the road, a cart barely missing her. “If I wanted Michel’s attitude I would have sought him. Go. Go back to your damned church and leave me alone, then.”
Xavier took a deep breath. “Can’t I discuss things with you without the threat of your damning accusations?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Please come and meet him and we can talk about this afterward. Please?”
Xavier motioned her ahead and followed without answering as she charged through the mud. They arrived outside the shop of a merchant who advertised imports. The items in the window were expensive— many of them from Asia or the Americas. Catherine opened the door and entered with Xavier in tow. The place was packed with goods of every variety. Yet, despite the pleasant appearance, Xavier noticed a damp, moldy smell. He had a strange sense as he stood scanning the packed room of exotic displays. Catherine walked behind the counter and into the back without saying a word while Xavier waited in the entrance, strangely afraid though he didn’t understand why.
She returned grinning in a few seconds. “He’ll be out in a minute. Do you want to know anything else?”
“I don’t know anything .”
“Don’t be negative until I finish. You won’t believe it. I found the man of my dreams and I want you to meet him. This is the man I’ll marry. We’re already engaged, and I need you to approve. More than anything, I need to know that you’ll allow me to make this decision without Michel lording over me. He’s simply divine, and you’ll see it, too. He’s everything I could ever want. He even makes me tea! Imagine, no servants yet he makes the tea without expecting me to do it because I’m a woman.”
Xavier desperately wanted to believe her, but she sounded like a lunatic. He had never heard her dote over someone other than himself. What was this really about?
“He’s the most handsome man—”
“You embarrass me in front of your brother,” said a baritone voice with a slight edge in it.
Xavier was startled to see an older gentleman, probably in his late fifties, behind the counter. He kept his head slightly down, so that he looked at Xavier as if he were looking over the top of a pair of glasses. An odd little chill settled in Xavier’s stomach.
“How could I embarrass you? Xavier, I want you to meet my fiancé, Marcel André.”
The man bowed his head even further. “Abbé, I’ve heard all about you.”
Xavier mustered his courage. “It’s a pleasure,” he said, though he didn’t mean it. Catherine had surely gone mad.
“Xavier, Marcel owns this business. He imports things from all over the world. We met because I had to do business with him. Well, actually, I needed some furniture and came by his shop one day. I bought two chairs and before you knew it we were doing business. Then he proposed to me and I agreed!”
Catherine prattled on while Xavier almost fainted. She was insane and taking her defiance too far, clearly doing this to attack Michel. A bell rang in the back, thankfully, and stopped her as Marcel curtly excused himself.
Xavier stared at her, stunned. “Are you really marrying him?”
“Don’t talk to me that way.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“I told you everything. I chose Marcel. He’s charming, and he owns all of this. I’m sure that he makes twice as much money as our family. The merged empires will be extraordinary.”
Xavier breathed deeply and put his arm around her. “Catherine, what’s going on?”
She glanced at the floor and smiled sheepishly as her eyes welled with tears. “I told you the truth. I find him enchanting. I like how he treats me. And I intend to marry him.”
“But?”
“But, well, you know. I don’t really love him. Not yet, anyway.”
She’s losing her mind, he thought. “Listen to me, please. This isn’t the time to make a case for your independence. I know you want to spite Michel, but you can’t ruin the rest of your life to make a point.
Xavier took a deep breath. “Can’t I discuss things with you without the threat of your damning accusations?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Please come and meet him and we can talk about this afterward. Please?”
Xavier motioned her ahead and followed without answering as she charged through the mud. They arrived outside the shop of a merchant who advertised imports. The items in the window were expensive— many of them from Asia or the Americas. Catherine opened the door and entered with Xavier in tow. The place was packed with goods of every variety. Yet, despite the pleasant appearance, Xavier noticed a damp, moldy smell. He had a strange sense as he stood scanning the packed room of exotic displays. Catherine walked behind the counter and into the back without saying a word while Xavier waited in the entrance, strangely afraid though he didn’t understand why.
She returned grinning in a few seconds. “He’ll be out in a minute. Do you want to know anything else?”
“I don’t know anything .”
“Don’t be negative until I finish. You won’t believe it. I found the man of my dreams and I want you to meet him. This is the man I’ll marry. We’re already engaged, and I need you to approve. More than anything, I need to know that you’ll allow me to make this decision without Michel lording over me. He’s simply divine, and you’ll see it, too. He’s everything I could ever want. He even makes me tea! Imagine, no servants yet he makes the tea without expecting me to do it because I’m a woman.”
Xavier desperately wanted to believe her, but she sounded like a lunatic. He had never heard her dote over someone other than himself. What was this really about?
“He’s the most handsome man—”
“You embarrass me in front of your brother,” said a baritone voice with a slight edge in it.
Xavier was startled to see an older gentleman, probably in his late fifties, behind the counter. He kept his head slightly down, so that he looked at Xavier as if he were looking over the top of a pair of glasses. An odd little chill settled in Xavier’s stomach.
“How could I embarrass you? Xavier, I want you to meet my fiancé, Marcel André.”
The man bowed his head even further. “Abbé, I’ve heard all about you.”
Xavier mustered his courage. “It’s a pleasure,” he said, though he didn’t mean it. Catherine had surely gone mad.
“Xavier, Marcel owns this business. He imports things from all over the world. We met because I had to do business with him. Well, actually, I needed some furniture and came by his shop one day. I bought two chairs and before you knew it we were doing business. Then he proposed to me and I agreed!”
Catherine prattled on while Xavier almost fainted. She was insane and taking her defiance too far, clearly doing this to attack Michel. A bell rang in the back, thankfully, and stopped her as Marcel curtly excused himself.
Xavier stared at her, stunned. “Are you really marrying him?”
“Don’t talk to me that way.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“I told you everything. I chose Marcel. He’s charming, and he owns all of this. I’m sure that he makes twice as much money as our family. The merged empires will be extraordinary.”
Xavier breathed deeply and put his arm around her. “Catherine, what’s going on?”
She glanced at the floor and smiled sheepishly as her eyes welled with tears. “I told you the truth. I find him enchanting. I like how he treats me. And I intend to marry him.”
“But?”
“But, well, you know. I don’t really love him. Not yet, anyway.”
She’s losing her mind, he thought. “Listen to me, please. This isn’t the time to make a case for your independence. I know you want to spite Michel, but you can’t ruin the rest of your life to make a point.
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