Ariel fought to maintain a neutral façade. Wedding rings had never crossed her mind.
Kiernan went on to say, “Barnett’s has been the O’Shay family jeweler for close to eighty years. They are honest and discreet. I informed Mr. Barnett of our upcoming nuptials, and he will keep it confidential.”
David escorted them to the door and opened it. As soon as they entered, an elderly man dressed in a black business suit greeted them affably. “Ms. O’Shay, welcome.”
“Thank you, Mr. Barnett.” Kiernan glanced at Ariel with pride. “Let me present my fiancée, Ms. Ariel Thorsen. Ariel, this is Donald Barnett. Donald’s father was jeweler to my grandmother.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Thorsen.” He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle shake.
“Nice meeting you, Mr. Barnett.”
He said, “Now, if you two will follow me, I’ll take you to a room so you’ll have privacy for viewing.”
They followed him into a back room and took seats at a counter. Mr. Barnett reached under the counter, brought out a tray covered with a black velvet cloth, and set it before Kiernan. He lifted up the cover to reveal an assortment of diamond engagement rings, their facets catching the lights and reflecting an array of sparkling rainbow colors. Ariel did a double take at the size of some of the diamonds.
No way would she wear an engagement ring. She kept her features and her voice smooth. “Kiernan, I—at this time, could we please forgo a diamond ring?”
Inspecting Ariel closely, and thinning her lips slightly, Kiernan said, “It’s customary to have an engagement ring.”
Ariel could tell this didn’t please Kiernan, but it was important to her. An engagement ring symbolized, at least in her mind, a promise of a loving and committed future together—not an agreement amounting to little more than a business arrangement. “I know. But—”
Kiernan’s lips tightened for a second but she relaxed and said, “If that’s what you want. However, we will return at a later date and make a selection. Donald, please show us your selection of wedding bands.”
Again, he reached under the counter and arranged a tray filled with wedding bands before them. Kiernan selected rings to inspect and had Ariel try on a few, but nothing seemed to satisfy Kiernan. Ariel tried to be cooperative, more because the sooner they made their selection the faster she could get back home. She indicated the ones she liked by placing them to one side.
Glancing up, Ariel saw Mr. Barnett studying her closely, but dispassionately. Once more, he brought out a tray, placing it on the counter top. Ariel watched as he selected a ring from the tray, positioned it on a black velvet pad, and put the pad before her.
Ariel picked up the ring, studying it carefully. She noticed its molded and engraved garland of pale pink gold roses around the circumference and the thin, yellow-gold roping edging the band. She thought it was beautiful.
Kiernan said, “May I see it?” Ariel handed her the ring, and Kiernan took Ariel’s left hand and slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly. Holding Ariel’s hand, she inspected the ring, and said softly, “I think it is lovely on you.”
Ariel didn’t reply, feeling uneasy, but somehow she managed to maintain a calm appearance and didn’t snatch her hand away, though part of her wanted to.
Kiernan removed the ring, trying it on her own finger, but it fit loosely. She studied it before handing it to Mr. Barnett, and inquiring in a business like tone, “How many of these rings have you made and sold?”
“This is from a new mold I fabricated recently and the only one made.”
“I want you to make a ring like this in my size, and then I want you to destroy the mold.”
He appeared ready to protest when Kiernan said, “I’ll pay you twice what you would charge if I came to you with a custom request.”
“I can have your ring ready and deliver both rings to you on Thursday.”
“Fine. Do it.” Kiernan said to Ariel, “This way the rings will be unique and no one else will have ones like them.”
Ariel was curious as to the reasons this would be important to Kiernan. She could understand if two people were truly in love why they might want this since the rings would symbolize the uniqueness of their love and would be theirs alone. “And this matters to you, why?”
Kiernan fixed her eyes on Ariel. “I always like having things no one else has—that belong only to me.”
Ariel had the disconcerted feeling that Kiernan wasn’t only referring to things, but to her as well.
