Chapter Nine
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“Not as much as you might think,” Axel wanted to say, but pressed his lips together, forming a sedate smile that would hopefully keep him from speaking out of turn. He’d promised his parents he wouldn’t embarrass them tonight—a promise that was very difficult to keep since Lucy was in his view, sitting next to the sister he was supposed to marry. It was only a single meal, right? But oh, so difficult.
Axel spent the entire dinner in a funky, uncomfortable place. He wanted to dislike Francine for not being Lucy, but he couldn’t. She was a lovely girl. From what he’d seen of her so far, she was sweet and kind and had a good sense of humor. She just wasn’t the girl he wanted to marry.
Lucy’s mother gave him the stink-eye when no one was looking, but he figured that was because he’d gone on a date with what would now be considered the wrong sister.
While he hadn’t known Lucy long, he had very strong feelings for her. Now he knew who she really was—a Duvall sister and not an indentured servant—and he still wanted to spend his life with her and only her.
With the arranged marriage to her sister formally announced, he wondered how on Earth he’d be able to get out of it. His parents had no idea, which became clear as they wrestled with the situation in the parking lot of the Big Bang Truck Stop beside their travel-stained RV. When the same-day dinner invitation had arrived from the Duvalls, they hadn’t had a chance to review the decades-old document.
It hadn’t escaped his notice that Lucy looked as unhappy as he felt. She hadn’t perked up until he winked at her in a silent signal to convey he cared about her regardless of his arranged marriage issues.
Surely she understood he had to go along with the charade for the sake of good manners during the meal. It wasn’t like he could spend the evening hurling insults at her sister to ensure everyone knew his true choice. Unless he could find a way to marry the sister of his choice, he’d be miserable for a very long time. He couldn’t imagine it would be a happy time for Francine, either.
When her father announced the parents would enjoy aperitifs in the library, Axel’s first thought was to palm a note to Lucy, inviting her to meet him later tonight, then hightail it away from this very awkward dinner. Reality set in. He was unwilling to show his butt to Francine when she was an innocent party in their parents’ matrimonial machinations.
When they stood from the dinner table, Axel got around it in time to help Francine with her chair like a good boy should. He then stuck a hand out to Lucy, shaking her soft fingers. “It was good to meet you.” He paused dramatically before adding, “Lucinda.”
She looked happy and miserable at the same time, but then her eyes widened and he knew she’d registered the note he’d slipped into her hand. She slipped it into the pocket of her very fancy dress. She looked every inch the daughter of a wealthy Designer family, but when she smiled at him, he only saw the perfect woman who’d stolen his heart somewhere between the hidden basement convenience store and a local swimming hole.
He hoped Lucy would be able to meet him near the convenience store at midnight. He also wished he knew what he was going to say to her.
Axel wanted time to read through the arranged marriage documents and possibly find some loophole that said he’d be able to marry the sister he wanted.
Francine didn’t seem to notice their byplay and for that Axel was grateful. She smiled up at him and took the arm he offered her. With one quick backward glance at Lucy, Axel pasted a smile on his face and led Francine from the room.
Axel felt like he should try for some polite conversation. Since he couldn’t say, “I can’t marry you, I love Lucy!” he said, “I would understand if you don’t want to marry a stranger.” He kept his tone low enough so both sets of parents, walking just ahead of them into what he assumed to be the library, couldn’t hear what he’d said.
His heart sank when Francine’s smile melted into a look bordering on worship. “We’ve just had dinner together so we aren’t strangers anymore, not really.”
“I guess.”
“Also, I like you very much. I’m proud that you’ll be a member of my family.”
“Thanks.” Crap. “I like you, too. It’s just that—”
“Besides,” she said, not allowing him to finish the sentence he couldn’t complete anyway. “I believe joining our two families in marriage is a wonderful idea, don’t you?”
“Uh, sure.” Space potatoes. “Yeah, wonderful.” And yet heartbreaking.
They entered a cozy octagon-shaped room filled floor to ceiling with bookshelves on six sides, three on the right and three on the left. His glance took in comfortable seating for ten in the center of the room and a substantial desk opposite the door.
Axel and Francine were directed to the overstuffed loveseat, while each set of parents flanked them on overstuffed sofas. A servant delivered cups of a special drink from Alpha-Prime often used to celebrate the joining of families upon engagement. The guy had apparently followed them into the room. Maybe he’d been in here the whole time and Axel just wasn’t used to having folks serve him.
Likely that was a part of a servant’s overall job description, not to be noticed at any given time.
“A toast,” Francine’s father said, “to the happy couple. May your lifetime together be filled with innovative knowledge, civility of purpose and a well-organized union to set a good example for coming generations.”
