41Chapter 9
The Baron on Glaston looked at his son with astonishment, not believing the words that had just come out of the boy's mouth.
"You want…to get married?"
"Yes Father."
"While I'm pleased to hear you are ready to settle down, you have always hated the idea. Why now?"
"I guess I just hadn't found the right girl."
The Baron looked at his son suspiciously, knowing full well about his son's womanizing habits. Of course, they were learned from his father, so the man couldn't really fault him. The men in his family had never seen any benefit to monogamy anyway…
"Very well, who is it?"
"Lady Regina Dunsmore."
"Lord Dunsmore's younger daughter? Isn't she intended for….oh, I see."
Immediately the situation made sense. The Baron knew Edward could never stand to be in the Crown Prince's shadow, and stealing his wife out from under him would certainly anger the future monarch.
The Baron lowered his voice and beckoned his son to learn closer. "I know you have a personal vendetta against the Prince, but we don't need any extra suspicion heaped upon us. It could ruin everything."
Edward of course knew of the secret plans to which his father was referring. There were many who believed the King and Queen had grown soft in their old age. Many desired a firmer hand in the monarchy, and the Baron was leading the underground movement.
"If we could afford to openly challenge the King and Queen, I would be able to indulge your whim, but we cannot take the risk of jeopardizing the assassinations."
When his father had first told him of the plan to get rid of the current monarchy, Edward was appalled at the harshness of the plan. However, over the years it had taken his father to quietly gather the necessary supporters, Edward had seethed at the praise constantly heaped upon James. The best swordsman at court, the most sought after by women, the list went on. Edward could be twice the king James would, and soon he would be able to prove it. Taking Regina from James would be the perfect way to best him once and for all. He didn't assume any feelings between the two, but he knew enough about James' pride to know the other boy would not take the insult lightly.
"But Father, perhaps my marriage to Regina would provide a distraction. With James furious over losing his wife, he could become careless, and if he got the King involved, it might help your plans."
The earnestness in his son's voice surprised the Baron. This girl must be something for Edward to argue to her this passionately. He considered Edward's argument. While it wasn't really an ideal situation, he had to admit stealing the Prince's bride did hold some appeal. The boy was too self-righteous for his own good, and it would be very pleasing indeed to see him humiliated. Besides, he had spoiled his only son horribly his entire life, and it didn't seem like things were going to change now.
"I'll talk to Lord Dunsmore and see what I can arrange."
"Do you think you can get him to agree?" asked Edward, slightly astonished that his father was willing to go along with his plan.
"My boy, I've taken courtiers loyal to the King and Queen their entire lives and convinced them to help me plot their murders – this situation shouldn't be difficult to arrange."
Edward smiled at his father's cunning – the man could convince anyone to do anything. He thanked his father and left the study with a spring in his step.
Soon I'll have Regina and the crown, and James will have nothing.
Edward's cruel laughter echoed off the pristine marble as he proceeded down the corridor, ecstatic that things were finally beginning to work out in his favor.
Ryan's father hadn't spoken to her in a week. Ben tried to tell her that he would calm down and things would return to normal, but they both knew better. She had betrayed his trust, and there was no going back.
Ryan developed an almost obsessive work ethic, tirelessly organizing the menus for meals, the cleaning of the mansion, her father's many social engagements, and her own lessons. She woke before dawn and went to bed long after the sun had set. She even began to allow her maids to dress her properly and arrange her hair every day, a practice she had always shunned. Despite her new ladylike appearance, it was clear to all that knew her that the sparkle in her pale blue eyes was absent, and her usually graceful movements became stiff and automatic.
She thought that if she buried herself under a mountain of work, she wouldn't realize how miserable she was. She was too exhausted all of the time to even have the energy to think about James. She would just be torturing herself anyway if she thought of him.
When Henry found her in the library late one afternoon, he informed Ryan that her father wished to see her.
Trying to ignore the fact that her blood had turned to ice with dread, Ryan shuffled down the long corridor to her father's study. She knocked timidly, and cautiously entered.
The cold look in her father's eyes as she entered shattered any small hope of earning his forgiveness. Ryan had always been treasured by her father, and it hurt more than she would have imagined to see him so set against her.
"Sit down, Regina."
Ryan quickly obeyed, remaining silent. She had been thinking all week about how to approach him, but she could never come up with anything better than "I'm sorry" and "I never meant to hurt you" which she knew he would neither believe nor accept.
"As you know, Regina, I have for some time been looking for a suitable husband for you. I have found one."
The finality of his tone made her stomach drop. Without thinking, she blurted out, "The Prince?"
"No."
Regina was surprised to say the least. She had been mentally preparing herself for weeks to be married to the Crown Prince. After all the work her father had done, her meetings with the Queen, she was engaged to another man?
