Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series) (6 page)

He was caught
.  And he resented the hell out of it.

He returned to his seat
.  “You’ve left me with no real choice, Mr.  Fontenot, as you said.  When do I meet my bride?”

Chri
stian smiled.  “I’ve arranged for the two of you to spend a week at a lodge in the Smoky Mountains.  You’ll be accompanied by your aunt Jacqueline.  This will give the two of you some time to become acquainted.  You’ll be expected to attend society functions together this fall as an engaged couple, so it’s in your best interest that the two of you become comfortable with one another.”

Gordon nodded
.  “Next week?”

“I’ve already spoken with your boss to ensure that you have the time off
.  You and Jacqueline will fly in Friday and your fiancée will arrive Saturday morning.  You’ll stay there until the following Sunday, when you will fly home so that you can be at work the next Monday morning.”

Gordon gritted his teeth
.  He despised being micromanaged.  He largely made his own schedule, despite his junior status at the firm.  He adhered to office hours, but meetings and client dinners were arranged according to his preferences.  The idea of this man speaking to his boss, arranging vacation days and flights, was infuriating.  He had no choice but to follow along, however—for now.  Once he had married the girl and had a son with her, he was free to do as he wished.  Divorce her, even, if she proved to be a complete disaster.

“Would you ask Mindy to come in and give me a few minutes alone with her?”

Christian and Annette looked relieved that he seemed to be taking the news in stride.  They both nodded and left the study.

Mindy entered a few minutes later, a quizzical look on her pretty face
.  “What is it, Gordy?  What do you need to see me about?  I was getting a little worried.”

He winced at the nickname
.  “Sit down, Mindy.  I have something to tell you.”

She sat, and he sat across from her
.  He considered taking her hands, but it seemed more cruel to appear to be gentle at a time like this.  He didn’t feel gentle.  He felt angry.

“It turns out that I
can’t marry you.”

Her face registered s
hock, paling so that her bright-blue eyes stood out hugely against her skin.  “
What?
”

There were no tears, for which Gordon was grateful
.  “It appears that my family had pre-contracted me to marry someone else.  I was unaware of this until tonight.  I had no idea, so this was not done to hurt you, Mindy.  I cannot get out of it, however.  The girl’s grandfather has a financial hold on my family, conditional on the contract being fulfilled.”

“You don’t seem overly upset,” Mindy observed, her voice tight
.

“I’ve never pretended to be in love with you, Mindy,” Gordon said gently
.  “You are a beautiful woman, and you are everything I need in a wife.  I had every intention of marrying you, but I can not put my family at risk in order to fulfil my own wishes.  I’m sure you understand.”

“I understand.” Mindy’s mouth was compressed into a thin line
.  “But
I
love you, Gordon.  Don’t my feelings matter at all?”

Gordon’s mouth quirked
.  He seriously doubted love was part of the equation for her either.  “Honestly? Not particularly.  I don’t mean to be harsh, but in contrast with my mother being tossed into poverty by a particularly well-connected member of our circle, the feelings of any one individual don’t matter very much.  Not yours and not mine.  I don’t wish to hurt you, as I said.  I think you are a charming woman; you are beautiful and elegant…and I am sure any man would be happy to have you as his wife.”

He thought he saw tears beginning to well up in her eyes, but he didn’t know if they were out of grief or petulance
.  He suspected the latter.  She was used to getting what she wanted.

“
But I don’t want just ‘any man’!  And what do I tell our friends, Gordon?” she demanded.  “
My
friends?  I’ll be so humiliated.” Oh, there was the problem.

“I don’t mean to cause you any difficulty
.  You can blame it all on me to your friends, however you like.  It’s not unusual for parents to meddle in their children’s marriages here, although not as much as this.  Our friends here will understand, even though they’ll find it all rather anachronistic.  As do I, really.”

Mindy stood, walking toward
the door.  She spun around just before she reached it, tears spilling over.  “I really did love you, Gordy.  I know I’m a bit spoiled, and not always easy to get along with, but I truly did.  Can’t you just stay with me?”

Gordon walked to where she stood, softening just a bit
.  He reached to place his hands on her upper arms, stroking her smooth skin with his thumbs.  “It’s just an arranged marriage, Mindy.  I don’t even know the girl.  It doesn’t mean we cannot still see each other sometimes.  You know…”

Mindy jerked away, dashing at the tears with the back of her hand
.  “How
dare
you,” she hissed.  “How
dare
you insult me like that?  You expect me to go from being your future wife to your
mistress
? 
Fuck
you, Gordon Buck.  I hope she’s a miserable bitch and I hope she never has a son so you’re shackled to her forever.  You don’t deserve happiness.”

