Page 28 of Romanced By the Orc

He cleared his throat, and Diana realized he had reached out so she might put the now empty pewter cup in his palm to return it to the shop. She popped the cup into his hand, hoping the streaks of pistachio glacé on the sides didn’t smear on his gloves. Then she folded her hands in her lap, feeling ridiculous. She longed for another kiss, but the leniency afforded by Gunter’s popularity did not extend so far.

“Next week at the museum, then? The wedding is on Monday. The day after? Will that suit?”

“I look forward to the adventure. And perhaps a bit of romance as well, Lord Albie. Even at the museum. I shall expect to be feted and pampered.”

“Naturally.” Albie spoke lightly, though she noted he looked down at his feet as he spoke. “And Daisy, if you wish to speak to your father before I do, don’t tarry. I’ll send my card forthwith.”

Despite her pre-sentiments that Albion asking for her father’s hand would progress smoothly, Diana decided to take matters intoherhands. Before she could do so, however, Father summoned her to his study.

Diana opened the door just wide enough to peek inside the chamber and gauge her father’s mood. He sat at his mahogany desk, the portraits of his father and elder brother, both passed on but still glowering out at the world, hanging behind him.

The toll of the myriad responsibilities he assumed as Lord Mercer had hardened Tobias Stewart. Dark half-circles shadowed the skin under his eyes, and though he was not yet fifty, his hair had turned gray. He was hunched over. He had never expected to take on a position in the House of Lords nor the tenants on land west of London. In short, Father was under tremendous stress. She imagined that having one of his daughters marry into a family as wealthy as Albie’s would come as a relief. Diana would no longer be a burden to him.

But she didn’t want to risk any objections, so had to play the dutiful daughter. “You asked to see me?”

He beckoned her inside. Once she stood opposite, he tapped a calling card on his desk. Diana spotted the lavish black letters imprinted on its front side, ornate and curling and yet masculine and thickly embossed. Albion Higgins.

“I’ve not had the pleasure of hosting a Lord of the Hidden Realm. Have you news to share?”

Diana squared her shoulders, unconsciously imitating Lillian, though she hadn’t her elder sister’s elegant neck.

“Albion Higgins asked for my hand in marriage. And I accepted.”

“He could not be troubled to approach me first?”

“In the Hidden Realm, men propose to their brides directly, which is sensible.”

“Sensible? Have you not thought that you should be a laughingstock? Is your current shame not enough?”

Diana steeled herself. “I’m sorry about all that, Father,” she mumbled.

In the ensuing silence, she looked up only to find despair clouding his eyes.

“I only want what’s best for you,” he said at last. “Clearly, I’ve failed.”

“Albion is from an ennobled family and wealthy as any gentleman in London. If you want what’s best for me, trust my judgment. Please. I want to marry Albion. You always wanted me to make a pragmatic match, as did Mother. What objection could you have?”

“Other than the obvious?”

“The Lords of the Hidden Realm are welcome in Society. He lives at the Albany! The most fashionable residence for bachelors in this city. Albion has embraced our world. You might give him the benefit of the doubt. This marriage shall be the start of a splendid adventure.”

“That is not an answer any more than marriage is an adventure. There will be times that try your patience.”

He wasn’t talking about Diana and Albion. He meant himself and her mother. And the mess they had made of it, despite those fawning words.

She said nothing, and he sighed.

“It would all be easier had you been born a boy,” he told her. “As things stand, I fear you will never be content.”

“That’s hardly fair.”

“It is not fair that you have a man’s mind and a woman’s body.”

Every fiber of her being recoiled. So often, she had wished for her father to speak up more, particularly regarding the situation in Chamberly. Had she the power, she would have done so. Yet he wasted his privilege, keeping to himself and treating the position as a burden rather than an honor.

“Were I born a boy, I would take my place in the House of Lords and vote for an embargo against Chamberly. I would make the moral choice.”

Disapproval lined her father’s brow.“The situation is more complicated than you understand.”

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