Arranged

That evening she was informed that the "Young Master" wouldn't be joining her and Mr. Louis for dinner.
As Nessa stood outside the dining room door, she tried to suppress her growing nerves. The conversation in the kitchen earlier had told her that she was most likely not going to like either the father nor the son of this fortune. So she should only be grateful she had to deal with one of them.
But something told her that she needed to be more than a little nervous.
Steeling herself for anything and everything that might come her way, she walked into the spacious dining hall.
At first glance around the room, she saw that the long, dark-wood table was set for two on the far end - though it was obvious it could seat more than thirty - and the cavernous fireplace was lit to produce the main source of light besides the small fixtures placed periodically between the many larger windows lining the left wall. It was there, at the furthest window, that she saw him.
A shiver traveled up her spine and she thanked God that he had his back to her so he couldn't see it. She had the distinct impression that he'd use it against her.
He was tall, with silvering-black hair that was neat and trimmed. He currently had his face - a young, handsome face that belied his age - turned to the stars. He was strong, she could see, and trim underneath the casual suit he wore, and she knew instinctively that if he ever got into a fight, he was most likely the one to come out on top.
Holy Hell, she thought. What am I getting myself into?
Knowing it was rude to stare, Nessa cleared her throat.
Louis turned and the thin mouth that had been pressed in a hard line of irritation lifted into an easy smile at the pretty fairy before him.
He'd definitely made a good choice all those years ago, he congratulated himself silently. The mother had been a rare beauty - not to mention a good lay - so it was only obvious that the daughter would be as well.
She walked towards him and the lights, which were purposefully dimmed, danced shadows across the sharp planes of her face and made her brown hair shimmer with gold. She stopped a few feet from him and lifted cautious, wise eyes that were dark and alluring to his.
"Hello," she said, her voice reminding him of crystal. "I'm Nessa."
He took her small hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the soft skin. He concealed his amusement as her pulse skittered with caution under his fingers. Her eyes turned wary.
"I am Louis Blossom," he said easily, leading her to the table. "I'm sorry my son - your husband - couldn't join us, but it seems he had something else going on."
Shock registered briefly on her features as she sat down and he noticed that she had a dusting of freckles over her nose.
"You mean future husband," she corrected.
He rang a little silver bell to begin dinner and waited until the servants had placed the first course in front of them before speaking. He never talked with or around servants unless absolutely necessary. "No. I mean husband." he shook out his napkin and placed it in his lap. He noticed that she had been groomed well, though her attire left something to be desired. But, he could tell that underneath that full skirt and plain button-up that she was very much a woman.
His son was a little too lucky, he thought with affectionate jealousy.
"Um. . We're not married yet," she said uneasily. Unless she'd been drugged, Nessa was almost positive there hadn't been a ceremony of any kind. And, if there was, she had definitely missed it.
Louis' moss-green eyes registered surprise. "Yes, you are. You signed the papers yourself. A week before you came here, actually. I'm sure your aunt gave them to you."
Nessa had a hard time controlling her anger. Amidst the goodbyes, the packing and the legalities that had to happen, she recalled that Sylvia had given her a stack of papers to sign.
"Just transcripts and such," she had stated with a smile. It was that smile that should have given her away. "The biggest document in there in the Transferring of Guardianship."
In all the mess, Nessa had taken her Aunt at her word and only glanced at the first document, easily signing the rest without a second thought.
She hadn't known she'd also signed away her freedom.
A thought flicked through her head and she grabbed at it with a bit of hope. "It seems I've signed the papers, but what about your son?"
Louis waved a hand dismissively. "He signed them months ago, though it took a lot of persuading. He didn't want to give up his roaming ways, I suppose, but when I told him he didn't have to, he agreed easily." He sipped his wine. "After all, you don't know each other."
Nessa was furious. She was resigned to be married, but the least that she hoped for was the chance that she might actually fall for her husband - and vise versa. Louis' statement seemed to have shot that out the window.
"Are you telling me that you actually used cheating as a bargaining chip?" she asked. She didn't know whether to be more angry or shocked. "Not only that, but you're encouraging him to?"
His dark brows rose. "What's wrong with that? Neither one of you love each other. it was the same for me and my wife. We both had our share of affairs - still do." He looked at her intensely, his mouth curving into something Nessa would have described as a leer. "Affairs can be very. . interesting."
Nessa tried not to puke. Not only was she already married - without a large intake of alcohol - but now her new father-in-law-slash-guardian was hitting on her!
Suddenly, Nessa felt very tired. Only ingrained manners kept her from dumping his wine on him. Instead, she pushed away from the table, suppressing the sigh that wanted to escape her. "I'm sorry," she said. "But this is a little too much to take in. I was prepared to get married, not already be married." She put a hand to her head in an attempt to fight off irritation. "It seems I'm more worn out than I thought. I think I'll go to bed now."
Louis had risen with her, though definitely not out of concern. "Would you like me to take you to your room?"
Nessa had the urge to punch him. The suggestion was clear as day behind the innocent words and she was hard-pressed not to tell him to fuck off, but she managed. Barely.
She tried for a smile. "No, thanks. I'm fine enough on my own."
He came around the table and took her hand, kissing it again. "What a shame." Still holding her hand, he said, "I'm leaving in the morning and won't be back for a while, so I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time getting to know you." His mouth lifted at one side. "We'll have to get together again so I might have the chance to learn more."
No way in Hell, Nessa thought. Instead, she gave him another smile. "Maybe." She couldn't bring herself to lie outright. "But for now, I think we'll just have to deal with the mysteries."
His smile grew. She had the feeling he thought she was flirting with him. She hoped like hell she was wrong.
"Mysteries can be fun as well." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'll enjoy taking my time to figure them out."
As Nessa left, she tried her hardest to keep composure. It wasn't until she was inside her room with the door locked that she allowed herself to feel the anger, frustration and humiliation that had been building inside her.
She hadn't been able to enjoy even the two courses she had sat through. Of course, she'd barely been aware of the time passing, let alone the meal. Her thoughts had been too jumbled.
She kicked her bed. "Damn it all!" Her hope of canceling the marriage had been ruined along with any chance of having a normal life. And now it seemed that things were even more complicated.
It seemed her new father-in-law had set his wandering eye on her. How long it would last, she had no idea .She only hoped he wasn't serious.
Belatedly, she wiped the hand he'd kissed on her skirt.
Disgusting, she thought. She only hoped that his son -her new husband - had more redeeming qualities than his father.
As she stared at the hand he'd kissed, something told her that that hope was in vain.