Gordon’s brow furrowed in irritation
.  “You know what, Mindy?  You’re not the only attractive woman around here.  There are plenty of other women around here who would love to sleep with a guy like me.”

Mindy shook her head slowly
.  “You’re pathetic, you know that?  I thought you were different, but you’re just the same as everyone else.”

She swept out of the study, slamming the door behind her.

Gordon sank into the nearest chair, massaging his temples. 
What a day. 
Everything had changed.  His life was planned out for him.  He wanted to travel the world alone, and meet interesting people.  He wanted to backpack around Europe and stay in cheap halfway houses.  He wanted to date exotic women one week, and then go sailing around the world the next.  He wanted to be happy, and the idea of marriage just didn’t seem happy to him.  He sighed.  He wished the whole thing would just blow over.  The whole prospect of an arranged marriage was barbaric.  How could he be expected to simply meet a girl, marry her, and live happily ever after?  It was not right.  He couldn’t imagine why his family would do such a thing.  And why didn’t they tell him beforehand?  He had everything planned, everything was going well, and everything was going great.  So why did his family have to go and ruin it?  Surely they could find another way to save the family fortune?  They had lawyers, right?  Couldn’t they void the contract on account of its age?  Surely the courts would agree that a forced arranged married was as crazy as he thought it was.

He tried to imagine himself in five, and even ten years
, but all he could see was a graying man with too many wrinkles and a handful of children.  He shuddered.  Even the prospect of having children with a woman he did not love seemed crazy.  Of course, he could not imagine himself as a father, but still…he knew his thoughts would probably change once he was older.  He just wished he had known about this sooner…then maybe he would have enough time to arrange an escape.  Surely he could rent a plane and just leave.  No one was holding him hostage, or were they?  The contract was legally binding, was it not?  Did that mean the police would be after him if he decided to leave the country?  He rubbed his tired eyes.  He was not a criminal, and he couldn’t pretend to be one.  Obviously. he would have to just go through with it and divorce the woman later.  Yes, that seemed to be the most logical idea.

Christina
took another sip of her drink and looked out the window.  The clouds looked like white buds of cotton floating in the wind.  She sighed and wished she had wings like a plane and could fly away just as easily.  The woman who sat next to her had just woken up.

“Ho
w long have I been asleep?” she asked Chris.

“Oh, about half an hour
.  Don’t worry, I almost fell asleep myself.”

The woman smiled
.  “I’m just so tired.  Planes make me sleepy.  It’s all the sitting around, I expect.  I’m Anna, by the way.”

Christina
smiled.  “I’m Christina.  Nice to meet you.”

Anna smiled and offered
Christina some peanuts.  Christina happily accepted.  “So who’s waiting at the airport for you?” she asked. 

Christina
frowned.  “My fiancé.”

“Oh that’s great!” the woman exclaimed
.  “But you don’t seem too happy to see him.  Trouble in paradise?”

Christina
shook her head.  “I actually haven’t met him before.”

“Oh!”
Anna’s brows raised in surprise.  “Oh, well, that’s…fine.  Just unexpected.”

“I know
.  I’ve only just learned I have a fiancé myself,” Christina said.  “I can tell you it was not the birthday present I wished for.  I’ve only just turned twenty-one.”

Anna nodded
.  “I’ve been happily married for twenty years, although my husband and I married when we were both in our late twenties.  We met at the university.”

Christina
smiled.  “That sounds so nice.  I was hoping to go to the university myself, but I really don’t see that happening now.  You see, my parents are quite strict.”

“But you’re old enough to do what you want,” Anna said
.  She seemed genuinely concerned. 

Christina
nodded.  “Apparently not.  I guess I should be happy I’m not going to be alone for the rest of my life, but I really wish I could have chosen my husband when I wanted to.”

Anna took her hand and squeezed it firmly
.  “I’m sure it will not be so bad, dear.  Do you have a photo of him?”

Christina
shook her head.  “No, I have no idea what he looks like.  I suppose I should have asked for one, but I was so overwhelmed by the whole idea that I completely forgot.”

Anna smiled
.  “He’s probably really handsome, you know.  I wouldn’t be too worried.  Your parents only want the best, remember?” She got up and went to the bathroom.

