Fate's Intervention (20 page)

“
No,
Father
, I hadn
’
t told him,
”
Marcelle interjected softly, watching the exchange between
father
and employee warily. She didn
’
t know what her
father
intended, but she hoped he didn
’
t do anything foolish, like demand marriage. It was obvious he never wanted to wed and forcing it upon him would make him quit
–
just like with Stanharbor.

“
Well, nonetheless, I am,
”
Peter continued.
“
The
doctor is giving me less than a year.
”

“
I
’
m sorry to hear it, sir.
”
Matthew said, saddened for Marcelle. Still, he warily waited for the other shoe to drop.
“
Isn
’
t there anything that can be done?
”
He asked politely, but he really wanted to know
in which direction
this conversation
was headed
.

“
Not according to the doctor, but like I was saying,
”
Peter said, and Matthew braced himself,
“
when I
’
m gone, there will be no one to look after my baby girl.
”

There it is
.
Matthew cringed. Well, he was going to stop this right now before it turned into another
Elizabeth
situation.

“
Sir
, before you . . . ,
”
he started just when Marcelle began her protestations.

“
Father
, please don
’
t . . . ,
”

“
Settle
down, you two. I
’
m not trying to force you into a disagreeable situation!
”
Peter said hastily, glad that he had chosen an indirect approach.
As
mercurial as these two were about the subject, he
’
d never get them down the aisle using a direct method.

“
Oh,
”
Marcelle and Matthew sighed simultaneously.

“
What I
’
d like, Mr. Daragh, is to leave my house and my business to you after my death.
”

“
What?
”
Matthew said at the same time as Marcelle.

“
A
re
you both going to keep interrupting me like twin parrots, or are you going to hear me out?
”

“
So
rry,
”
they said simultaneously again. Marcelle blushed and Matthew coughed self-consciously.

“
I can
’
t leave them to Marcelle. The law forbids it
; h
owever, I can
’
t abide the thought of
her being forced to move to Georgia to live with her
Aunt Vera
either. So what I
’
m proposing is that you merely
accept
the house and business in your name and allow Marcelle to continue living there and helping you for the remainder of her years, or until she weds. You now have a vested interest in seeing
Weatherman
Stables succeed, and by turning over the house and business to you, it will help you to work harder to keep it running. You keep it going and I don
’
t have to worry about my daughter
’
s financial future. That
’
s my stipulation.
A
re
you willing to accept those terms?
I
t
’
s a handsome offer
, if I do say so myself
.
”

“
No offense, sir, nor to you Miss
Weatherman
, but are you certain that you are not using a roundabout way to force your daughter and me to marry?
”

“
If I had wanted you to marry my daughter, Mr. Daragh, I simply would have done what Clifford Stanharbor did, and ask you directly if you were interested,
”
Peter lied gracefully.
“
A
s it is, I can see that you oppose the idea of marrying, for whatever
reason
that I
’
m sure is none of my concern
; h
owever, while I
’
ve tried unsuccessfully to find a mate for my daughter, she seems just as disinclined to wed. The
reasons
stated for the proposal are genuine. I simply cannot abide the
thought of my daughter losing everything we
’
ve built because of antiquated laws
. Even worse, that those
laws
could
force
her
to go live with my sister, who would crush her vibrancy in one day.
It
’
s a good offer for you, one that would ensure both you and my daughter
’
s future, especially if this venture you
’
ve both decided to start is as successful as you think it will be.
”

“
What about your daughter
’
s reputation? While you
’
re alive, it
’
ll be spared, but once you
’
ve passed . . . well, a single man and woman living together
aren’t
going to bode well with the societal matrons.
”

“
Without a doubt
; h
owever, my daughter is nearly beyond marriageable age and as I
’
ve said, hasn
’
t really shown an interest in marrying
. I
n all fairness,
”
Peter paused
,
and turned to address his daughter,
“
t
he
decision ultimately falls on your shoulders, my dear
. T
hat is, if Mr. Daragh will accept the responsibility of you, our home, and our business, as such.
”

“
I
’
m not sure how to respond,
Father
,
”
Marcelle said quietly, deliberately avoiding Matthew
’
s gaze. She was angry with her
father
for proposing such an outlandish stipulation and leaving neither of them much choice, but more than that, she was worried that Matthew may think that she was an accomplice in her
father
’
s machinations. She had not a doubt that she saw mischief in his big
green
orbs.

