“And you want to marry the Progenna?” Queen Alexandria asked.
“I do, Your Majesty.”
The King shook his head. “It is out of the question for a commoner to marry a royal. I can’t agree to this.”
“I understand, Father,” Mariana said, secretly happy that at least he was listening to her, “but you must understand why I could never marry Pir Leo, not while my heart belongs to someone else.” She squeezed Orlando’s hand.
The King stroked his chin as he stood and began to pace in front of the throne.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” the Queen said, smiling. “No royal has ever wed a commoner, but this is a unique situation. You have no abilities, so you are more like a commoner than a royal.”
Mariana felt the color rise in her face. Was her mother trying to embarrass her? Did the Queen think that would make her change her mind and accept Pir Leo’s proposal?
“Alexandria,” the King said, “she is our daughter. Think of her feelings.”
“Oh, my dear, it is exactly her feelings I’m thinking of. She has decided she would rather be a commoner than live among the nobility as is her birthright.” The Queen turned to Mariana. “I believe you are right. It would be wrong for you to wed a man you do not love.”
Valentine moved into the light and walked toward the throne. “Your Majesty.”
“Oh, Sahdeer.” The Queen went to him and slipped her arm into his. “Isn’t it wonderful? It appears the Progenna is in love.”
“But we had an agreement.” Pir Leo’s face became red, and he pulled away from the Queen. “You would not back out of that.”
“I’m afraid we may have to.” The Queen sounded nearly giddy with excitement. “It wouldn’t be right to stand in the way of true love. If you will excuse us, Leo, our family has things to discuss. I am sure the King will discuss this all with you tomorrow.”
“Leo,” the King said, “let me talk to my family and see what this is all about. Nothing will happen quickly, I assure you.”
“I will await your summons.” Valentine bowed to the sovereigns and strode angrily out of the throne room.
“Father?” Mariana asked. “Are you reconsidering my marriage to the Sahdeer?”
When her father gave her his attention, she thought she saw sadness in his eyes. “And you claim to love this man?” His voice was almost resigned.
“I do.” Mariana felt as though this were the wrong answer, but she didn’t know what the right one would be.
“Jonathan, isn’t it wonderful?” The Queen sat again and took her husband’s hand, virtually pulling him back to the throne. “Mariana has found someone to marry her.”
“Is this what you want, my daughter?” the King asked. “To marry this man?”
They weren’t talking about Valentine anymore. Shouldn’t the conversation be over? All Mariana wanted was for her parents to realize she couldn’t marry the Sahdeer.
“I…” She couldn’t say all she wanted was to avoid marrying Pir Leo. “He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
The King nodded. “If this is what you want, you have my consent.”
“I think it would be appropriate for the two of you to get married right away, before you leave the palace again.” The Queen tapped her finger on her lips, as though thinking. “I’m sure something can be arranged quickly.”
“Leave the palace right away?” Mariana asked. “What do you mean? I wasn’t planning to leave again.”
“Of course you were.” Her mother smirked, and her father sat again. “You can’t raise pigs in your apartments on the second floor. You will move into your husband’s home.”
The Queen regarded Orlando. “I trust it is large enough for the King’s daughter.”
Orlando glanced at Mariana, and then back to her mother. Straightening his spine, he said, “Of course. I would never force my wife to live uncomfortably.”
“Excellent.” The Queen clapped her hands twice. “We’ll have a squad of the King’s Guard escort you back to your home so you can invite whatever family you have to the wedding and to get proper attire.”
“Father?” Mariana asked. Things were moving so fast. She wished he would slow down so she could catch up.
“Oh, my dear,” he said. “I think perhaps the Queen is right in this. It probably would be better, given that you’ve rejected the Sahdeer, to have the wedding as soon as possible.”
“Of course it is,” the Queen said. “You’ll stay here for the next few days, while preparations are made. It would be unseemly for you to live with this man until you are properly wed. Your sisters and I will help you plan the wedding. It will not, of course, be as elaborate as your brother and sister had, but we have not been given a lot of notice, have we? And with Liliana and Victoria both getting close to their delivery dates, we can’t turn court life completely upside down. It wouldn’t be good for them.”
“Perhaps we should wait,” Mariana said, grabbing on to what felt like a lifeline for her. “I’m sure they both will want to be part of the plans. You know how Liliana loves the details of parties.”
“Oh, no.” The Queen stood as the guards came into the room. “She would be the last one to suggest true love be made to wait on the capriciousness of babies.”
The King motioned toward Orlando and said to the captain of the guards, “Take Mariana’s fiancé back to his pig farm.”
Chapter Fifteen
Mariana stood at the window of her bedchamber, staring at the gardens. Instead of the roses and asters, she saw herself standing at a fork in the path of her life.
She could back out of her foolish bluff to the King. That path led to a future she could imagine clearly.
Marriage to the Sahdeer of Valentine would mean a life much like what she led now. As Mistress of Rosadia, his main estate, she would manage a household of servants, plan parties, and indulge her love of shopping to redecorate his home.
