Arranged

The house was huge, she noticed. It certainly lived up to its name.
"Manor House, indeed," she mumbled as she unpacked her suitcases. Her Aunt had been nice enough to send her nick-knacks and pictures, along with her posters and the mountainous collection of odd stuffed animals her friends had given her over the years in boxes. As she unpacked one large box that was nothing but stuffed toys, she had to admit that she didn't really like them. At least, they weren't something she'd willingly buy herself. But her friends - the endless lines of guys she knew - had made it sort of a thing to buy her any stuffed toy that just didn't fit in. Thanks to that, she had a range of them that included rainbow-colored dice, a very large purple elephant that had its trunk tied in a perpetual knot, and - her personal favorite - a stuffed penguin with no eyes and a bleeding heart.
She still had no idea where they found them.
After arranging most of them in a corner, she sat back on her heels and watched the sun fade out her window. The trees blocked the view of it in mere moments and she sighed.
As her new room darkened, she figured she'd better turn on a light. The problem was, she just didn't feel like it.
Crossing her legs in a more comfortable position, she dropped her chin onto her palm and stared around her room.
After begging and pleading with Joshua, she'd convinced him to allow her to stay in one of the smaller rooms meant for guests. The first room he'd showed her had looked large enough to be a living room and a dining room. And, while she'd grown up in luxury, she did not feel comfortable coveting it.
Besides, no one had been using this anyway. She was perfectly happy in the smaller room, especially since it was bigger than the broom closet her Aunt had let her have as a room.
She sighed and laid down on the floor, watching the last rays of light flick across and cast shadows on her ceiling.
"What am I doing here?"
What was she doing here? It made sense, sure, but what was the point? Why would some rich guy agree to let her Mother's debts go if she married his son? And, why, if she was so important, had no one even been here to welcome her? The moment she'd gotten there, the maids had introduced themselves - along with a cook - and claimed that both would be back tomorrow. There was no apology, not even false sincerity. She was treated as if she were a client to a possible business contract.
And perhaps she was. That's what she felt like anyway.
As the room continued to darken, Nessa closed her eyes.
I wish I was home, she thought, then snickered. Home. When had she ever felt at home? The only place she'd ever had that came close was school or Jay's house.
As she drifted into sleep, she wondered if she'd find something even remotely resembling that here.



"Nessa!"
The harsh whisper had Nessa bolting upright and rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry, Auntie," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to over-sleep. I'll get started right aw-" She stopped as her eyes focused on Joshua. "Oh. Right."
He was grinning from ear to ear, and she noticed that he wasn't in the black uniform he'd picked her up in at the airport. Instead, he was wearing faded blue jeans and a white tee-shirt under an open button-up, plaid tee. His blonde hair wasn't neatly combed, either. It was mussed handsomely and she noticed it was longer than she had originally thought, coming down past the tips of his ears and sliding into those brown eyes that were currently full of mischief.
"What exactly are you supposed to be doing for you 'Auntie'?" he asked.
Nessa blew strands of her hair away from her face. "Just this and that," she said vaguely. "Odd little chores she'd rather see me do than the maids." Running a hand through her hair, she looked up at him. "So, what's up?"
He laughed, his hands on his hips. "I could ask you the same thing. You have a perfectly fine bed right next to you and yet I come in and find you asleep on the floor. What in the world were you doing?"
She grinned. "Testing the carpet?" She patted the floor. "Just as I thought. Only the finest. These people really do live up to their names."
He smiled and nodded. "They do. But you can worry about that some other time." He offered a hand. "Now, come on. I get to take you on the grand tour. And maybe, if you behave yourself, I'll let you test the carpet in other rooms."
She laughed and took his hand.
The grounds were extensive and the wood surrounding the house was vast, though it took more than a little walk to get to it.
Joshua showed her the stables, and she was please to find eight or so horses there. It was his job, he'd said, to help care for them.
When they walked back into the house, he showed her the kitchens, where she'd said "hello" to Terry, the cook, and his many helpers who were busy preparing a very large dinner for when the "Young Master and Mr. Louis returned in the evening".
