An Arranged Union (3)

"Lord Edward,"The butler greeted,opened the door wide and allowed him in."Lady Georgina has been expecting you."

Edward nodded curtly.

His eyes searched around the immaculate grounds,looking for any slight dirt for him to be disgusted and run to his mother.But to his surprise,the house was impeccably maintained - not a leaf out of place.

Clearly,his mother had planned with Lady Georgina to make the house spotless,just to please him.

With a slight frown,he followed the butler in.The staircase gleamed,not a speck of dust to be found. His brow furrowed.

Was this girl really from such a well-kept household?

The butler led him to the drawing room,where two ladies sat sipping coffee and engaging themselves in a silent conversation.One,he recognized as Lady Georgina and the other,an unfamiliar young lady.

Their poised and composed behavior moved him and he began to have second thoughts.Whether he liked it or not,his mother had already paid for the dowry. He only had to give the lady a chance.

"Lady Georgina,"He took off his hat,bowing his head stiffly.

"Lord Edward,you came!"Lady Georgina exclaimed,rising to greet him.The lady seated beside her had her mouth agape.

No one would believe her if she told them Lady Georgina's daughter was to wed the Duke.Now that he was here himself,she had to get him to sign a contract to make sure he didn't run.

"Of course,I would not miss this occasion." He replied.

"There is no time to waste then.I will lead you to your bride to-be." Lady Georgina scurried on, rushing to show him where he should be before he changed his mind.

It had happened before;not once or thrice,but a lot. Mothers knew him to be changing his mind very fast whenever he was delayed.

That was the case when his mother sent him to the Viscount's house to wed their daughter or when he was sent to the Castle of Eldoria to wed the princess who admired him.

She,like any other, was rejected to the shock of the people despite her position.

Lady Georgina counted herself as one of the luckiest people to live this moment.It was good the Duke hadn't chosen a bride from the other seasons and had specially kept himself for her family.

"Here!" She stopped in front of a large brown door,opening it with a key she had kept in her pocket.She knew her daughter too well;give her a small chance and she would run from the scene.

As the door flung open,Lady Georgina held her chest tight.Esmeralda was no where to be seen.

The doors was locked and the windows were pegged,but she was invincible.

Her eyes began roaming the room in search of her daughter, panicking.But the Duke was inwardly excited.

Although he had a grim expression on his face,he was waiting for the perfect time to leave and get away from marrying his mother's choice.

"Mother!" Esmeralda sprung up from under the piano, clutching on to her golden hairpin. "It fell!"

Lady Georgina was relieved.Her daughter was not preparing for any other scandal.

Surely, this matchmaking was a success.All thanks to Lady Beatrice.

"I'll leave you two be!" She said, ushering the Duke in and closing the door gently behind her. Esmeralda could see her mother's erratic eyes peering through the key hole.

"Duke Edward," Her voice was soft and melodic,and Edward found himself momentarily captivated.

He narrowed his eyes to analyze her.Her mousy hair was now freshly braided with several gold pins in it.

Unlike the faded brown gown she wore to their first meeting,her resplendent emerald pink gown blended perfectly with her skin.

"May I know your name?" He asked.

Esmeralda inclined her head to check if her mother was still watching. She had elegantly squeezed her eyes into the hole,dying to see if her daughter would mess up.

She wanted to do something to make him leave,but her mother's eyes were doing her no good and the rough grip earlier,was freshly playing in her head.

"Esmeralda Dynevor," she said,a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Miss Esmeralda"

Edward liked the way her name rolled on his lips.He had expected to run away from the meeting and never look back,but he was now sure it would change from an unpleasant situation to one that was pleasant.Maybe,just maybe,the union would not be the disaster he had anticipated.

"You clean up well." He commented, looking over her shoulders with his eyes on the spotless floor.The floor was spotless,no dirt in sight.

He was finally beginning to relax.

Lady Georgina was sooner called in by her guest and she had to make an exit, disappointed she couldn't watch the show.

Would her daughter mess it all up?

Esmeralda noticed the disappearance of the curious eyes.She was gone and she could do what she wanted.

"Would you like a glass of water?" She adjusted her gown,slightly holding the other side to move easily and fetch him water.

He looked at her hands and suddenly remembered their previous encounter.She cannot really be that serious.

"No! You do not need to bother." He said,politely rejecting her offer and not coming off as rude.

Everyone knew him to send people crying right away just by the words that escaped his lips.

With such,he was able to unemploy thousands without doing anything.

Esmeralda turned towards him and began biting off her nails just to spite him. He cleared his throat at the sight.Not even a beautiful gown could conceal one's ill manners.

At that moment, Lady Georgina flung the door open.She had seen enough to know what her daughter was up to.

"Ah! Lady Georgina,you have come the right time.I was already on my way." He was panicking yet his face was composed. He turned his head to look in Esmeralda's direction,she was wiping her gown with her bitten off nails.

'Argh'

Is this his end??

"Of course,you should leave.Lady Beatrice wants you back." Lady Georgina shot him her most glittering smile and escorted him into his carriage.

When she was sure he was out of sight,she raced back to her daughter resounding her hand across her face.

"What did you think you were doing? I told you he hates such...things.What is wrong with you?" She roared in anger.The girl was going overboard with her useless schemes everyday.

"If you lose this marriage proposal,I swear you would really hate me for being your mother." She said,leaving the room and allowing the girl to ponder on what she had done.

The only people who knew about his condition were his own people and Lady Georgina,which she had told Esmeralda for her to behave.

But she was using it as her weapon to make him stop the marriage.

Secretly,she smiled to herself.She was doing well so far.

If she were to marry the duke, how would she go out and entertain her many lovers?