He had a heart attack. What are people not understanding about that? He shouldn’t be smoking.
“Not at all.” Father waves them in. “I was just telling Theodore the good news about Walinda’s willingness to marry.”
I glance over at Walinda, and she’s practically frothing while staring at me.
Wait, is she staring at me or my armpits? Can’t be sure, but my arms will sure as hell be clamped down while she’s around.
My father glares at me while he says, “Given the circumstances of our family and who your sister has chosen to be with, I think this arrangement will be best. Both parties agree and we can move on to wedding planning.”
I’m going to say it right now. Both parties DO NOT agree.
But that one little phrase—“who your sister has chosen to be with”—feels like a threat. A tool in his corrupt toolbox that he’s been waiting to use on me, because he knows how close I am with her. He knows I would do anything for her. Is he…is he going to pit me against Elizabeth for my happiness?
Mum claps her hands behind me and says, “I’ll work with Balinda and Walinda on the arrangements.” Oh right, the mum and daughter have rhyming names. How could I forget that? “I think we can have something up and running in two weeks’ time, but we must work fast.”
“Two weeks?” I stand from my chair. “Hang on a second. I didn’t have any say?—”
“Theo, I think it’s best that you let your mother handle this,” Father says while clutching his chest. “I…I think I need some rest. If you’ll excuse my uncouth behavior, Neil, I must get some sleep.”
“Of course,” Neil says. “Walinda, why don’t you go with Lady Williams and start planning?”
Walinda twiddles her fingers at me and then takes off with my mother, Neil following close behind.
When they’re gone, I turn to my father, who is pretending to sleep.
“Father, I am not marrying her.”
“Please, Theodore, my rest.”
“You were smoking a cigar a minute ago. You don’t need rest; you’re just trying to dismiss me so you can get your way.”
His head snaps up. “I’m trying to save this family lineage, and because your sister has decided to be with a woman, thatleaves you. You are the one who has to carry the responsibility of our name. And as you said, you are more than willing to get married, so prove to me that you mean it.”
“That’s not fair, Father,” Elizabeth says. “There’s more to life than carrying on a family name.”
“Of course you would think that,” Father spews. “Given your life decisions, it’s clear you have no affection for this family. If it weren’t for the perception that disowning you might bring, I would very well do such a thing.”
“Hey,” I snap and put my arm around Elizabeth so she knows what he is saying is completely unacceptable. No one should treat anyone like this, let alone their very own child. “Elizabeth can live her life however she so chooses, and the life she has chosen is a beautiful one. Her relationship with Hannah is real and loving. It’s unlike anything you and Mother have ever shared.”
Father doesn’t seem to be bothered by my outburst in the slightest as he nestles into his pillow. “Yes, that’s because your mother was chosen for me, just like Walinda is chosen for you. Your sister doesn’t seem to understand the duty that comes along with being in a family of our stature. So therefore, as I said before, the burden falls on you, unless you want me to upend your sister’s entire life and make it hell. Now, not another word of this.” Father snaps his fingers, and his butler walks up to us, directing us out of the room, my heart pounding from his last comment.
When we’re in the hallway, I turn to Elizabeth, my heart ripping in my chest for her. “Please don’t let anything he said get to your?—”
“You can’t follow through on this,” she says, her expression dead serious.
“What?”
“This deplorable idea of choosing a mate for you. You can’t let him get away with it. I don’t care what he says about lineage and all of that bullshit. This is your life and you’re not about to throw it away because he has some idea in his head that he can control you.”
I know she’s right.
But for some reason, there’s this voice in the back of my head holding me back from verbally agreeing with her, maybe because I know what he’s capable of.
Maybe it’s my father’s voice, constantly berating me about duty and who I’m supposed to be. Who I’m expected to be.
Maybe because I fear what he might do to Elizabeth given the opportunity.
Maybe because I know he’s a master manipulator and I could see him manipulating Hannah to the point of breaking things off with Elizabeth.
