An Acceptable Marriage (BOOK 5)

Chapter 3

"Marriage can wait, education cannot."

― Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns

The next few days passed with barely any mention of Oliver's marital situation. Arabella was thankful for the peace and spent the days happily, either with her siblings or her few close friends.

"He's really a charming man, I'm so pleased papa invited the family for supper," Arabella's oldest and dearest friend Frances was saying. She was the daughter of a local vicar and her uncle was a member of Parliament. She and Arabella had met when they were little children and had been fast friends ever since.

"Do you think your father would let you marry him?"

"Most likely not, my father encourages me to study first," Frances sighed wearily, eliciting a soft laugh from Lilly, who was lounging in a chair across the room, a book open on her lap.

"Your father is a smart man," she said, turning a page idly.

"But what would I study? And why? If I am to marry well than there is no need for me. I did my time at the village school, why should I carry on?"

"Because a learned woman is a force to be reckoned with and, if you're really insistent on marriage, you will find that most men would rather marry an educated lady than not. What does your father have in mind?"

"There is a woman in town, a newcomer, a Negro, who is very educated and papa wants her to teach me."

"I think you should consider that offer," Lilly said, "I would if I were you."

"Who is this woman?" Arabella cut in.

"Her name is Ayoka, she studied in a missionary school in Africa and came over to England recently. She speaks English, French and Portuguese as well as her native tongue," Frances recited this automatically without any interest, though Arabella's curiosity was peaked.

"She sounds interesting. Have you met her?"

"Yes, she came for tea yesterday. She's very pretty."

"I'd like to meet her and I think you'd do well to learn from her. But I'm going to go see Charlotte," Lilly stretched and stood, plucking an almond biscuit from the plate the two girls had been sharing.

"What about you?" Frances turned to Arabella. "Is there any fellow who's caught your fancy?"

"Well not really, but I did meet someone at my sister's ball."

"Oh, I'm sorry I missed that by the way."

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. It's worrying how many people are falling ill though."

"God forbid it reaches the children. But anyway, tell me about this fellow."

"His name is Bertram Cook, he's a baron and he's very handsome."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and charming and honest or well I think he is. That's the impression I got anyway."

"He lives in Norfolk?"

"Yes, his estate about half an hour way I think. Everyone but Ollie and I went there for his sister's birthday party a few weeks ago."

"And is marriage a possibility?"

"Really Franny, I just met him," Arabella laughed. "I think you're going a little ahead of yourself."

"I know but it's always a possibility."

"Well yes, Richard did briefly mentioned a match between us," Arabella stopped, a biscuit half way to her mouth. She tried to imagine a married life, one where she was the wife of a lord, being the lady of an estate and a mother. What had always seemed like a distant dream suddenly had the possibility of becoming very real and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.