Arranged

2

William

"Father, I am not going to marry this woman! That is final."

I was shouting and shaking with supressed anger. He looked at me confusedly, walking over to put a hand on my shoulder.

"William- I'm not asking you to marry her today. I'm asking you to remain present and civilized during tea. She is just as flustered about this as you are, and you both have to realize that you must cooperate to come out of this situation quickly."

I sighed. He may have been right. I nodded solemnly and quieted my anger for his next request.

"Go outside for some fresh air. We must all get out bearings on this issue."

---
Cosette

The corporate ownership meeting at the Times went as expected, and we were re-chartered for another year. The meeting ended a bit after noon so I ran back to my flat to get changed into something more flattering.

In the end I decided on a lavender blouse, pencil skirt, and simple heels to remain comfortable but business casual.

As promised, a car came at 1:30, and the driver knocked on my door with an athoritative hand. I answered it expectantly.

"Miss Winters?"

"Yes, Sir."

I held my hand out for him to shake, which he seemed rather taken aback at. He took me out to the car and suprised me yet again when he opened the door for me. I passed the time in the car by making mental notes to myself: No handshakes (to staff?). Expect the unexpected. Remain calm, no matter the cost.

The last note seemed the most prevalent when we finally rolled into the yard of the Duke's palatial home. I swallowed involuntarily, feeling my mouth go dry at the circumstances. For some odd reason, I couldn't shake the feeling of dejâ-vu as I walked up to the front door.

My door was opened for me, and I stepped out to be face-to-face with Duke Evernorth himself. He smiled kindly at me, his eyes wrinkling ever so slightly with emotion.

"Welcome, Miss Winters, please come in. Meet my lawyer, Andrew Pierce."

Mr. Pierce stood up nervously and met my outstretched hand, searching my eyes as he shook it.

"Please, call me Andrew."

I feigned a blush while he looked down and I said: "Cosette."

And I had to admit, the man was rather attractive in a quiet kind of way. His most interesting feature, I daresay were his eyes. They were a dark, stormy blue that seemed turbulent when you looked into them.

"Well," the Duke began, "now that the formalities have been done, let's discuss business, shall we?"

I shared a nod with Andrew as we all sat down together. A butler with tea was promptly shooed away after a few seconds of silence. Andrew seemed avid to begin the conversation.

"I suppose that we should start with discussing the facts. Miss Winters, Cosette, I hear that you are in fact engaged to marry within the next two months?"

I nodded slowly.

"Yes, to one of the Times' corporate sponsors, Robert Carinthe."