“The union of our son and your daughter would foster the already budding love between our family and yours. The two—” Elisa was cut short before she could finish what she intended on saying.
“Will be able to continue with our legacy, build more businesses and inevitably make all of us very rich,” he cut in, rubbing his palm against one another as he leaned back to his chair as if satisfied by what he had just heard and managed to add.
“Yes, and that too,” Elisa stuttered in agreement before exchanging looks with her son.
Thomas didn’t stay on her gaze, he merely looked away and took a sip from his cup.
“You will agree with me that with my son’s training and your daughter’s business expertise, they will make a good team in making this union not just of love but of wealth,” his mother added trying to back Phillip’s claim.
“Assuredly! I have no doubt about that,” Phillip added, taking a sip from his cup.
He tried to put the cup down after a few seconds but decided against it before gulping until the cup was empty. Even then, he didn’t put down the cup.
“So, what say you, Your Grace?” he asked.
The question caught Thomas off guard, and he stuttered for a few seconds before his mother came to his rescue.
“Thomas is happy about this arrangement,” she stopped then corrected herself, “this wedding. It was all he could talk about yesterday when he heard you would be coming over with the bride-to-be.”
Rebecca turned his way again, impressed by what she just heard. Her cheeks turned red, allowing herself to touch them affectionally and cover them with her hands. Thomas shone a grin toward her before turning away
“People are known to say what they feel than what they see,” he uttered in a clear tone for the first time.
“Yes, but most of what they feel are what they have seen, isn’t that correct?” Phillip insisted.
“I would like us to talk about the wedding arrangement,” Thomas continued intentionally ignoring Phillip’s question. “The real wedding arrangement,” he emphasized as he looked at Rebecca then her father before changing his position to look at his mother.
Everyone in the room was surprised at the sudden change of subject that Thomas demanded; well, everyone except for Thomas. The constant talk of their betrothal as a business deal made him uneasy and regretful of his decision that he felt before coming into the room to talk with them.
“I will love nothing more than to have Lady Rebecca by my side above all that we’ve been talking about,” he quickly added so as to make the already tensed room livelier.
Inwardly, he hoped no one could see past his anger and sadness that he had cloaked with a smile.
“Oh, I would love that too,” Lady Rebecca replied in what seemed to be a charming voice but was no less annoying in Thomas’ ears. “Can we do that?” she looked around and she got a satisfactory nod from everyone.
Thomas even smiled at her, a real one this time around. Rebecca seemed to noticed the difference as her smile also became broader.
“Very well then,” Elisa declared.
“Any ideas on how on you want it to be?” Phillip asked no one in particular.
“Oh, yes, I do, Father, lots of it actually,” she uttered joyously as she acted as if she was using a major part of her patience to remain seated on the chair.
“Good, maybe I could help you with some of them, it will be an honor,” Elisa voiced enthusiastically.
Rebecca smiled at her for a couple of seconds, long enough to make it feel strange, but when she spoke, she turned to Thomas.
“Do you want to hear the ideas, Your Grace?” she asked.
“Of course, he would want that,” her father cut in his hoarse voice sounding as if he had chronic cough.
“Yes, it will be an honor, Your Grace,” he finally replied.
“It is an honor to be a guest in your manor,” Phillip mentioned as they all stood.
“The honor is mine, you are always welcome here,” Thomas uttered.
While they continued to speak, Thomas was asked a question that caught him off guard.
“What do you think about the merchants coming from the sea, they threaten to take business from our people?” Phillip inquired.
“Well,” he paused as he adjusted himself.
“I know it is not good news. What about you? I would love to hear about your exploits and how you were able to amass such astounding wealth.”
Phillip smiled with pride but before he could talk Rebecca spoke.
“We were able to—”
“Sheer luck and hard work,” Phillip cut in before Rebecca could finish what she wanted to say. “That is all.”
Thomas became even more curious so he turned to Rebecca,
“You were saying something, Your Grace?” he asked but Rebecca didn’t respond. She tried to but was incoherent, stuttering until her father helped her out.
“To a new beginning,” Phillip shouted, raising his glass. “To a new beginning,” everyone chorused enthusiastically. All except Thomas who only turned before taking his wine.
What secrets lie in telling me how they began their family enterprise?
“Careful now,” Rebecca murmured as she snuck up behind him.
Thomas gave her a gentle but quizzical look,
“If I know any better,” she went on, lifting her eyes to his. “I would say you are drinking to avoid talking to me.”
“And why would I do that?” Thomas asked, now turning his full attention toward her.
