Ordained

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Four

The idea of a bride price had always seemed outdated to Emmeline. She felt awkward at the idea of Cassius buying her from her father. It made her feel like property.

She mulled this over as Cassius led her through the gardens, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she dwelled in thought.

"Emmeline?" Cassius asked her, squeezing her shoulders gently to bring her attention back to him.

Blinking, she looked up, confused to have been pulled from her internal monologue. "Sorry." She hummed.

He shook his head amused, pressing his lips to her forehead for a moment before pulling out her chair. "I thought we would eat lunch in the gardens. You so enjoyed that at the townhouse. I even had a paper fetched." He offered her. Was it only lunch time? It felt like a million years had passed since her carriage ride that morning.

She couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Their relationship had begun with the sharing of a newspaper one fraught breakfast. She cast her mind back, marvelling at how different things were now. There was no threat of Ottilie or Carmen looming over her, and when she took the paper from him, he was offering it rather than her snatching it out of his grasp.

Settling into her seat she closed her eyes to the warmth of the sun. Summer at the Elva family home always smelled of fresh flowers and filled the senses with the gentle sounds of bees as they went about their business enjoying the blooms. "I missed this." She sighed contentedly. It felt nice to get out of her own head for a few moments and just exist.

Cassius chuckled. "I should've done this sooner."

She nodded, making him laugh all the more. "Read the headlines to me."

...

When they were called back to her father's office Emmeline couldn't help but snatching up Cassius' hand. He paused, his hand on the door, as he turned to look at her. There was a lightly bemused expression across his features as he glanced down at where their hands met. "Are you okay?" He mouthed soundlessly.

Taking in a deep breath and squeezing his hand she nodded. She would be just fine if she stuck beside him. Cassius nodded once and pushed the doors open.

She knew that it was foolish, her being so afraid of her father. She wasn't a child, she didn't even live under his roof anymore, so why couldn't she shake off the tension in her stomach that had her cringing away from Killian Elva's deep baritone voice?

"Children, you have re-joined us." With arms open he stood up from his seat behind his desk, Atticus stood behind him like a shadow.

Emmeline went to frown, seeing the Lord and his heir together like this meant that Killian had indeed thought carefully about Cassius' offer. Before she could scowl, Atticus winked at her behind their father's back. A small grin briefly fluttered across her lips before she smoothed her face. This was serious business and should be treated as such.

Cassius settled casually into the dark green leather sofa, pulling Emmeline with him. He knew how she felt about her father and had been sure to keep her within arm's reach at all times. "So, my lord, what have you and your son decided?"

Killian tented his fingers, assessing his young opponent. Emmeline saw Cassius's jaw tense for a second. Maybe he wasn't as confident as he was making her believe. Reaching for him she took his hand, running her thumb over the back of his hand comfortingly. He turned to face her, giving her a smile before turning his attention back to her father.

"Emmeline is very dear to me." Killian began but Cassius made a disapproving noise.

"My lord, let us not begin negotiations on a lie."

Killian's anger was contrasted by his son's look of sadness. Atticus had spent years making up for their father's failings, it was why she was so close with her oldest brother when her father and other siblings had been less kind.

"Very well. I wish for ownership of the diamond mines in the East, and the gold mines in the West of The Northern Peaks."

Emmeline didn't know anything about mines or their value, but the raising of Cassius' eyebrows told her that it was probably a lot. His jaw flexed as he formulated a response.

"No." Emmeline interjected, straightening her back a little as she faced down her father. "They are too valuable to our duchy."

Cassius swivelled in his seat, looking triumphant if not surprised. It was a face that told her he would most definitely be talking to her about this later. She blushed at the mischievous glint in his eyes, knowing all too well where his mind was.

"Your duchy?" Killian demanded; she could tell he wanted to rage at her but was keeping a lid on it because of Cassius' presence.

"As I am the ordained pair of the Grand Duke of Marcellus, so yes. I am the grand duchess of House Marcellus, and I will not let the duchy be stripped of assets in my name." It felt like it took all of the air in her lungs to simply say one sentence. Her muscles cramped against the effort it took not to shake under her father's glare. Compared to the way Carmen had glared at her, she found that her father's gaze felt less crushing than it had before her pairing. She had endured worse than her father, and she knew it.

Cassius tried his best to appear serious, looking down at his lap for a moment to stop himself from smiling so widely. "My love, two mines will hardly ruin us." He reassured.

Emmeline puckered her brow, trying to decide how to reply. "How many mines do we have?"

Cassius hesitated but ran his thumb across her bottom lip. "Enough." Turning back to her father, Cassius countered. "I will give you the mine to the East, and exclusive use of trade routes across Marcellus territories for five years."

It was a good offer. Emmeline knew she didn't know much, but the Marcellus territories were vast, and she could only imagine how many trade routes ran through it. Given that her father made most of his money through trading, it would benefit her family greatly.

"If House Marcellus is paying a bride price, then House Elva should pay my dowry. I know my mother left an amount for me; I wish for it to be paid to me upon our marriage."

"My love." Cassius interjected softly, patting their clasped hands. "We have no need for your dowry, if your allowance is not enough then I will increase it. You will also inherit the duchess' assets upon our marriage. The Duchess Marcellus has had a separate set of accounts for generations."

"Then you will not be needing a dowry, it would seem, Emmeline." There was a mocking tone in her father's voice that rubbed her the wrong way. It wasn't about the money; it was the principle.

Her mother had left a dowry for her and she was entitled to it. It would've been happily forgotten if her father hadn't insisted on a bride price for her. It was her way of levelling the playing field and making things fair. House Marcellus had to pay up? Well then House Elva could do the same.

"My allowance is more than enough, but it is the principle. My mother wished for me to have my dowry, so I shall."

"Darling, I have no need to take money from your family when we both know they cannot spare it. If 30,000 isn't enough, you need only say." He cupped her cheek for a second but she could still see her father's jaw drop out of the corner of her eye. Emmeline's lip twitched, that was a touch too far but her father deserved it. 

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Author's Note:

I love it. 

S x