Notes:
This was meant to be a much longer story but the muses ran out and I rather post it than have it sit around gathering dust. I hope y'all enjoy it as it is.
Thank you Captain for the support.
This is not betaed.
/ / /
"How long before Mr. Torres and Miss Calliope are here?" Arizona Robbins asked as she stood in front of a window in the grand drawing room at Hopkins manor.
"An hour, Lord Robbins," Alex Karev, her valet, answered.
"Thank you, Karev. You may take leave and see to your duties for now," Arizona said as she looked out over the lands that had passed down in the Robbins' family for generations. She didn't turn as she heard him walk out.
She was the only living child of Daniel Robbins, Marquess of Northampton. Titled Arizona Robbins, Earl Robbins as a courtesy.
It was a strange thing for a daughter of a noble to be their heir but after Elizabeth came to the throne a law was quietly passed. One that allowed a noble with no sons to, legally and socially speaking, turn a daughter to a son. They would be granted all privileges, trappings and duties as if they had been born sons. They could take a wife and with the help of a doctor and a willing relative, father children.
She turned her head to read the time off the large grandfather clock. The American wife-to-be and her father would be here about an hour before luncheon would be served, which happened at one in the afternoon. Sharply so if Mrs. Shepherd, their cook, had her way.
As she stood there in a suit tailored to downplay her breasts and her hips, with her hair in a tight bun, she thought of her unique position. She was a woman, she knew that and so did anyone who looked at her. But legally she was the second and only living son of her father. It was a tightrope she had to walk between herself and the legal one she needed to play to keep her name free from gossip.
Turning on her heel, she walked over to the other side of the room where a bottle of whiskey sat inside a crystal decanter. Taking the top off, Arizona poured herself two fingers worth before taking it all in a long gulp.
She wanted a wife. She always knew that about herself for better or worse. Until Timothy died and her father decided to take the legal action he did, she was sure she would never get that want.
But now?
Now that want was fifty-seven minutes away.
Calliope Torres was the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. It stirred something inside her belly that made her understand some of the things she heard over a glass of port and a cigar when the ladies retired after dinner. And soon that beautiful woman would be her wife with all duties on both sides that entailed.
It was up to her to make the dowery that Calliope would bring to the estate worth it.
And that dowry? Well, that was why this marriage was happening.
Seeing the pair together in London a handful of times when the Torres family summered there last year was enough for Carlos and Daniel to hatch their plan. The Torres family would have a title and the Robbins family would get a much needed injection of cash.
The Robbins' family was, in a word, broke.
Daniel tried to stem the tide of what his mother let unfold after his father died before he fully took over but it was too late. At this point, four years into the 1900's, they had two years more before they would have nothing left.
She could understand why Carlos Torres would use his daughter like this. A title was a powerful thing even still. She knew if Timothy was alive that she might have been used to advance the family in the same sort of way. Marriage for love was something for common people without titles or lands or duties to attend to. She had enjoyed the interactions between them and hoped against all odds there might be something akin to love one day.
She poured herself another two fingers of whiskey and breathed out slowly as she walked to another of the large windows to look out over the perfectly manicured lawn. She took a sip as she thought that one day this land, the people who worked it and the town around it that depended on the Robbins family for their own survival would be hers to control. It was a thought that thrilled and terrified in equal measure.
As the minutes tied past, she watched two of the children of one of the gardeners kick a ball on the grass. She smiled as the two boys kicked it back and forth while their father worked. She loved to see children that were getting to be so in the backdrop. It helped to remind her of her duties while being much more enjoyable than a speech about the weighted duty that her father so loved to give.
"There you are," Barbara Robbins walked in. She was in a new dress that was cream with dark green embroidery. Her hair twisted into almost a hat of hair around her head. "I half worried you had taken one of the horses out and were clear to Oxford by now."
"No, Mum," Arizona said with a tight smile. "I wouldn't do that to Miss Calliope nor the family."
"My darling Arizona," Barbara whispered. She cupped her daughter's cheek in her hand and looked into the blue eyes that matched her husband's. The pair were more like each other than either would care to admit.
Arizona lifted her hand up to press over her mother's. "I'll make you proud, Mum. I will do my duty."
"Darling," Barbara said with a soft chuckle in her voice. "You have always made me proud. No matter the title or how you are gendered on paper you have carried yourself with such grace and pride of character. What mother would see their child before them as I do and not be proud?"
Arizona leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her mother's cheek. She closed her eyes and said a prayer of thanks to God for this woman, not a first. "Thank you," she whispered.
Barbara patted her cheek before withdrawing her hand. "Now. Before your bride-to-be and her father comes, I thought you and I may go over the schedule for the day again?"
"Mum," Arizona groaned. "We've been over this three times already."
"Then one more time won't hurt," Barbara said sternly.
