‘Do not insult my fiancée by talking aboutsuitable girls, Mother. We are to be married, with or without your permission,’ he said. ‘I brought Amalie here as a courtesy, so that you could welcome her into our family and celebrate with us, so please, can we put this behind us and enjoy our lunch together?’
Amalie’s heart was pounding, and she was grateful for the weight of Oskar’s hands on her shoulders.
‘Son, I want you to listen to me very carefully,’ his father said, his eyes fixed on Oskar. He never even glanced at Amalie. ‘You have been born into a place of privilege due to my hard work and that of your grandfather, and with that comes responsibility. You can think about marriage later, once you’ve established yourself in the business, once you’re older, once?—’
‘I’m not joining the business,’ Oskar said. ‘I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me until now, but I want to be a chef, not a businessman. I’m not like Alexander, or you. Can’t you see that?’
Amalie bit down on her bottom lip as tears started to slip furiously down her cheeks.
‘Stop behaving like a child!’ his father bellowed. ‘For goodness sake, Alexander, talk some sense into your brother. You will not be getting married, Oskar, not to this girl or any other of your choosing. Your mother is right, we’ll be?—’
‘Amalie is pregnant,’ Oskar said. His words were only spoken quietly, but they still had the power to make everyone fall silent.
Amalie bravely looked up when his mother threw her napkin onto her plate and rose, pausing only to speak to her husband, her fingers like claws around his arms as she gripped hold of him.
‘Fix this,’ she muttered, before marching out of the room.
‘You’re certain the child is my son’s?’ his father asked.
‘Father!’ Oskar reprimanded.
‘It’s a reasonable question.’
‘Yes. It can only be your son’s,’ Amalie replied, keeping her voice even and trying not to cry from the shame of it all. ‘There has been no one else.’
Alexander stood then, distracting his brother and father as he went to the drinks cabinet and poured a glass. She watched ashe took it to his father, passing it to him before placing a hand on his back.
‘This has been a lot to digest,’ Alexander said. ‘I suggest that we take a moment to gather ourselves and then perhaps I could take Amalie for a walk while you both have a more civilised discussion.’
‘There is nothing to discuss,’ his father said, after downing the drink. ‘Oskar, it’s no exaggeration to say that you’ll be throwing your life away if you marry this woman. But you’re a grown man and the decision is yours to make.’
Amalie’s heart began to race again, but she could see from the look on Alexander’s face, the way his hand lifted to his head as if he were in pain, that he knew the situation was about to get worse.
‘Should you choose to make this decision, though, you must know that it comes with consequences,’ his father continued. ‘I have raised you to take over my business with your brother, and failure to take up a position at my company after graduation will result in you being disinherited. You will receive no further dividends from our company or be able to draw money from your trust, and you will no longer be welcome in this house.’
‘Father,’ Alexander cautioned. ‘Please.’
But not even his eldest son could stop him, it seemed, and Amalie felt Oskar’s pain radiating from him as he stood behind her. She wished to comfort him, but knew that it wouldn’t help matters for her to touch him in front of his father.
‘And if I agree to join the company after graduation?’ Oskar asked. ‘After my wedding to Amalie?’
‘There will be no wedding. Amalie,’ his father said, turning to her, ‘I will write you a cheque today so that you can return home to your family. It will be enough for you and the child to live comfortably, on the condition that you are never to contact my son again, and never to divulge his involvement with you.’
Amalie froze. Part of her wondered just how much she was worth, how little the father of the man she loved thought he could pay her to make her walk away.
‘If your son doesn’t want to marry me,’ she said, summoning all her bravery, ‘then I will walk away. I don’t want your money.’
She saw Alexander from the corner of her eye pouring another drink, but it was he who consumed this one.
‘You have a choice to make, Oskar,’ his father said, taking his seat at the table again, calm now as if he’d asked his son to fetch him something rather than threatening to disinherit him. ‘Now please excuse me while I have my lunch in peace.’
Amalie jumped when Oskar slammed his fist on the table between her place setting and his father’s. It was his brother who came round to her and pulled out her seat, offering her his arm and escorting her from the room. It was Alexander who took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her for her tears.
‘They’re at loggerheads now, but it will all blow over,’ he said, his voice low.
‘I don’t believe you,’ she said, dabbing her cheeks and the corners of her eyes. ‘I just don’t understand why they hate me so much. Oskar and I make each other so happy. All I want is to be his wife.’
Oskar burst through the door then and folded her into his arms. She inhaled the scent of him, holding him tight as his brother stepped away.
