Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series)

by Storm, Taylor

  Lilly looked at them with a smug grin, happy that Christina had found someone she truly loved. She only wished things were easier with her.

  “You see,” Christina said, “we decided that we would give it a chance, and we found out that we like the idea of getting married to each other, even if it was not our choice originally. Some things are just meant to be. We wanted to have a couple of days to ourselves, without the expectations, so we have been sneaking around.”

  Finally, Jacqueline found her voice, “But from me? Why would you keep it from me?”

  Gordon responded, “We liked the idea of having a secret. It made us feel like we had a little control over our circumstances anyway.”

  “Naturally, I told Lilly,” Christina interjected. “But that is not why she is here.”

  “Oh my God, I am so happy!” Jacqueline said, ignoring Lilly. “I was so very worried that you two wouldn’t be able to get along. I knew you were stuck, so I really hoped it would work out. This makes the whole situation so much better.” Jacqueline fell silent, and then looking thoughtful, asked, “So, why tell me now? Did you decide you had enough secrecy?”

  “First, we are happy too. Neither one of us wanted to be married to someone we couldn’t respect, and it turns out that isn’t a problem,” Gordon explained as he stroked the back of Christina’s hand. “However, we do have something of an ulterior motive for telling you, but you have to swear secrecy.”

  “Gordon, you know me better than that. I am not swearing secrecy before I know what it is. You will have to live with that, or just keep your secret,” Jacqueline explained as she stood and strode to the window.

  “Besides, if you are going to be telling me this important news, you need to go tell the cook to hold dinner for a few more minutes,” she told Gordon.

  Lilly narrowed her eyes. “This is news to me.”

  Gordon got up and went into the kitchen. He returned a moment later and took his seat. Gordon looked at Christina, and with a slight nod of her head, they decided to go ahead and tell her about their plans to elope.

  “Promise to hear me out before you say anything, okay?” Gordon asked as he looked at Jacqueline who was still by the window.

  “That goes for you, too, Lilly,” Christina added.

  Lilly nodded.

  Jacqueline smiled tensely. “Fine, I promise to hear you out. Now, what is this terrible secret you just have to share?” she asked.

  “Well, you know that Christina and I have no choice in this marriage. We have to fulfill the contract. Even if we really like each other, the fact remains that we are being forced into getting married. We both know that there is no way out of this contract, and we aren’t sure we would have taken it there, although time to date would have been nice,” Gordon went on. “So, Christina and I talked about it, and we are going to elope. We cannot do anything about actually getting married, but we can stand up for ourselves and show our families that we will not just follow meekly with what they want.”

  Jacqueline was quiet for several minutes as she continued to stare out the window. Slowly she turned around, “You do know that this will drive your mother crazy, right? She will be so worried about what this type of scandal will do to their reputation.” She turned next to Chris, “and what about your family? Are they going to be happy that you didn’t get the huge society wedding that you are supposed to have? Won’t your mother be angry?”

  Christina responded first. “Of course, she is going to be angry. She has probably already planned my wedding down to the color of the candles. She wouldn’t care at all what I wanted. It would be her wedding, not mine; even though I would be the one getting married.” Christina was a little surprised to hear the bitterness in her voice, but she continued on.

  “They put us in this impossible situation. If they don’t like the way we handle it, then they should have thought of a few more restrictions when they drew up the contract--without our consent.” Christina finally calmed a little.

  “As for me,” Gordon said, “I don’t really care. They got the money they so desperately needed. It is up to me how I get married. If they don’t like the scandal, that is just too bad. Besides, they’ll be reeling from another scandal…”

  Jacqueline ignored his last comment, surveyed them both for a moment, and then she smiled. “I think this is going to be an excellent marriage after all. While I felt like I had to bring up the issues with your families, I have never been one to stick too closely with tradition. After all, if I had, I would be married and have two children by now. Ugh. I cannot abide the thought.” She stopped for a moment, and looked at the two of them again.

