Page 14 of An Unwitting Alliance
Miss Vail’s lavender dress pooled at her feet with her curtsy. Pink marred her milky cheeks when she lifted her head. Her eyes narrowed in on him, piercing his own with a storm of gray, the blue all but disappearing. There was no doubt of her feelings about him.Compound those feelings with a forced marriage, and Tom was ready to throw down his figurative sword and beg for the fair dragon lady not to eat him. His courage was gone.
Chapter 5
Tom took a careful stepbackward, barely resisting raising his hands in defeat.
“Father, I think there has been some mistake.” Cassandra’s eyes remained on Tom, as if she did not trust him enough to look away for a single moment.
Mr. Vail chuckled sheepishly and scratched beneath his cravat. “No mistake, dear. It will take you both time to get to know each other. That is to be expected.”
Robert came up from behind and stuck his head around Tom’s side. “He’s not so bad, Cassandra. He isn’t very old and has all his teeth.” He looked up at Tom. “You do, don’t you?”
“All right, children,” Mrs. Vail said, her voice a bit pitchy. “Outside or to the nursery, all of you. Nancy, where are you?”
“Behind you, ma’am.”
“Nancy, take the girls, please. Peter, you take the boys. Megan, help Peter, and then you may return for tea.”
A series of moans followed, but for the most part, the children obeyed and emptied the room. Tom had to step to the wall to avoid being trampled, then joined Cassandra and her parents on the sofas, the three of them on the middle one and him on the settee closest to the door. If his friend Paul thought his experience with being matched was awkward, Tom defied him to endure this.
“We are so glad you have come,” Mrs. Vail said. “We had hoped to meet sooner, but between our responsibilities with the children and your family’s schedule, well, you young men have so many obligations these days.”
Every muscle in Tom’s body flexed with tension. This wasn’t like him at all. Nothing ruffled Tom Harwood. Nothing. His ears were probably burning red too. And if they weren’t, they should be. He was an awful fool if he thought he could easily convince the Vails to end the engagement. With some effort, he mustered up some friendly Harwood charm. “What a boon for our families that we can finally reconnect. My mother is especially happy you granted me permission to visit.”
A middle-aged woman came in with the tea service.
“Thank you, Mrs. Buttars,” Mr. Vail said. “Mr. Harwood, this is our housekeeper. She is married to our butler, and their rooms are one down from the kitchen. If you need anything while you are here, anything at all, be sure to let one of them know.”
“Yes, sir, I will.”
The housekeeper set the tray on the table and set a biscuit on a napkin for him. He scooped it right up, eager to have something in his hands.
“None of thissirbusiness.” Mr. Vail’s easy smile curled into place. “Call me Papa.”
Tom had just shoved the biscuit into his mouth, and he coughed out a few crumbs. He choked down his bite and dusted the crumbs from his lap. “Papa?”
“See? That was not so hard.”
Tom had meant it as clarification, not as an agreement. For someone who disliked proper titles and was known for his outlandish nicknames, this request should not have disjointed him as it did. “It might take me some time to adjust to the honorific. I hope Mr. Vail suits for now.”
Mr. Vail nodded. “Of course,son.”
Son? He coughed into his arm. Where were the Rebels when he needed them? He was ready to surrender. He was no tiger tamer. And he was definitely not afathertamer. Heavens, if he could even get Cassandra to cease shooting daggers his way, he would feel a semblance of victory. His expectations for the situation had changed, although his desperation to achieve his goal and get out of his betrothal had only doubled.
“How do you take your tea?” Cassandra asked, her voice stilted.
Could he even remember with such concerns weighing on him? “Um, sugar please, no milk.”
Cassandra added the sugar and handed the cup to him, effectively avoiding his gaze.
Mrs. Vail seemed to sense their unease. “We do not expect this to be easy for either of you. It will take time, likely even some months after the wedding, for you to adjust to life together.”
Tom finally met Cassandra’s eyes, but she quickly looked away. It was going to take more than a few months. More like a lifetime.
“The other children take a bit to get used to too,” Mr. Vail added. “I could not help but notice your wide eyes when the family filed into the room.”
Tom forced a smile. “Nonsense. I’ve seen a brood of dogs before. It can’t be too different.” His comment was met by three sets of affronted eyes. “I was teasing, of course. Children are nothing like dogs.” He looked to Cassandra for help, realizing too late that there would be no aid from that corner of the room.
“What did you think of Airewell as you rode in?” Mr. Vail asked, changing the topic.
