An Unacceptable Arrangement

by Victoria Winters

  Her father hushed her and spoke loudly, as if he were offering a toast at a formal dinner. “And here is our precious daughter, ready for her wedding day. Sweetheart, you look like a true princess!” Her mother smiled and dabbed at the corner of her eye.

  Cassandra snarled. “Father, please a word...” she begged. “It’s not too late.”

  At the mention of the time, the room came to life. Her father glanced at his pocket watch and exclaimed, then he and her mother stepped forward and held her by the upper arms, escorting her out of the room. The lady’s maids followed behind, holding up the back of her skirts. She was bustled down the hallway, down the stairs and then out to the waiting carriages. Her slippers barely touched the ground. A few of the servants had lined up to see her go, all of them smiling happily.

  Idiots! Cassandra wanted to shout. I should be going to St. Paul’s Cathedral and marrying a high-ranking member of the British nobility, not some foreigner in the family chapel! How could anyone be smiling about this day?

  Before she could speak, she was thrown into the second carriage, at least that’s what it felt like and her father did not climb in beside her. Against tradition, she rode in the carriage alone, her parents and siblings leading in the first one. Her cowardly father was definitely avoiding her. Well that wasn’t surprising; why should her unfeeling father want to spend her last few moments as his child with her? Cassandra had a fleeting urge to signal the driver and have him keep going once they reached the chapel, not even to slow down. The thought made her smile, a brief respite from her dismay about the terrible fate about to befall her.

  The carriages pulled to a stop and the doors were instantly opened. The footman produced steps and helped her down. She could hear music, the doors of the chapel were thrown open and she was led by the footman to where her father waited, just inside, along with her little sisters looking adorable in their finest dresses.

  Lord Newblythe was awed; Cassandra truly was the most beautiful bride he had ever seen. He suddenly felt sad that he wasn’t giving her away in front of his community. As she got close enough to see her face through her veil, he looked into her eyes and offered his arm. “You...” he started to speak, to tell her how exquisite a bride she made, but the expression on her face rendered him speechless. Her expression was glacial, the only look in her eye one of pure hatred. His heart dropped, Cassandra clearly was still very, very angry. She truly was his pride and joy and his most beloved child. He realized that the last time they’d interacted was when he’d birched her. No wonder she was still so angry. No matter, he shrugged; he would speak to her at the reception and clear up the tension between them.

  Cassandra watched her little sisters timidly walk up the aisle, performing their flower girl duties. Emily, the six-year-old, was resolutely tossing rose petals, but the littlest one, Violet, didn’t seem to want to part with hers. She hung on to her basket with a death grip and shook her head, her fair curls bouncing, as the wedding guests smiled at her antics.

  Her father held out his arm and she reluctantly hooked her hand in it. Cassandra felt a moment of sheer panic. She looked behind her. The forest was very close. If she bolted now... but then her father stepped forward to start down the aisle. She remained firmly rooted to her spot. She could see through the doors and down the aisle to some male figures waiting at the altar. Her father gave her a tug and she gathered her courage. Bolting was not practical. She’d be too easy to spot running through the woods in a white dress. There was nothing to do at this point but get it over with.

  Woodenly she began to walk. She wished the ground would open and swallow her up, she’d rather disappear into the center of the earth than to walk forward and see the stranger she’d be sitting across the breakfast table from for the rest of her life - the stranger her unfeeling father had selected for her.

  The wedding march started and the congregation, such as it was, rose. There were probably a couple dozen people in the chapel, family members and some servants. She recognized her old governess and even her nanny, whom she hadn’t seen in years. She tried to manage a shadow of a smile in their direction. She grimly looked ahead at the altar. There was the - what was he, a minister? A vicar? He was wearing robes – a judge? No one she recognized - and to her right was her brother serving as Best Man. Facing her stood the man who must be her groom. She gave a start of recognition! It was he – the gentleman at the ball who had kept staring at her but hadn’t asked for a dance. It was The Mystery Man. He must have known then that she was destined to be his bride. Why hadn’t he introduced himself? As she reached the altar, the music stopped and she found herself looking up into sky blue eyes. She flushed prettily; something about the way Sir Frederic Von Dresden was staring at her was most disturbing. She felt a responsive throb deep inside, in a private place.

