Page 29 of The Bastard Heir
“Good to see you, Isabelle.” He smiled at her, glossing over her rudeness. “Hunter’s in town. An urgent business matter, but he should be home for supper.”
“I see you’ve yet to teach him any manners. I’ll be in my room until supper. Tell him I look forward to meeting his bride.” She didn’t wait for a reply as she swept up the stairs, saying a brisk word to Caroline’s father as she marched past him.
Mr. Jameson appeared to be unmoved by his wife’s demeanor. He kept a slight smile on his face as he called to her back, “I certainly will.”
Caroline sighed as she shared a knowing glance with Aunt Prudie. She genuinely regretted that Emmy would have to endure such a woman for a mother-in-law, and thanked her stars that she’d only have to spend a few days in the woman’s presence. She couldn’t understand how her mother could be friends with such a cold woman, but Kathleen Hartford was a social butterfly and had never had trouble making friends with anyone.
“Samuel!” Her mother held her arms out as she hurried to the foot of the stairs to greet her husband.
Caroline’s father smiled broadly and picked up his pace down the stairs until he pulled her into his arms. “Kathleen. I missed you.” The sight was so joyfully intimate that Caroline had to look away. She’d always hoped to have that in a marriage, but now she realized how naive she’d been.
“Hello, Miss Hartford.” The masculine voice came from the open front door. Caroline turned to see a tall man step into thefoyer. He was lean, handsome in a cultured sort of way, with light brown hair and eyes, and he was vaguely familiar. She searched her mind for some memory of him. Perhaps they’d met at a function of some sort. He smiled at her, and it was a very knowing smile. His gaze was direct and shrewd.
“Caroline.” Her mother’s voice drew her attention. The woman beamed at her as she crossed the foyer to stand next to her, Caroline’s father behind her.
He was smiling, obviously thrilled to have his wife in his arms, but when he saw the man standing in the doorway, the smile fell from his face. “Kathleen, we shouldn’t—”
Her mother turned and patted his cheek. “Nonsense, Samuel, now is perfect.” Then she turned back to the young man. “Caroline, this is Grant Miller. Don’t you remember meeting him last year at the Christmas gala?” Without even giving Caroline time to respond, she hurried on. “I invited him to come out with us, and he said he’d never been to Helena and thought it sounded like a wonderful idea.”
Caroline vaguely remembered the man from some event. If she recalled correctly, his father had donated a generous amount to the hospital. She didn’t know what that had to do with anything or why he’d want to come all the way to Helena for the wedding of someone he didn’t even know. None of that made any sense. When she realized that no one was saying anything, Caroline cleared her throat and offered her hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Miller.” He took her hand and gave a very courtly little bow over it as he returned her greeting.
“Oh, Kathleen.” Aunt Prudie’s voice was so low, Caroline might’ve thought she’d imagined the words had her mother not acknowledged them with a wave of her hand and a shake of her head. It caused the first crack in the mental barrier Caroline had somehow managed to keep in place this whole time, while her stomach churned on the knowledge that something washappening. Even then, even with the proof of her mother’s deception standing there and staring her down, Caroline couldn’t quite bring herself to believe what was happening.
“I had a long talk with Grant’s parents back in Boston, and we’ve agreed that you both would make such a lovely couple.”
“Mother….” Caroline couldn’t quite get her mind around what she wanted to say. Her entire body went cold and prickly, and then she felt numb.
“Well, Mrs. Hartford.” The man smiled and dipped his head in the perfect semblance of modesty, but his eyes weren’t timid at all as they settled back on Caroline. “I think Caroline and I should get to know one another before we settle on calling us a lovely couple.”
Caroline clasped her hands before her so hard she was sure her fingers were turning red. Her own mother had invited this man all the way across the country to court her. It was the most outlandish thing she’d ever heard. “I’m not clear on what’s going on here,” she began, though she was pretty certain that she knew. “Mr. Miller is here to court me?”
Her mother laughed and linked her arm with one of Caroline’s. “It’s a little more than that. Why don’t we have some tea while we discuss it? Prudie? Could you arrange some tea and refreshments for us in—” They came to a stop in the front parlor where Caroline had so recently been daydreaming about Castillo. “This should do nicely. Have it brought in here, Prudie dear.”
Aunt Prudie squeezed her arm just before she hurried off to see to the tea. Before Caroline knew it, she was sliding down to sit on the settee while her father took the chair she’d vacated. Grant Miller was, mercifully, absent. Whether he’d stayed in the foyer or had been ushered off to some other part of the house, she didn’t know nor did she care. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Caroline—” her father began, but her mother cut him off.
“Caroline, we feel—”
“Kathleen.” Her father’s sharp tone drew them both up short. He rarely spoke in any way that wasn’t calm and measured. When it was clear her mother would cede him the floor, he began again. “Caroline, as I explained to you, and as your mother’s letter explained, we feel that you need to be married soon before the opportunity seems less…attractive to some suitors. I, personally, feel that any man who would eschew your hand after your education, doesn’t deserve it, but we live in the world in which we live.” He shrugged as if he couldn’t comprehend that world. “Your girlhood friends are all married now, or at least engaged.”
“But, father, you specifically told me that you supported me going—”
“Yes, yes. I do support you going to medical school. I’ve made it my mission to find you a husband who also approves. Grant and I spoke before I left Boston, and he approves of your going. He actually spoke very highly of you and your pursuits.”
“As do I,” her mother put in. “I’m very proud of you for being accepted, Caroline. Very proud. But we have to be realistic. This is your future.”
“What are you saying? I am being realistic. I can be a physician. That is my future.”
“Of course you can,” her mother was quick to reassure her. “But eventually you’ll want a family. You won’t want to continue being a physician then, will you?”
Caroline had never thought about how having children would impact her profession. She assumed there’d be challenges, but she’d never thought about giving up being a physician. “Well, yes, yes, I think I will want to continue.” This wasn’t some passing fancy that she’d abandon to move on to something else.
Her mother frowned, but didn’t interrupt as her father took over. “As I said, I’ve spoken with Grant and he’s an upstanding young man. His father owns a foundry and invests in several downtown buildings. They’re an old family.”
“Are you…were you holding meetings with suitors to find one who’d take me?” A wave of nausea churned through her belly.
“No, of course not.” Her father frowned and darted a glance at her mother. “I did speak with a couple of gentlemen who’d expressed interest in the past in coming to call. Though I have to agree with your mother and say that I received fewer inquiries once your plans became known. And that’s no reflection on you. I fully support your decision. However, it did bring to my attention the particular challenges you might face in the future when it came time to marry. I confess that I hadn’t bothered to concern myself with the prospect of your marriage until your mother brought the question to my attention.”