While she was gone,
Christina thought about what she had said.  Of course her parents only wanted the best for her.  They wouldn’t want her to be unhappy, would they?  So why were they going along with the contract?  She sighed and wished her life was not so unexpected and crazy. 

Anna returned with a bottle of wine and two cups
.  “To celebrate your birthday.  Twenty-one really is an exciting age!”

Christina
smiled.  “I’m hoping it would be.  I guess it’s just not what I imagined it would be.”

Anna offered her a glass and they clinked them together
.  “Cheers!”

The rest of the plane ride was quiet, as
Christina decided to have a nap, and by the time she woke up, Anna had fallen back asleep.  By the time they reached the airport, Christina’s insides were churning with fear.  Anna squeezed her hand and smiled.  “Remember, no one can make you do something you don’t want, but perhaps this guy is handsome.”

Christina
nodded.  “Hopefully.  Do you have anyone picking you up?”

Anna nodded
.  She gave Christina a warm hug.  “Stay safe, hon, and remember that nobody can force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” She smiled and waved, walking down the stairs.

Chris
tina grabbed her suitcase off of the baggage trolley at the airport and slung her overnight bag over her shoulder.  She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her curly auburn hair, trying to stuff down the nerves that were rapidly rising.  She had gone through her wardrobe at least a dozen times trying to decide what to wear on the plane, knowing she would meet her future fiancé when she disembarked.  Her mother had laid out a variety of dresses, each more frilly and ridiculous than the last.  She finally settled on a cotton navy sundress that fell just below her knees, with cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline.  She had worn the locket Lilly had given her, wrapped around her wrist as a bracelet, and a sterling silver locket around her neck that her father had given her years ago on her tenth birthday, with two small pictures inside, one of her--gap-toothed and wild-haired--and one of her father and mother together.  It hung on a chain with a small sterling silver medal that had her patron saint engraved on it that she had received at her first Communion—and together they made her feel slightly more comforted.

Inside her bag was a letter from Lilly that she had promised not to open until after she met her future husband
.  She wondered what Lilly had written, and smiled.  It was probably some sarcastic gobblydy-gook that Lilly always wrote. 
I’m sure you’ll be so in love, and happy, and you’ll have loads of children!  Joking!  I hope he’s shooting blanks and you’re infertile! 
Lilly always knew how to make her laugh, even in the worst situations.  But she didn’t know how her friend could make her laugh now.  She felt a little lost, and like a little child.  She was still amazed she was in this situation in the first place, and she kept pinching herself to wake up. 

She trudged through the lobby, wincing at the blister on her heel from the uncomfortable new leather flats her mother had insisted she wear
.  She was lucky not to be wearing heels, she thought ruefully.  Perhaps, once she was safely married, her mother would let her dress herself.  Maybe there was one small benefit to this horrible situation.  She glanced around, looking for anyone holding a sign with her name on it.

She finally saw it, and had to try hard not to gawk at the woman holding it
.  She was tall, wearing a turquoise blue Chanel skirt suit with a black silk shell under the jacket, black pumps, and a black pillbox hat perched on her head a la Jacqueline Kennedy, with a small net veil arranged in a pouf on the side of her face.  She was model gorgeous, even for her age, with thick black hair falling loose over her shoulders, wide dark eyes, and lips stained a muted rouge.  Everything about her was very…
French.

Christina
approached and held out her hand.  “I’m Christina Fontenot.  Pleased to meet you.” Even though Chris was extremely nervous, the manners her mother had drilled into her took over.

“Jacqueline Olivier,” the woman replied in a silky voice
.  “Gordon’s aunt.  He’s sorry he was not here to meet you, but he’s got a bit of a headache.  He’s waiting back at the lodge.  Come on now, the car’s waiting.”

Chris
reached for the bags she had set down, but Jacqueline waved at her, grasping her elbow and steering her out the doors.  “The driver will get those.”

A long black limousine was waiting for them
.  Jacqueline slid in the already opened door, and Chris hesitantly followed.  Jacqueline was pouring herself a mimosa, and she made one for Chris as well.  Chris shook her head, but Jacqueline huffed impatiently.

“Oh drink it
.  I imagine you’re a ball of nerves.  I don’t know what your grandfather and my father got in their heads, to arrange a marriage like this, but you’re stuck, so you may as well make the best of it.  My nephew’s a handsome fellow, at least.” She took a sip of her drink.  “Really, I don’t know what they were thinking.  It’s 2012, for goodness gracious.  At least he didn’t get it in his head to marry
me
off.”

