, and the more and more she thought, the more questions joined them...along with the steady decrease of her smile until it was completely faded and replaced with a confused frown. She had no idea what to do, or how to make any of this work. It was all just so complicated...
Taking another sip from her glass of champagne, and sighing as she looked down at the rose in her other hand, Valentina found that the horrible reality of the situation was just beginning to sink it. And it wasn't pretty.

Lacey let out a sigh of relief, as the panic seemed to leave her body. She blushed a little as he kissed the top of her head, and any sign of unhappiness left her eyes. He asked her to smile, and Lacey's seemingly trademark smile reappeared on her face. She giggled softly and grinned up at Decker.

Raven watched Decker go, the smile dropping from her face and the gleam leaving her eyes. She wanted him to stay...She wanted to be his first priority, and seeing that Lacey had taken him away from her, she felt a little irritation towards the small blonde. She looked down, as that irritation was once more replaced with guilt. Lacey hadn't done anything wrong...And neither had Decker...This whole arrangement had just started to make her selfish. She knew she'd have to get over that, fast. It was just a fact she'd have to deal with that these girls she was living with now were just as much Decker's wives as she was, but her heart still sunk in her chest whenever his attention was taken away from her.

Valentina sighed quietly, debating to herself whether to pull her hand away, then decided against it. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, despite the fact that she wasn't happy with the current situation.
"...It doesn't work like that, Governor Delaney...you might think it does, but it doesn't." She said quietly, glancing towards the doors leading inside. "I've been watching what's gone on in there while I've been out here, and...constantly running between Lacey and Raven is proving to be challenging enough for you. And I think that, if there's a few things I can and should do, it's keep quiet, not interfere, and not fight the other girls for your attention. Which is just what I'm trying to do." She said, glancing back at Decker and then down at his hand, which was still holding hers. "I AM perfectly happy...as I am...and I just think you should concentrate more on the girls that you could see yourself in a romantic relationship with at some point." She looked over at the doors again, where she could just see Raven. "It's the sensible thing to do..."

Lacey yawned tiredly. She rubbed her eyes and stood up from the table she was sitting at near the presents. Upon standing, pain shot through her feet. She wasn't used to wearing high heels. She found her way inside, and a maid showed her to the brides' living quarters, and to her room. She walked into her room, another yawn escaping her. Her Domestic helped her into a silk nightgown, and fixed her hair. Lacey sat down on her bed, and curled up with a pillow to her chest.

She laid her head back and closed her eyes, but she didn't sleep. She relaxed, letting thoughts bounce around her head. Letting the day sink in. She yawned again.