An Unacceptable Arrangement

by Victoria Winters

  One of the women – the sweet one – spoke up. “My husband and I took a trip to Paris for our honeymoon. It was years ago, of course, but so romantic.” She smiled at her husband and he smiled back. “The museums and parks, the restaurants and nightclubs, it was magical,” she sighed.

  Frederic flushed – Paris, of course. His family owned a pied-à-terre there. What was the matter with him? He vowed then and there to try to be more romantic with his young wife. No wonder she didn’t accept any callers, whatever would she talk about with them? He kept her here at home practically as a prisoner.

  As the evening drew to a close, Cassandra had a splitting headache but her parents stayed after everyone had left, clearly wanting to talk. Frederic was glaring at her, she sat obediently looking down at her lap, for the first time that evening unconcerned about her duties as a hostess. She was determined to remain silent. Whatever happened next would not be helped or hindered by her.

  Her mother congratulated Frederic on the wonderful dinner party. Cassandra glanced up at her, her mother was truly the embodiment of class, always gracious, never letting on how she really felt about a person or an event or a shabby little townhouse.

  She knew it was only a matter of moments before the sore subject of her brother’s wedding came up. It was only a couple of weeks away. Her father, true to form, introduced the subject.

  “Cassandra, Hayden and Teresa very much wish that you and Frederic be in the wedding. It is announced in the program. It is time to get over this nonsense. You will do so.” Cassandra shook her head. He was still giving her orders. The nerve! He had forfeited that right when he gave her away.

  Her mother quickly joined in, “The seamstress is arriving tomorrow to size you. Your dress is almost finished. It’s a beautiful gown, dear and hopefully will make up for that dreadful wedding dress fiasco.”

  Well that was something. Finally one of her parents admitted that perhaps her nuptials had been less than ideal in some way.

  Cassandra shook her head. “I have sent my regrets. I will not attend. And you both know why”

  Her father cleared his throat and reached into his vest, removing a thick envelope. He spoke, “Ah yes well, about that - your mother and I wish to give you two a honeymoon. First class all the way, to all of the great capitals of Europe; Paris, Rome, Madrid, Vienna. You could take it as you head home to Germany.”

  Cassandra smoothed her skirts as her husband thanked them, saying that it wasn’t necessary, they should spend their money on the wedding that was soon to happen. His polite refusal of the offered gift was the first socially correct thing she’d ever seen her husband do. It was expected that such an extravagant gift be refused at the first offering and even the second offering. One did not accept unless it was offered a third time. Her father turned to Cassandra.

  “My darling daughter, we hope that this gift in some small way makes up for your disappointment in your wedding. It is our hope you will talk your husband into reconsidering. Will you accept it as the token of parental love that it is?”

  Cassandra stood up and took the envelope from her father. She looked at her husband as she caressed the envelope, which represented all of the travel she’d ever wanted to do. Then she turned back to her father. If she had learned nothing else in her six months of married life, she had learned that men did not absorb by osmosis. It was necessary to explain things to them very clearly. She crouched down before her father and spoke as quietly and calmly as she could, her voice for his ears only.

  “Father first of all this token in no way makes amends for what was taken from me. At an extremely vulnerable point in my life, I was denied any voice in my future. There was no explanation as to why it had to be so; I was just expected to obey. I had to give up the most important event of my life – a special wedding to a man I loved – because you ordered it so, as if you were ordering me to go to my room. Can you understand my disappointment? In a single moment I lost my future, my social standing, even my self esteem was undermined,” she said, searching his face for some sign that he understood. Her father looked perplexed, he still did not understand.

  “I expressed my disappointment in my wedding but it was much, much more than that. I was not eloquent enough to express my horror at being expected to give myself to a stranger I had not even been properly introduced to. Can you imagine how that felt?” She began to see a crack in his veneer. Her father looked away, embarrassed to meet her eyes.

  He finally spoke, still not meeting her eyes. “I believed that I was doing right by you, girl. Sir Frederic was an excellent catch and very much besotted with you. I believed that you deserved all that he could give you. He asked that things be done a certain way and I felt it a small price to pay to secure your future.”

  Cassandra stared at him, puzzled. Her father’s explanation made no sense but she still had to deal with this extravagant gift. It had been offered in good faith and her parent’s deserved a respectful response. She stood and spoke, loudly enough for her husband and mother to hear. “I am going to return these tickets to you, mother and father. This trip is a nice thought but... to be honest... your offer is too kind. We simply can’t afford to accept it. You see, my husband and I... live quite... frugally.”