She smiled, walking past him as she went to greet Elisa. They kissed each other’s cheeks lightly while Thomas eyes locked in with that of his mother.
“I have some good news for everyone,” Rebecca stated suddenly in a loud voice so everyone could hear. “I just spoke with his Grace.” “You did?” Thomas asked as he appeared from behind her looking as surprised as everyone, if not more.
“Yes, don’t be coy now,” she told him, her palm cornering her mouth as if to let only him hear what she said but saying it just loud enough for everyone.
“Spill it out now, dear,” Phillip urged and his mother nodded eagerly as well.
Thomas was unquestionably curious but he knew better than to nod, not wanting to encourage her any more than he already had. “Knowing that we have so many things to prepare for regarding the wedding,” she declared, pausing again, “he says he wants us to move into the manor with him so we won’t dawdle in our plans.” She gave Thomas a coy smile, filling his stomach with dread.
“Where should we begin?” Rebecca moved her shoulder around as she spoke, catching Thomas attention. He was grateful for the chance to ignore her question and so he asked, “Is everything all right?” “No, but now that you’ve asked, I would love to ride with you in the sunset,” she murmured unabashedly. “I heard you love riding.”
“Yes, I do,” Thomas responded on getting out. “But I had a ride already in the morning.”
Rebecca frowned but swiftly changed it into a smile. “Then let us make that twice today,” she stated boldly. “Will you tell the stable boy to prepare your finest horses for us?”
“I believe we should do that some other time,” Thomas declined. “You must be tired from your journey.”
“Nonsense,” she smiled, revealing her straight teeth. “I am quite fine. You won’t refuse me now, will you?”
Annoyance pricked him. Her pushy nature was all it took to make him want to walk away from her, but Thomas knew it would be rude. And he couldn’t be certain she wouldn't cause a scene. Rebecca was clearly the sort of lady who was used to getting what she wanted. If we stay in the manor, she would want to look around and I might see Mary Ann.
His heart beat very fast at the thought of stumbling upon Mary Ann. Candidly, his present predicament had made it impossible to think about Mary Ann, but now it had found its way into his mind and it was all he could think about now.
“James,” Thomas called after a soft sigh.
�
�Yes, Your Grace,” he walked before him, giving a full-blown bow.
“Can you fetch the horses, we will be going for an evening ride,” he told him calmly.
“As you command, Your Grace,” he answered, “I will bring them over to the front.”
“Good, we will meet you there,” Thomas uttered as he watched him leave.
Mary Ann, how I have missed you. How much I wish you are here by my side if it’s just to talk to me as an equal and make me smile.
“I know you will like the idea of riding under the sunset,” Rebecca’s word drew him out of his thought.
“What?” he asked befuddled.
“You smiled, so I guessed you like the idea of riding in the evening, just the two of us,” she told him.
God, I cannot wait for this to end.
“Let us meet James outside,” he told her, sounding frustrated already.
As they walked to the door, Rebecca couldn’t stop talking. It turned out she could make conversation from anything and would talk for a long time about things that didn’t interest Thomas, but she didn’t seem to care. As they stood outside, she began to ask Thomas series of questions; annoying ones.
“I heard you are a troublemaker among the fair ladies?” she once asked Thomas didn’t respond or put heart to what she was saying.
While Rebecca talked on, he began to wonder about Mary Ann, someone he could talk for hours with without faltering.
“So, have you ever thought of the kind of wedding you would like or—”
“Look! James is on his way,” he announced loudly, stopping the Rebecca from speaking.
Without waiting to confirm if she was following him, he began to walk down the stairs. He got to the foot just as James stopped the horses there.
“Your Grace,” Thomas called, “your horse awaits you.”
If you plan on making my life a living hell, I would as well play your game.
She walked down the stairs almost gracefully, save from the things that once made her look beautiful now working against her. The different colors besmirched her face. Her long finger nails now looked like claws under the orange-colored environment caused by the setting sun.
“I thought we will be riding alone,” she commented, giving James and the third horse an ireful look.
“Yes, just the three of us,” Thomas told him as he motioned to help her up.
“How does this translate as riding alone?” she asked almost in a whimper as she climbed up with Thomas’ help.
Thomas walked away to climb his own before speaking.
“James is my most trusted servant, he follows me everywhere I go,” he announced as he rode ahead slowly while Rebecca rode to him.
When Thomas looked back, he saw James riding far away but not so far from them. He smiled at him and he reciprocated with a grin.
