by Abigail Agar
“I do not know exactly. They seem dull and uninspiring.”
Edmund could not quite put his finger on it; they just never inspired anything within him. He kept waiting for that exciting moment when he met a woman who would bring him to life and make him realise just what he was looking for. When it happened, he would know it. If there was one thing he felt certain of, it was that.
“I did not know I would love your father when I first met him,” Iris warned as she spotted the dream-like quality in her son’s eyes. “That did not come right away.”
“I understand that ...”
“I do not think you do,” Iris interrupted firmly. “I think you assume that things will happen like they do in a fairy tale, which is not the case.”
Edmund’s entire face reddened and steamed up. He felt utterly appalled by his mother’s comments. “I am not a child,” he hissed back. “I know what the world is like. I just do not wish to have my future dictated for me.”
“Even by a man that you respect?” Iris asked with one eyebrow raised in amusement. “I thought that William Roberts meant a lot to you.”
“He did ...” Edmund did not know where his mother was going with this, and the uncertainty shook in his voice. “But I do not think ...”
“I do think that you at least need to meet his daughter. It would be terribly rude not to. You do not wish to be seen as rude, do you?”
She had him there. Edmund was a ruthless businessman, which helped him to get very far, but the one thing he always kept up was his level of politeness. His mother was right; he might not wish to marry this stranger – or anyone for that matter, at least at the moment – but he did not want to be seen as someone who was rude.
Even if William was no longer around to judge him for it.
“Fine,” he eventually agreed with an air of nonchalance. “I will send a reply to Walter Thompson and tell him that I will meet Mary. But I will make it clear immediately that I am not agreeable to this plan; I do not think it will work.”
“It would be wonderful if it did, though, would it not?” Iris’ imagination ran away with her. “It would be so lovely to see you with a wife and child. I do believe it is time.”
Edmund pushed his chair back, scraping it along the floor. “Now who is living in a fairy tale?” he shot back sarcastically. “I am warning you now, Mother, do not get too excited. I do not think this is going to work out as you imagine.”
On that note, Edmund strode from the room with a serious expression on his face. Iris might have believed that he was not terribly excited about the news, but with the letter clutched tightly between his fingertips as he went, it seemed he liked the idea more than he was letting on.
For that, Iris felt truly grateful. Edmund seemed to grow lonelier the older he got. He was so focused on the business and making a success of himself to maintain the household that his father left behind, Iris feared he shut people out far too much. He used to have friends, but he did not get to see them as much anymore now that they all had families of their own.
It was not a friend that Edmund needed anyway, it was a wife.
Iris desperately hoped that this situation, however unusual it was, led to that. She feared that he would spend so much of his life searching for someone perfect that he would end up alone. Iris was alone now, but she would not trade the years that she spent with her husband for anything in the world.
As Edmund left his mother behind, his mind churned. His mother’s words made this letter so much weightier than it was before. Now, it was about to force him to do something that he truly did not want to.
It shall be fine, he tried his best to convince himself. I shall meet Mary Roberts, do what is required of me, then continue on with my life.
No one could judge him for not wishing to marry Mary once he met her. He would not be letting William down. Surely, the woman did not have to marry him specifically to gain her inheritance? That would be far too much to put on him.
I will have to ask Walter for more information once I see him. I shall read the document myself.
It was a shock to Edmund to have someone from his past come back into his life in such an unexpected way. It stunned him, turned his life upside down, and left him unsure of what would happen next. And Edmund had a very strong suspicion that was only going to get a whole lot worse ...
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