"Who?" she asked, her voice so small she wasn't sure if her father had heard.
"Edward Charles, the heir to the Barony at Glaston."
Something in Ryan broke, and the careful image of submission and resignation she had been trying to project over the past week shattered.
"Father no! I can't-"
"You will marry Edward, you foolish, spoiled girl. I'll hear no more of your excuses!"
"He's horrible! Even the way he looks at me is indecent!"
"I hardly find it criminal for a man to be attracted to his fiancée."
"But-"
"I swear, Ryan, if you say one more word, heaven help you."
The use of the familiar nickname in such a harsh context stunned Ryan into silence. She knew her father wasn't a bad man and that he loved her, but she had pushed him too far. A parent could only take so much rebellion, and her father had reached a breaking point.
"Is this what we've come to?" she choked out, trying hard not to be overcome by sobs.
"I can't control you anymore. It's time to turn you over to somehow who can." And with that, Lord Dunsmore rose from his desk and briskly strode from the room closely the door to the study firmly behind him. Unable to hold in her grief any longer, Ryan collapsed onto the rug.
Losing James and then having her father give her to a man she was disgusted by and despised was too much. She was so wrapped up in her sorrow, that she lashed out when she felt a touch on her shoulder.
"God, Ryan, what happened?"
Ben's heart felt like it was breaking as he looking into his sister's pale eyes shining with tears. He had always loved her spirit and confidence, but that girl wasn't the one currently in front of him. Ryan looked so broken that for the first time he doubted his ability to make things right again. It tore at him that he couldn't protect her. He pulled her close and she collapsed into his arms, her sobbing increasing. He just rocked her and stroked her hair, waiting for her to calm down enough to tell him what happened.
Ryan felt comforted in Ben's arms, but the way he stroked her hair reminded her of another's embrace. She cried harder, but Ben didn't let go.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the tears started to dry up. After a few more minutes, Ryan found the strength to speak.
"I'm engaged."
"Ryan, I'm so sorry about everything that's happened, but the Prince is a good man, he-"
"It's not him. God, if only it was." She let out a humorless laugh at the irony. "Ben, it's Edward Charles."
"Glaston's son?"
Ryan could only nod, feeling a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill over.
Ben tensed at the revelation of his sister's fiancée. He had heard through court gossip about Edward's cruelty. He would try to break Ryan, and he would enjoy every minute of making her miserable – he would destroy her.
"No. Not him. I can't let father do this. He's just angry, he'll see reason, I'll make him-"
"He won't. He's too furious with me. My so-called betrayal has blinded him to all else. I wonder what the Baron said to get Father to agree to the engagement. I thought my betrothal to the Crown Prince was already decided upon."
"Did you love him, the boy Father caught you with?"
Ryan was startled at the change of subject, but what surprised her more was the instant response that came to her lips, "Yes."
"I'm so sorry, Ryan. The world can be an unfair place."
"It doesn't matter anymore. I've lost him, and nothing will ever be the same."
"I know it doesn't seem this way now, but you'll get through this – you'll be happy again, I promise."
Ryan smiled slightly at her brother, touched by his concern, but he just didn't understand.
There will never be anyone like James. I'm sure he thinks is just infatuation, that it will fade with time and that I'll find someone else to love. I may be able to respect and even grow to care for another man, but I've already given that part of my heart away. The pain of that loss, the part of your soul gone forever, it never goes away.
The Baron couldn't have been more pleased by the furious monarch in front of him, and it took all of his willpower not to show his amusement with the situation.
"Do I understand correctly that Lord Dunsmore has given the hand of his daughter to your son?"
"Yes, he has."
The Baron smiled inwardly to himself. King Creon was a kind, generous man who was not very adept at frightening his subjects. Old fool, no wonder so many want to see him overthrown.
"You were aware of the fact that Lady Regina was to marry James?"
"I had heard rumors, but I assumed it to be little more than court gossip. Surely you would not have me believing everything that the servants say?"
Creon wanted nothing more than to deck the smug man in front of him across the face. Just because he didn't possess the Baron's cruel streak didn't mean his anger was to be taken lightly.
"You will break the betrothal immediately."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
"As your King, I command you to do so."
"And as a loyal subject, I suggest you think of the consequences of that action."
"The only consequence you should be worried about is me stripping you of your lands and title for years of insubordination."
The Baron only smiled at the King's threat. "Allow me to explain to you how this situation will look to the rest of the nobility. My son is currently engaged to the beautiful, wealthy daughter of one of the King's own advisors – a very enviable position indeed. But then, they hear that the King forced the girl to marry his own son instead. They would wonder why, first of all, the King would use his power to steal what rightfully belonged to one of his subjects. More than that, they would wonder why their Crown Prince was incapable of wooing the girl in the first place. Either way, you and your son emerge looking pathetic."
