Chapter Seven
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Axel watched as Lucy and Mrs. Duvall marched away at a quick clip. Women sure could walk fast when they were angry. His mother could, too. And with a house full of boys, she’d done a lot of angry marching around in her time. That made him wonder what his mother would think of Lucy. He was certain she’d love any girl he did, and wished his folks were already in town.
His parents were due back from a lengthy RV trip of the United States next week. When they returned, Axel planned to ask about the arranged marriage first thing. He knew they’d set one up with an Alpha-Prime family long ago. He’d never heard the details, just speculation. It was time to ensure he wasn’t the one who was set to marry some stranger. Because if that was the case, he wasn’t going to do it. They’d have to find another brother.
Maybe they could pawn it off on Jack like they did most things. A smile registered and Axel wondered when, if ever, Jack would draw a line in the sand and say, “No more!”
Before meeting Lucy, Axel hadn’t thought much about settling down. Eventually he would want a family of his own, but he hadn’t met anyone who made him want to bend the rules or consider a future down the marriage-and-kids road.
Two minutes with Lucy and he was picturing their wedding outdoors in the woods in a small meadow within sight of Alienn, Arkansas’s water tower with a grinning Maxwell the Martian dangling off the side. There had been a couple of weddings there before and if he got any say at all, that was his choice, weather permitting.
Patmore cleared his throat. He launched into what was sure to be a lengthy sermon. “Mrs. Duvall wasn’t very happy to discover—”
“Would you be surprised to learn that I don’t care about what Mrs. Duvall had to say? I especially don’t want to hear it repeated by you.” Axel wasn’t typically so surly, but the possibility that Lucy wasn’t going to be in his future made him extra cranky.
Patmore slammed his lips together in a line. He sniffed twice and walked away without another word.
Axel didn’t care if Patmore was miffed. He wanted to find out whether Lucy stood a chance of getting out of the employ of the Duvall family or if she was some sort of indentured servant.
How could he find that out? He searched his memory and an idea flashed the perfect answer in his mind. He knew exactly who he could ask.
Axel went back out to the parking lot, hopped into his truck and headed for Cam’s property by the lake and the house he was renovating. Axel parked next to Cam’s SUV and headed to the newly installed ornate door.
Before he could knock, Ria opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “Axel? What are you doing out here? Cam is in town.”
“I know. He’s at work. Actually, I came to talk to you.”
“Me? Huh. Okay.” His sister-in-law’s eyes narrowed with curiosity but she stepped aside to let him in. “Don’t mind the mess, we’re tearing down the hallway bathroom and, well,” she paused as if trying to find the right explanation. “It’s been a long ride on the struggle bus this week.”
Axel grinned. “Aunt Dixie taught you about the struggle bus, did she?”
“Perhaps.”
Axel knew all about riding the struggle bus. “No worries. This won’t take long.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“Do you know the Duvall family on Alpha-Prime?”
Her eyes widened, and her brows went to her hairline. “The Duvall family, of the Designer class, you mean?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Them. What can you tell me?”
“Um. They are rich beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. They have a family of five daughters and it’s pretty common knowledge that every single one has had an arranged marriage set up since they were born.”
“Okay. Whatever. I’d really like to know more about their servants.”
Her brows scrunched. “Their servants?”
“Yeah. Do you know anything about them?”
“Like what?”
“Are they indentured servants? Do they have free will over their employment? Do you know?”
Ria shrugged. “Can’t say. Indentured servants aren’t as common as they once were. Usually the bonded employees are similar to someone like my mother, who was once part of the upper class, lost all their money, but didn’t want to exit the trappings of living alongside the upper class, so they work for them.
“As far as the Duvall family is concerned, the number of employees is likely vast, but I don’t know the arrangements about their service or if they have any bonded employees. I’m dying to ask why you want to know. Am I allowed to ask that?”
