Chapter 125

ARABELLA was sitting in front of the window as she settled in on the patio that was designated there. It was a nice view of the sunset from the seaside cottage that she was occupying with her husband at the moment.
The plan was in motion as she was sipping on the blood-laced tea before she felt the hands that were encircling her stomach. She smiled before she turned to look over her shoulder as her husband was kissing her nose.
“What are you thinking about?” Aiden asked her before she leaned back into his strong arm. It has always been her anchor and her support throughout these years after she took the mantel and the crown that came with the responsibility of her country. She shook her head.
“Nothing,” she replied before Aiden was biting her earlobe. She moaned as it has been a few hours since their tumble in bed.
But of course, the queen will never give in so easily.
“Your nothing always means something. So, you either spit it out, or I have to make you and it will not be so kind to you, my love,” Aiden whispered to her before she smiled. She knows that Aiden was just bluffing to get rough with her when he knows that she was fragile at the moment.
“Oh, and here I was looking forward to that,” Arabella said as she turned to look at her husband. Aiden smirked before he claimed her mouth and Arabella was wounding her arm around his neck. It has been like this in recent weeks when they knew what was going to be changing in their lives from now on.
“You know I would not do that,” Aiden mumbled before he was putting his hands on her stomach. Arabella smiled.
“But I do want to know that you will plan something by the looks of it,” Aiden said as he was arching his eyebrow. Arabella smirked before she turned to look at the window outside of their cottage.
“Well, you will have to wait since I have passed my mantle to someone else as a matchmaker,” Arabella said before she was sipping on the tea, wondering how the new matchmaker was doing with the job that was required of them.

AVA was looking at herself in the mirror as she was adorning the pale pink day gown that was not accentuating her figure. She detested it when she has to be the center of attention for the lords to look at her.
But this was no lord. This is Marsh and he was the kindest gentleman that she ever met.
Ava was smiling before she took her reticule and she was getting out of her chamber and down the long hallway before she was stepping down on the stairs.
But of course, it was her mother that caught her dressed up for an occasion.
“Ava, where are you going, dear?” her mother asked before Ava was closing her eyes for a moment. Why does my mother have to come right before I was about to go out? She mused as she turned and smiled at her mother. She was batting her eyelashes as her mother narrowed her eyes at Ava.
“I thought I would go do some shopping in town. You know how we were invited to go to that dinner invitation that the queen has requested from father?” Ava lied through her teeth as she was praying that her mother will not come along with her.
Please, please, just let me go to this alone for once in my life, she prayed before her mother was stepping closer to her. She was accessing Ava with her all too knowing eyes before her mother smiled at her.
“Do you have some money for your purchases then, dear? I dare say, the shoppers here are quite ruthless with their new customers. Maybe I should go with—“
“No, it’s quite alright,” Ava said with a calm voice. She did not want to be too enthusiastic that her mother would catch something abnormal about her outing. No, this has to be seen as something that was not as exciting as buying books.
And Lady Randolph knows how much Ava loves books. This will be so much boring to her if she knows Ava was planning to go book shopping as well.
“I did not want to go shopping for clothes. It was an excuse, I want to buy some books for my new collections, mother,” Ava lied again smoothly as her mother sighed. She was pinching her nose before she was regarding Ava with the all-knowing look on her face.
“How will you impress a Lord if you keep sticking your nose into the books, Ava? You know they don’t like a Lady that has too much knowledge in their heads. And you’re are but three-and-twenty. It will be only two more years before—“
“Yes, I know. And if the Lord cares enough about me, he will not be intimidated by my knowledge. Perhaps he will join me in this escapade into books as well,” Ava said before she was tying her bonnet to her head. She was stepping down on the stairs as she was making her way to the front door.
“And I know a lord will like me as much as I love myself. So, if you excuse me mother, I will go on without you and be back before sunrise. Anon, mother,” she said before the butler was opening the door and Ava walked out of the mansion and went into the waiting carriage outside. The footman closed the door as she was inside before the coachman whipped the horses and they were moving forward with a determination in her chest.
I will show her that I can get a husband with my intelligence intact, Ava swore before she was steeling herself for her date with a man named Marsh in the Square.

MARSH was getting out of bed as the night before was playing in his head right now. He was smiling as if he was right at that moment again, where a beautiful young woman was talking to him in the dark, and without any reservation, she was staring at him openly.
I wonder who that was, he mused before he was slipping out of the bed and went to the dressing room to freshen up. He washed his face using the water from the pitcher and he wiped the water off using a towel that was provided.
Marsh turned to look at the face that has been looking at the mirror. The auburn hair, the grey orbs. The hard, straight nose with high cheekbones show that he was an aristocrat. Marsh sighed before he was taking off his nightshirt and went to the bathtub that was filled with hot water that has cooled down to a favorable temperature.
He sank into the water before he was leaning against the bathtub. Marsh closed his eyes before a smile was on his lips. A date, with a woman named Ava. He did not ask much of the woman to know who she really was.
Even with the agreement that they will meet for lunch was more than enough for Marsh to say his true intention toward her.
But of course, Marsh did not tell her as well that he was one of the Lords in the Higher court that served the young queen of Niapachad island. She might be surprised after this and Ava will demand why he did not tell her sooner.
Marsh smiled before his eyes as he can see how Ava would react to his declaration later on. And he hoped that she will forgive him for deceiving her.
“And that’s what I am counting on right now. Not being the pawn of the young queen’s matchmaking session,” Marsh talked to himself as he was latched the soap and washed his body that was not submerged in the water.
The bubbles were forming as the whole dressing room was smelled of mint, a masculine scent. He loved it and Marsh hoped that Ava would love it too. He smiled when he thinks of her as always since the fated meeting that brought them together.
And the upcoming date.
He took the time to wash before he went out of the tub. It was filled with foams before Marsh was wrapping himself around a towel and went to get ready. He was adorning the black trousers as well as a black waistcoat with a white cravat. He has the white shirt underneath and puts on the outer coat to protect him from the breeze.
Then, he went to the dining hall and have some breakfast early on. He took his seat at the usual head of the table before Marsh took the newspaper that will be reporting everything that was happening on the island.
It was named ‘The Island’.
He read on as he was sipping on the blood-laced tea that his butler has served him. He was immersed in the reading before he took a toast with an omelet and eat it. Later, he went to take the scarf and the gloves with his hat from the old butler as the carriage was coming around.
“Did you make sure that the carriage did not have the family crest on it?” Marsh asked before the butler nodded.
“Excellent, do remember that we have dinner reservation tomorrow for the young queen with her prince consort as well as her friend’s family. I hope everything is at top-notch?” he asked before the old butler smiled at him.
“Do not worry, my lord. Everything is under control,” he said as Marsh nodded at him, leaving the house as he was making his way to the awaiting carriage to meet with his date.
And that’s when he knew that he has been played by the young queen all along.