Page 48 of Shameless
Britney then smiled brightly. “Well, we’re here now. I’ll make sure your wishes are honored.”
If I had her confidence, then I would’ve conquered the world.
My mother’s eyes widened as she asked Britney, “You?”
Britney nodded and smiled. “Michael, clearly things are different now that you know what’s going on.”
“True,” I said though I wasn’t sure of her plan.
She met my gaze and didn’t blink. “So let’s make it right like you did for me.” Her can-fix-anything attitude was part of why I loved her.
Mother then asked her, “What did he do for you?”
Britney said, “He made me go home and talk to my parents and patch things up with my sister. So it’s time we do the same.”
“Yeah,” I said.
However, her family and mine were nothing alike. Her sister was married with children, living her own life.
My mother gasped. “Oh goodness. Our son now uses American slang.”
I folded my hands and refused to mention that I’d been out of the country for years. Instead, I said, “Mother, how come you never called me?”
My father sat like a gentleman who never bent his back. “We assumed and were told you wanted nothing to do with us.”
Fair enough. Speaking through my sister had clearly been a bad idea.
“I have enjoyed the warmness of how the Americans raise their children,” I said.
“I suppose expectations are different,” my mother said. “Once you become duke and set the budget for me, I will attempt to comply.”
That was the best I could ask for, and I could afford to keep all the women clothed in anything designer and allow my mother to decorate the dower house whenever she wanted as long it wasn’t recklessly changing staff’s uniforms every month to whatever whim she had and investing in every useless thing she found to pass the time. Even those limits were probably just ideas of the boy inside me who wanted a mother’s attention.
Britney interrupted my wallowing. “Where is Bernadette?”
My mother said, “She chose to skip your homecoming, but she will be in attendance at the upcoming ball.”
Britney smiled and stared at me like she had a plan. “Is it still true that if we find her a husband, then she becomes the lady of that estate and would leave us alone?”
My father nodded. “Bernadette has never found herself a husband.”
The sparkle in Britney’s expression captivated me. “So is that a yes?”
My father said, “She would get her dowry, of course.”
Britney said, “Of course, but Michael, I think this ball is going to be so much fun.”
Once she had an idea, she would follow through. I stood as we’d already had more family time than I’d expected. I pressed a hand to my heart and said, “Well, Britney and I must go, and I must meet with my barrister, but we’ll come back tomorrow.”
My mother said, “We’ll have tea.”
“Of course,” Britney said.
I said goodbye to my parents then offered Britney my arm. “Let’s go.”
“Lovely to see you both,” my mother said and waved as we left.
I was a horrible son, but I would be better. Since I was home, I would handle all the bills and paperwork so that my father didn’t suffer. Punishing anyone seemed absolutely pointless, and I wanted to focus my attention on my great future.
