It was unfair that people who longed for love the most, searched the hardest for it, found it so elusive.
In the fairy tale you mentioned last night, I would probably be the villain. But it's possible the villain would treat you far better than the prince would have.
"Kev," Win said calmly, stepping forward, "I would like to talk to you about something."
Merripen, attentive as always to his wife, gave her a frowning glance. "Now?"
"Yes, now."
"Can't it wait?"
"No," Win said equably. At his continued hesitation, she said, "I'm expecting."
Merripen blinked. "Expecting what?"
"A baby."
They all watched as Merripen's face turned ashen. "But how . . ." he asked dazedly, nearly staggering as he headed to Win.
"How?" Leo repeated. "Merripen, don't you remember that special talk we had before your wedding night?" He grinned as Merripen gave him a warning glance. Bending to Win's ear, Leo murmured, "Well done. But what are you going to tell him when he discovers it was only a ploy?"
"It's not a ploy," Win said cheerfully.
Leo's smile vanished, and he clapped a hand to his forehead. "Christ," he muttered. "Where's my brandy?" And he disappeared into the house.
"I'm sure he meant to say "congratulations,"" Beatrix remarked brightly, following the group as they all went inside.
"She was yours, if you'd truly wanted her," Harry continued, a pitiless smile touching his lips. "But I wanted her more."
"I've never wanted to be loved. And God knows no one's done it yet."
"I've never known anyone more ill equipped for happiness. He wouldn't know what to do with it."
It was finally becoming clear to her that love wasn't about finding someone perfect to marry. Love was about seeing through to the truth of a person, and accepting all their shades of light and dark. Love was an ability.
"I don't think Harry cares about being forgiven," Poppy said glumly.
"Of course he does. Men love to be forgiven. It makes us feel better about our inability to learn from our mistakes."
"And there's one more thing to be aware of," Cam said with a wintry softness that disguised all hint of feeling. "If you succeed in marrying her we're not losing a sister. You're gaining an entire family who will protect her at any cost."
Cam had once told her that the Rom believed the entire world was their home. As long as you were with your family you were home.
The London season is like one of those Drury Lane melodramas in which marriage is always the ending. And no one ever seems to give any thought as to what happens after. But marriage isn't the end of the story it's the beginning. And it demands the efforts of both partners to make a success of it.
"Be careful dear that you don't end up as the queen of a lonely kingdom.
"I don't want to be a widow, I don't want Michael Bayning, and I don't want you to joke about such things, you tactless clod-pole!"
As all three of them stared at her open mouthed, Poppy leapt up and stalked away, her hands drawn into fists.
Bewildered by the immediate force of her fury it was like being stung by a butterfly. Harry stared after her dumbly. After a moment, he asked the first coherent thought that came to him. "Did she just say she doesn't want Bayning?"
"Yes," Win said, a smile hovering on her lips. "That's what she said. Go after her, Harry."
Every cell in Harry's body longed to comply. Except that he had the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, with one ill-chosen word likely to send him over. He gave Poppy's sister a desperate glance. "What should I say?"
"Be honest with her about your feelings," Win suggested.
A frown settled on Harry's face as he considered that. "What's my second option?"
“Don’t ever trust men with good intentions. They’ll always disappoint you.”
“My God. Something else we agree on.” Leo gave the companion a half-mocking, half-uneasy glance. “We have to stop doing this, Marks. My stomach is starting to turn.”
“And Poppy, remember that someday you will meet a frog who will turn into a handsome
prince.”
“Good,” Beatrix said. “Because all she’s met so far are princes who turn into frogs.”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you should marry a man who would appreciate you.”
She made a face. “Those are in short supply.”
He smiled. “You don’t need a supply. You just need one.”
“I-I don’t like courtship. It’s very stressful. And disappointing.”
Beatrix was the first to speak. “Have you been compromised, Poppy?” she asked with concern. “As Win was last year?”
“Yes, she has,” Leo replied, while Poppy let out a little moan. “It’s a bad habit our family’s gotten into."
Leo’s attention was diverted as Poppy buried her face against his shoulder. “I’m going to die of humiliation,” she said.
“No, you won’t,” Leo replied. “I’m an expert on humiliation, and if it were fatal, I’d have died a dozen times by now.”
“You can’t die a dozen times.”
“You can if you’re a Buddhist,” Beatrix said helpfully.
Leo smoothed Poppy’s shining hair. “I hope Harry Rutledge is,” he said.
“Why?” Beatrix asked.
“Because there’s nothing I’d rather do than kill him repeatedly.”
"I’ve found that life is far kinder to shallow people."
“Sometimes when you’re making the best of a situation, it turns out far better than you could have hoped for.”
She had been in love with a prince, and she had ended up in the arms of a villain, and it would be so much easier if she could continue to view everything in those simplistic terms. Except that her prince was not nearly as perfect as he had seemed . . . and her villain was a caring, passionate man.