Axel grinned. Thinking about Lucy made him happy and smiley. “I met a girl in the gift shop when the Royal Caldera Forte came to port earlier this month.”
Ria crossed her arms and a wily grin shaped her mouth. “Do tell.”
“She’s amazing. She’s inquisitive. She’s easy to talk to. I love dancing with her and her kisses make me swoon.”
“Swoon? Really? And you’ve already kissed her and danced with her?”
He nodded. “In fact, she kissed me first. And she kept doing it, so I kept letting her.”
Her grin was infectious. “Go, Axel. Good for you. I’m glad you found someone you like. So how do you know she works for the Duvall family?”
“Director Patmore spoke to her employer and called her Mrs. Duvall in the store when she and I were about to have a clandestine meeting. I had to stare at the snack shelf and pretend I didn’t know her until Mrs. Duvall and Patmore finally left.”
“Wow. A clandestine meeting? Pretending to not know her? Sounds exciting.”
“It’s awesome. I snuck her out to the swimming hole, but Cam caught us and made us go back because the Duvalls were looking for her.”
“I can’t wait to hear what Cam says. I’ll be sure to grill him when he gets home.”
“Tell him not to let it happen again.”
She nodded. “And she works for the Duvall family, you say? So interesting. I went to a birthday party for one of the sisters a few years ago on Alpha-Prime. My mother was hoping I could maybe snag a rich Duvall cousin to marry.” She rolled her eyes, then brightened. “You know what? Maybe I’ve met her. What does she look like?”
“She has gorgeous light green eyes. Her dark blond hair has red and gold streaks. She has the sweetest disposition and a giggle that makes my soul happy. She even danced with me in public.”
Ria frowned. “Wait a minute. Red and gold streaks in dark blonde hair?”
“Yep. Why? What’s up?”
“Are you sure she isn’t one of the Duvall daughters?”
Axel shook his head. “I don’t think so. She wasn’t dressed up or anything. And she wasn’t wearing a ton of makeup.”
Ria rolled her eyes. “Neither was I when I left the Royal Caldera Forte during last month’s port of call.”
“But she isn’t imperiously snippy.”
She scowled. “Neither am I.”
“And she’s sweet and nice and—”
“Are you trying to make me mad?”
“No. It’s just that most of the Alpha-Prime royalty I’ve met are snippy, overdressed and rude. But you are none of those things. You are awesome. Can you help me?”
“I don’t know how to. I don’t know anything about their servants, but I did meet all the daughters.” Ria said, “Wait. I think I have a picture.”
“Of what?”
“The Duvall sisters.”
She grabbed an electronic tablet, turned it on and swiped through several screens until she found the one she sought. “Here. The Duvall family from a few years ago. Does this look like her, the redhead?”
Axel focused on the formal photograph of several people. He recognized the older woman from the convenience store. He stuck a finger on the mother’s face. “That’s Mrs. Duvall. She looks really good for how old she must be to have kids in their twenties, but she can give a death stare like nobody’s business.”
“Well, she’s a mom. All moms can give a really good death stare when they need to. My mother, for example, does a premium death stare. I’ll have her show you one of these days.”
Axel laughed. “No need. I can easily picture your mother giving you a really great death stare.”
“What about your mom? Does she have a really great death stare?”
“I don’t remember the death stare as much. I do remember that she can march really fast when she’s mad and has you by the scruff of your collar. Lucy’s employer can walk really fast, just like my mom.”
Ria and Axel turned back to the tablet.
Axel studied the photograph, looking at each of the girls in stair step order between the parents. The father looked very stern. Axel figured he was quite different from his own father, Zebulon. Axel’s father was fun-loving and always ready to talk if any of the boys needed to, which was rare because boys don’t talk so much. But he listened and he showed them all how to do things. Overall, he was a quiet soul, a thinker.
