Chapter 109

“IS it true that you have left the house, disguising yourself as a maid and almost being attacked by a gang of thieves?” Lord Hurst asked Caroline as she was being called up and early into her father’s study.
I should have known that Viscount has to do anything with this, she mused before she was looking at her father. She nodded before Lord Hurst was exhaling deeply. If Caroline did not know anything better, she knows that her father was mad right now.
Furious even.
Lord Hurst was sitting at the mahogany desk before he stood up, hands behind his back before he walked to the window. It was past midnight and they were getting ready for lunch. Caroline can taste the steaks that the Cook prepared for them right now.
It was a funny thing when the rest of the world would be dead asleep right now when it was midnight. But not for the people on Niapachad Island. It has been their routine that the night was treated as their daylight with gas lamps and candles, while they would be asleep during the day as the dawn was setting on the sky.
It has been the way since the first settlers of the island, The Origins, first came to this Viscountry and it will always be that way.
Caroline was watching her father’s side profile and she can tell that Lord Hurst was weary now. Old and tired. She felt something kicked in her young heart as she stared at her father.
“Who do you go with?” her father was asking her before she was thinking about the consequence that Lexi has to take if Caroline told her father that she was lending her clothes and all that.
“No one. I was by myself and I can tell you that I know how to get to the marketplace without anyone helping me,” Caroline said as she was looking at her father. Lord Hurst turned to look at his daughter and she can see that her father saw her defiance. He sighed.
“Well, since you have almost ruined that night and the fact that someone has come to help you to get out of that situation. I owe him a huge debt to be settled but of course, he has proposed something that I think we can both benefit from this,” Lord Hurst said as he was regarding Caroline. She gulped.
“You will be marrying Viscount Vyckos and that’s final,” her father said as Caroline was trying to grasp the idea.
Marry? Viscount Vyckos? What!?
“You cannot be serious!” Caroline stood up from the chair as she was staring at her father. Her mouth gaped as she cannot think of any way that her father would let her marry that…that man!
“No, I refuse. I will not be marrying him, father. Never in this life!” Caroline said before her father was staring murderously at her. She cowered a bit as she never saw that her father is like this.
“Lady Caroline Hurst, you will marry Viscount Vyckos and that will be the end of this discussion. If I know that you will pull any stunt to get away from this marriage, you can only wish that you never left the house. Now, get ready, the Viscount will be here and I don’t want his future bride to be in disarray,” her father dismissed her before Caroline was pouting at her father.
She left the room as she made her way to the bedchamber, thinking on how to repel this Viscount from marrying her. Then, an idea struck her mind.
“Eureka!” she giggled before she ran to her bedchamber, getting ready as her father asked her to greet the Viscount.
Oh, he will be in for a surprise.

DAN was looking out of the carriage that was pulling up in front of the Hurst Mansion. It was a beautiful courtyard before the footman was opening the door for him. He thanked the man before he was making his way to the huge oak doors.
Dan was happy to know that the Hurst has agreed to let their daughter be married to him. And right now, she was getting ready to meet her new husband, even though they already met at their worst.
Dan was a strange man and Caroline dressed up as a maid.
He chuckled lowly as he remembered that night. It was a night to be remembered for the rest of his life. And tonight, he will seal that fate with the lady that took his heart. The oak doors opened and the butler was greeting him before Dan was removing his coat and hat. The butler took it before he was directing the Viscount to the dining hall.
“Right this way, my lord,” the old man said before Dan was nodding at him. The huge doors opened and he walked right into the dining hall where Lord and Lady Hurst were there to greet him.
But not Caroline, his future bride.
“Ah, my lord. It was finally time for dinner. Caroline will be down in a minute,” Lord Hurst said as Dan shook hands with him and he kissed the knuckles of Lady Hurst as a gentleman should.
“I wonder what was taking Caroline so long,” Lady Hurst said before footsteps were coming into the dining hall. They all turned to look at the newcomer before Dan was blinking his eyes, not quite sure what to make with the sight in front of him.
It was Caroline alright, with her blonde mane and grey eyes but she was holding her chin up when she was walking toward them. You might be wondering why. Well, it was simply the fact that Caroline was not wearing the proper attire for the dinner with the presence of the polite company.
Lady Hurst gasped before she was making her way to her daughter, prepare to scold her but Caroline was smirking at her mother. Then, she whispered something to Lady Hurst that made the old lady leave her daughter be.
Caroline was making eye contact with him and dared him to say anything about her attire. She was wearing a sheer muslin and lace that one would not need to imagine what was underneath all that. Dan can make out the silhouette of Caroline’s lithe body.
His cock stirred at the sight before Caroline was standing in front of him, challenging him to do something that would make him be disrespectful to his future bride.
‘Come on, I dare you to tell me not to wear this,’ her grey orbs were telling Dan before the Viscount just chuckled lowly as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“You look stunning today, my lady. It makes me wonder why you’re still not married yet,” he said as Caroline was narrowing her eyes at Dan. He winked at her before Caroline was batting her eyelashes at him.
Two can play at this game.
“Why, thank you for your kind words, my lord. I am certain that you said that to other women as well but it makes me wonder why you’re still unmarried,” she said with defiance in her eyes that made Dan wanted to get to know her even more.
“Caroline, we do not question a gentleman’s status,” her father said before she rolled her eyes. Then, she turned to look at her father.
“And they can ask a maiden’s status? Why, father, how progressive,” Caroline said before she took her place beside her father on the right and Dan was on the left. Lord and Lady Hurst were sitting at the head of the table before the servants were carrying the appetizers of the dinner.
It was soup.
“I hope this will be to your liking, my lord. We do not prepare much of a grand feast beforehand. It will be done later on when the marriage was a go,” Lord Hurst said before Dan was smiling at him.
“This is fine. And I can assure you that my intention was a go,” Dan said before he turned to look at his future wife. Caroline was narrowing her eyes at him as she was sipping on her soup. It looked like she was ready to skin Dan alive right now.
“Do you have the date set up yet?” Lady Hurst asked before Dan was sipping on the wine. Then, he chuckled.
“Well, I was wondering if I can talk with Caroline about it before I can be sure of anything. I am sure that she might want to be involved with the preparation more than I do,” Dan said that made Caroline snorted. Lord Hurst glared at his daughter before Caroline cleared her throat.
“That would be lovely. How considerate of you, my lord,” Caroline said sweetly but when Dan was looking at her face, it said nothing about her to be like her voice portrayed. This marriage is going to be fun, Dan mused before he was sipping on the wine, locking his eyes with Caroline as they stared at each other.
But Caroline was more of a glare than a stare.