Chapter 4

  Falling victim to the surreal moment, poor Hektor was struck by denial so severe that he momentarily ceased to think. The words spoken seemed so improbable that he was convinced that he must have misheard. Surely something somewhere had gone horribly wrong and there was a great big misunderstanding.

  Dazed and confused, he looked to the women, waiting for them to take back what they had said. Yet his expectations went unmet as they just stared back, not saying anything.

  After a few long seconds, he unwillingly had to entertain the possibility that his ears were working. That his mother hadn’t misspoken.

  “Are you serious?” he asked hoarsely, in shock.

  “Yes,” confirmed Sabina as Delia nodded along.

  The immediate reaction was that of ridicule at the mere notion of him being tied to the formidable Gwen Croft. Just thinking about it, Hektor had a manic urge to cackle. Though even unhinged, he wasn’t brave enough to mock the Duchess and Lady Moore to their faces.

  At a loss for words, Hektor opened and closed his mouth like a fish. All he could manage was, “What?”

  “It was decided by the Crown that you and Gwen Croft shall be betrothed,” Sabina spoke softly as if herding a cowering animal.

  Hearing it again didn’t make it any more believable. And the Crown decided for him? That made even less sense! Hektor swiveled his head between the women, scrambling for any explanation that would drive away the madness.

  Resigned to the lunacy he was being subjected to, Hektor wilted into the plushness of the couch. “Please, explain yourselves,” he begged, his voice defeated. It was as close he could come to ordering the Duchess, regardless that she was his mother.

  At Hektor’s willingness to listen, Sabina was quick to console her child. “I will, son,” she said solemnly, coming to sit beside him and holding his hand. “Do not be afraid. I will be there every step of the way.”

  Hektor visibly relaxed at the assurance. Sabina Ashworth was someone who kept her promises.

  Witnessing the intimate moment between mother and son, Delia decided that it would better if she played messenger. “Sabina, let me.”

  Sabina understood her intentions. Though reluctant at the notion of pushing her responsibility onto others, she deferred to her friend, judging it would be for the better that Delia explained.

  Deciding for open honesty, Delia wasted no time with subtleties. “Hektor, you must know that Gwen Croft is greatly sought after, yes?” she asked bluntly.

  With his mind stuttering, Hektor was distracted in his doldrums. He was pulled from his brooding by Sabina squeezing his hand and it took him a moment to realize that Delia had asked him a question.

  “Yes,” he replied.

  “And you should know as to the reasons why,” Delia prompted patiently.

  “Yes.”

  “As you can imagine, the subject of her matrimony is mired in politics,” Delia persevered, working to keep Hektor focused. “Amongst her suitors, courts and nobles on behalf of many nations have sought her hand in marriage. Our nation amongst them.

  “And till very recently, the Crofts fended away such proposals.”

  “What changed?” Hektor grunted with suppressed anger and not-so suppressed desperation, part of him just wanting something or someone to blame.

  Despite his worsening mood, the ladies took it as a small victory that Hektor was keeping up.

  “Lady Webb sought an alliance between the Crown and the Crofts,” Sabina interjected. Hektor jerked at the mention of Lady Lillian Webb and looked to his mother. “She devised a plan that was too well reasoned to refuse,” she elaborated before beckoning Delia continue.

  “The Crofts had their reasons for not making commitments,” Delia resumed from where she had been interrupted. “As parents they feared an ill-fated match for their daughter. As entrepreneurs they were wary of their heir losing autonomy. Lady Blackwood would have no doubt taught you some of that which entails between Croft Enterprises and the three nations of Ithica, Triton and Glengard,” Delia implied to which Hektor nodded.

  “The Crofts adhere to nonpartisanship. Declining fealty to few in favor of negotiating with the many,” Hektor spoke to Delia, surmising her intentions sufficiently.

  Small pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall for him.

  The ladies were pleased by Hektor’s quick wit.