Chapter Thirteen
RAIN FELL IN a soft but steady rhythm outside the window of Kiernan’s study where she had retired after dinner to examine the prenuptial agreement drawn up by her uncle. She wanted everything in order before sending a copy to Ariel in the morning.
She picked up her cup of coffee, bringing it to her lips, and froze in disbelief. “What the hell! Telecom on. Contact Theodore O’Shay.”
She focused on the telecom screen, and after a couple of beeps, Jack answered. “Kiernan, how are you doing?”
Smoothing her features, Kiernan replied with false cheerfulness, “I’m doing fine, Jack.”
“I bet you’re all excited about the wedding. She’s a beautiful girl.”
“Oh, I agree, she’s very beautiful. I need to speak to Uncle Theodore.”
“Hold on, I’ll get him for you.”
After a couple of minutes, her uncle’s image appeared on the screen. “Kiernan,” he said in a jovial voice, “what can I do for you, dear?”
“Is Jack still there? Or anyone who can overhear our conversation?”
“It’s only us. What’s this about?”
“Stipulation number nineteen!” she spat out angrily.
Puzzlement crossed his features, then understanding. “Ah, the conjugal stipulation. I can increase the number of visits—”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kiernan snapped, clinching her jaw tight. “I never said I wanted anything like that in the agreement.”
“It’s common to include this stipulation into agreements that are more of a business arrangement, such as this one.”
“I don’t care. I want it out!”
“Are you sure you want me to remove it? Marriage in itself does grant the persons the rights to a conjugal relationship. The only thing this stipulation does is put a number on the times per week that—”
“God damn it! It’s—it’s— Take it the hell out and don’t argue.” She wasn’t about to have any stipulation granting her the power to request that Ariel engage in sex with her up to two times a week. No, she most certainly wouldn’t make demands of that nature. She was sure it would distress Ariel and make Kiernan appear truly feudal, expecting sex as part of goods purchased.
“I have a copy on my computer and will correct it now. You should receive it tonight. I’ll send Ariel her copy tomorrow by a certified carrier,” Theodore said.
“Do that, and if I find anything else I’ll let you know,” she said gruffly and terminated the call. She took a gulp of coffee while thinking she certainly wouldn’t object to a sexual relationship with Ariel. But with Ariel resenting her, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. She was confident that once Ariel saw she wasn’t a beast, things would change.
She wondered whether her uncle and Jack had such an agreement. That thought brought to mind images of her uncle and Jack doing things she tried not to imagine, prompting her to leave her chair hastily in search of some Irish Cream to put in her coffee.
A SHARP RAP sounded on Ariel’s closed bedroom door, and Seth called out, “Ariel, you have a package you need to sign for.”
Ariel had been waiting all day for the prenuptial agreement to arrive and wanted a chance to read it before taking it to her attorney, Joyce Conrad. Her mother’s attorney, Ian Broxton, put Ariel in touch with Ms. Conrad, who agreed to take Ariel as her client. With the wedding only three days away, Ms. Conrad promised to go over the agreement immediately and discuss it with Ariel tomorrow. Th
e clock on her dresser showed the time as 4:20 p.m. This left her with no time to read over the agreement before she could get it to her lawyer by the close of business.
With effort, she pushed herself out of bed feeling her head throb and throat ache from the cold she’d come down with after a sudden rainstorm surprised her while riding her Harley the day before. She tied the cord at the waist of her sweatpants, slipped into her house shoes, and not bothering about her hair, hurried out of her room. The front door was already open, allowing her a view of the young male carrier. She signed for the delivery and was shutting the door when her mother came out of the kitchen and saw the package in her hands.
“I take it that’s the prenuptial agreement?” Joanna said with distaste.
Ariel opened the package, took out the folder, and leafed through the legal-size documents. “That’s what it is. I’m going to run this over to Ms. Conrad before her office closes. She’ll call me tomorrow when she has a chance to review it, and I’ll go to her office to discuss it with her.”
“You don’t want to read it tonight and take it to her office in the morning?”
