Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gemma listened at the door. Her ear was pressed against the wooden door to give her a better chance of hearing what was being said. Gemma hoped that what she thought she had heard had been her imagination trying to decipher the mumbled words.

He wants to court me intending to marriage, why? I explicitly told him. Didn’t I? Well, Father certainly did let on that I was not seeking marriage. It is all so sudden, is it not? I suppose it does make sense that he would want marriage.

All he gives me is a title that makes everyone address me as Your Grace. From my side, he will receive enough funds to revive his estate and live at a better level. Not fair, especially when what I want the most, I shall never receive from him. I shall never have his heart.

Gemma moved away from the door as the voices inside became much louder.

Gemma continued to move further away, heading to the parlor to remain undetected. She heard the door to her father’s study open and both men speaking.

“Thank you once again for seeing me, sir, and for giving me the opportunity to get to know your lovely daughter better,” she heard Lothar say.

I am sure you are happy about the opportunity to spend our family fortune! Gemma thought as she listened. Not once had she heard the duke express any affection or admiration for her. Though admittedly, she had hoped he would be interested in courting her, she had hoped it wouldn’t have been for the money. But it appeared like all the others before, that’s what it was about.

“I believe every person should get a chance once they ask for it,” her father replied.

And it has nothing to do with your dream of having a title to this family, Father. Gemma thought as her anger started to get the better of her. She felt close to storming out and giving both of them a piece of her mind. She knew that would reflect poorly on her father and thought twice before doing so.

That is when an idea started to form in Gemma’s mind. She would ensure that by the end of the courtship, Lothar would be so put off by her that he would not want to marry her, even to possess her entire fortune. She would start by finding out what sort of woman he was interested in and endeavor to be the complete opposite.

I will not be manipulated into helping him. He has ignored my wishes and for that, I will not be giving him a chance after all. Gemma thought with less satisfaction than she had expected. Usually when she felt the need to stand up for herself, it felt warranted. Her latest decision left her feeling empty somehow.

She had unfortunately made the decision and valued it as a promise to herself. The moment she had calmed down, she would go see her father and question him. It hurt that he would go against her wishes even more than it did with Lothar.

Gemma could not wait any longer. She went searching for her father. She was unable to stand the thought of being used for one moment longer.

I must discuss this with my father this instant. Gemma thought as she nearly stomped through the main house.

“Gemma dear?” She heard her mother call to her.

This is not the time, mother. Yet Gemma could not ignore her mother or take her anger out on her.

“Good afternoon, mother,” Gemma said and went to embrace her mother.

“Listen, dear, I was wondering what you might think about these,” Margaret asked as she handed her sketchbook to Gemma. She had always admired her mother’s skills. Not only was she an accomplished artist, but she also drew her clothing designs and made them.

Gemma could only commit thoughts to paper and not vivid pictures. She had often tried but did not possess the knack to be artistic. Gemma paged through, the thick book that had seen better days. The beautiful designs chose comfort over pure fashion and did so cleverly. She would change the entire fit by simply putting the belt higher or making the skirt slightly longer.

Gemma admired her mother’s creations with half a mind. She could not banish the conversation Lothar and her father had from her mind. It was not that she wanted to hold on to her anger, if it came to pass, then it would change her entire future. It would change how she could live her life and ultimately change who she was.

As they looked through the designs, they became so engrossed in the task at hand that they had not noticed the afternoon had quickly turned to evening.

“Good evening, Mrs. Castwell, Miss Castwell,” the duke spoke from the entrance behind them. Gemma whirled around to face the man she had been angry at for the better part of an hour. His eyes swept over her, and she could swear that she saw something flash in his eyes. She did not enjoy attention no matter the source and would usually look away in this type of instance. Gemma found that her curiosity and anger kept her from doing so. She held his gaze.

“Good evening, Your Grace. Welcome to our home,” Margaret said. Gemma knew her mother was being well-mannered, yet she felt as though her family was slowly turning on her.

“Thank you so much ma’am, and what a gorgeous home it is,” Lothar replied.

“Thank you for saying so,” Margaret said with a warm smile.

“His Grace is here today to speak to me about a courtship with you, Gemma,” Andrew said brightly.

“Good evening, Your Grace,” Gemma managed to say without spitting the words at him. Though she was happy to see him, she did not enjoy the fact that he had thought of only what he wanted in getting married and what he would gain from the union.

“I apologize for the interruption. I wanted to greet you both before I go,” Lothar said.

“Will you stay for tea, Your Grace?” Margaret asked.

“That is very kind, ma’am. I will take you up on your offer if it would please you that I stay, Gemma.” Lothar was looking at her with eyes that begged sympathy. Gemma could never be cruel.

“It would be lovely to have Your Grace for tea,” Gemma replied.

The look of relief on Lothar’s face was endearing.

This is all a farce. Please keep in mind that he wants your money, and he will charm whoever he needs to accomplish his ambitions. Gemma thought as she watched him struggle onto a nearby couch with a small measure of amusement.

