And it has nothing to do with your dream of having a title to this family, Father.Gemma thought as her anger started to get the better of her. She felt close to storming out and giving both of them a piece of her mind. She knew that would reflect poorly on her father and thought twice before doing so.
That is when an idea started to form in Gemma’s mind. She would ensure that by the end of the courtship, Lothar would be so put off by her that he would not want to marry her, even to possess her entire fortune. She would start by finding out what sort of woman he was interested in and endeavor to be the complete opposite.
I will not be manipulated into helping him. He has ignored my wishes and for that, I will not be giving him a chance after all. Gemma thought with less satisfaction than she had expected. Usually when she felt the need to stand up for herself, it felt warranted. Her latest decision left her feeling empty somehow.
She had unfortunately made the decision and valued it as a promise to herself. The moment she had calmed down, she would go see her father and question him. It hurt that he would go against her wishes even more than it did with Lothar.
Gemma could not wait any longer. She went searching for her father. She was unable to stand the thought of being used for one moment longer.
I must discuss this with my father this instant.Gemma thought as she nearly stomped through the main house.
“Gemma dear?” She heard her mother call to her.
This is not the time, mother.Yet Gemma could not ignore her mother or take her anger out on her.
“Good afternoon, mother,” Gemma said and went to embrace her mother.
“Listen, dear, I was wondering what you might think about these,” Margaret asked as she handed her sketchbook to Gemma. She had always admired her mother’s skills. Not only was she an accomplished artist, but she also drew her clothing designs and made them.
Gemma could only commit thoughts to paper and not vivid pictures. She had often tried but did not possess the knack to be artistic. Gemma paged through, the thick book that had seen better days. The beautiful designs chose comfort over pure fashion and did so cleverly. She would change the entire fit by simply putting the belt higher or making the skirt slightly longer.
Gemma admired her mother’s creations with half a mind. She could not banish the conversation Lothar and her father had from her mind. It was not that she wanted to hold on to her anger, if it came to pass, then it would change her entire future. It would change how she could live her life and ultimately change who she was.
As they looked through the designs, they became so engrossed in the task at hand that they had not noticed the afternoon had quickly turned to evening.
“Good evening, Mrs. Castwell, Miss Castwell,” the duke spoke from the entrance behind them. Gemma whirled around to face the man she had been angry at for the better part of an hour. His eyes swept over her, and she could swear that she saw something flash in his eyes. She did not enjoy attention nomatter the source and would usually look away in this type of instance. Gemma found that her curiosity and anger kept her from doing so. She held his gaze.
“Good evening, Your Grace. Welcome to our home,” Margaret said. Gemma knew her mother was being well-mannered, yet she felt as though her family was slowly turning on her.
“Thank you so much ma’am, and what a gorgeous home it is,” Lothar replied.
“Thank you for saying so,” Margaret said with a warm smile.
“His Grace is here today to speak to me about a courtship with you, Gemma,” Andrew said brightly.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” Gemma managed to say without spitting the words at him. Though she was happy to see him, she did not enjoy the fact that he had thought of only what he wanted in getting married and what he would gain from the union.
“I apologize for the interruption. I wanted to greet you both before I go,” Lothar said.
“Will you stay for tea, Your Grace?” Margaret asked.
“That is very kind, ma’am. I will take you up on your offer if it would please you that I stay, Gemma.” Lothar was looking at her with eyes that begged sympathy. Gemma could never be cruel.
“It would be lovely to have Your Grace for tea,” Gemma replied.
The look of relief on Lothar’s face was endearing.
This is all a farce. Please keep in mind that he wants your money, and he will charm whoever he needs to accomplish his ambitions.Gemma thought as she watched him struggle onto a nearby couch with a small measure of amusement.
He reminded her of when she had tea parties with the children. The chairs they used were made smaller for children and made her truly feel like a giant. Lothar looked much like she imagined she must have looked like to the children.
No wonder they had laughed.Gemma thought as she let her mind go to more pleasant topics. The very thought of the children made her feel much calmer. She had enjoyed taking them lunch yesterday. They were not used to being spoiled and had very few sweets growing up.
Gemma had sat outside with them, and the boys had invited her to have a chair to sit on. The day had been unusually warm after a few days before that when it had been icy cold. The children had eaten heartily and had played in the balmy sun.
Gemma came back to the present conversation that Lothar and her mother were having. “So, I caught something about how the fabric industry has its quality of late,”her mother said, and Gemma took the opportunity to excuse herself to find her father. He may think her interested enough to sit and spend time with Lothar. Gemma, in reality, felt it more urgent to speak to her father and stop the nonsense before it even began.
“Is this where you are hiding, Father?” Gemma asked as she entered his study.
