Warning. I didn't proof read this.
There are some mistakes here and there.
Thank you.
Chapter 3
"Welcome back, son," Henry greeted Francis as he entered their parlour inside their home, as his bags were sent up to his room by their maids.
Francis smiled at his Father while Catherine rolled her eyes. He turned to look at Bash who sat next to his Father on a velvet luxury green armchair. His father and Bash both had beer in their hands, both looking happy. Even Bash – he looked happy. Or maybe that was just the jetlag talking to Francis.
"Thank you," Francis replied, he wasn't one hundred percent glad to be back but to see his family again was surprisingly joyful. "Where are Charles and little Henry?"
"Your brothers are upstairs, playing," Catherine answered. How could she possibly know that? Francis thought.
"How was Santorini?" Bash asked with an inebriate smile. He might have had too much to drink.
"Wonderful," Francis replied with a smile, "I miss it already."
"Any conquest I should know about?" Bash grinned and Francis did too. They were brothers.
"Yes, but I'll tell you about them later," He replied.
"Enough!" Catherine chimed in, "The Stuarts will be here in less than half an hour. Prepare yourselves."
"Ah, yes." Henry said, standing up. "The Stuarts. James and Mary. I better clean myself up. Wouldn't want to smell like beer in front of guest."
Didn't stop you before, Francis commented in his mind.
"You boys should too," Catherine said to Bash and Francis, "Hurry up before they get here. Remember, this is still a business deal that the firm needs. Forget about what happened in the past."
The last part was directed at Francis.
Catherine turned and ascended up the stairs to freshen up, leaving the two gentlemen to talk among themselves.
"So, Diane finally allowing you to work for the firm?" Francis asked as he took the beer from Bash's hands and took one chug of it.
"Yup," Bash answered. His green eyes a glaze and brown hair a mess probably because of the beer. "My mother finally allowed me to work for father and your mother finally allowed me to be part of it."
Francis nodded. Their mothers never agreed on anything, except for not wanting Bash to work for the company, but for two total different reasons. Diane didn't want her son to work for the firm because she wanted to prove that they could do well on their own, she didn't want to hear whispers about her son. Catherine however, just didn't like Bash enough to let him work for the company.
"Well, good for you!" Francis tried to sound enthusiastic about it.
"Don't give me that fake smile of yours," Bash said, "I know you probably want to be back in Greece and not here to train me with the ins and outs of the company."
He wasn't wrong. Francis would rather be miles away from this scene but his brother needed him. He was only staying for Bash.
"Also, I know for a fact that you're not happy about seeing Mary Stuart." Bash continued.
"What happened between Mary and I is in the past," Francis said, "She probably doesn't remember what happened."
Bash shook his head in disagreement, "I don't think so. A girl remembers when she gets heartbroken." He took his beer back from Francis and took one more gulp before handing it back to him. "Especially if it was by her fiancé."
Bash walked away from Francis towards the direction of the front door.
"Where are you going?" Francis asked he wasn't ready to be alone with his family and the Stuarts.
"Now that you're here, I'm off" Bash smiled and continued on his way.
Francis groaned. Great.
"Jem, will he be there?" Mary asked, they were almost at the Valois's.
"I suppose," Jem answered, "Why?"
"It's nothing," She lied.
It wasn't just nothing. She was still nervous and anxious seeing Francis again. So much for moving on. She still could remember how painful it was but they were kids back then. She was twenty now and he was twenty-one. They were grownups. She was a grown up.
"Mary," Jem started, "Father told me not to mention this to you, but you need to know."
"What is it?" She asked, her nerves getting more intense by the look on her brother's face.
"Ever since the incident, the Valois' are on the brink of bankruptcy." Jem explained, "Their company is only afloat because of the Medici's money. Without Catherine's help, their company would crash and burn."
It didn't take long for Mary to process what her brother was saying but if that was the case, why were they going to make a deal with a company that was on the rocks?
"Father said that our company would help them in one condition," He continued.
"And what would that be?" She asked.
Jem opened his lips to answer but then he noticed that they were already at the Valois's estate.
"We're here," He stated, "We'll talk later."
Mary took a deep breath. Here she was and when he looked out the window of the car, there he was.
Francis Valois. He stood by the grand window of their mansion. He looked different but with the same sandy blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. He seemed taller but it has been seven year since their last encounter, she shouldn't be surprised of change. After all, it was what drove them apart.
"Mary, I can't do this!" Francis shouted, his eyes glazing with unshed tears of hurt and frustration.
"And why not?" Mary asked. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was shrinking, panicked and nearly insignificant.
"Because I don't love you!" He said so harshly that she cringed at his words.
"Francis… you can't possibly mean that." Mary said her voice small and hoarse. She wanted to cry but she wouldn't. No, not in front of him. Not now. She needed to look strong.
"Mary I –"
Mary was drawn out of her memories by the sound of her brother's voice.
"Mary, are you ready?" Jem asked.
"No," She answered as she looked to her brother. "But do I have a choice?"