“Aren’t you married?”
Chris inquired tentatively, sipping at her drink.

“Oh goodness no!” Jacqueline exclaimed, refilling her glass and
Chris’s.  “I’m a regular spinster.  I’ve been all over Europe on my own, and had
dozens
of men asking to marry me, but I wouldn’t have any of them.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the eighteenth century or the twenty-first, once you’re married, you’re at the beck and call of a man, and I’m not having any of it.”

Chris
wondered how everyone seemed to get to marry, or not marry, whom they wanted, except her.  She couldn’t see a way out of it.  Why was her life so
arranged? 
Sometimes she wished she could just skip town and never come back.  She could start another life, and stay with one of her aunts.  She could go to the university and actually do something with her life.  She didn’t have to lead the life that everyone wanted her to lead. 

Except that
was not the way things were going to go.  She thought of what Anna had said.  Nobody could make her do something she didn’t want to do.  But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.  Hopefully her fiancé would be handsome, charming and lovely, and would take care of her, not that she needed anyone to. 

“You’ve been to Europe?”
Christina inquired, politely ignoring the rant on marriage.

“Oh yes
.  You’ll have to have Gordon take you to France on your honeymoon, it’s just divine.  Oh and Spain, and Italy too.  And the beaches of Greece are just
incredible
…” she continued on and Christina listened with half an ear as she looked out of the window.  Her mimosa was forgotten in her hand as the magnitude of what was happening impressed her more and more by the minute.

“You know, there are so many places you can go to with Gordon
.  The Italian Riviera, Tuscany, Lauterbrunnen, The Greek Islands, Hallstatt, Rome, Venice, London, Paris, Athens, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Cornwall, Copenhagan, Florence…the list is endless.  You and Gordon can go to all of those places together!”

Christina
frowned.  Lilly had promised to take her around the world, if they ever ended up as old spinsters, of course.  Lilly had her heart set on it--no man would ever hold her down.  Christina felt, that in a way, she had betrayed her friend.  Of course, none of this was her doing, and she had never meant to hurt her, but still, a part of her wished she could have brought her along.  At least she wouldn’t be so nervous in her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s company.

She smiled at Jacqueline
.  In her head everything seemed so wonderful.  So why was her heart beating a million miles an hour?

“Oh, don’t look so worried, dear,” Jacqueline said
.  “You will not be traveling for quite some time.  Wait until after you’ve married and have a baby, and then you can think about going.  You’ll have plenty of nannies.”

Christina
almost choked.  “What?  Babies?  I’m not ready to have babies.”

Jacqueline raised a disbelieving brow
.  “You haven’t had your period yet?”

Christina
’s mouth formed a wide ‘O.’ “Of course I have, it’s just I’m not really emotionally already to have babies.  That’s just crazy!”

Jacqueline sighed
.  “I see you still have lots to learn, my dear.”

****

There was still no sign of Gordon when they walked inside the lodge.

It was gorgeous,
Christina thought, looking around.  The main living room was wide and open, with plush chocolate-colored couches that contrasted nicely with the light wood of the walls and floor, with an Indian-style rug thrown across the floor and thick faux fur blankets thrown over the backs of the couches.  One wall was almost entirely windows, with a bench lined with throw pillows along the opposing wall, and a large, pioneer-style plank table with chairs on the opposite side of the table from the bench.  The kitchen was just off of the living room, and beyond that was a large library which Christina could just see into enough to get a glimpse of a huge fireplace to match the one in the living room, and some dark leather couches.

The bedrooms were on the opposite side of the cabin, and Jacqueline showed
Christina to hers before politely informing her that they would all meet in the library for drinks at three.  Christina nodded and shut the door behind her, dropping her bags unceremoniously on the floor and looking around apprehensively.

The room was huge
.  A large four-poster bed was against one wall, with a thick cream-colored comforter and a calico quilt thrown over one corner.  The pillows were thick and fluffy, with coordinating calico throw pillows propped up against them.  A sheepskin rug stretched across the floor at the side of the bed and a deep merlot-colored knitted blanket was thrown over the arm of a chintz chair in the corner, with a side table and lamp for reading.  French glass doors opened onto a balcony with a tall privacy fence surrounding it and an outdoor shower next to a hot tub.  A further inspection of the bedroom revealed a walk-in closet and the adjacent door led to a massive bathroom with a sunken Jacuzzi tub next to a picture window, and a separate shower.

Chris was taken aback at how beautiful everything was
.  Of course, she expected luxury, but nothing like this.  This was all simply divine!