Because he was polite and didn’t want to embarrass his parents, Axel lifted his glass in salute of an honor he didn’t want, at least not with Francine. His heart didn’t race when she looked at him, or skip a beat when she took his arm to come into the library. A lifetime in a marriage with a civil companion was not how he’d pictured his life well into his twilight years.
By contrast, merely glancing at Lucy across the table and shaking her hand left him breathless.
Francine put her hand on his forearm and laughed at something his father said about Arkansas. Axel should pay attention, but found the idea of Francine falling for him problematic.
A surge of heat that had nothing to do with Francine’s touch rose in his face. He was remembering Lucy’s kisses at the swimming hole. Axel slapped a pleasant smile in place and half-heartedly tried to ignore the images of Lucy that filled his mind.
Francine squeezed his arm, looking up at him with interest. No! Don’t be interested in me. I love your sister.
The breathless feeling returned for an entirely different reason. Francine didn’t think he was breathless for her, did she? That would be unfortunate and vastly unfair to them both.
Axel didn’t relish the idea of having to fend off his unofficial fiancée while trying to keep thoughts of her younger sister at bay. He needed to figure a way out of this arranged marriage so Lucy could be his bride.
Alpha-Prime’s practice of arranged marriages was not only a scourge but a curse.
Mrs. Duvall drilled him with a knowing stare. She’d seen him with Lucy. Did that explain the impromptu dinner invitation? Was this a warning shot across his bow as to what she expected him to do?
Her level gaze still directed his way, Mrs. Duvall stood, lifted her glass and said, “I know it’s early, and the children have only just met, however, I’d like to propose that we select a suitable date for the nuptials and start the wedding plans right away.”
Francine smiled. “That’s a marvelous idea, Mother.”
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Lucy paced the floor of her room, Axel’s note tucked tightly in one fist. She’d read it ten times already, heart thundering in her chest.
He wanted to meet her at midnight. Perfect. She wanted to meet him, too.
She wished he would have said more in the small missive. He’d added an X and an O below his name, whatever that meant. Must be an Earther symbol. She hoped it didn’t mean prepare yourself for the worst. I’m ditching you in favor of your beautiful sister.
Lucy walked back and forth at first and then in a circle, and then in a figure eight, thinking and planning how she’d sneak out of her room. With her mother on to her, she expected there would be a detection alarm on her bedroom door, ready to expel a strident siren if it opened before breakfast.
Maybe she’d invite Francine into her room and explain her feelings. Perhaps her sister would help her escape for the clandestine meeting.
She still hadn’t decided what to do when, after more than an hour of pacing and planning, Francine knocked on her door. With her signature overloud whisper of, “Lucy!” she opened the door and entered.
Lucy stopped pacing, relieved Francine had come to her without being asked. “What happened?” she asked the moment the door closed.
What she truly wanted to know was whether Axel had said anything about their afternoon together at the swimming hole or the note he’d put in her hand.
Francine exhaled a long sigh. “Isn’t he dreamy?”
What the—?
“What? Who?” Lucy’s eyes narrowed as Francine glided to the nearest chair and practically floated into it.
“Axel, of course, my fiancé. What do you think of him? Dreamy, right?” Francine closed her eyes and sighed again.
“Your fiancé? Did you sign the papers already?” Lucy didn’t mean to sound accusatory.
Francine’s eyes opened to a slit. She gave Lucy a sideways stare. “No. Not yet. But Mother did bring up setting the date and I agreed that we should start making plans as soon as possible.”
“The date!” Lucy practically screeched. No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
Her sister leveled a curious gaze her way. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. I’m just surprised by the whole evening.”
Her sister smiled in a knowing way. “You and me both. I was stunned by the arrival of our unexpected dinner guests.” Francine suddenly sat up straight. “What did Ardelia say after we left? I’ll bet she was mad that her wedding wasn’t discussed first. You know how she is always bragging about being the first one to get married. She’ll be whining about it for the rest of our lives.”
Lucy didn’t know what Ardelia thought. She hadn’t waited around to listen to their eldest sister whine about her life. Likely she was fit to be tied. Lucy didn’t care. She’d followed her parents, the Greys, Francine and Axel right out of the dining room, intending to join them. Unfortunately, a servant accosted her with pointless questions regarding the morning routine, keeping her out of the library until the door closed firmly behind the others.
She sensed her mother’s hand in the diversion.
“I don’t know,” Lucy said. “I came to my room right after dinner.”
Francine nodded. “What did you think of him?”
Lucy swallowed hard. Her sister looked for all the world like a woman in love. But that wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. Lucy loved Axel. But she couldn’t very well shout to the rafters, “How dare you like the man our parents selected for you?”
She lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know.” I do know. He’s wonderful. He’s perfect. He’s the guy I’m in love with.
“Well, he seems very nice. And he’s funny, too.”
“Funny?” I know. He is funny, charming, and did I mention he’s a great dancer?
“Well, amusing, you know. Like he finds the part of every situation that is amusing instead of being cross about everything around him. It’s refreshing to be in the company of someone new and not from Alpha-Prime.”
Lucy was aghast. No, Francine, please don’t fall for him! Help me fight to get you out of this arranged marriage so that I can marry him.
Unable to think of a smoother way to say it, Lucy blurted, “Honestly, Francine, I thought you were in love with someone else.”
That got her sister’s attention. She sat bolt upright in her chair. “What are you talking about? What makes you think there is…someone else?”
Lucy couldn’t see a way out of her gaffe other than admitting the truth. “I might have accidentally seen a passage in your personal journal that you liked someone with the initials H.R. at one time.”
“H.R.?” Francine paled. “You saw that?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mean to look, but I couldn’t ‘unsee’ it afterward, you know?”
Francine stared for a few seconds until color seeped back into to her cheeks. She leaned back in her chair with a soft smile. “That’s okay. It’s no big deal. It was a long time ago. Don’t worry about it.”
“What happened with H.R., if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Nothing came of it. Nothing will ever come of it.” Her smile wavered and she looked forlorn.
“Are you certain?” Lucy was ready, willing and able to start Operation Find Mr. H.R. and make him love Francine. The subtitle of that story was, of course, So that I can have Axel.
“Positive.” Her smile brightened. “And now it doesn’t matter. I’ve got a fiancé. A very nice man that I look forward to marrying.”
“Right.” Lucy tried not to display the utter misery she felt inside.
“So, what do you think of him?”
Lucy cleared her throat. “He seems nice.” She tried to think of other innocuous things to say, but the words, “I love him! I love him! I love him!” kept repeating in her head. She didn’t trust herself to say more.
“Come here and sit with me. I’d like to ask you something very important.”
“Okay.” Lucy dropped into the chair next to her sister. “What’s up?”
“Don’t say no before you hear me out, okay?”
Oh no. Now what?
“I want you to be my wedding director.”
“Who, me?” Lucy couldn’t believe she’d gotten those two words out. A wedding director on Alpha-Prime was a cross between an Earther maid of honor and a wedding planner. Lucy had stumbled across the comparison in her study of Earth customs.
“Yes. Please help me plan the perfect wedding. I know Mother will want me to pick Ardelia so she won’t complain so much, but I want you. Will you do it? Please? For me?”
Lucy’s mouth fell open. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Please say yes, Lucy. You are the perfect person for this job.”
Wrong.
“Besides, you are my best friend in the world. And I don’t want anyone else.”
Lucy stared at Francine’s expectant expression. How could she say no? How could she ever tell Francine the truth? She inhaled and exhaled silently and said, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Francine squealed. “Thank you so much!” She leaned forward and hugged Lucy around the neck, whispering, “You’ll see. This will be the best fun ever. No matter what, I know you are the very best choice for this endeavor.”
“Thanks, Francine.” My heart is breaking into a million pieces. “I promise, I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. I’ll tell Mother in the morning that you’ve agreed to be my director. One more thing.”
“What?” Lucy didn’t think she could take one more thing.
“We’ll be having a wedding here on Earth first.”
“Oh?” She’d expected to head for Alpha-Prime with Axel in tow for an extravagant wedding there. “Not on Alpha-Prime?”
Francine shook her head. “Mother insisted. She wants us wed as soon as possible. Axel’s mother said they’d need at least a month to prepare, but that they wanted a ceremony on Earth, too.”
“Okay. I don’t know much about weddings on Earth.”
“Don’t worry. Mrs. Grey said her daughter Valvoline would help us with anything we need here on Earth.”
Lucy wished she felt anything but guilt and dread regarding the coming wedding for her ecstatic sister. Francine gave her one last hug and left her alone to ponder her hidden misery. What would she say to Axel when she got to the midnight rendezvous? Should she still go?
If Francine liked Axel, and found him an acceptable substitute for her secret former love H.R. that she apparently could never have, how could Lucy be so cruel as to explain her date with Francine’s Earther fiancé?
She would meet Axel tonight, but only to tell him Francine was a good person and her best friend. Lucy would be the wedding director and they’d have to suspend their feelings for one another forevermore. If it were absolutely anyone else, Lucy would fight for Axel to the end and ignore any consequences. But it was Francine. No matter how hard it would be to ignore her own heart’s desire—and it would be nearly impossible—Lucy would not ever hurt her sister.