  Frederic made a strangled sound and she turned to him and spoke sincerely. “I don’t mind darling, really I don’t. I am ultimately most sensible and have found I can be quite frugal as well. I have come to realize that things like wedding rings and new dresses and fancy weddings are not important. What is important is that we are together. I couldn’t love you more, my darling, even if you were a wealthy man.”

  “But what is important,” she continued, “Is that we live within our means. You must admit that we simply can’t afford a trip like this. Even with the transport and lodging covered, there would still be expenses. There would be no point in visiting the great capitals of Europe if we couldn’t afford to do anything once we got there. Besides, travel can be hazardous. What if something should happen and we found ourselves stranded in a foreign country with no resources?”

  Frederic recovered his astonishment to ask, puzzled, “Why would you think that we can’t afford to take a trip like this? You and I have never even discussed money; you have no knowledge whatsoever about what funds we may or may not have.” Cassandra looked at him shocked. Did he really wish to discuss this delicate matter in front of others, especially her parents? Apparently he did because he kept watching her with a puzzled expression on his face, waiting for an answer.

  “I am well aware that money is tight, my darling. It’s very obvious in our day-to-day lives,” she attempted to explain.

  He still looked puzzled. “Whatever do you mean?”

  She had no response. He really didn’t know how she knew? Suddenly she forgot about her headache or that her parents were even in the room.

  “Well, for example, we just served chicken to our dinner guests.”

  “I like chicken.” Frederic explained.

  “We often eat leftovers.”

  “I like leftovers,” he replied, beginning to feel cross.

  “We can’t afford for me to have a proper married wardrobe.”

  “I like your dresses!” Frederic roared, his frustration growing. Cassandra stepped back and her voice began to shake.

  “But you... you were so angry when I bought that book.” Frederic stopped cold and stood staring at her, a queer expression on his face.

  “I was angry because you went out unaccompanied. That is very dangerous for a woman of your station.”

  “What station?” she asked puzzled. “I thought that the real reason you were angry was because I’d spent money. I swear to you that I didn’t put it on account. I sold my pearls for pocket money.”

  Frederic looked at his wife. She really didn’t know - had never caught on to who he was and what they were truly worth. He’d just assumed it would come out in time and that all of her needs had been met. He looked back at the life he’d presented t
o her, the townhouse, the small wedding, the way they lived. He realized that she really believed that this was the level they would always live at. And yet she loved him anyway!

  Frederic realized that he owed his wife - his exquisite wife - an explanation. The time for disclosure was long overdue. The dinner guests had been correct, he was not worthy of her. He took her hands in his and began to speak.

  “My darling, we ate chicken tonight because Cook excels at wine reduction sauces. We eat leftovers because food always tastes better the second day. I never thought... I didn’t realize you wanted pocket money - you never asked for any and I don’t think of such things. I didn’t buy you a new wardrobe because your dresses are already so pretty and I don’t give a fig about what is fashionable or proper. I was wrong. Will you ever forgive me? And the reason I was so upset when you disappeared from the house is because I have enemies. It is impossible to be in my position without having enemies.

  “I have a beautiful young wife that I love with all my heart,” Frederic continued. “I want to give you everything – travel, beautiful clothing. We own a pied-à-terre in Paris and also maintain a great house in Vienna and a vacation home on the coast of Spain. As for jewelry, there is a wealth of jewels at our estate in Germany, jewelry that has been handed down from generation to generation for a thousand years. Much of it will be yours, including the famous Templar Diamond, which will be made into a wedding ring once you are there to be sized and choose the setting. I am not just a Baron, my dear; I am also the Crown Prince of Bavaria, one day to be made King. And you my love, you are my Princess, one day to be my Queen.

  “And as for our wedding, it was never meant to be more than a legal formality. When we get to Bavaria, we will be properly wed. We will ride through the village in an open carriage as all of the villagers gather to cheer us on. There will be a huge ceremony and feasting and dancing that will go on for days. All of the crowned heads of Europe will attend.”

  Cassandra gaped at him, astonished. “Why Frederic, why did you not tell me any of this before?”

  Frederic got down on one knee and held her hand as he spoke. “I wished to bond with you before all of that got in the way. I wished to know if you could possibly love me for myself,” he sheepishly confessed.

