Adeline Duvall’s eyes grew wider than Lucy had ever seen. Her gaze went to one side as if she furiously thought about…something, before she straightened and pointed to the luxury entrance. “Go.”
Lucy was pushing the narrow limits of decorum as defined by her family by even speaking out, let alone as she was lectured the entire march back to the ship. But her mother was acting oddly quiet.
Much like the trip in Axel’s truck after leaving the swimming hole had been quiet. They hadn’t spoken much as he drove. She had been thinking about this exact conversation with not only her mother but both of her parents, wondering if she’d have the nerve to say anything.
She hadn’t expected to have this discussion so soon. But she was moved to speak her mind. How else could her family understand her feelings if she didn’t express them, forcefully?
Lucy lowered her tone when she said, “I’ve tried to be good and go along and not complain. I’ve tried to be civil and understanding. I honestly never cared much about this arranged marriage business. But something has changed and now I do care very much.
“I believe it’s only fair that you appreciate my feelings in this matter since it has to do with the rest ofmylife and not yours.
“There are lots of girls my age who don’t want to waste their time with someone they have to ‘learn’ to love instead of finding someone theyactuallycare about from the beginning. I wish you would make an effort to understandmyfeelings.”
“That is not our way.” Her mother’s stern expression didn’t soften in the least in the face of Lucy’s newfound ideas.
“Well, it should be.” Lucy marched aboard the ship and went straight to her room. When she turned to close the door, her mother pushed her way inside with an expression that said Lucy had gone too far. She closed the door with an audible thump, crossed her arms and gave Lucy a death stare.
“Listen to me, young lady. Your father and I have made alliances with these families that you so cavalierly want us to dismiss. To your point, we certainly didn’t want to have husbands for our daughters who were not of the highest caliber of Alpha.
“To that end, we’ve kept in touch every five years or so to ensure the arrangements made would be fulfilled and that nothing has changed, such as death, dismemberment or disfigurement. Barring those and a few other plights regarding health and mental state, there is no reason not to at least meet your prospective bridegroom before making your choice.”
“DoI get a choice?” Lucy asked. The fluttering in her belly had far from abated.
“Once Drucilla turns twenty, we will instigate the process for all of you to meet your intended bridegrooms. If you all are accepted by both parties—and we fully expect you to be—then the weddings will begin in order of birth, one every two months until they are completed, starting with Ardelia.
“I hope you won’t embarrass us, Lucinda.”
Lucy’s mouth trembled. “Well, I hope you’ve made the correct selection for me, Mother.”
Her mother’s unsettled expression said Lucy was about to be disappointed. But she was in for a huge surprise.
“In fact, we do have an arranged marriage with the Grey family on Earth, and one of the reasons we travelled here is to see what their operation looked like. We wanted to ensure that their son was good enough for one of our daughters.”
“And is their operation good enough, is their son?” Which son was chosen? That was the better question in Lucy’s mind.
Her mother nodded reluctantly, and glanced around the large space. “Yes. It’s acceptable.” Lucy released a breath she hadn’t realized she held. Even though her mother sounded like the operation here was barely suitable.
“Am I supposed to marry Axel Grey?” Lucy sucked in a deep breath, willing her mother to say there was a chance for them to be together.Don’t name another brother. Don’t name another brother.
“Axel Zebulon Grey has been named in the arranged marriage document.” She paused and frowned. “But he will marry Francine.”What? No!
“But why?” Lucy asked, her voice barely below a squeal.
“He’s the second son and she’s our second daughter. As you well know, it’s good luck for the second born to marry a second born and—”
“No,” Lucy said, shaking her head. “That is just a foolish ancient legend,” she added under her breath. Her mother kept talking, but Lucy stopped listening to her justifications for the match once she heard the man she’d cared deeply for had been selected for Francine, her very best friend in the world.
Axel in an arranged marriage to Francine was so much worse than having to marry some other stranger.
Chapter Seven
Axel watched as Lucy and Mrs. Duvall marched away at a quick clip. Women sure could walk fast when they were angry. His mother could, too. And with a house full of boys, she’d done a lot of angry marching around in her time. That made him wonder what his mother would think of Lucy. He was certain she’d love any girl he did, and wished his folks were already in town.
His parents were due back from a lengthy RV trip of the United States next week. When they returned, Axel planned to ask about the arranged marriage first thing. He knew they’d set one up with an Alpha-Prime family long ago. He’d never heard the details, just speculation. It was time to ensure he wasn’t the one who was set to marry some stranger. Because if that was the case, he wasn’t going to do it. They’d have to find another brother.
Maybe they could pawn it off on Jack like they did most things. A smile registered and Axel wondered when, if ever, Jack would draw a line in the sand and say, “No more!”
