An: I do not own Arrow
Ch 1- The Offer
Twenty two years later, Lord Smoak was propped up by numerous pillows on his death bed. He still had one month left to live and he was determined to ensure that his daughter would lead a happy life after his passing. He had called for his barrister the day before and issued instructions to summon Lords Robert and Oliver Queen. The time had come to entrust his daughter to another family.
His second marriage had produced five boys, all strong and healthy and one daughter. He no longer needed to worry about his family's legacy but despite his children, whom he loved dearly; he had grown to regret not following the Earl's advice. His new wife, Isabelle, the daughter of Spanish Aristocracy, had not bonded with Felicity. Their initial meeting had gone terribly and Isabelle was more interested in the gossiping ton than raising his daughter. Even with their own children she raised them to follow the whims and fancy of the ton. It was probably why his sons' were terrible at business. They spent far too much time escorting ladies than learning about the business but he knew he wasn't without blame as well. It was partly his fault since he didn't spend time teaching them. From young, they weren't as bright as Felicity and picked up on things much slower and he made the mistake of showing favouritism towards his eldest daughter. Whatever sibling love there might have been had soured fairly fast once he started making a comparison.
The first summer, he and Isabelle spent together was without Felicity. His wife convinced him to send Felicity to spend the summer with her Grandfather so that he and she could spend some time together. His life quickly became a balancing act between his daughter and his wife. Every summer Felicity was sent to the Earl's estate, a routine she had kept up even after her Grandfather's death. She bonded with her cousins there and Edward was thankful for that because Felicity never bonded with her siblings. Isabelle always kept them separate, stressing that her sons were his rightful heirs.
Felicity had figured out how to get around Isabelle early. In the evenings after her etiquette lessons, she would hide in his study under his desk and read a book as he conducted his business meetings. He never had the heart to move her because he knew if she wasn't there he would never get to see her. It was when she was ten and she asked a specific question about a business venture he was about to embark upon that he realised how much of his business meetings she had internalised. She had realised a flaw in his plan and her question was a way of pointing it out to him. When he had tried to include his sons' in any meetings, Isabelle had commented that they were too young and needed to learn their lessons first.
The first time Isabelle spoke of marrying Felicity to an eligible bachelor that was significantly older than Felicity, Edward saw red. His daughter had no interest in the ton, her season or marriage and Edward saw no reason to push her into one that would make her miserable. When she was 14 he needed to travel to India to conduct some business personally but he was afraid to leave Felicity alone. He did not want to come back and find her married off in his absence. His brother-in-law, Henry Allen, the new Earl, owned the fleet of ships that carried cargo for him and was always promising to take Felicity to India on an adventure. From the moment she realised that he needed to go to India she started begging to come and he happily agreed. Henry would captain the ship that would take them there and back and along the way Felicity learned how to read navigational charts, chart courses and steer the boat. She adjusted to life at sea quickly and he almost envied his daughter's lack of sea sickness. Henry had been very proud of his niece's "sea legs" and the only sad note for the entire journey was that Barry, Henry's eldest son, had been unable to make the journey with them.
India had been an eye-opening experience for his daughter. She had never seen suffering and in India there was plenty of suffering. The child labour and the way the 'untouchables' were treated was what affected her the most. She joined him for all of his meetings and she helped him select the best silks to ship back. She had told him, "Quality over Quantity" and indeed when that shipment had arrived in England his clients were extremely pleased with the products. Felicity would subsequently accompany him on other trips to India and one to Africa.
There was a knock on the door and his lawyer entered followed by the Queens. The look of shock that showed on both men's face led him to believe he looked a lot worse than Felicity led him to believe. His darling daughter was always a positive thinker. Both men took a seat at the side of his bed.
"Good afternoon my Lords, You look well. I am pleased that you agreed to this impromptu meeting," Edward said greeting his guests and pointing to two chairs set up at his bedside already.
"Good afternoon Lord Smoak, we were surprised by your request as the this is a very busy time for us but due to the rumours about your health, we thought we would acquiesce to the meeting request instead of putting it off." Robert answered as both he and his son took their seats.
"Never mind my health gentlemen; I am still sound of mind. I called you here because I want to make you an offer," Edward said to them.
"What kind of offer?" Robert queried.
"You have been trying to acquire one of my companies; Smoak East India."
"Yes you have refused all buyers claiming that that was your most profitable business and you would be a fool to sell it,"
"It is but that was not the reason why all offers for that business have been refused." A wry smile passed Edward's face, "I am willing to offer you the company as a dowry for Oliver marrying my daughter on one condition."
"Excuse me?" Oliver said alarmed.
"I can assure you she is the most beautiful person you will ever meet." Edwards said fondly.