  Cassandra smiled at her husband, her dear unpretentious, adorable husband - this man who was so good to her and so good for her. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close, covering his face with kisses.

  “You realize that this changes nothing, my precious husband.” Cassandra replied, speaking from her heart. Her love for him shone in her eyes. “I would have happily lived with you for the rest of our lives, right here in our cozy little townhouse in London.”

  Suddenly Lord Newblythe rose to his feet and bellowed, “This is entirely unacceptable! All this time, you have led my daughter to believe that she had married beneath herself, that I gave her away to live in reduced circumstances? No wonder she has not forgiven me.” He fell back in his seat. He had gone along with Sir Frederic’s wishes at first but he had no idea the masquerade had gone on this long. She’d had to sell her pearls for pocket money?

  Suddenly his Lordship grasped what his daughter had been talking about. Her disappointment and shock at the way she was given away - it wasn’t about the lack of a lavish wedding, it was about the esteem that one is held in by their loved ones. By ignoring her wishes, by treating her so coldly and pushing her into an arranged marriage without explanation, he had broken her heart. His relationship with his daughter had been forever destroyed.

  His Lordship lowered his face to his hands and wept. Suddenly nothing much mattered anymore. He would give away all that he had to see his precious daughter’s beautiful face light up once more at the sight of her loving papa.

  The room was silent, its inhabitants stricken. To see a great man like Lord Newblythe fall apart was most distressing to all. Lady Newblythe rose to her feet, unaware that tears were streaming down her own face. She had known all along that this masquerade was a terrible idea. Now everything that had followed made sense.

  She addressed her son-in-law. “Frederic while I can understand your desire to find someone who can love you for yourself, you have to understand that your station in life is part of who you are. To deny your inheritance, to present yourself falsely, is not fair to anyone - least of all the young woman you have chosen to share your life with.” Frederic ducked his head with embarrassment, unable to look his mother-in-law in the eye. She was right, of course, this fiasco was all his fault. He had seen the pain that the estrangement had caused both parties over the past six months and instead of stepping up and clearing the misunderstandings, for his own nefarious purposes he had allowed the confusion and miscommunication to continue for far too long. He was ashamed of his own selfishness.

  “And Arthur,” Lady Newblythe continued, “Cassandra now knows why you gave her away in the manner that you did. I’m sure she can find it in her heart to forgive you.” She turned to Cassandra and continued. “Can’t you dear, can’t you please forgive us? We knew that Frederic was a prince and that you would be his princess. We wanted the best for you and this seemed to be a wonderful opportunity, not just because of Frederic’s title, power and wealth but because he was an honorable young man who was very much in love with you. We felt that abiding by his wishes was a price we were willing to pay. We clearly didn’t think it through very well and I am so, so sorry that you were so hurt by our actions. Can you find it in your heart to forgive us, darling? Your distance has been so painful for your father and I. We would never have agreed to any of this if we thought we might lose you forever.

  Cassandra stood frozen, staring at her parents, her dear, loving parents. How could she ever have thought she didn’t matter to them? She alone was responsible for matters coming to this point. Frederic was right; she should have had faith. She should have known how much her parents loved her and that they would choose a union that would ultimately be in her best interest. She herself began to cry as her parents came to her and they all embraced.

  Epilogue

  Princess Cassandra of Bavaria rode next to her Prince in an open-air carriage, waving to the cheering villagers lining the road way. They had left for Germany right after her brother’s wedding in which they had served with pride as Best Man and Matron of Honor. Cassandra looked over at her handsome husband as she held his hand and they smiled lovingly at one another. Up ahead was the most beautiful castle she had ever seen, banners blowing in the wind from every turret.

  Ahead of them was a long line of carriages containing his and her family members and behind them rode the King and Queen of Bavaria, long may they reign. She loved her new family, who were very pleased that Frederic had taken such a noble wife and finally returned home to take on his duties as the Heir Apparent. With great excitement they had planned this wonderful royal wedding that was about to take place.

  Best of all, she had a wedding gift for her husband that she knew he’d like very much; a secret that she carried deep inside her body just under her heart - hopefully the first of many such blessings that would be bestowed upon them. Their life together was just beginning and their future was limitless.

  Blushing Books

  is one of the oldest eBook publishers on the web. We've been running websites that publish spanking and BDSM related romance and erotica since 1999, and we have been selling eBooks since 2003.