In the fairy tale you mentioned last night, I would probably be the villain. But it's possible the villain would treat you far better than the prince would have.
"Kev," Win said calmly, stepping forward, "I would like to talk to you about something."
Merripen, attentive as always to his wife, gave her a frowning glance. "Now?"
"Yes, now."
"Can't it wait?"
"No," Win said equably. At his continued hesitation, she said, "I'm expecting."
Merripen blinked. "Expecting what?"
"A baby."
They all watched as Merripen's face turned ashen. "But how . . ." he asked dazedly, nearly staggering as he headed to Win.
"How?" Leo repeated. "Merripen, don't you remember that special talk we had before your wedding night?" He grinned as Merripen gave him a warning glance. Bending to Win's ear, Leo murmured, "Well done. But what are you going to tell him when he discovers it was only a ploy?"
"It's not a ploy," Win said cheerfully.
Leo's smile vanished, and he clapped a hand to his forehead. "Christ," he muttered. "Where's my brandy?" And he disappeared into the house.
"I'm sure he meant to say "congratulations,"" Beatrix remarked brightly, following the group as they all went inside.
"She was yours, if you'd truly wanted her," Harry continued, a pitiless smile touching his lips. "But I wanted her more."
"I've never wanted to be loved. And God knows no one's done it yet."
"I've never known anyone more ill equipped for happiness. He wouldn't know what to do with it."
It was finally becoming clear to her that love wasn't about finding someone perfect to marry. Love was about seeing through to the truth of a person, and accepting all their shades of light and dark. Love was an ability.
"I don't think Harry cares about being forgiven," Poppy said glumly.
"Of course he does. Men love to be forgiven. It makes us feel better about our inability to learn from our mistakes."
"And there's one more thing to be aware of," Cam said with a wintry softness that disguised all hint of feeling. "If you succeed in marrying her we're not losing a sister. You're gaining an entire family who will protect her at any cost."
Cam had once told her that the Rom believed the entire world was their home. As long as you were with your family you were home.
The London season is like one of those Drury Lane melodramas in which marriage is always the ending. And no one ever seems to give any thought as to what happens after. But marriage isn't the end of the story it's the beginning. And it demands the efforts of both partners to make a success of it.
"Be careful dear that you don't end up as the queen of a lonely kingdom.
"I don't want to be a widow, I don't want Michael Bayning, and I don't want you to joke about such things, you tactless clod-pole!"
As all three of them stared at her open mouthed, Poppy leapt up and stalked away, her hands drawn into fists.
Bewildered by the immediate force of her fury it was like being stung by a butterfly. Harry stared after her dumbly. After a moment, he asked the first coherent thought that came to him. "Did she just say she doesn't want Bayning?"
"Yes," Win said, a smile hovering on her lips. "That's what she said. Go after her, Harry."
Every cell in Harry's body longed to comply. Except that he had the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, with one ill-chosen word likely to send him over. He gave Poppy's sister a desperate glance. "What should I say?"
"Be honest with her about your feelings," Win suggested.
A frown settled on Harry's face as he considered that. "What's my second option?"
“Don’t ever trust men with good intentions. They’ll always disappoint you.”
“My God. Something else we agree on.” Leo gave the companion a half-mocking, half-uneasy glance. “We have to stop doing this, Marks. My stomach is starting to turn.”
“And Poppy, remember that someday you will meet a frog who will turn into a handsome
prince.”
“Good,” Beatrix said. “Because all she’s met so far are princes who turn into frogs.”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you should marry a man who would appreciate you.”
She made a face. “Those are in short supply.”
He smiled. “You don’t need a supply. You just need one.”
“I-I don’t like courtship. It’s very stressful. And disappointing.”
Beatrix was the first to speak. “Have you been compromised, Poppy?” she asked with concern. “As Win was last year?”
“Yes, she has,” Leo replied, while Poppy let out a little moan. “It’s a bad habit our family’s gotten into."
Leo’s attention was diverted as Poppy buried her face against his shoulder. “I’m going to die of humiliation,” she said.
“No, you won’t,” Leo replied. “I’m an expert on humiliation, and if it were fatal, I’d have died a dozen times by now.”
“You can’t die a dozen times.”
“You can if you’re a Buddhist,” Beatrix said helpfully.
Leo smoothed Poppy’s shining hair. “I hope Harry Rutledge is,” he said.
“Why?” Beatrix asked.
“Because there’s nothing I’d rather do than kill him repeatedly.”
"I’ve found that life is far kinder to shallow people."
“Sometimes when you’re making the best of a situation, it turns out far better than you could have hoped for.”
She had been in love with a prince, and she had ended up in the arms of a villain, and it would be so much easier if she could continue to view everything in those simplistic terms. Except that her prince was not nearly as perfect as he had seemed . . . and her villain was a caring, passionate man.
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