Arizona sighed and nodded as the pair moved from the window to one of the sofas to sit. As she watched her mother move in her dress she was again thankful for the suits she wore and the ease of movement they afforded her.
"Mr. Torres and Miss Calliope and those traveling with them will be here, with any good luck, at noon," Barbara said as she pulled out a little book that she used to keep her plans in order. "At one luncheon will be served for the family and our new guests. Then you and Miss Calliope will take a tour of the estate. Karev will drive the carriage for you and Lexie will come as a chaperon. The two of you are to be back at five sharp for afternoon tea. Then myself, you and Miss Calliope will go over the wedding plans, your father and Mr. Torres has a meeting planned for this to finalize the dowry but may join us after. Then dinner at eight, followed by cigars for the men and coffee for the women before we all join each other for some parlor games."
Arizona listened to her mother rattle off the day's plans and tried not to feel as if she was a passenger in her own life. She had little choice but to go along with the plans.
"Can't Karev drive us in the motorcar instead of the carriage?" Arizona sighed.
"Your father took me on a tour of the estate the first time in a carriage, if it was good enough for him and I, it is good enough for you and Miss Calliope," Barbara pointed out.
"Mum, that was 1875 when you toured. The motorcar wasn't invented yet," Arizona said with a frown.
"Arizona," Barbara said in a firm tone.
"Yes, Mum. We'll take the carriage," Arizona said as she put her hand up.
Barbara shut her book and tucked it in a pocket sewn into her dress that was hidden. She had them added to all her dresses. "I need to go see the guest rooms and make sure the maids have everything in order," she said as she looked at her daughter. "Make sure you haven't had too much whiskey before the Torres arrive?"
"Yes ma'am," Arizona said as she ducked her head.
Barbara pressed a kiss to the top of Arizona's head before standing. "I told Mrs. Shepherd to leave your favorite pie in the little drawing room, see that you have a slice or two, for me," she said as she made her way to the door.
"I will, Mum," Arizona said with a tight smile.
Once her mother was through the doorway, Arizona let out a long breath. She looked up at the large clock, thirty five more minutes till they would arrive.
Turning, she walked over to the side room off the grand drawing room. It housed a small table and a pair of chairs, windows on one wall and floor to ceiling bookshelves on the back wall. It was a spare room that her mother had created as a private get away when the world was a bit much. She knew Mrs. Shepherd, who had been with them since Arizona was a child, was well aware of her sweet tooth.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the knife set by the pie and a plate with a fork on it and sliced herself a large piece. Sitting in one of the soft chairs, she took a large bite as she looked out over the bright green lawns of the estate.
Things were going to be so different when Calliope arrived.
/ /
Calliope sat across from her father and sister as the car that was sent for them at the train station, brought her ever closer to what would become her new home.
When her father took her to London last year for the social season she knew she was hunting for a husband if she wanted to or not. Aria refused the trappings of being the oldest daughter by simply telling Carlos no and causing headaches for him when he pressured her. While Callie on the other hand couldn't bring herself to rebel against him on nearly the same level.
So she had gone to London and charmed the men with titles that her father saw as her equals. And one woman who seemingly was allowed to flaunt the rules that Callie had been bound too. She still didn't completely understand the British custom that allowed Lord Robbins to have her freedom but it fascinated her.
She had been shocked after they returned home and Carlos informed her some months later a deal had been struck between the Robbins family and him for a marriage. A large dowry to make up for the Marquess' mother's mismanagement of the estate in return for Callie to become the future Marchioness of Northampton. A trade she knew her father would make any day of the week even if the person she was to marry was biologically female.
Callie played with her fingers in her lap as she watched the countryside roll past them. She was lucky, she decided. Lord Robbins had been kind to her in their interactions, charming and funny even. She seemed to understand both the position she had and how to be the epitome of a gentleman while understanding a woman's mind. A fine line Callie thought it must be to walk, terrifying at times she was sure.
As the house of Hopkins Manor came into view, Calliope could feel her heart racing in her chest.
"Remember Calliope," Carlos said as he looked at his youngest daughter. "Unless the wedding happens we are guests of the Marquess. Nothing is sealed until your vows are taken."
"Yes, Daddy," Callie said with a nod.
"Maybe the Marquess has a cousin with a bit more height than Lord Robbins for me to entertain," Aria said with a wicked grin.
"Aria, you will do nothing to put into question this family's standing in the Marquess' eyes. Do you understand me?" Carlos said in a low growl.
"Of course, Daddy," Aria said with a fair bit of a chuckle.
The car pulled up to the long drive of Hopkins Manor, and Callie couldn't help but be impressed by the grandeur of the house before her. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the windows of the house, knowing that Lord Robbins was watching them arrive.
The car stopped and the footman opened the door for them. Carlos stepped out first followed by Aria and then Callie. As she stepped out, she saw Lord Robbins walk out of the house, smiling coyly as she eyed Callie from head to toe.