But then Axel saw something unexpected. He squinted. He leaned his face closer to the tablet. No! It can’t be. Dead center in the picture of the Duvall family. Lucy. She was a Duvall. She was a daughter in a Designer family. Royalty. His mouth fell open for a minute as he took in the distressing information.
“What’s wrong?” Ria asked.
“Lucy’s in the middle. She’s in the picture. I can’t believe it. She is a Duvall.”
“I hate to be the one to remind you, but all of the Duvall sisters have arranged marriages. Every single one of them. The family brags about it.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “What am I gonna do?”
Ria put a hand on his shoulder. “What do you want to do?”
Axel opened his eyes with an added measure of spunk. “I want to marry Lucy Duvall. Arranged marriage or not, I will marry her, no matter what it takes.”
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Lucy was crushed. Emotionally crushed. Her heart ached. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. What was she going to do? Francine could not marry Axel Grey. She just could not.
“Lucinda, I am speaking to you.” Her mother stood in front of her with that look on her face. The look that said she needed to behave and get with the program. Well, Lucy didn’t want to behave or get with any program that said her sister was supposed to marry the man she was falling for.
“What if I’m in love with Axel Grey?”
Adeline Duvall huffed. “Love? You’re in love with someone you only met today?”
“I didn’t meet him today. We met ten days ago when the Royal Caldera Forte docked.”
“You barely know him.”
“What can I say, Mother? I knew he was special the moment we met. I was half in love the moment we danced.”
Her mother looked scandalized. “You danced with your sister’s future bridegroom?”
“Well, I didn’t know he was promised to Francine, did I?”
“Do not take that attitude with me, Lucinda.”
“I don’t know what other attitude to take with you, Mother. It has suddenly become clear to me why so many people my age hate arranged marriages. It’s barbaric. It’s wildly unfair. I do not want to marry some stranger. In fact, I do not want to marry anyone except Axel Grey. And I think you should be the one to worry about it not me. Because hear me when I say I will never marry the man you have selected for me. I will only marry Axel Grey. The end.”
“Lucinda, your father and I—”
Lucy closed her eyes and turned her back on her mother. “I don’t want to hear your fanciful explanations for why I need to marry some stranger I’ve never met and I don’t love.”
She heard her mother push out a long sigh. A very long, angry sigh. However, Lucy wasn’t going to give in.
“Lucinda, I understand this is an overwhelming situation. Therefore, I will give you some time to accept your fate. Your sister Francine is in an arranged marriage with Axel Zebulon Grey. It has been arranged for more than two decades. I know this is new information, however, you need to get used to the idea. It’s not going to change.
“Do you want to hear about the young man we have chosen for your arranged marriage? I truly think you’ll like him. Or do you need some more time to think about it?”
“There is no amount of time in which I will change my mind. So sure, you can tell me about the man I will not marry.” Lucy turned to face her mother, arms crossed. She stared directly into her mother’s surprised gaze. She expected the older woman to be angrier, but she was obviously taken off guard by Lucy’s new bold attitude.
“It’s true. You don’t have to marry the young man we’ve chosen for you. But then you would be cast out of our household forever. Is that what you want?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. That was a popular threat. Do what we say or we’ll kick you out onto the street or out of the protected sphere into the wicked dangerous Outer Basin deserts of Alpha-Prime.
“What I want is to marry Axel Grey. How can we make that happen?”
“Don’t be foolish, Lucinda. That will not happen. Get that idea out of your head right now.”
“No. I don’t want to. I love him.”
“That’s unfortunate because trust me when I tell you that your sister Francine will marry Axel Grey. And if you tell her who her future husband is before we’re ready to announce it, then I will be very angry and there will be consequences. I didn’t tell you so you could inform her of her fate. I told you to make you understand the reality of your circumstances.”
Lucy squinted. Her mother had read her mind. That was precisely what she had planned to do. She wanted to tell Francine about who she had to marry and then planned to talk her out of it. All of a sudden, something occurred to her.