Joshua showed her the servants quarters on the bottom floor and all the rooms that lined the halls on the second, where her own room was located. The top floor was all the Master suite - the Young Master's rooms. It surprised her to find that Mr. Louis stayed in the smaller house in the city so her could stay close to his business instead of here, where his home was.
"What does one little boy need all this space for?" she muttered as they entered the kitchen once again.
Joshua shrugged, pulling up a stool. "Who knows? The Young Master likes to show off."
Nessa plopped down beside him, a scowl covering her face. "You mean he's a spoiled brat."
Joshua grinned. "Well, that's way to put it."
Terry - a little round man with a bald head and rosy cheeks - set two glasses of iced tea in front of them. "I can think of many other ways to put it," Terry grumbled. "Not all of them are that nice."
Nessa laughed. "Alright. So can you guys tell me a little more about my groom-to-be and this family? I hate to admit it, but I was thrown into this mess without even knowing his name."
Terry shook his head.
"Ouch," Joshua agreed. "Well, where to begin. . ?" He picked up his tea, the ice shifting as he contemplated where to start. "You already know they're rich, but the wealth wasn't just thrown at them. Mr. Louis' grandfather, John Blossom, started the hotel chain from the ground and worked like hell to make it succeed. Unfortunately, he died before he could see that.
"His son - Mr. Louis' father - took over from there and made it what it is today. But he was already dead-rich by then with inheritance so Mr. Louis just went from rich to richer." He paused, took a sip of his tea and set it aside. "Mr. Louis never blinked an eye at taking over after his father retired. It seemed only natural to him." He shrugged. "So he got married - for convenience sake, not that his wife cared. She was only too happy to marry someone so rich, and Mr. Louis was only happy to oblige. Provided that she give him a son.
"And that's where Rhone comes in," he finished.
"Rhone Blossom," Terry grimaced. "As cocksure and arrogant as they come. Just like his father." He set two sandwiches in front of them then leaned against the counter. "Nothing like the men before them. I had high hopes for that lad, but-" He shook his head "-that boy's as corrupt as his father. Money, money, money. That's all he cares about."
"That and girls." This came from one of the helpers - Chris, Nessa thought, picking out his name from their earlier introductions. He was elbow deep in soapy water, washing dishes and flicking brown hair out of his eyes. "He's always entertaining someone in one form or the other."
Terry nodded at the man as Nessa bit in to her sandwich.
It was one hell of a sandwich.
"Yeah." Terry grabbed a pan off the stove and turned the burner off. "It's a shame that a boy - only a year older than yourself, Miss Nessa - would want to grow up so fast and in such a way."
"He's nineteen?" Nessa asked with surprise. She'd heard he was still in high school.
Joshua looked confused. "No, he's eighteen. I thought you were seventeen?"
"Certainly looks a lot older and prettier than a seventeen-year-old," Chris said with a smile.
She flashed him a grin, but turned to Joshua. "I'm seventeen now," she said, casually taking a bite of her sandwich. "But I turn eighteen next month. That's why I got confused."
"Next month?" Terry exclaimed. His wrinkled face lit up with pleasure all the way up to his dark-blue eyes. "When? We'll have to have a party to celebrate."
Nessa jerked. "A party?"
Joshua smiled at her. "Uh-oh. Terry seems to like you, so when he says party he means party." He laughed as Terry began jotting things down on a pad he'd drawn out from a drawer. "Knowing him, it'll probably be more ball-like than anything."
Nessa was still trying to digest the idea. "Really?" she asked. "A party? For me?"
The room went quiet.
Chris turned with soapy hands and a confused expression. A maid pushed dirty plates into the water and moved on her way. "Haven't you ever celebrated your birthday?" he asked.
Nessa shook her head. "Up until I was ten, my Mom dragged me around from place to place picking up odd jobs. I was always second to her and stuff." She shrugged. "Then, one day, she dropped me on my Aunt's doorstep and left." She grimaced and put down her sandwich. "My Aunt never appreciated that much, so I was just another nuisance. I don't think she even knew when my birthday was."
They all looked at each other.
"So," Joshua said. "When is the big day?"
"August eighth," Nessa said after some thought. "Yeah. August eighth."
Josh patted her on the back and Chris moved back to the dishes. "Just you wait, then," he said. "Your first birthday party will definitely be one to remember."