The servants of the house were dressed in their best and lined up from the Butler, Mr. Owen Hunt, to the lowest of the housemaids. The Marquess and Marchioness stood in the middle with Arizona taking a spot at her father's left.
Callie resisted the urge to talk, to fill the silence between them and she could see the worry forming in her father's eyes. He was anxious to make the right impression before the wedding, and Callie couldn't blame him.
"Lord and Lady Northampton, a pleasure," Carlos said to Daniel and Barbara as he greeted them.
"Mr. Torres, a pleasure," Daniel said with almost a smile on his stoic face. "Our footman will see you to your room and give you a moment of rest and time to change from your traveling clothes."
"Thank you," Carlos nodded as he made his way in with Daniel and Barbara. Aria following behind.
Meanwhile Callie and Arizona stood rooted to their spot as the others filed in. The pair looked each other over with shy smiles on their faces.
"Welcome to Hopkins Manor," Arizona said in a softly accented voice.
"Thank you, Lord Robbins," Callie said before she curtsied the way she had been taught before London. She felt her future rising and falling in the air around her and knew that no matter what happened, she would never forget this moment.
Arizona bowed in return before offering Callie her arm. "It will be a bit odd for you to have an escort that is shorter than you, Miss Calliope but I hope the adjustment will not be too difficult."
"I have no doubt the adjustment period will not last long," Callie said as she took the offered arm to walk into what would be her home.
Arizona felt the nervous energy she had all morning slowly dissipate as she guided Callie inside of Hopkins Manor. Callie had a calming effect on her that she had never truly experienced before but already found herself wishing to experience it over and over again.
/ /
With the carriage behind them, Arizona and Callie walked down a small path with a pasture for horses on one side and grain growing on the other. Karev was sitting in his seat in the carriage and Lexie was walking behind them about 20 paces. It kept them in sight but allowed them to talk.
"Luncheon was very well cooked," Callie commented as they walked.
"Mrs. Shepherd is a wonderful cook," Arizona smiled with her hands locked behind her back. "She's been with my family for all my life."
"Has she?" Callie thought of how many cooks her family had been through since she was a girl. "My father goes through staff much more often it seems."
"There are rules about the relationships between those of different stations here that you may not have in America," Arizona commented. "But my mother believes in taking care of those who have dedicated their lives to our service. They are paid well, protected and treated with respect. Not all families follow such a view but I don't concern myself with how other families run their homes or their servants treatment."
Callie nodded as she looked back at Lexie a moment before looking forward. "Lexie will be my lady's maid, she said?"
"She will," Arizona nodded. "She's the daughter of a baron who ruined his name and hers with it. But she is making a good life for herself in service. Mum took her in and she has earned her keep since."
Callie nodded again as she looked forward. "I would like to keep that type of kindness alive when it is our turn to run the estate."
"Good," Arizona said, feeling relieved to know Callie liked the way their home was run.
The pair walked for a bit more as they looked in the land around them. Arizona smiled as she saw a young foal with their mother running around the pasture. She loved seeing the way they changed course and moved with such freedom. But seeing a young animal reminded her of a topic she wanted to bring up with Callie.
"I must be indelicate a moment if you would forgive me," Arizona said in a low voice.
"Indelicate?" Callie asked.
"I am legally a man, socially a man, I wear the title a son would," Arizona looked straight forward as she spoke. "But I am a woman in body."
"I know," Callie whispered. It was no revolution to her.
"If you wish our marriage to be a friendship, I understand. And I will respect that. A doctor will provide the process to create children for us in any case," Arizona said in a slightly pained voice.
"And if I wish our marriage to be more than a friendship between us?" Callie asked with a slight challenge.
Arizona took a moment to gather her thoughts. "If you wish our marriage to be a true marriage then I will act as the most loyal of husbands. I will provide, I will respect, I will nurture and cherish you."
Callie stopped walking and turned toward Arizona. "I want friendship between us as I would with any man, Arizona. But I want all the things you just said too. I know medical intervention will be needed when we have children but that can't be helped. In all other ways I want you to be my husband."
"Then your husband I will be," Arizona smiled as her dimples popped out.
"And I will be your wife," Callie smiled back. She reached out and took Arizona's hand in hers for a moment, slipping her fingers in between Arizona's.
"I'm glad that the matter could be settled," Arizona whispered as she looked at how well their hands fit together.
"Me too," Callie chuckled.
Arizona held her arm out for Callie to take as they continued their walk. It was to her great surprise that Callie took her arm only to slide her hand down and lace their fingers together again.
"I much rather this if you don't mind," Callie asked as they walked.
"It is different than I am used to but your hands feel nice in mine," Arizona said with a shy smile.
Callie swung their arms a bit between them as they walked, a smile on both their faces.