“I told Ms. Conrad I would have it to her today. Besides, with this cold and the medications I’m taking for it, I doubt I’d be able to comprehend what I’m reading anyway.”
“Why don’t you go and rest, and I’ll run it over to her office for you.”
“Are you sure?”
“You don’t need to be out running around in this weather, and I have to go to the Produce Co-op anyway, so it won’t be a problem.”
“Thanks, Mom.” The only thing she wanted to do was to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over her head. Not only because of the misery of her cold, but also because of the misery she suffered with the approach of her so-called wedding and how it would change her life.
Chapter Fourteen
JOYCE CONRAD SAT across the conference table from her client, Ariel Thorsen, as she explained the prenuptial agreement. Joyce knew Kiernan O’Shay from the various social gatherings and functions they attended in common, and they moved in the same social circle.
When Ian Broxton called her and said the daughter of a client needed to have a prenuptial agreement evaluated immediately, she had declined because her calendar was full. When he said it was the fiancée of Kiernan O’Shay, she agreed to take Ms. Thorsen as her client.
She wondered how Kiernan had kept her involvement with Ms. Thorsen out of the media glare, when in the past if she so much as talked to a woman the media automatically linked them romantically. She also wondered who this beautiful woman was who had managed to take Kiernan off the top of the most eligible list for at least the next five years, or indefinitely, if both parties agreed to stay in the marriage past the specified time.
The previous night she took time to search every social registry in the world, not finding her client’s name in any of them. Finally, she ran a data search on the name of Ariel Lynn Thorsen, discovering some interesting matches. Ms. Thorsen was a physics professor at a local college and had graduated with the highest honor from MIT. The fact was Ariel Thorsen was nobody. No, that wasn’t true any longer. Ariel Thorsen was definitely somebody now. But she remained a mystery.
Mystery seemed the operative word surrounding the marriage. She suspected from all the evidence that it was a sudden decision on Kiernan’s part as the ordinary practice for prenuptial agreements was to sign them well in advance of the actual marriage and not a couple of days before the event.
Her assessment of the prenuptial agreement the previous night revealed that the marriage was more along the lines of a business arrangement. Apparently the primary reason was Kiernan wished for an heir. Joyce guessed she’d chosen Ms. Thorsen due to her intelligence and, perhaps secondarily, her physical appearance.
But why marry? Kiernan could always go to one of the private fertility specialists and specify what she wanted. She could well afford the exorbitant price for genetic material from a donor with superior intelligence, health, and, attractiveness. She could even have a surrogate carry the fetus to term.
There was more to this whole situation, she was sure. She had tried to engage Ms. Thorsen in a friendly discussion on how she and Kiernan had met and how long they had known each other, but only received vague responses letting her know her client did not wish to discuss the subject. Joyce had realized that she must stick to explaining the agreement, making sure the stipulations were in her client’s best interests.
“The next stipulation, number nineteen, is usually standard in these types of contracts.” Ms. Thorsen read over her copy of the contract. After a few seconds of reading, her client suddenly blinked, sucking in her breath and coughing violently. Joyce hurriedly left the table and exited the room, returning with a cup of water she handed to her.
Ariel gulped down the water, which finally stopped her coughing. She focused once more on the contract. After a few seconds, she peered up at Joyce, a note of bewilderment in her tone. “Please explain stipulation number nineteen.”
“A marriage in and of itself entitles the couple to certain rights. These rights can include the enjoyment of companionship and the benefits of living in the same residence together. It also refers to the privilege of engaging in sexual relations with their spouse. What this stipulation does is state your spouse can request conjugal privileges up to two times a week.”
Ms. Thorsen asked hesitantly, “What you’re saying is—if my spouse requests—I have intimate relations with her—I would be required to do so?”
Studying her client closely, Joyce noticed a certain amount of uneasiness. “Essentially, yes. Is there a problem with this, Ms. Thorsen?” She, for one, would have no problems carrying out that stipulation. Kiernan was one of the hottest women she knew. That didn’t mean her client thought so, and the more she talked to Ms. Thorsen, the more she saw this wasn’t the proverbial blushing bride. Ariel Thorsen was less than enthusiastic.