Would Francine even want to marry Axel Grey? Would she want to live on Earth? They talked about lots of things, but the prospect of living on Earth had never come up.
“Francine won’t want to live on Earth.”
Her mother frowned. “All of the arranged marriages we have planned come with a lovely home in the best of the protected spheres. She certainly won’t have to live on this backwater colony planet.”
Lucy scowled. Thwarted again. She crossed her arms and thought about what else she could do to ensure this marriage between Axel and Francine never took place. Likely the only way was to have her parents call it off.
Would Francine ever be moved to put her foot down and refuse her own arranged marriage?
Francine used to have a secret crush on someone with the initials H.R., but Lucy wasn’t supposed to know and it had been several years ago. If H.R. was still her sister’s secret crush, Francine wouldn’t want to marry Axel, would she? How could Lucy use that to her advantage?
Depending on who her parents had selected for her, perhaps a trade could be rendered. It was inconceivable that Lucy had been matched up with H.R., but the idea gave her a glimmer of hope. Maybe all was not lost. Once Francine found out Lucy loved Axel she wouldn’t insist on marrying him.
Lucy had been staring at her mother for a long time. Adeline Duvall stared back, her expression wary. Even though her mother’s silence was intended to disarm her, Lucy couldn’t take it. “Are you going to tell me the name of the young man I’m supposed to marry?” Is it H.R. so Francine and I can trade?
“I don’t believe I will.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t trust you. I think you’re up to something. You will find out who your bridegroom is at the same time all of your sisters do.”
“And when will that be?”
Her mother’s expression soured as if she hated to give over any further information, but she said, “Initially, your father and I planned to tell the five of you the month before Drucilla’s birthday. However, I believe we will have a discussion tonight at dinner.” She nodded decisively. “Make sure you dress nicely, Lucinda. I’m sure your sisters will look nice, as they generally do.”
“Wait until they find out the dinnertime subject. You might be surprised about what they will do, generally.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I expect your sisters will all be very happy with the young men we’ve chosen for them and the generous living quarters we’ve arranged in premium places on Alpha-Prime. Just as I believe that you will come to appreciate and learn to love the young man we’ve chosen for you.”
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up on that. And you may also be surprised about the reaction to your commandments of how we will all spend the rest of our lives.” Lucy turned away from her mother again. She wouldn’t have time to speak to Francine before dinner. But they would sit at the table next to each other. Perhaps she would have a chance before dinner started. She pondered the unlikely scenario of any trading options and the excessively slim chance they represented.
If Francine did not want to marry Axel Grey—and Lucy knew she probably wouldn’t, even though he was the most wonderful man in the world—maybe they could trade. They had discussed arranged marriages a long time ago, but they’d been young and excited about the romantic prospect. Things had changed since their fanciful preteen days.
Would her sisters be happy with arranged marriages to strangers? Ardelia maybe, the others, she wasn’t certain.
Maybe the five of them could all band together in a show of force to tell their parents they didn’t want to marry the young strangers chosen for them at birth.
Maybe all of her sisters wanted to fall in love. Francine might have already. Lucy certainly was in love with Axel.
Maybe they would start a trend.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. And maybe unicorns from Earther lore were real and pranced through the galaxy spreading rainbows and sprinkles to all. Not likely.
It wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing important ever was.
While Lucy couldn’t count on success, she could still wish for it. Because if her parents insisted on a marriage between the second-born children, Lucy was never going to be the second born. Third born and middle child never felt so horrible as it did in this moment.
Lucy heard the door to her room close as her mother left without another word. She looked at the clock, noting she had only an hour until dinner. She went to her closet and picked out an actual dress as her mother had suggested. When she showed up to dinner in a dress, her sisters would want to know why. She planned to tell them. Maybe that would throw things off during the pre-dinner cocktail hour.
If nothing else, Lucy planned to sneak off the airship tonight and go find the love of her life for at least one last perfect kiss.