"No," He answered. "Both of us don't have a choice, whether we like it or not."
"Then we just need to put on a brave face, don't we?" Mary said with a smile. Fake but convincing.
Jem smiled, "That's my girl. Come now, they're waiting."
As Mary entered the house, she could help but feel nostalgic of the summer days when she was young and was sent to France to spend time with the Valois', especially Francis. She was always fond of Francis. She loved him. But that was the past. She was here for work and work only. Although, she was still curious on what condition her father agreed upon to help the Valois'.
"Ah, James! Mary!" Henry greeted his guest with a big grin, "Welcome. Welcome."
"Mr. Valois," Jem said as he shook his hand.
"Please, call me Henry," He said.
"Henry," He corrected. The rest of them walked into the parlour where the rest of the Valois's were. "Thank you for insisting we stay here instead of a hotel."
"It's nothing, James." He said, "We're family. When you and Mary were young, you two would stay here for summer, correct?"
Jem smiled, "Just Mary," He corrected. "I've only spent a month here when Mary still couldn't handle being away from us."
"Ah yes," Henry said, "Mary." He turned to examine Mary. She felt uneasy under his gaze. "Look at you; you've grown to be a fine young woman now."
"Yes Henry, a fine young woman." It was Catherine who agreed but she wasn't pleased with the way Henry was eyeing Mary.
Mary stood next to her brother as the rest of them talked. She looked around the room and saw Francis, he was staring at her, however, it wasn't like his father's stare. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable. It made her feel relax, even.
"Francis!" Henry called to his son, "Come here and talk to our guest."
Francis walked over to the small crowd and put on a smile on his face.
"James, how are you?" He said to Jem, "I haven't seen you in so long."
"Francis." Jem smiled, "Last time I saw you, I was still in college and you were still in high school. I think that was five years ago."
"You're correct." Francis stated.
"And you remember my sister, right?" He turned to Mary.
Francis looked at Mary and slowly he remembered the little girl that he played and laughed with when he was seven and then the girl whose heart he broke when they were fourteen.
"Hi," Mary said, a small smile on her pink lips.
"How are you?" Francis asked. He felt his heart stop when he looked at him with those brown eyes that had captivated them when they were young.
Catherine rolled eyes at the pleasantries. They were wasting time.
"Okay, I think it's time for James and Mary to go to their rooms to freshen up and get ready." Catherine said, "Supper will be served in an hour. That will be enough time for you two to rest from your flight."
"Yes, yes" Henry chimed in agreement. "We'll talk business at dinner."
During dinner, Mary sat next to Jem, in front of Francis and Catherine while Henry sat at the head of the table.
"James, it's no secret that Pavilion de la Angoulême is losing its guest," Henry started, "And we need the help of Stuart enterprise to help us promote our hotel."
"Yes, but what will our company benefit from this?" Jem asked.
Mary watched as her brother and Henry talked. She looked at her plate of food, one bit and she suddenly lost her appetite. It was time for business.
"Well, if we succeed in this, we can guarantee the Stuart enterprise with forty percent of our income." Henry answered.
Forty percent? That was a large amount of profit, Mary thought.
"But what if we don't succeed?" Mary asked, she wasn't going to stay out of this conversation. She needed to impress her brother and the Valois's. Maybe then, she could impress her father. "If this plan fails, our company would lose a large amount of not only money, but also time."
Jem smiled at her sister, he was impressed but he knew her sister was capable of such things.
Henry cleared his throat; he forgot how feisty Mary was, she surely was more than just a pretty face.
"Well, yes." He answered, "That is a possibility but there is a forty percent chance that it will work and –"
"Forty percent?" Mary cut in, looking bemused. "So, you're saying that there is a sixty percent that it won't work? That is an awfully large number for us to gable with."
Henry groaned and tried to hide his annoyance, Catherine, however looked amused at her husband's troubles.
"Mary, the hotel and management's projection's will rise by twenty points if we succeed and that's according to the figures handed to me by your Father," Henry said, "Your Father seems to agree with this proposal."
"And Father sent Jem and I here to discuss this project furthermore," Mary rebutted, "We need more time to think about this proposal before we can give you our company's reputation to handle such project."
"Mary's right," Jem agreed, "You're giving us numbers and for now, that is what they are. Numbers. I will have to talk to our Father for an update and see what he thinks before we can sign any documents."
Henry took a deep breath. He wasn't used to not getting what he wanted and it infuriated him, however, when he turned to look at Catherine, she seemed rather amused by his annoyance.
"They're right, Henry." Catherine said, smiling "You should give them time to think and talk things over."
"But don't worry," Jem added, "I'll talk to my Father after dinner and then we can talk about the project later this night, if you want."
Henry nodded, "That sounds fair enough."
"Magnificent!" Catherine clapped her hands, "Now, continue eating. Mary, don't you think the chicken is just lovely?"
"It's delicious," Mary answered. It was a little bit overcooked but she wasn't going to tell Catherine that.