"I have met your daughter and she isn't even of age yet," Oliver replied. Lords had been offering him their daughters since he turned of age and if he remembered corrected he had met his daughter with her mother and brothers when he was in London the previous summer. The Lord's wife had shamelessly paraded her underage daughter around and tried desperately to draw his attention to her.
"Not my youngest daughter, my eldest daughter Felicity, she is my greatest treasure and I am choosing to trust you with her protection. Since I first started showing signs of this disease I agonized over Felicity's prospects and you, Lord Oliver Queen are the best match I have found for her."
Edward had commissioned several private investigators to research a list of six possible men he had identified for Felicity. He had wanted wealthy men, who had a good grasp of business and who already had heirs. He did not want to throw his daughter into a situation where she would be forced to produce a child. If she wanted children he would leave that up to her. When the investigators submitted their report he looked for a man that would respect Felicity and her happiness, as it turned out that man was Lord Oliver Queen.
"Felicity is your daughter with your first wife?" Robert said recalling a faint memory of a little girl with brown pigtails at his first wife's funeral. "She would be an old maid now."
"She is not an old maid. I can assure you even though she is older than the age at which most women marry, she is very vibrant and extremely difficult to keep up with. Oliver already has an heir and thus my daughter won't be required to provide you with one."
"What is the condition?" Oliver asked curiously.
At this Edward hesitated, this could be the deal breaker.
"I have allowed my daughter certain freedoms. One of those freedoms is to run my businesses for me. Smoak East India was her idea and I allowed her to develop it into what it is today. Because women aren't allowed to run a business I allowed her to use my name but most of our business associates in East India understand that she represents me and makes decisions on my behalf. It is her work that has made the company successful and I want her role to remain the same. I understand that you would want to have full control over it to integrate into your network but I'm asking that my daughter at least retain an equal partnership in the business."
"You allow your daughter into business matters?" Robert asked. He too had an eager and intelligent daughter that showed the occasional interest in business matters, when she wasn't studying the latest gossip in the ton.
"Yes. She has proved herself to be a very competent business woman. She does have her flaws but she will listen to reason and be guided accordingly,"
"How come I have never seen your daughter?" Oliver asked.
"She has never done a London season."
"Did you refuse her, her season?" Oliver asked.
"No, she didn't want it. She would rather be off in India riding on the back of her elephant than sitting in a party listening to the ton critique her dress."
Oliver chuckled. He too would prefer the elephant to the ton.
"Do we have a deal gentlemen?" Edward asked.
"I would like to meet your daughter first." Oliver insisted.
"I suspected as much." Edward rang a bell and a servant that entered the room.
"William, please summon Felicity immediately."
"Yes my lord," he said with a bow.
"She will be here soon. These days when I summon she comes right away." He chuckled which turned into a coughing fit.
The door flew open and a petite lady with her hair pulled back into a bun entered the room and moved to his bedside. She immediately started to rub his back. She was dressed in a red Moroccan style gown with intricate gold patterns on material that was made of the finest silk. It was unusual to find a British woman dressed that way. When her father's fit stopped, she narrowed her eyes at the guests in the room.
"My lords, I am terribly sorry but my father is not well enough to conduct any business today. My brother's will be back from London in the morning and you are welcome to join them for tea."
"Nonsense," her father said, "I am just about to conclude my business with them but first I would like to introduce you to them,"
"Felicity, this is Lord Robert Henry Queen and Lord Oliver Jonas Queen."
Felicity politely curtsied. If she was surprised to see them she showed no indication. She turned back to her father for a moment and studied him.
"You sold the company to them didn't you?" She accused him angrily.
"You will still be involved in the company as Oliver Queen's partner and wife."
"I think I misheard your father, did you say wife?"
He smiled at her.
"No," she said stubbornly crossing her hands in front of her chest. The movement drew Oliver's gaze to her cleavage which unlike a lot of the vultures that had been trying to bed him, was not on display.
Her father chuckled, "Felicity this is my last wish for you. Will you deny me this?"
She seemed to bristle for a bit before all fight deflated out of her. Eventually she squared her shoulders and stood up straight and responded, "No, I will do as you wish. When is the wedding to happen?"
"Lord Queen has yet to agree to my terms."
"And what exactly are these terms?" she inquired.
"In exchange for marrying you, he will gain Smoak East India and you will retain a silent equal partnership with him in the company."
"I see and you trust him to uphold his end of the bargain."
"I do. The Queens have always been men of their word."
"I would have to leave you here," She said sadly, knowing that marrying into the Queen family would mean her immediate relocation to the Queen Manor over 100 miles away.
"I will always be with you my darling. You know that." He told her. She nodded the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I agree," Oliver said.
Edward Smoak summoned his barrister as well as a few high ranking magistrates and members of the clergy to witness the signing of the papers and marriage of his daughter. Felicity refused to change into a wedding gown and she held her father's hand, not her husband's hand, during the entire ceremony.
An: Thanks for reading.