  “So, I suppose since you told me your plans, you need me to help you with them?” Jacqueline asked them shrewdly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

  “What exactly are your plans, anyway? You DO have plans, don’t you?”

  Christina and Gordon looked at one another and grinned sheepishly, “Well, not exactly,” Christina said.

  “We were hoping you could help us with the plan, too,” Gordon responded quickly, looking hopeful. “And you too, Lilly,” he added.

  Lilly nodded. “Of course. I will do everything in my power to make this work.”

  Jacqueline shook her head and smiled at the two. “First, yes, I will help you two because you deserve it. You two were put in a terrible position with no way out and you have obviously made the best of it. Second, I’m not doing anything until we have had dinner. Let’s go eat and we can talk about our plans afterward.” She stood and began walking toward the kitchen, “I will just let the cook know we are ready for dinner,” she said turning back to the room. “Oh, and you two can give up the acting, at least while we are here.”

  Dinner was a nice affair, considering the change of topic. Lilly was silent for a few minutes until Chris finally coaxed her into talking with enough eye rolls to last a century.

  “What is this new secret?” Jacqueline demanded. “You must tell me.”

  So Lilly told her. “I’m engaged to marry Peter Von Willem. But it will not be the same as Christina and Gordon. You see, Peter hits women if he doesn’t get his way. I’ve heard it from countless girls. They all tell the same story. I wouldn’t mind being in an arranged marriage if the only problem was worrying about producing heirs, but this problem is much worse. The reason I have shied away from men all this time is because I wanted to save myself for Peter, as I’ve always known both of our parents wanted us to marry, but now I know how he treats women, I just…I don’t know what to do.”

  Jacqueline was stunned. She had turned a paler shade than white, and frowned deeply. “I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t know.”

  “How can I possibly marry a man who would hit me? And what would happen if he hit me during my pregnancy? I could lose the child, and his heir. You must help me. I knew you were the only one I could turn to. I really am sorry for barging in, but as I said, I am at a loss of what to do.”

  Jacqueline nodded. “I completely understand. This needs to be sorted straight away. You can not marry someone who could threaten the safety of your child. I’m so glad you came to me, but I question why you did not go to your own mother.”

  Christina intervened. “Anne loves Peter! She would be devastated, heartbroken, if she knew the truth. What if you told everyone that Lilly is already engaged to someone else? It would be the same as mine and Gordon’s situation.”

  Gordon nodded. “That is true. You could say that Lilly is already engaged to someone else, so she cannot possibly be engaged to Peter as well. She cannot be engaged to two people at once, so she would have to break it off with Peter.”

  Jacqueline nodded. “Okay…that might actually work. But who can Lilly be engaged to?”

  Lilly sat up. “Angelique Blackwood has a brother….Thomas Blackwood. He’s a very charming young man, and I hear he is still single. He and his sister live together at the Blackwood farm estate. Maybe I could marry Thomas and live with him and his sister? They are kno
wn to give to charities, and Thomas’ mother loves betting on the races.”

  Christina smiled. Sometimes she was surprised by her friend’s cunning plans. “That would be a perfect match. Thomas is quite handsome and polite. And Angelique would be fantastic company for Lilly when Thomas goes away on his long business trips.”

  “And I have always secretly admired Thomas,” Lilly added, blushing.

  Jacqueline smiled. “I must say I am impressed by how much you’ve thought this through. I didn’t even know you were interested in getting married at all, Lilly. We were starting to have grave doubts about you…”

  “Lilly is very shy!” Christina added, smiling.

  Jacqueline nodded. “Well, that settles it then. Don’t get your hopes up, since it’s not set in stone like it is with Christina and Gordon. But I am sure it will be fine. You should be able to marry Thomas and live with him and his sister.”

  Lilly smiled. “Perfect.”

  Jacqueline excused herself to use the bathroom, and Chris stared at Lilly.

  “But what about Ginger?”