She would be the Sahdess of Valentine, and she would be expected to be actively involved with charity work, especially events to raise money for hospitals and orphanages. Her life would be busy, and she would never lack any of the comforts she was used to.
Mariana tried to imagine living with a man old enough to be her grandfather, walking into balls and official kingdom functions on his arm, sitting across the dining table from him. Those images were not hard to picture. She had spent enough time in his company, with other people nearby, of course, that she could see herself there easily.
What about the rest of married life? What about when guests went home or up to the guest chambers? When she and Pir Leo were alone?
What would it be like to kiss him? Would he even expect that? She knew little enough how married couples behaved in private that all she saw in her mind was Darius on the balcony. Would Valentine want to touch her the way Darius had been touching Nicoletta? Would his hands be cold? Would his lips?
Just as she shuddered, someone knocked on her bedchamber door.
“Mariana, it’s Natalia. May I come in?”
The Progenna hurried to the door and threw it open, nearly falling into her friend’s arms as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. I desperately need someone to talk to.”
“I know.” Natalia eased her back into the room and closed the bedchamber door. “The King sent for me. Jessamae will be bringing coffee up soon.”
The two young women went into a small parlor next to the bedroom. This room always served as Mariana’s sanctuary away from the world. Today, as she considered all the pinks and yellows that had been selected for her by the Queen, Mariana felt like a little girl who had been sent to her room without supper for misbehaving.
Natalia, who had rarely been in this room, still took charge, moving two comfortable chairs to a bright spot of sunshine by the window. “We can sit here,” she said, directing the princess to a seat.
Mariana followed her instructions without commenting. When had her friend become so commanding?
> “What are you thinking?” Natalia sat in front of Mariana, her brow furrowed, her mouth a thin line. “A pig farmer? What is wrong with you?”
Mariana gasped. “What are you talking about?”
“You. Coming to your father with this outrageous proposal that you marry a man with nothing? Have you lost your senses?”
“He wants me to marry the Sahdeer of Valentine.”
“I know.”
Jessamae came into the parlor from the other side, which led to a library Mariana shared with Ursula. As the maid arranged cups, a carafe of coffee, and a selection of small cakes and cookies, Natalia and Mariana didn’t speak, but the Progenna’s friend glared as though she wanted to beat the servant for interrupting them.
Mariana wanted to apologize to Jess, but the maid scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“What do you have against Pir Leo?” Natalia asked as soon as they heard the click of the lock. “He wants to marry you. You should be grateful.”
“Because I am an Insensitive?” Mariana’s heart beat rapidly against her ribs. She’d never heard her friend speak so gruffly.
“That and you are so far from the throne you have little to offer a man of his status. I would think this would be all you could ever want.”
Mariana’s hands shook as she tried to pour herself some coffee. She needed to do something. Her thoughts were racing around in her head, and she couldn’t grasp hold of any one thing.
Natalia yanked the carafe from her hand and poured two cups. As she set it down with a bang, Mariana jumped.
“You cannot marry a commoner.”
“But what about love?”
Natalia snorted out something that might have been a laugh. “Even if I thought you could possibly have feelings for this pig farmer, it wouldn’t change a thing. You cannot marry him.”
“Should I marry Pir Leo instead?”
“It is the only thing you can do. Frankly, I think you should be on your knees, praying Valentine will still take you after this act of insanity.”
“Why?” Mariana didn’t try to stop the tear that crept down her cheek. “He’s old, and he’s ugly.”
“So? What do his looks have to do with marriage? He has more money than most of the nobility. He has three estates besides Rosadia, and Bella is his only heir. Society says she will enter a nunnery the moment you and her father are wed, thereby renouncing her inheritance. It will be under your control when you give him an heir.” Mariana’s friend leaned forward. “Think of it. He is old. He will die soon, and you will have it all.”
Mariana shook her head. “Only if I give him an heir, and even then, I can only control the estate until my son is of age.”
With a wave of her hand, Natalia dismissed all those concerns. “You are beautiful and the daughter of the King. You can charm Valentine into changing the details of his estate. Convince him to give you two of the estates as a wedding gift. No one would question this. Then, as soon as an heir is born, you are free. You can move to the country, raise your son, and wait for Valentine to die.”
She sat back, picked up her cup of coffee, and smiled. “It is a perfect plan.”
“But what about giving Valentine an heir? I would have to sleep with him, wouldn’t I?”
“So? You’re young. Surely it wouldn’t take long to conceive a child. One or two times, I would imagine. Once you’re expecting, you can beg off, using your health and that of the baby as an excuse.”
Mariana blinked at her friend. “Did my father tell you to say all this? My mother?”
“No. It is what I would do if any man sought my hand.” Natalia shook her head. “I don’t have the prospects you do. My family has no wealth, and I have little to offer. My father never cared about power, and he married my mother for love.”
She scowled out the window. “He never thought about how his daughters would manage. Why they continued to have children after Clara was born, I don’t understand. There is barely enough for her, and now I have nothing. That’s why I’m working for Beatrice.”