  “Yes,” Delia approved. “Any union of Gwen Croft’s, however, would undeniably play favorites and disrupt the balance. It made for a compelling argument in their refusal to play matchmaker.

  “With her being found to be a gifted wizard did not make the Croft heir any less of a prize. Nor did it stop people from becoming more insistent. Growing bolder and more demanding with Gwen Croft entering her maiden years. Her continued eligibility did not help, with the Crofts fending off proposals left and right. And with each passing year, it has only become increasingly perilous for them to keep saying no to the kind of powerful people that came looking for her hand.”

  Like a well-rehearsed play, Sabina picked up Delia’s cue seamlessly, “Lady Webb intervened.” Her tone involuntarily formal as she discussed courtly matters. “She as well proposed an alliance between the Crown and the Crofts in way of marriage, but with caveats.

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  “This is in strict confidence,” Sabina emphasized the sensitivity of the information before continuing. “For its purpose, the marriage would be a ploy to protect Miss Croft from taking a husband against her wishes. More importantly, in accordance with the deal struck, the Crofts would be allowed to maintain their anonymity and continue forth as they were with their business without interference.

  “Solving their most pressing concerns.

  “In doing so, we would be preventing other factions from gaining a foothold on the Crofts which would have been to our detriment. And by the method itself, the Crofts would be allied to Ithica.”

  Hektor followed along. Such dealings were not unheard of. Wasn’t surprising even, as such machinations were regular fare in court and politics. And if it had been any other day, Hektor would have found it all too mundane. It would have been another bit of news and gossip that he would have blissfully ignored and gone about his day.

  Unfortunately, it was not proving to be any other day for poor Hektor. HE was the one involved in the news and gossip!

  “Both sides were amenable to Lady Webb’s suggestion,” informed Sabina. “As for the caveats,” she paused and steeled herself, looking to her son in motherly conviction.

  “The Crofts were unwilling to proceed further without securing their daughter’s independence. And since Lady Webb had revealed her hand, they were quick to insinuate that if not with Ithica, a similar alliance could be made elsewhere.

  “After deliberations, the Crown in their wisdom deemed it prudent to meet their demands in the bargain struck,” said Sabina tactfully, acknowledging that the Crown had bent to the Crofts.

  “Per the agreement, Miss Croft’s marriage would be consecrated, but the official writ would be altered by Royal Seal. To the effect that Miss Croft shall be declared wed under law, but remain a free woman for all intents and purposes,” Sabina implored Hektor to understand the implications “She would have no commitments to her spouse. No responsibilities of married life. There wouldn’t be a need to consummate the union, nor to live under the same roof as her husband. Crucially, Miss Croft will remain the sole beneficiary of her inheritance, succeeded by her child, regardless of the father,” Sabina spoke stoically, hiding her distaste at the ordeal her son was being subjected to. “Similar terms would be extended to the groom as well. The only condition being that both sides keep up the pretense of a couple.

  “In return, the Crofts would surreptitiously favor the Crown in their business, with both sides agreeing upon mutual cooperation rather than holding ransom over each other.

  “In doing so, we prevent the Crofts from committing to another. A worthy coup. We retain what we have and add to it. Having them beholden to our nation instead, at the expense of our rivals. It is also significant that we get to stake a claim over Miss Croft.”

  Listening to Sabina, Hektor could not help but agree that it was all very well thought out. Sensible even. A cunning stratagem to a delicate problem.

  Except for one glaring detail. Of all people, why him?

  “Why me?” he pleaded, as much in mercy as in curiosity.

  “Once they agreed on principle, there was the choice of the groom,” spoke up Delia, looking to spare Sabina the pain. Delia herself would have preferred a more delicate approach, but Sabina had wanted to be brutally honest with her son.

  “There were candidates of two kinds. The first included relations of royalty and high nobles. Far enough down the line of succession, but distinguished in court and lineage. Like a princely cousin or someone from houses like Eslinger and Dunlop.