  He was not bad looking, tall and straight with a shock of brown hair. She did like a full head of hair on a man. She was right about his being military - he was wearing some sort of uniform, she had no idea what kind, and his posture was impeccable. He had a sword in a scabbard strapped to his waist. She noticed he had a few pockmarks on his tanned face but they didn’t detract from his appearance. If anything, they gave his face character and made those startling eyes stand out even more. Now those eyes were looking upon her with a burning intensity. She felt like asking, “Do I know you sir?” but realized that would be a strange thing to say to one’s fiancé at the altar.

  The vicar began to speak and then she wondered - did her fiancé even know English? Perhaps they wouldn’t even be able to communicate, for she certainly didn’t know German. But her husband-to-be spoke his vows in perfect English. He didn’t stumble over any of the words, and he spoke with only a hint of an accent.

  When it was Cassandra’s turn to recite her vows, she politely looked into Sir Frederic’s eyes and spoke about loving and honoring and obeying him. She promised herself to this man, this complete stranger, and only to him for the rest of her days. She felt dazed, speaking as if in a dream.

  The vicar asked for the rings. Cassandra turned and handed the bouquet that had been shoved into her hands to a woman standing next to her. Her Maid of Honor turned out to be her future sister-in-law, Teresa. She smiled at her and then turned back to face Sir Frederic. She looked at her fiancé expectantly and he turned, confused. He began to fumble, running his hands through his pockets and looking around. There were no rings. Perfect, the perfect ending to a surreal experience.

  Cassandra looked back at her father pointedly. Apparently this wedding had been as much of a surprise to her groom as it had been to the bride. So much for her father putting “a great deal of time” into making the arrangements. Her parents tried to remove their rings but were unable to get them off. Cassandra gave a barely perceptible shake of her head and lowered her eyelashes, not wanting to stare at her groom as he fumbled. Finally he leaned over and said something to the vicar, who looked stunned and then flipped forward in his prayer book and to the pronouncing them husband and wife part.

  Cassandra immediately developed a new philosophy to see her through the rest of her life: Expect nothing and you won’t be disappointed. The vicar pronounced them married and then her husband grabbed her and cheekily gave her a lusty kiss. Cassandra was stunned and almost fell back when he released her. The kiss had shocked her with its intensity. He hadn’t pressed hard or gotten sloppy, but she had definitely felt something when he’d pressed his lips against hers, as though a bolt of electricity had shot between them. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, surprised. He smiled confidently down at her and then suddenly everyone was swarming around the happy couple, congratulating the groom, giving best wishes to the bride.

  After the ceremony, the entire party walked through the grove back to the house. It was a lovely day and the setting was magical. Cassandra had never seen the overhead branches look quite like they looked this day. Perhaps it was the way the sun was shining after the hard rain of the day before. The trees seemed to sparkle
and, as they emerged into the gardens, there was a rainbow in the sky.

  They entered the family house and stood in the foyer quickly forming an impromptu receiving line. Cassandra had an opportunity to greet each of her wedding guests and introduce them to her new husband. They then headed into the dining hall where the bridal couple was greeted by the sight of an exceptional amount of china and crystal on the tables. There was quite a spread; Cassandra realized that her mother had really outdone herself. She had never before seen a brunch quite this extravagant. There were side tables with steaming dishes of bacon, a plump pink ham, fried tomatoes and onions and mushrooms. Cassandra’s favorite little crisp rolls were served in bowls and the kitchen staff was frying up eggs to order, right there at the tables! There was fried bread, sausages, smoked salmon, black pudding, hot toast wrapped in white napkins, fresh breakfast rolls, platters of fruit, including her favorite - figs and dates. There were several different kinds of marmalades, jams and jellies, honey and sweet cream. The footmen were traveling amongst the guests serving champagne or hot coffee – a drink she was becoming very fond of - and tea, of course.

