Page 10 of An Unwitting Alliance
“Wrong?” Mama shook her head. “Tom, you have done nothingwrong, necessarily. We merely want to assure you do somethingright.”
Her words gutted him. Did she imagine him to be merely coasting through life?
Papa put his hand on Mama’s. “What your mother is trying to say is if you think you are better off unattached, you might underestimate what marriage can do for a man.”
His parents might be united on the topic, but he wasn’t going to bend. What would marriage do for him? A woman did not make a man, nor should marriage to a man be her sole purpose. A man had to make himself. “Papa,ifI marry, it will be when I feel ready.”
“When will that be exactly? When will you be ready?” Papa folded his arms over his broad chest and raised a brow.
Tom blinked a few times. When would he be ready? Maybe never. He cared deeply for his parents and the Rebels, his friends since childhood, but loving a wife and beginning a family were responsibilities he did not want. Thoughts of losing Charley reminded him of the risks he refused to take. He couldn’t handle losing someone close to him again. Once had been enough and had nearly broken him. Besides, the idea of children made him nervous, and they would surely come not long after a wedding.
It wasn’t selfish to put off such a union. Not if he devoted his free time to helping the community and trying to better Society as an alternative.
“I do not have an answer for you,” he said. “I only know that an arranged marriage is nothing I will consider.”
“It’s too late for such a pronouncement,” Papa said.
Too late? Tom opened his mouth to argue when his father motioned to Mama and said, “Show him the letter.”
“Perhaps I should explain first.” Mama plucked a piece of folded parchment off the desk that had been concealed behind her. When Papa nodded, she rotated the letter in her hand while she gathered her thoughts. “You first met Miss Vail when you were but seven years old.”
“Seven?” Tom chuckled. “This sounds like a bedtime story, but no matter how fantastical it is, you cannot convince me to marry her.”
“You were young.” She turned to her husband briefly. “As were we. Mrs. Vail was expecting her first child and had attempted to travel home to her mother far too close to her time. Your father and I were taking you and Charley to Bath for the holiday, and we came upon the Vails’ carriage blocking the road. I could not have foreseen that I would be assisting in the birth of a new child.”
Tom’s brows bunched together. “You’ve never told me about this.” He’d thought he knew all their stories about his and Charley’s childhood. After Charley’s death, Tom had been relentless in making his parents relive every memory. He cleared his throat. “Where did you learn to deliver a baby?”
“It’s a natural process, son. The mother and God do most of the work. You will see for yourself soon enough.”
No. There would be no children in his future. He had promised himself that. But he only said, “Please, finish your tale.”
“I had borne two children myself, so I used my experiences to reassure the couple. I will never forget that day, nor the sweetness of putting a new baby in her mother’s arms. Never had I seen a more beautiful baby either. Mrs. Vail was so grateful, she named me the godmother. As I had no girls of my own, I considered it a great honor.”
Tom couldn’t help but be drawn in by his mother’s words. He’d always loved stories. He could imagine the couple’s fears and the miracle it was to have his family pass by just when they needed someone.
Mama continued. “We cleaned up the infant as best as we could and wrapped her in my best shawl. Your father brought you and Charley over to see the baby, and your eyes were as big as the carriage wheels. I called her a pretty princess, and you, who had been pretending to be a knight all week, asked if she was also a damsel in distress. We had a good laugh, but a baby born in a carriage on the side of the road was a bit of damsel in need, so I answered yes. Then, in a strong voice, you declared that you would rescue her and carry her all the way to the castle, where you would marry her.”
Instantly, he was pulled out of the story. “I was seven, Mama. You couldn’t have taken my words seriously.”
Mama gave a small shrug. “Neither of us thought it prophetic at the time either. We have since toyed with the idea of you and she marrying—we have corresponded regularly with the Vails—but your father and I both knew that with you as the heir to the barony and with her lack of connections, such a union was less than ideal for you.”
It was true his mother corresponded with a great number of people, so that part Tom could not easily refute. And the part about the difference in their stations—well, he did not agree with Society’s strict class structure. Had his mother taken this into account?
“However,” his mother said. That one word sent a sickening sensation down his spine. “Because of some recent matters, Mrs. Vail has requested that I, as her daughter’s godmother, assist her in finding Miss Vail a husband. She, not so discreetly, asked for you. I was hesitant, as you can imagine. However, I have gone through every name I can think of, and you are the only one who would suit.”
Relief filled him. “If this is about finding Miss Vail a husband, I am sure I could introduce some affable young men to her.”
Papa leaned against the desk. “I just received the signed papers from Mr. Vail. This is in your best interest, Tom.”
“My best interest?” Tom growled. He rarely lost his temper, but this was taking things too far. “How could you have drawn up a contract without first speaking with me?”
Papa’s placating smile did nothing to settle Tom’s growing emotions. “Your response is valid, son, but we really are thinking of you in every decision we make. We don’t want to rush you any further, so the announcements won’t hit the paper for another two weeks, and you have until then for the banns to be read.”
“How generous,” he said, sarcasm punctuating his words.
Papa ignored him. “Your valet packed your things while you were at the wedding, and we hope to have you on the road by morning to Airewell, Miss Vail’s home.”
“Joseph listens only to me.” Tom’s valet was as loyal as they came.