  Lilly frowned. “Oh…I don’t know. Maybe she could come around a couple of nights a week and clean?”

  Christina frowned. “Clean? Lilly, you cannot expect to have both. You need to choose, one or the other. Who do you want to clean your house the most?’

  Lilly bit her lip. “I…well, Thomas’ sister, of course. Angelique. She’s such a darl. And I love her company.”

  Christina smiled. “So what are you going to tell Ginger? That her contract has expired?” she said sarcastically.

  Lilly nodded sadly. “I suppose so. I just wish this was not so hard.”

  Gordon smiled. “You know Lilly, I had to make a hard choice, and at the time I didn’t choose for love, but I think it worked out in the end. Choose the person you see yourself with in ten years’ time. In twenty years’ time. Who do you want to grow old with? It’s that simple.”

  Christina felt a well of affection for her soon-to-be husband. She knew they were a perfect match.

  Dinner was a much nicer affair. Jacqueline found herself alternately rolling her eyes and smiling at the way Christina and Gordon kept looking at each other and touching each other. Jacqueline sighed softly and wondered whether she wouldn’t mind getting married if she found someone who looked at her the way Gordon looked at Christina. Oh, hell no. She had decided long ago that she was never going to be tied down and answer to any man, and that was the way it was going to be. Still…the thought of two marriages, Christina and Gordon, and Lilly and Thomas, was enough to make her wistfully dream of walking down the aisle herself.

  “Alright, you two lovebirds, it’s time to talk,” Jacqueline said as soon as the dishes had been cleared. “Let’s adjourn to the library, where we can have a drink and figure out how we are going to pull this off. Lilly, are you coming?”

  Lilly looked up and smiled. “Only if you’d like me to.”

  Jacqueline nodded. “I am sorry I was a little brusque with you earlier, only your visit came as such a surprise.”

  “That is fine. I really didn’t need to impose. I guess I was just desperate for some advice.”

  As they walked to the library, Gordon kept his arm around Christina as if afraid she was going to run away or disappear, but she seemed perfectly content where she was.

  When they had all been seated with Gordon and Christina snuggled up on the leather love seat, Lilly on the hard-back wicker chair, and Jacqueline comfortable in a high-backed chair with a small fire going in the fireplace, she started. “Alright. You know it isn’t going to be easy to pull this off without both of your families finding out, don’t you?” They both nodded, looking solemn, but determined.

  “What it really boils down to, is what do you want the wedding to be? If you really want to elope, that means no family, no friends, no one but you two, the preacher, and me. You need to really consider if that is what you want, just to get back at your parents.”

  Christina listened carefully, nodding, and then said, “Well, if it were just to get back at our families, I don’t think either of us would be so set on doing it. It is more about proving to them that they may have forced us into the marriage, but we will not be controlled by them any longer. I think one of the downsides of an arranged marriage is the feeling of hopelessness, but it doesn’t have to be that way with us. We can be happy without feeling like we’re being pressured into doing anything we don’t want to do. And if we rebel now, it will be better for the future. What if they want to tell us what house to buy, what car to drive, what clothes to wear, and what to name our children? We cannot have that ruining our lives.” She sighed. “And that’s something that ruins relationships. Negative outside influences always affect relationships. Why do you think there are so many Lifetime movies?”

  Gordon nodded, “Exactly. We cannot live our lives if we are going to always be expected to do whatever our families decide they want. Most of them have flouted tradition in one way or another, and that is how we ended up here in the first place. Now it is time to stand up to them. Any scandal that is caused is just what they deserve. For me, I couldn’t care less about the scandal.”

  Christina was also nodding as he spoke, silently agreeing with him. “Good. That is what I needed to hear because if we go through with this, God knows there will be a scandal,” Jacqueline responded. She looked over at Lilly. “And then another with you….this is going to be tricky!”

  Lilly smiled. “It will be fine, trust Christina and Gordon, trust me. We can do this. And don’t worry about me. I can handle this.”