  Cassandra and Frederic sat down and ate; everything was most delicious. Cassandra stole a peek at her husband; he seemed to be enjoying himself. While the ceremony itself had been somewhat happenstance and the venue a joke, the menu could not be faulted.

  After everyone had eaten, there was some mingling and chatting. The string quartet playing in the church had relocated to the reception hall and a few of the guests indulged in a bit of dancing. There were no toasts; evidently no one had time to prepare one. Hayden came and sat at their table, introducing his Teresa to Frederic. Teresa wasn’t the prettiest of girls, but her sweet nature was evident. Her love for Hayden shone from her eyes. Cassandra blanched at the realization that this had been taken from her, the opportunity to marry someone she was in love with. She quickly lowered her eyes, hoping her fiancé - husband - had not seen her expression.

  Cassandra composed herself and focused once again on her brother and his fiancée. She realized that she liked Teresa very much. Too bad she would not have the opportunity to really get to know her. She and Frederic thanked the two of them for serving as their attendants. As the four sat together, the vicar approached with their marriage license. Hayden and Teresa witnessed their signatures and then put down their own. Cassandra surprised herself with her willingness to sign the license without hesitation, now that she knew who her groom was.

  Then the bridal couple danced their first dance together as man and wife. Cassandra looked upon her groom. He seemed handsome enough and pleasant enough and he smelled good. Most of all, she liked his carriage, his air of authority. It wasn’t his fault that her father had ruined her life and he too had to suffer through this pitiful excuse for a wedding. She certainly didn’t want to poison her new marriage with a bad attitude. She decided to take advantage of the opportunity to apologize to his Lordship.

  “My Lord, I do apologize for this wedding. I appear to have fallen out of favor with my father and this is the result. I’m sorry it had to affect you as well. You surely deserve better.”

  Frederic looked confused and taken aback. “You do not like your wedding?” He looked around at the good food, the musicians and the pleasant company. “What is there not to like?” He was as far from snobbish as it was possible to be for a man raised to rule a kingdom. He had enjoyed the casual and spontaneous event; it was much more fun than their formal wedding would be.

  Cassandra had no response to that. The poor man, he thought this was a nice wedding! As she’d suspected, he must be somewhat downtrodden. She smiled sweetly at him, feeling protective.

  Arthur asked his daughter to dance and to his surprise, she accepted.

  “Well child, this wasn’t so bad was it?” he began. “Your groom is handsome, the wedding most charming. Have you forgiven me?”

  Cassandra stopped dancing and stared at him. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to spat upon him. “Father tell me, why am I standing here in an ugly wedding dress, at what is basically a brunch, soon to be deflowered by a complete stranger? Explain to me please,” she begged, desperately hoping he would give her some reasonable explanation to hold on to.

  Her father looked at her in shock and laughed weakly. “Such language, girl! Your new husband is a good man. I have business dealings with him and have found him to be most honorable, a rare quality in the world today. Besides, you are a very ungrateful child. Are you not at all pleased with this lovely luncheon that your mother arranged?”

  “I agree that this event is a very nice luncheon but it’s hardly a wedding. Papa, if you are facing financial challenges, then yes of course I would be content with whatever you were able to put together. But if not, I would have to ask why I am being pushed out of your life so quickly and in such a shameful fashion and being sent so far away? I will ask you one last time while we can still speak as father and daughter; explain to me please why you did this?”

  “There, there dear, remember your brother is having a grand wedding in the fall.” This apparently was not the right thing to say. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed and she began to give him the hateful look he’d seen as they’d headed into the chapel. Still he soldiered on. “Think of it child, you’ll be a part of that wedding and will be able to have all of the fun of a big wedding at that time. So you see, it will all work out and you haven’t missed out on anything.”

