Page 3 of Dark Succession
What kind of man would knowingly sentence his daughter to that?
And why the hell were his two older siblings bringing this information tohim? He glanced between them. “It sounds like the girl dodged a bullet.”
“Most definitely.” Now apparently it was Aiden’s turn to talk. “She’s the heir to the Sheridan fortune—and all their territory—which means she’s going to be the most sought-after woman in Boston. The vultures will be circling by the end of the day.”
“Which is bullshit.”
Aiden glanced at Carrigan, his expression shuttered. “Which is bullshit, sure. But we’d be stupid to sit back and let someone else swoop in and snatch up this opportunity.”
Teague’s stomach twisted, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was standing on the train tracks and feeling the rumble of an incoming engine. “I’m not seeing what this shit has to do with me.”
“That’s the thing.” Aiden shifted. “If someone’s going to secure an alliance with the Sheridan family, why not one of us?”
The twisting in his stomach developed teeth, but he fought to keep his voice light. “Then I suppose I should congratulate you on your impending nuptials.”
“Actually, we’re here to congratulateyou.” Aiden held up a hand. “Just hear me out. I can’t marry her. Our father already has a couple candidates in mind for me, and any of them would expand our territory exponentially.”
“Then what about Cillian? He’s old enough to play husband to the Sheridan girl.”
Carrigan shook her head. “That won’t work and you know it. The Sheridans might forgive our passing over Aiden and offering you, but it would be insulting to go to any of our younger siblings.”
Jesus Christ. Teague looked at the alcohol cabinet on the far wall. Surely it wasn’t too early to start drinking?Even as the thought crossed his mind, he pushed to his feet. It might be too early, but this wasn’t a conversation he was willing to have stone-cold sober. “No.”
“Don’t say no. You haven’t even heard us out.”
He didn’t have to. He knew what they would say.It’s your duty to your family. Father has given you excessive freedom to mess around with your interests. It’s time to repay all those favors you tallied up.He poured himself a splash of whiskey and then kept pouring until the glass was full. “Didn’t arranged marriages go the way of the dinosaurs a couple decades ago?”
“Maybe for other families. Not for ours.”
He knew that. Fuck, he wished hedidn’tknow it so well. The rules of polite society were different for his family than they were for your average Joe. He’d learned a long time ago that the money and connections came with more strings than a spider’s web. And walking away wasn’t an option, because that same money and those connections would be ruthlessly deployed to bring any prodigal sons or daughters back into the fold—whether they wanted to come or not.
Teague took a healthy swallow of the whiskey. “You can’t seriously be asking me to marry some woman I’ve never met from a family we were raised to hate.”
“I’m not.” Aiden paused, and it was like the whole room held its breath. “Father is.”
Just like that, the fight went out of him. He could argue his brother and sister to a standstill and even, occasionally, come out on top. Their father? His word was law, and he had no problem ruthlessly playing upon his children’s weak spots to get what he wanted. Teague had learned that the hard way when he was still young enoughto believe that there was another life—another option—out there for him. “I need some time to think.”
“You don’t have much.”
Teague didn’t turn at the sound of the library door opening and closing, because he knew both siblings hadn’t left. “This is bullshit and you know it.”
“I know.” Carrigan plucked the glass out of his hand and took a sip. It was only then that he saw her hand was shaking. “You know Father made an offhand comment last night at the dinner you conveniently missed? He thinks it’s time for me to shit or get off the pot.” She laughed softly at the look on his face. “He didn’t say it in so many words, but the meaning was the same. My goddamn biological clock is ticking away in his ear, and the man wants heirs to bargain with.”
He watched her finish the whiskey. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” She set the glass down with the care of someone who wanted to throw it across the room. “I’m as much in a cage as you are—as we all are—but I can’t talk to anyone about it.”
He knew the feeling. It all came down to the bottom line—family. It didn’t matter what was good for the individual as long as the family’s interests as a whole were served. “You can talk to me.”
Her smile was so sad, it would have broken his heart if he had anything left to break. “No, Teague, I really can’t.” With that, she turned and floated out of the room, leaving him alone in his misery.
He refilled his glass and went back to his seat on the couch. It was tempting to shoot the whole thing back and chase oblivion, but he needed his wits about him if hewas going to get through this in the best position possible. The idea was absurd. The best position possible? He was a drowning man with no land in sight and the sharks were circling. There was nothing to do but pick the best way to die.
Each sip, carefully controlled, gave him some muchneeded distance. He mentally stepped to the side and forced himself to look at the situation without the tangled mess of emotions in his chest. There might be no way out, but he could make the best of it regardless. The Sheridans had been a thorn in the family’s side for as long as there had been both Sheridans and O’Malleys in Boston. They might be looking to bolster their strength, but it wouldn’t take much to weaken their position.
He took another drink. No, it wouldn’t take much at all. And if he were with the Sheridans, he wouldn’t behere, so there was something to be said for that as well. The further he got from his father’s grasp, the easier it would be to slip free when the time came.
Slip free? The pipe dream of a child. He knew better by now… but that didn’t stop the tiny flare of hope inside him. It was a mistake not to crush it—if he didn’t now, then someone else would, and it would hurt more that way. Reality had a nasty way of intruding on pipe dreams, and the reality was that marrying into the Sheridan family wasn’t likely to give him an out. It would entangle him further in the type of life he wanted to escape. They may have a different last name and territory, but the type of beast was identical to the O’Malleys.
