“Now, then,” she said, dropping the letter into her out tray. “Thank you for coming. You know I don’t normally demand you drop everything to see me, but I do have some rather goodnews that can’t wait.”
Francis was intrigued.
“I’m always happy to see you, Granny,” he told her. “What good news?”
She smirked, dimples appearing in her plump cheeks.
“As you know, dear Francis,” Granny said, “I’ve had extra time on my hands, thanks to your brother and his wife taking the reins more. It’s nice to have time on one’s hands.”
“Yes, Granny,” Francis said, wishing he had her level of freedom.
“Yet,” she continued, “with this extra time, I found myself paying attention to people. Noticing things.” She leaned in for emphasis. “Noticing you.”
“Me?” Francis said.
Goodness. He really was in trouble.
“Yes, you, dear boy.” Granny leaned back again. “You are languishing,” she said, a note of accusation in her voice.
Francis didn’t know what to say.
“I…I do all my duties,” he managed to answer.
“Yes, but you don’t enjoy them,” Granny said bluntly. “In fact, I’d go as far to say that you haven’t appeared to enjoy much of anything these last five years. You fell into a slump after the death of that young captain, and you’ve been languishing ever since.”
Francis averted his eyes. He didn’t talk about Philippe. He didn’t know how to; his family had never been ones for showing emotion, so Francis had bottled up all his hurt.
He’d thought he had hidden it, but clearly not well enough.
Granny shifted forward in her seat, softening her tone. “I know you were fond of him, Francis. And it is unfortunate his life was cut so short while in service to the kingdom. But tell me honestly: would he want you to pine away forever?”
Francis swallowed. He shook his head.
No, Philippe wouldn’t have wanted that.
“Well, then,” Granny said, as if that solved everything. “You must move on, my dear boy. In two years, you will be thirty. And I shall be eighty, and neither of us is getting any younger. I dread to think of leaving you alone and unhappy. This is why I must insist that you pick yourself up. Live life again. Find love.”
“I have tried,” Francis replied, which wasn’t entirely untrue. He had made half-hearted attempts at socialising here and there, at seeing other men.
In the immediate years following Philippe’s death, Francis had tried to fill the void he’d left with the love of another, but nothing had worked out.
Probably, he’d rushed into things, rather than be alone. But as the years wore on, Francis had found it easier to be alone than to truly be with anyone else.
“You need to try again,” Granny told him.
“It’s not that easy, Granny,” he said. Even if he did find somebody he could love, it was never easy. “You know Joseph doesn’t approve of my romantic pursuits,” he added.
“Yes, well, dull people are always disapproving of free spirits,” Granny said hotly.
Her staunch defence of him made Francis smile, though his smile was short lived.
“He says it goes against the holy teachings,” Francis added.
“And I have a novel solution to all of that,” Granny said. “As I mentioned already, I’ve had the time, and I summoned you here today to inform you that I have been meddling.”
“What are you talking about?” Francis asked, dread settling in his gut.
Granny beamed another naughty smile. “I dare say I’ve found you a match!”