  “Alright, do you both agree that we need to do this as soon as possible to keep anyone from figuring out what is going on?” Jacqueline waited for both of them to nod, and she continued. “We have been here four days, so we have three more before we are scheduled to return home. Any objections to trying to get it done before we leave?”

  Christina and Gordon looked a little surprised at that, but they looked at each other, smiled and they both said, “No, no objections,” at the same time.

  “Ok, then what will you both wear? Do you need to go shopping or do you have something that will do? Even if you are technically eloping, do you still want the dress and flowers, and tux?” Jacqueline questioned.

  Christina looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve actually given it some thought, and I have several lovely gowns that my mother made me pack for some reason. None of them are white, but I don’t really care. If I’m bucking tradition, I might as well go all out,” Christina said, getting excited and standing up. She began to pace in front of the little fire. “Actually, I have a beautiful dark green gown that I think would work beautifully. Gordon, did you bring a suit with you?” she asked as she turned back toward him.

  “You silly thing,” Jacqueline admonished jokingly. “There is no way that he left home without at least two custom-tailored suits in his garment bag. Right, darling?” She looked at Gordon and smiled, knowingly.

  “Well, you caught me, Aunt Jackie, I have a black suit and a navy suit with me. I don’t know what possessed me to bring them, but I did.”

  Jacqueline smiled. “Maybe your subconscious knew you would be getting married here all along!”

  Christina resumed her pacing. “I would like at least a few flowers,” she said. “I can go to the local florist tomorrow and order some for…” she trailed off, looking at Jacqueline questioningly, “the day after tomorrow?”

  “That is what we will plan on. I will call a local lawyer in the morning and get him to get all of the paperwork together. I will have to think up some excuse to explain why we need both of your birth certificates, but that shouldn’t be a big deal.” Suddenly Jacqueline started laughing and she continued laughing until she had to lean back in the chair to get a deep breath.

  Gordon and Christina looked at each other questioningly, but neither had any idea what had set off the laughing fit. Smiling, they waited until she got her breath back. “Care to share?” Go
rdon inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh, my, I haven’t laughed like that in so long I thought I had forgotten how.” She paused a moment, and then continued, “I was just imagining your families’ faces when they learn that you two eloped.” She started snickering again, and this time Christina and Gordon joined her.

  “It’s not really funny,” Jacqueline said, “but it is about time someone stood up to them and told them no. I am just delighted to be a part of it.”

  Lilly smiled from her cozy chair. “I can bake a nice cake if you like. Something small. But it can be special, and of course, everyone has cake on their wedding day.”

  Christina nodded. “Yes, that would be great. You can get all the ingredients in town.”

  Lilly had stayed over at the lodge, but Christina didn’t mind. No one seemed to care about her intrusion, and in fact, her input was much needed.

  Christina had never known Lilly had such a good eye for color coordination. It was like she was meant to be here. She smiled to herself. She knew that everything was going to work out just fine.

  Chapter 12

  Peter Van Willem angrily strode up and down his father’s study. He ran a hand through his thinning brown hair. Peter was an attractive man; some people thought he was too attractive. With his light blonde hair, his bright blue eyes, and his chiselled features, most women would have given up their fortunes to marry him. That was, until they’d learn of his true intentions.

  The Van Willem’s were an industrious family. They were old money; as they had inherited and maintained their wealth through at least eight generations. Their ancestors had immigrated from Holland and had made their money on the railroads. Their family was estimated to be worth around five point four billion, and rising.

  Peter checked his watch and sighed. Why was his father taking so long? Didn’t he know he was busy? He had so many things to sort out today. His new suit, his new shoes, his new car. In fact, there were so many things he had to deal with that the matters of a silly little girl were not important to him. In fact, they were rather arbitrary. He just wanted to get a wife, send her away to the university, and have the house to himself to do as he pleased. Of course, she would study the arts: nothing so fancy as commerce or law. She would be the perfect trophy wife. If only she wasn’t Lillian Baltimore.