He practically spat the last word out, no longer caring to feign loyalty to the King.
As much as the King would have loved to banish the man, he recalled his many supporters and knew that making a scene over a simple girl would give the Baron the final reason he needed to challenge Creon's power.
The King answered in a low voice, "I swear, I will see you stripped of everything you have. You are poison to this kingdom and to its peace and prosperity. I'll not let you destroy it. I know what you have planned – be warned that I will be ready for you."
And with that the King left behind the Baron, slightly shaken. He knew Creon would not challenge his son's claim to Lady Regina, but the King's parting remark made him wary. There was no way he would call off the assassination, but he would have to be especially careful until the deed was done. And then, contrary to the King's threat, everything would be his.
"The engagement party is tomorrow night," Lord Dunsmore announced the second his son tracked him down in one of his smaller studies.
"Do you have any idea what Edward is like?"
"I don't listen to gossip, Benjamin, you know that."
"He treats women like possessions. He delights in manipulating and breaking them. Is that the kind of person you would give your daughter to?"
"I am quite sure the rumors surrounding the young man are grossly exaggerated. I met him myself and found him quite charming and agreeable. I'm sure Regina will see reason in time. He's a good match for her."
"But Father, listen-"
"No you listen, son. I know you love your sister, but we have both been too indulgent of her behavior. She's a Lady, Benjamin. While I was willing to overlook her boyish habits and social irresponsibility for a while, I trusted her to fulfill her duty to her family. Then I find out she has been masquerading as a commoner, and worse, having a relationship with one! It's simply not acceptable."
"She believes herself in love with him."
"I'm sure she does. The heart of a young girl is a fragile thing, but she will move past this. She doesn't have a choice this time. This is the end of this discussion."
"I can't let her marry him. You must change your mind," Ben said firmly.
Lord Dunsmore's carefully controlled temper exploded. "So now I have two rebellious children?!" he roared. "For the last time, young man, I-"
His sentence was cut off by a crushing pain in his head. His face turned red and he collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
"Father!" Ben cried out, seeing the strong man he had always admired crumple helplessly to the floor.
Ben rolled him over and put his head to his father's forehead. He was still groaning in pain and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. His limbs were limp and though he was trying to speak, his words were muddled.
Ryan had heard the commotion from the hallway and came running in, fearing that her father and brother had come to blows over her. What she saw inside was worse.
"Ben, what happened?" her voice rising in panic.
"Get Henry, now!"
Ryan didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted through the manor, calling the old man's name. She finally found him in one of the sitting rooms, reading a dusty tome.
"Dear child, what's the matter?" he asked as she ran in, her eyes large with fear.
"It's father, he's hurt, or sick, or-"
Henry was moving before she could complete her disjointed thought.
As she ran back behind Henry, her heart burst with guilt. I did this to him. I'm the most ungrateful, spiteful daughter in the world.
Twenty minutes later, Lord Dunsmore was lying in his bed, a cool cloth on his forehead.
"Henry, what's wrong with him?" Ben asked worriedly. He had never seen his father looking so weak.
"I fear your father had a massive stroke." Aside from being a tutor, Henry had vast medical knowledge and served as the family physician in the rare event that someone became ill. Usually it was colds or broken bones – never had he come across anything this serious in person.
"What does that mean?"
"It means he developed a blood clot in his brain. It's too early to know, but he may never speak or walk again."
Ryan gasped in horror.
"It's that serious?" asked a disbelieving Ben.
"I'm afraid so."
"This is my fault," whispered Ryan mostly to herself, but the two men in the room heard her as well.
"Ry, no. This isn't your fault at all."
"If he hadn't been so worried and angry over me, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Your brother is right, Ryan. Stress alone wouldn't have triggered a stroke of this magnitude."
Despite their assurances, Ryan still felt responsible for her father's condition.
"Thank you for your assistance, Henry. I need to talk to my sister."
"Of course. I'll stay the night, so don't hesitate to come and find me if something changes."
"Thank you," said Ben gratefully.
As Henry departed, Ben turned his gaze to his younger sister, who couldn't tear her gaze from their father's pale face.
After a minutes of silence, Ryan finally spoke up, "Oh Ben, what are we going to do?"
"I think it's clear that father can no longer act as Lord."
"Are you ready? We didn't think this would happen for years."
"It doesn't really matter. I have to be ready. Henry will help me. And you, I hope?"
"You don't even have to ask, you know that."
They were silent for a moment more. Feeling horrible about bringing up the situation that caused so much anger and, despite Henry's denial, her father's illness, Ryan had to breach the subject.
