Marriage By Law

Chapter Five

6 Months Ago

I started laughing dropping the box. My mother picked up the box scowling and glared at me as I continued to laugh,.

"You're joking right?" I asked after I caught my breathe. I looked at my father who had a sad expression on his face and stopped laughing.

"You're serious?" I asked looking back and forth.

"This is a great opportunity-"

"I am barely twenty!" I yelled loudly. My father winced and opened his mouth to say something but as usual my mother had cut him off, again.

"You are turning twenty one soon, you are an adult," she said. I scoffed, that wasn't what she said with all my other choices. You are a young girl not mature enough to be an adult, leave the stuff to Father and I she would say.

But now my decision with James was proving her righter by the moment. I shook my  head, I didn't want to think about him.

Was I seriously the only girl in five generations? I knew my father had a lot of brothers and male cousin but I never expected that was in five generations!

"What do  you mean, exactly?" I said.

"We mean for you to get married to the man we have picked. He is a direct descendant like you, not a cousin or anyone else. He is q-"

"When?" I asked wearily.

"Soon. It will be a small private wedding. The boy needs to finish his training and so must leave right after for six months. You can take this time to learn your duties and impress him when he gets back. Mistakes will not be accepted Ivory"

I stared at the ceiling, not even a crack visible to divert my attention. Marry a man I had never met for him to only disappear for a month.

"What do you say Ivory?" asked my father coughing as he stood up.

Present Time

By the time I woke up it was Sunday and I groaned. I had slept through my "my" day! I rolled over in bed the sun was rising and the light was coming through my curtains. Again I had forgotten to close them and I couldn'tt sleep in.

Sunday usually meant an afternoon party we had to attend. Only this time would be different. Instead of Rose sitting beside me and gossiping it was my h- Darius beside me probably making some business conversation with some other man.

That reminded me, what was his business. I had never seemed to ask or find out. Mother had probably told me but I never paid too much attention to it.

Like on cue Margret came through.

"Hope you slept well dearie, you were out all night." she said helping me sit up on the bed and started opening the windows.

"I think I was just tired or something," I said yawning and standing up. I wobbled on my feet and my vision dazed and I stopped blinking till it returned to normal.

"Indeed. Darius has sent me dearie to remind you of the afternoon party today. It will be your both first appearance as a couple so I had Charles bring by some new dresses you could try on darling. We can try them after you get a good breakfast."