He reminded her of when she had tea parties with the children. The chairs they used were made smaller for children and made her truly feel like a giant. Lothar looked much like she imagined she must have looked like to the children.

No wonder they had laughed. Gemma thought as she let her mind go to more pleasant topics. The very thought of the children made her feel much calmer. She had enjoyed taking them lunch yesterday. They were not used to being spoiled and had very few sweets growing up.

Gemma had sat outside with them, and the boys had invited her to have a chair to sit on. The day had been unusually warm after a few days before that when it had been icy cold. The children had eaten heartily and had played in the balmy sun.

Gemma came back to the present conversation that Lothar and her mother were having. “So, I caught something about how the fabric industry has its quality of late ,” her mother said, and Gemma took the opportunity to excuse herself to find her father. He may think her interested enough to sit and spend time with Lothar. Gemma, in reality, felt it more urgent to speak to her father and stop the nonsense before it even began.

“Is this where you are hiding, Father?” Gemma asked as she entered his study.

“I am not hiding, my dear. I am giving you and your mother time to get to know the man.” Andrew said with a smile.

“I know more than I need to know. “Gemma stated.

“Do not be like this. You can not know the man from only meeting him twice.” Andrew said.

“And you would throw away money that took our family generations to accumulate, just to throw a title on our name, father?” Gemma asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

“It means more than you understand to have such a title, and besides that, Lothar is a lovely man. There are far worse men to marry. He is honest and kind, and I believe he will treat you well,” he said, giving her a similar look to the one Lothar had given her earlier. She felt her willpower fade away.

“Fine, however, if it does not end in marriage, then that is just how it is,” Gemma replied.

“I think you will find different,” her father replied knowingly.

“I know you would like to think so, Father. I cannot make that promise to you,” Gemma said sincerely. She only hoped that he would listen. She disliked that her father was putting so much faith in the fact that she would marry Lothar.

“All I request is to give the man a fair chance. Even a criminal receives a fair trial. All he wants to do is steal your heart,” he said softly.

And our money! Gemma thought and tried not to be so negative.

Gemma hugged her father and returned to her mother and Lothar. Only Lothar had seemed to have left.

“He was called outside for a moment. He will be back momentarily,” her mother said, knowing her all too well. Not only had she felt disappointed not to find him here despite her annoyance at him, but it would appear that it was easily spotted in her expression.

Lothar returned with the biggest bouquet she had ever seen. He held the bunch with both hands, and it obscured his face. He walked up to Gemma and presented them to her. She had no idea how to even receive the large gift and was grateful when her father stepped in to assist.

“I will put them in water for you. I fear they might be so big that I will have to put them in the river,” her father said as he tried to be gentle and still keep his grip.

“Thank you, Your Grace. Thank you, father,” Gemma said with less than her usual enthusiasm. She was touched by the gesture, or she would be if she were not aware of the fact that he would have loved her banking details before her. “It was not necessary to get me anything,” Gemma said.

“That is exactly why I did it. If I had to, then there would be no fun in doing it,” Lothar said with a mischievous smile. Gemma could not help but find him charming.

Damn him! Gemma thought as she found she did not have to force the smile on her face.

“Gemma, may I call here tomorrow, let’s say around noon? I would very much like to spend the afternoon with you,” Lothar asked.

“That would be fine, Your Grace,” Gemma replied.

“Mr. Castwell,” Lothar said and shook his hand. “Mrs. Castwell, Gemma,” Lothar said, and took his leave.

“He is a nice man, you know,” Margaret said.

“Mother not you too? I find that my entire family is smitten with him. Why do we not introduce him to one of my single cousins rather?” Gemma said with a temper she was not used to having. So many of her emotions have felt broken since Lothar had walked into the stationers a week ago. She almost wished she had decided to go the next day and not have met him at all. almost as much as she wished she had met him sooner.

“Now dear, is that any way to speak to me?” Margaret asked. She was the kindest woman, and Gemma knew very well that she had just overstepped a boundary.

“I do apologize, Mother. No, that is not any way to speak to you,” Gemma said sheepishly.

“Is the reason for your change in mood perhaps something to do with the duke?” Margaret asked.

“Yes. I feel as though my feelings have been entirely ignored to buy a title,” Gemma said, feeling close to tears.

“My dearest girl. Your father and I have been around a bit longer than you have. We have more of an idea of how the world works. You may not get someone as caring as Lothar again. His title does thrill your father, but it is not for the reason you think it is. If your father was to pass away, then his older brothers would lay claim to our home. If you are married to a duke, then it will happen completely differently,” Margaret explained.

“You mean we shall lose our home the moment we lose father?” Gemma asked, feeling nauseated at the very thought.

“That is precisely what I mean. It will ease a burden he has had in his heart for decades, and it will not do you badly to have a life of your own,” Margaret said gently.

“I do have a life of my own,” Gemma replied, and Margaret smiled and shook her head.

“My dear. You have not lived until you have walked down the aisle and held your child in your arms for the first time. The love you feel for those children is a million-fold when it is your own.”