"I am supposed to be getting married though."
Ben let out a long breath, remembering that situation.
"I'll try to break it Ryan, I promise, but I don't know if I can."
"Why not? You're the Lord now."
"Well, technically Father will remain Lord – I won't truly inherit now, I'll just assume the responsibilities. And besides, I'm sure the Baron and Edward will hold Father to the contract since he isn't -"
Ben couldn't bring himself to complete the sentence. It was just beginning to sink in that his father was effectively gone. His mind so damaged by the stroke that he wouldn't even be able to recognize and speak to his children.
Ryan was somewhat surprised by the numbness that overtaken her. Between her marriage and the Lord's condition, it simply didn't seem like life could get any worse.
James paced impatiently in the corner of the ballroom. When he heard that Edward was engaged to the Lady Regina, he was beyond furious. Of course, the thought of marrying the girl himself wasn't incredibly appealing, but to have Edward snatch the girl from him was inexcusable.
As future monarch, James was determined to punish him for his insolence. As a nineteen year old boy not ready to be married, he wanted to hug him.
The one thing about the situation that surprised him was his father. When the King had found out about the betrothal, he had stormed out to see Edward's father. When he returned though, he seemed resigned to the situation. When James questioned him about it, his father simply told him that breaking the engagement would cause divisions at court, which he couldn't afford with the Baron poisoning loyal nobles with lies and false promises of wealth and power.
James suddenly saw a tall brown head over the rest. He moved quickly through the crowd to catch up with his friend, who did not appear to be enjoying his sister's engagement party.
"Ben, wait."
When his friend turned around, James felt the urge to recoil from the burning gaze. It lightened somewhat as it landed on James, but the expression was still deeply troubled.
"Are you alright? I heard about your father…I'm so sorry."
Ben nodded his thanks, pushing his father from his mind. If he was going to get through the night, he couldn't think about it.
"I would give anything to stop this," he said, his voice tight with rage.
"The engagement?"
"We both know how Edward treats women. It makes my physically sick to think of my sister married to him. I tried to tell my father before…" he stopped to keep his voice from shaking, then continued, "but now there's nothing I can do. Father can't change his mind, and I don't have the power to break the contract."
"If I could help you, Ben, I would. Trust me, my father was furious when he found out that the Baron and Edward went behind his back. But his hands are tied too – starting a fight over your sister would only cause unrest at court and could lead to a civil war."
Ben nodded and sighed. "I just wish she could marry you. You would have made her happy."
James was flattered by his friend's compliment, but still felt awkward about the whole situation. They both knew Regina was supposed to marry James, but they had never really discussed it.
They both turned to the front of the ballroom as the heralds played a few, loud notes on their trumpets to signal the entrance of the king and queen.
"I'll find you later," James promised Ben as he ran to take his place on the dais next to his parents, straightening the gold circlet on his dark, curly hair as he went.
Once the royals were seated at their thrones, another few notes were played, and the Baron and Edward entered the ballroom, both wearing grins so smug that James wanted to do Edward some serious bodily harm.
It wasn't unusual for the King to introduce a newly engaged couple to the court, both as a symbol of his blessing of the union and to keep marriage agreements in the open so there would be no confusion as to who was attached and who was not.
As the King stepped forward to introduce Edward, which he did calmly and politely, James noticed the tightness of his jaw, showing he too was struggling not to let his anger break free. James let his mind wander through most of the formalities, taking in the decadence of the room, and wishing he could escape it all.
Finally, the trumpets sounded a third time, signaling the entrance of Edward's fiancée. James had to admit he was curious to see the girl, both because she was his friend's sister and he was the one originally to have married her. He knew she must be beautiful if Edward wanted her so badly – his shallowness was quite predicable.
With all of the light in the room reflecting off silver platters, crystal chandeliers, and brightly colored silk, it was difficult to distinguish what the girl looked like as she descended the stairs at the opposite end of the room. He noticed she was dressed in an elegant emerald gown in a fashionable cut that showed off her slim figure, but was nowhere near as revealing as those of some of the more daring noble girls.
As she approached the dais, her head was tilted down, preventing James from seeing her face. While she curtseyed, he noticed her hair was a familiar shade of auburn. His stomach filled with dread as the girl lifted her head to look at the royal family, her lovely face expressionless.
As she turned to face the Crown Prince, James felt his world shatter.
A herald stepped forward, "The Lady Regina Dunsmore, Your Highnesses."
Ryan.
Ok, admittedly, this one was a cliffhanger. I didn't think the rest of my chapters were too bad in that sense, I just stopped them where it seemed natural. Well this has got to be some kind of update record for me, even if it came at the expense of being productive at my job. Hope you liked it, I'll try to get another one out soon since I'm getting to the good stuff!