  “I am sending my regrets, Father.” Cassandra responded coldly. “I will not be attending that wedding or any other upcoming family event. My future is in Germany at my husband’s side.”

  “But you’ll still be in London for the wedding.”

  “Will I? And if so, why would I want to see what kind of wedding you could throw if you loved your child?” Her father recoiled as if he’d been slapped in the face.

  “Goodbye, Father,” Cassandra said with great finality just as the music ended. Being the well-bred young noblewoman that she was, she curtseyed to her father one last time and walked away. She did not look back. She approached her mother and curtseyed and made a proper thank you for the truly delicious luncheon. She almost became emotional; looking upon her mother’s face for what would be the last time.

  She said her goodbyes and then went to her husband and said something. Lord Newblythe watched Sir Frederic help Cassandra gather her things and walk her out to their carriage. He looked back at her father and spoke to Cassandra but she shook her head no and climbed into the carriage.

  Eveline came and stood beside him and they watched the carriage pull away. Cassandra would always look out the window and wave to them as long as she could still see them, but she did not do that this time. They saw her profile looking straight ahead as the carriage pulled forward.

  Eveline looked at her husband with concern. “Do you think she will ever forgive us?”

  “Don’t worry my dear; Cassandra will have the wedding of her dreams when she reaches Germany. And the child will soon see that I have done right by her. Why, she’ll be sitting in our parlor sipping tea within a fortnight. I’m sure of it.” In truth, Arthur wasn’t at all sure. He had been taken aback at the vehemence of Cassandra’s objections to this union. As predicted, her practical nature had taken over and she’d obeyed her father and done her duty but her ongoing anger had shocked him. He too wondered if she’d ever forgive them.

  Lady Newblythe looked around with sadness. “She didn’t even stay to cut the cake.” She bowed her head and began to weep. This was not how her beautiful daughter’s wedding day was supposed to go. Lord Newblythe put his arm around his wife and patted her as they watched their daughter’s carriage turn the corner and go out of sight. He could not have denied that a tear or two also wetted his eye.

  Chapter 5

  Cassandra was glad her husband had provided a closed carriage. It was beginning to look like rain again. Frederic was sitting across from her looking quite dashing as the carriage sped through the countrysi
de. Finally she was alone with her new husband, although he wasn’t the kind of husband she’d had in mind though. Rather than being loving and kind, he gave off an aura of solid steel, a strict sense of command. She peeked at him from under her eyelashes, suddenly feeling very young and unsure. He did not strike her as one who would just go along with the wishes of another. She began to suspect that this wedding had been all his idea. She thought back to the ball, which must have been the first time he’d gotten a good look at her. He must have decided then and there that she was to be his wife and then made it happen. She realized that her new husband was not a man to take lightly.

  She looked around; they appeared to be heading towards London. Were they leaving on a honeymoon, or headed to a hotel or a rented house? She knew absolutely nothing about this man or what their life together would be, not to mention his expectations of her. She watched him as he turned to say something to the driver. She supposed that Sir Frederic was going to demand his marital rights this very night. In fact, she was certain of it based on the way he’d looked at her all day. She was not ignorant; she had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen on her wedding night. She and Nanette had been filled in with great detail when Paulette had returned from her honeymoon. Thanks goodness, because no information had been forthcoming from her mother.

  Frederic, as if reading her thoughts, took her hand in his and leaned forward to stare into her eyes. Cassandra looked down shyly. A part of her was terrified; another part began to tingle. She had just been kissed for the first time at the altar and within a few short hours, maybe even sooner, she was expected to allow this virtual stranger to have his way with her. Cassandra cringed and flushed. She didn’t know if she could do this, but she realized that she had no choice. She would have to stop being an infant and just allow whatever was going to happen unfold. If she was old enough to be married, she was old enough to deal with all that entailed.