Ms. Thorsen closed her eyes, and Joyce could tell she was under duress. Her client opened her eyes and said, “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Granted, it does seem to take the romance out of marriage. This stipulation is common in a prenuptial agreement that’s more of a business arrangement and is usually discussed between the parties before being included in the contract. Ms. O’Shay did not discuss this with you?”
“No,” her client said quietly.
“If you wish it changed, I can contact Mr. O’Shay today, and if Ms. O’Shay is in agreement, we can have this amended before the wedding.”
“No. Leave it like it is,” Ms. Thorsen said with a sigh.
Hesitating, Joyce debated whether she should question her client further, but somehow she knew she would not be forthcoming. “There are a couple more points to go over, and we’re finished.”
Joyce covered the rest of the agreement with her client, noticing a strain about her features. Finally, they reached the end.
“That about does it, Ms. Thorsen. I’ll meet you tomorrow in Mr. O’Shay’s office at three.”
Ms. Thorsen said wanly, “Yes, thank you.”
ARIEL OPENED THE door of her electric mini coupe and slid into the driver’s seat, closed the door, and slumped against the steering wheel, her mind going over stipulation number nineteen. She couldn’t believe Kiernan would put that in the agreement. Surely she must know Ariel hated her.
When Ms. Conrad asked her if she had a problem with the stipulation, it was all she could do to keep from screaming of course she had a problem with it. She hated Kiernan’s guts. But Kiernan was calling the shots. She couldn’t tell Kiernan she wouldn’t marry her unless she agreed to remove the stipulation. She didn’t know how she would fulfill her obligation. And what was she going to tell Mom? She would provide general answers and never mention the stipulation.
A wave of nausea washed over her, followed by a headache. All she wanted to do was go home, crawl in bed, and sleep—for the next hundred years.
“AH. HERE SHE
is now,” Kiernan heard her uncle say as she rushed through the door and into her uncle’s office. He was standing by a moderate-sized rectangular table at the far side of the room. The mountains were in prominent display outside the window behind him. Seated at one side of the table were Ariel and her attorney, Joyce Conrad.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Kiernan said in a rushed voice. “Business call.”
Joyce rose from her seat and held out her hand for a shake. Kiernan took it in a firm grip. “Joyce, is everything going well?” Kiernan wanted to get right to the point and forego social formalities.
“No problems.”
Kiernan let go of Joyce’s hand and noticed Ariel’s scowl and the dullness about her features. “Ariel, how are you?”
Ariel shot her a cutting glance and curtly replied, “Okay.”
Theodore took his seat. “Well then. Let’s get this on the way.”
Kiernan walked to the other side of the table, taking a seat beside her uncle, and across from Ariel.
“Ms. Conrad, you and your client have had a chance to go over the prenuptial agreement?” Theodore asked.
“Yes, we have.”
“Are there any points you and Ms. Thorsen wish to discuss?”
Raising her eyebrows slightly in question, Joyce studied her client and asked, “Ms. Thorsen, do you have any points, or questions, you wish addressed? Now is the time to voice any concerns.”
“No!” Ariel barked out emphatically, her cheeks and neck reddening with what was surely anger.
Joyce appeared taken aback by her client’s outburst. She regarded her closely before directing her attention back to Mr. O’Shay. “We are in agreement with the stipulations.”
He addressed his niece. “Kiernan, is there anything you want to address or add?”
“No. I’m satisfied with the terms,” Kiernan stated while keeping her gaze on Ariel. Since she first entered the office, Ariel had avoided her and displayed a snarly attitude, making her feel greatly annoyed. She wondered whether Ariel divulged to Joyce the circumstances of why she was entering into this marriage. Not that Joyce would break a client’s confidentiality and tell others, but it grated on Kiernan to think Joyce would know Ariel wasn’t enamored of her and felt forced into this marriage.
Linda S. North - The Dreamer, Her Angel and the Stars Page 12