  “The others came from humbler roots; sons of Ministers from the House of Peoples, prominent social climbers, leading figures in the Academies, and the like.

  “To no surprise, the Crown favored the former, whereas the Crofts preferred the latter. Both had their merits and demerits.

  “Suitors of a Royal lineage would aggravate Triton and Glengard to Croft businesses on their lands.

  “The bourgeois would dimmish Gwen Croft’s immunity and might incite those jilted by her.

  “Yet the Crown needed assurances through a member of aristocracy. And the Crofts needed someone who would be prove to be an adequate son in law. Adequate enough not to upset the foreigners while also having the patronage to shield their daughter and her inheritance.”

  Delia glanced to Sabina in apology.

  “As the illegitimate son of the Duchess of Faymoren, you emerged to be the perfect choice,” said Delia to Hektor, not taking any joy in calling him a bastard. “You met all their needs. The Crown is appeased of your Ithican roots. While the Crofts are assured by Sabina’s lineage for she is looked upon favorably in both Triton and Glengard,” she listed. “You being the groom to Gwen Croft would abate much of the uproar in adherence to your mother. And your particular history will pacify the egos of many a noble and soothe the fears of a transition in power.

  “You are just the right amount of notable and innocuous.”

  It was cruel to speak as such to the boy Delia considered her nephew, but it needed to be said. Better it be heard from her mouth than his mother.

  Hektor was granted a reprieve to digest. The ladies didn’t disturb and left him to his thoughts. And after a quarter of an hour’s worth of brooding, he reached the conclusion that he needed time. Time to come to terms with what was happening.

  Being the son of a Duchess meant that Hektor was no stranger to plots and politics. While he hated being manipulated and involved in schemes of intrigue, he had made his peace with the fact that he couldn’t escape its clutches. Being who he was, a mundane life was never in the offing for him.

  Groomed for just such an eventuality. He was a weak pawn, withheld to be sacrificed for the most gain. As such, practical sensibilities and rational thinking had been ingrained in Hektor by his many teachers. And those qualities would see him through.

  As small a respite as it was, it meant that Hektor could come to accept his plight and prepare for what was to come.

  That didn’t make the situation any less palatable.

  As his Teacher Nazeer would say, “Fear is needed. Necessary to survive. But it is a blade with an edge on both sides. It could save you. It could cut you also. Then it is not needed.”

  As with many things in his life, Hektor fell back to Nazeer’s lessons for guidance. He could always panic later when he had the time for it. Right now, succumbing to turmoil did nothing for him. Already trapped and caged, panicking would only be digging the hole deeper for him to climb out of.

  What he needed to do was think, rationally. Hektor could not contend with his heart right then. He needed to keep his head straight and soldier on until he made it out the other side.

  As distasteful a task as it were, he needed to act. ‘Wants’ and ‘needs’ differed, but he had to commit and take the plunge. For the moment, that meant asking questions he dreaded the answers to. Even if he knew, he had to ask.

  “Can I refuse?” he uttered, breaking the silence.

  Sabina didn’t shy away from her son’s begging. It broke her heart to see him hanging onto hope despite knowing better.

  “You can, son. But it is decreed by the Crown,” she answered as kindly as she could.

  Hektor knew that meant that he would be forced into obedience. Despite foreseeing it, he couldn’t help but be crestfallen all over again.

  “Have I any say in the matter?” he asked, but knew it from Sabina’s face that he didn’t.

  Resigning himself to the inevitable, he squeaked, “When?”

  “You will be betrothed at your birthday and married a year thence.”

  Hektor’s drowning spirits lifted. While his birthday was only a few months away, he would still get more than a year to prepare and adapt to his lot.

  However, a niggling worry in the back of his mind wouldn’t let go. Looking to the women, he knew there was more.

  “What else?” he asked, panic bubbling to the fore despite his best efforts.

  Sabina gauged Hektor’s brittleness. Deeming that he had the mettle for it, she said, “You will be made a Count.”

  Hektor’s expression cracked.