"What about you, Francis?" Catherine turned to her son. "You've been awfully quite. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Francis replied, "I was just listening to them talk about that project of theirs."
"As well you should," Henry said, "You're going to run the company when I get too old."
"Father –"
"Come on, Francis!" Henry rolled his eyes, anger rising in his voice. "You've been gone months from your vacation! It's high time you start being involved in this company's future.
The table went silent for a moment. Everyone knew how Francis didn't want to work for his father, especially Mary. She couldn't forget the time when they were fourteen and Francis complained about all the advantages handed his way for being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. She could relate easily but unlike him, she wanted to prove to her father that she could run their business. She wanted the job, unlike Francis.
"Henry!" Catherine's voice echoed in the room. She turned to look at her husband, "Enough, we have guest."
The tension in the room didn't evaporate but everyone returned to more pleasant topics. Mary continued to play with her food, her brother seemed to enjoy it and Francis continued to look at Mary. He was almost examining her. Oddly, she didn't mind anymore
After dinner, Jem went upstairs to talk to their Father and while Mary wanted to join in the conversation, Jem said it would be better for her to stay with the Valois's.
"Mary, how are you?" Catherine asked, she was used to faking a smile for the public, being pleasant to people she hated. Mary was no different. "It's been years since we last saw you."
"Yes, well, I focused more on my studies," Mary shared to Catherine, who sat across from her on an armchair in the parlour. Francis went upstairs already and so did Henry. It was just Catherine and Mary. How wonderful. "That's why I haven't been able to visit."
Catherine laughed, "Mary, you don't have to lie to me." She said with a smile that Mary wanted to smack it off her face. "I think we all know why you didn't return to France. To Francis."
"Catherine, please." Mary said. Catherine seemed to enjoy the uneasiness she was feeling. "That was such a long time ago. We were children. I've moved on and certainly Francis has too."
"Yes, Francis has." She answered, "He spent so much time in Greece that I'm sure he must've met a few ladies here and there."
Mary forced herself not to roll her eyes. Catherine was trying to get on her nerves. She always had.
"You know what," Mary started, "I think I'm tired, I should go rest now. Good night Catherine."
"Good night, Mary." Catherine hummed. She took so much joy in annoying Mary.
As Mary made her way to the staircase, passed by Henry's home office, the door was slightly ajar. She could hear Henry's voice talking to someone. She knew it wasn't right to eavesdrop but this could be a chance to know something her Father and brother didn't. She peeked through the door and saw Henry speaking to someone on the phone.
"James," Henry said. James? As in Mary's father? "I need this deal, and so do you. " Pause. "Yes, I know but your daughter is being very difficult." Another pause. Difficult? Mary? She tried to hold back the offensive word that was on the tip of her tongue. "I'm not sure how Francis is going to handle her when they get married." Pause. Married? Her and Francis?
Mary heard enough. She didn't know what to say. She was speechless.
Her feet were glued to the floor. Did she hear correctly? It must have been a mistake. She must have misunderstood it. Jem. He must know what was happening. She quickly made her way to Jem's room.
Jem was just finishing his phone conversation with Marie, when Mary walked in.
"I need to talk to you," Mary said, her eyes wild with confusion.
After Mary shared what she heard, Jem didn't look surprised and it made her suspicious.
"What does he mean 'When they get married.'?" Mary asked.
"Mary, I should have told you earlier." Jem said, he looked down on the floor and took a deep breath before looking Mary in the eyes. "Father and Henry decided they want to merge our companies. And the easiest way to do that legally is well, marriage. You and Francis's marriage. "
Mary felt her heart stop. No.
She couldn't get married to Francis. Her father couldn't be serious about this.
An arrange marriage? It was the twenty-first century! Arrange marriages don't happen anymore!
"But Jem, that can't happen," Mary said, "They can't do that. I won't!"
"Mary, listen –"
"And you knew the whole time?" She asked, shocked and appalled. "When were you going to tell me? On my honeymoon?"
"Mary, I'm sorry, I know I should have told you sooner but Father didn't want you to lose focus on your studies." He explained.
"What?" She looked at her brother, "When was this even planned? Since when did this arrangement begun?"
"Please, don't make a big deal of this."
"Tell me!"
"Mary –"
"Jem, please." She said, her eyes red from the tears she was trying so hard to fight back. "Tell me…"
"Fine," He sighed, "Father and Henry agreed upon this on your fourteen birthday."
"What?!" Mary couldn't believe it, "Seven years ago? How? Why?"
She was going to cry. She could feel it, she couldn't stop herself anymore.
"Relax, please," Jem tried to coax her but it was no use. She was hysterical at this point.
"Does Francis know?"
"Mary, please,"
"Does he know?!"
Jem couldn't lie anymore, "Yes."
Mary couldn't handle this. She felt the round bled beneath her feet.
AN/ Hello again.
It's me again.
You asked for longer chapters and this is longer-ish
Thank you for reading.
Review!