“The sight this evening will be endearing,” Rebecca averred triumphantly, looking at Thomas conceitedly.
“I wouldn’t bank on that,” Thomas countered keeping his gaze on the road as they left the estate.
“And why is that, Your Grace,” she intentionally stressed on the last few words.
Thomas tried to correct her but stopped short when he saw the enjoyment on her face.
“In a short while, the sun will be gone and we will have to rely on the lights from the streets,” he explained, “not to talk of the tired and frustrated workers that would be coming from their place of work; mines, bakery—”
“I get your point, Your Grace, but as funny as it is, I love to see them,” she told him sharply. “When I was young my father made it a point of teaching to tell me that they are the people that made wealth possible and to look at them is to look at a tool for making more money.”
This comment took Thomas by surprise. He opened his mouth unable to control his amazement that was quickly replaced with disgust.
“They are humans, like us,” Thomas pointed out.
Thomas took the opportunity to ask about her family business again and how they started but she did not give him a precise response, instead she smirked as she rode along, faster.
“Catch me if you can,” she turned to say but he didn’t look eager to do that.
“So, what do you think of our guest?” he inquired playfully his gaze still kept at Rebecca’s horse ahead.
“Lady Rebecca is a perfect duchess,” he responded quietly as if not wanting it to be heard by nature.
Smart. Very smart, he thought as he chuckled.
“We had better meet up with Her Grace then,” Thomas told him pulling the reins and kicking the sides of the horse lightly.
The horse got the signal and dashed forward with powerful strides as it kicked dust behind its legs as it moved
“Right behind you, Your Grace,” James uttered, his words barely audible by Thomas.
You had better, Thomas looked back, smiling at his butler who was also racing toward him and Rebecca. Her horse was now walking slowly as before and it didn’t take time for them to be catch up with her.
“What took you so long?” she asked condescendingly.
“Nothing, we just decided to let you ride alone before catching up with you,” Thomas brushed the mane of the horse as he said.
“Oh! We?” Rebecca asked in the same demeaning tone, only this time, she was staring at James.
“Is anything the problem?” Thomas asked, also returning her gaze.
“No,” Rebecca replied facing him with a beaming smile. “Not at all, I was just wondering how long it took for you to catch up and it made me wonder if all I have heard about your riding prowess were nothing but tall tales.” Her smile was quickly replaced by a scorn look but that changed back to a smile just as fast as it came.
“His Grace has one of the finest collection of horses in London and he rides as if he is one with the horse,” James cut in confidently.
“Really?” Rebecca turned to him now.
“I think we should go back to the manor before it gets too dark,” Thomas uttered changing the topic and hoping everything could come to an end.
Since their ride, all he could think about was how much he had missed Mary Ann. He already found himself faltering in his promise to try to make things work with Rebecca, but who wouldn’t. Mary Ann was everything Rebecca was not and the more time he spent with her made her only realize one thing — Mary Ann was irreplaceable in his heart.
“I will race you to the manor,” she uttered, “Your Grace,” she finally added knowing that would rile him up.
“As you wish, My Lady,” he replied disgustingly, bowing slightly on his horse before she raced past him.
As if on cue, Thomas and James didn’t move from where they had stopped.
“James, I will need you to tell Lady Rebecca that I am off to bed and will see her tomorrow as I won’t be coming down for dinner,” he told him.
Thomas could feel the silent protest on James’ face so he patted his back.
“That will be of great help,” he added.
James nodded his approval and they both sped back to the manor.
Chapter 21
“At last,” Thomas sighed as he entered the manor from the back after looking around to be sure Rebecca wasn’t lurking around.
Since her arrival, she had managed to overturn his place and for a second, he didn’t know what to do with her overbearing nature. Not until she rode past them on their way back to the manor. He walked calmly toward his room but as he got closer, he could hear Phillip’s voice.
Why are you still around? Why are you everywhere? He had wanted to scream.
His sanctuary in just a couple of hours had turned to a place where he could no longer walk freely without the fear of getting caught up with fruitless conversation. He could hear Phillip speaking to his mother about how much fortune he had made due to sheer boldness and smartness. It made Thomas scoff and also realize they were already close by.
What to do? he asked himself, looking around in order to make a decision.
Then he sighed to make one bold move.
“I did not see you there,” he mentioned as he appeared from the shadows.
“The man of the hour,” Phillip exclaimed light heartedly. “I must say, it is an honor to be here.”
Is it?
He smiled at them before speaking.
“I would have love to stay to exchange some business ideas with you, but I must get some rest now, I’m afraid.”
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