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“I don’t recall any insults.”

“His mere rejection of you is the highest form.”

“I am not so very injured by that.”

And that was the truth. She was well aware of the look of approval in Mr. Charles Shepherd’s eyes when he’d first noticed her. In truth, she had been pleasantly surprised by his features, as well.

She glanced beyond Father’s shoulder now, stealing another glimpse of the younger Mr. Shepherd. He was as tall as he’d appeared on the drive, with a thick, dark mane and a shadow of facial hair already appearing across his jawline. Wrinkles jutted out from his eyes, indicative of how often he must smile, but his lips held no sign of anything other than a frown as he spoke animatedly to his parents, their own hands raised in order to quiet his words.

Poor man. He had clearly received the shock of his life. That being said, how could Marie consider his actions a rejection when he’d never agreed to the marriage in the first place?

“Well,” Father said gruffly, “whether you are offended or not, the man will be made to follow through with the arrangement.”

Marie hesitated, her mouth hovering open, the words on the tip of her tongue.

Father stared hard. “Do not tell me you have a mind to reject this proposal now, too.”

“No, Father. Of course not. However, surely you can see circumstances have changed. I agreed to the marriage when I was under the impression that he wished to marry me. Now that the truth has been revealed...”

She couldn’t finish her statement. Father appeared ready to blast steam from his nose like a kettle.

When plans were made, and those plans did not come to fruition due to another’s actions, Father could hardly stand it, whether it was dinner parties falling through or trips being cancelled.

“Being reliable is important,” he always said. “Being trustworthy is even more so.”

She reached forward, placing a soothing hand on his arm. “Father, you know I will follow through with this wedding.”

Instantly, his breathing settled.

“I was only saying,” she continued carefully, “that there might be other options for me now.”

Father stared, clearly shocked at the way Marie was not reacting—offended or otherwise.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t feeling anything. She’d never felt so many emotions all at once. Humiliation, relief, confusion. They threatened to overwhelm her, but she did as she always did in situations that unearthed her ground—took a deep breath, imagined standing before a calm brook, and moved forward with confidence.

“I’m sorry, but there are no other options,” Father pressed. “This is your one chance at having a future.”

So she’d been told for months.

Marie had never wanted to marry a stranger. She’d hoped to be able to remain with her parents and have more of a chance at finding a spouse she actually loved. Her parents were well enough off to live comfortably the rest of their days. Surely they wouldn’t mind providing for her.

Yet, Marie had no desire to become a burden on them. Indeed, that was why she’d agreed to the wedding. Well, that and because she believed Mr. Shepherd had wanted to marry her. After all, finding a man who wanted an arranged marriage—a man who was not in his late fifties, to be exact—was becoming more and more difficult.

But now that she knew Mr. Shepherd wished for nothing less, she wasn’t entirely torn up about having to change her plans. She had no desire to marry a man who responded in such a satirical way to a matter as delicate and serious as an arranged marriage. She far preferred a husband who could be serious, relied upon, and courteous—all of which Mr. Charles Shepherd was not.

“We have discussed this in great length, Marie,” Father said, bringing her back down to earth. “A union with the Shepherd family will be your best chance at having a happy future.”

Marie glanced at the Shepherd family. She had grown to love Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd in the last year. They were exactly the sort of people she would wish to be connected to—kind, caring, comforting. She’d believed she would feel the same way about their son. After all, the apple couldn’t fall too far from the tree.

Unfortunately, while it appeared that Charles’s apple did fall nearby, it was now rotting slowly beneath the great shade of his parents’ branches.

“I love Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd,” she said softly, “as you well know. And a union with their son seemed a good idea. However, I do not wish to force a man to be yoked with me. Surely we can find someone else.”

Slowly, Father shook his head. “My darling girl. How I love you and your optimism. But the world is a cruel place, and men cannot look past the years a woman has lived.”

Marie knew that to her cost. “What if my dowry was a degree larger?”

“We tried that before. None of it works. And you know as well as I if this marriage does not go through, your reputation will be ruined, and any hope of another marriage will be utterly lost.”