“You’re working there? I thought you were just shopping. How is that possible?”
“I’m not like you. Don’t you see what I’m saying? I have no money, nothing to bring to a marriage.”
“But, Nat, you’re lovely. Didn’t Pir Finley ask for you at Mother’s birthday ball?”
Again, her friend gave a snorting laugh. “Finley? He is merely a knight. He has nothing. What could I do, married to him?”
“He loves you.”
“You cannot eat love, Mariana. Grow up. This is my last Autumn Season to catch a nobleman. If no one else offers for me, I will have to marry Finley. We will have nothing but a few gold pieces a month.”
Natalia’s words sounded foreign to Mariana’s ears. How could it be possible someone in Mariana’s own social circle had no money? She knew Natalia’s family. They had always been part of Mariana’s world. She had never given any thought to their wealth or lack of it, but now she wondered about the truth of her friend’s words.
Natalia’s father was Harold, the Patron of Danvers, which meant he owned no land, so any nobleman interested in her would have to have his own wealth, and even then, he’d have to be willing to help support her family. That was not the most desirable situation for most men of marrying age.
The only other option left to Natalia and her sisters would be to marry outside the nobility. This automatically meant they would be out of the social circles. While the girls might still be included in family gatherings, never again would they be invited to royal balls or parties given by the higher-ranked nobility.
Is that what would happen if Mariana married Orlando? Would she be excluded from her own social circles?
Of course she would. She couldn’t see Orlando being included when the noblemen gathered after dinner. Even if she came to the palace for a family event, he would never be totally accepted. In fact, it was quite likely he would be ignored or insulted and, eventually, she would stop being invited altogether.
As though she realized her message had been heard, Natalia stood.
“I have to get back to the dressmaker’s shop,” she said. “I need to deliver some gowns to Lady Barnstable or I won’t get my wages.”
“Nat.” Mariana stood and embraced her friend, but there was nothing else she could do. As much as she hated the situation Natalia was in, she had her own to think about.
When Natalia was gone, Mariana was left with her thoughts. If she went to her father and told him she’d changed her mind, would he forgive her? Would he be able to convince Valentine to still take her?
What about Orlando? Wouldn’t this be the best option for him? Obviously he didn’t want to marry her, but he was willing to do it. It was honorable, but could she do that to him?
She heard someone moving around in the library and waited, expecting Ursula to come into the parlor to tell her Natalia was right. Marrying Valentine probably was the right thing to do, and Mariana was almost prepared to go to the King.
To her surprise, Ramone, Cognate Prince, opened the parlor door just wide enough to look in.
“Is this a good time for us to talk?” he asked, pushing his glasses back to the top of his nose.
Mariana beamed. “Of course, Ram. Please sit down.”
He set a book on the table between the two chairs and started to sit. Then he stood and stared at the seating arrangement.
“Something’s different,” he said.
His sister nodded. “Natalia moved the chairs next to the window.”
Ramone nodded slowly and sat. “I think I like it better this way. I will talk to Victoria. Maybe we can do our parlor like this.”
“Of course you can.”
He frowned. “I wonder what Father would think.”
“It’s your parlor.”
The Cognate Prince blinked and furrowed his brow as though thinking. A moment later he said, “I am to be King someday. I should check the history texts. Perhaps there is a
reason to keep the chairs in the center of the room, away from the windows. Assassins perhaps.”
Her brother worried more about protocol and historical evidence than he did for his own desires. Mariana knew he felt the weight of his position and legacy.
This was understandable, given that from the moment he was born, he was expected and trained to act as a future king.
Mariana knew how he would counsel her. Without a doubt, he would agree with Natalia’s recommendation about Valentine. Because his opinion meant a great deal to her, Mariana would do what he thought best. Perhaps being the Sahdess of Valentine would be better than she expected.
“I think you are quite brave,” Ramone said, taking his glasses off and polishing them with the soft cloth he always carried. “Nothing is more important than love.”
“What?” She must have misheard him.
“Mari, you are the third daughter and fourth in line to the throne.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, you know, you will never be Queen of Valborough. You’re not strong enough.”
“Thank you for the reminder. I had forgotten.”
“Mari, I’m sorry, but it is the truth. My point is, you don’t have to marry someone to enhance your abilities. You have the freedom to marry for love.”
“Love?” She stared at her brother. “That is not at all what I thought you would say.”
His jaw dropped. “Why not? Did you think I don’t believe in love? Love is the strongest force in the world.”
“But what about duty? Responsibility? The good of Valborough?”
“Those things are important, too, but, baby sister, you are free of those things. I thought you understood that.”
“I don’t know what I understand. Father says I have responsibilities and my marriage to the Sahdeer of Valentine is for the good of Valborough.”
Ramone nodded three times, slowly. She had seen him do this before, and it meant he was considering his next words.
“Father is King, and he does have to consider the good of the kingdom. I don’t know what he sees as the benefit of your marriage. Valentine is an old man and his Abilities, which have never been strong, have started to atrophy. That is something that can happen with age, you know.”
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