Was he trying to force her into marriage by forcing her into a disreputable circumstance? Was he hoping that Matthew would marry her to spare her reputation?
With a sigh, she lowered herself back into her chair, her hands clenching and unclenching the material of her skirt. She had to calm herself so that she could think.

“
Marcelle,
”
Matthew said gently, kneeling in front of her. He suddenly felt sorry for
sounding so harsh at the prospect of taking care of her. If her countenance
were
any indication, she hadn
’
t known her
father
would take advantage of his employment to secure her future.

He placed a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. She saw the concerned look in his eyes and angry tears formed in hers.

“
I didn
’
t know this would happen, Matthew,
”
she said quietly, ignoring the tears that trailed down her cheeks.
“
You must believe
me;
I would never try to deceive you . . . ,
”

“
Shh
. I believe you,
”
Matthew whispered, wiping her tears
away
with his fingertips.
“
I can tell that your
father
is simply concerned about your well
-
being
; h
owever, I need the courageous woman I met this morning to return so that we can discuss this intelligently and sensibly, okay? Since this is concerning your future as much as it is mine, then I need to know what you really feel about it. Can you do that for me?
”

Marcelle nodded and took a deep, cleansing breath.

“
Mr. Daragh
’
s concerns are legitimate, dearest,
”
Peter said, watching their exchange carefully.
“
If you remain in his household, it would ruin your reputation, once I
’
ve passed on.
Y
our options are to find a husband before that time, which you are dead set against, or to go live with your
Aunt Vera
in Georgia, against which we
’
re both dead set.
”

“
If it will make your decision any easier,
”
Matthew smiled, trying to put her at ease,
“
I
’
m willing,
”
he said shortly, keeping the smile pasted on his face. In reality, his insides were in
turmoil
over this turn of events, but his conscience couldn
’
t allow him to turn down
Weatherman
’
s proposal, even if her
father
made it an ultimatum.

“
You are?
”
Marcelle
’
s eyes widened in astonishment.
“
Why?
”

Matthew stood and moved to the window. He moved the curtain aside and gazed at the
people passing by
.
“
I don
’
t really have a desire to marry, but to live the remainder of my life alone doesn
’
t hold the appeal that it once did, either,
”
he answered honestly.
“
So
, you see,
”
he
turned
back to face a stunned Marcelle,
“
your
father
’
s proposal is sound, even if it did set me on my toes at first. Since neither of us wish to wed, it will suit us very nicely. I
’
ve also had a desire to start the same business that you outlined today, and by accepting your
father
’
s proposal, that business will become a reality a lot sooner than I anticipated. What do you think?
”

“
I think I
’
d
rather
stay single and endure a shredded reputation, than be forced to marry against my will, especially to the type of men willing to marry someone of my advanced years,
”
Marcelle said, only slightly in jest. She wiped away the remaining tears with the back of her hand and smiled bravely.

“
I thought as much,
”
Matthew smiled encouragingly, not as surprised by her agreement as he thought he would be. Most women would swoon over the idea of a ruined reputation, but not Marcelle. She accepted the challenge with the same self-assurance that he noticed during the auction today.

“
We
’
ll stay with that decision then,
”
her
father
said quickly before either of them had a chance to really think things through and change their minds. He was proud of himself. He hadn
’
t really thought that securing his daughter
’
s future would be that easy and he felt a sudden weight lift from his shoulders.
“
If you do find a husband before I pass on, so much the better,
”
he added, knowing full well that she
did not intend to continue
her search. Whether she realized it or not, he thought, she
’
d already met her match.