Page 4 of An Accidental Marriage

“Son,” Father greeted next with a clasp on his shoulder, “happy to see you’ve safely arrived.”

“As am I, Father.”

Charles glanced once again to the Oakleys. Miss Oakley was still slightly hidden, only her black hair visible and the top of one arched brow. Mrs. Oakley stood at the side of her daughter, short, thin, and staring with a slightly absent-minded smile.

She and Mr. Oakley certainly didn’t look old enough to have an aging daughter. If only Charles could see Miss Oakley for himself. Was her father unaware that he was hiding her from Charles’s view? Or was that his intention—putting off Charles’s inevitable disappointment at the discovery of Miss Oakley’s age and appearance?

“Come,” Mother said, urging Charles farther into the room, “you remember Mr. and Mrs. Oakley, do you not?”

“Of course. Lovely to see you both again.”

Mr. Oakley held no hint of a smile on his features. “And you, Mr. Shepherd.”

Charles had met Mr. and Mrs. Oakley at Westburn last year after returning home for a few days. He had liked the couple well enough. Mrs. Oakley still had that unchanged distant look about her, but Mr. Oakley had appeared much less…examining.

Miss Oakley had been in Bath with her aunt at the time, and Charles had missed his opportunity to have met her—a disappointment only due to not overcoming this issue months earlier.

Thirteen minutes left.

“Thank you for agreeing to this,” Mr. Oakley continued. “We are indebted to you.”

Indebted? For Charles meeting his daughter? Was Mr. Oakley as desperate as Mother to see their children married?

His stomach tightened. Mother had to have told them of Charles’s aversion to arranged marriages. If she hadn’t, this was not going to end well for any of them.

“It is my pleasure to come here,” Charles responded, as politeness dictated. He held his hands behind his back, clenching his fingers together to avoid fidgeting.

Mr. Oakley scrutinized him again.

“Son…” Mother paused with an anxious glance at Charles, “this is Miss Marie Oakley.”

Finally, the Oakleys shifted to the side like a curtain being drawn, and Miss Oakley was revealed.

Well, she certainly wasn’t fifty.

With her hair in an elegant chignon, dark curls gracing smooth, pale skin, and red, curved lips, Miss Oakley had to be one of the most bewitching women Charles had ever seen. She watched him with eyes as dark as the night’s sky and a subtle smile that somehow caused her lips to appear even fuller than before.

“Mr. Shepherd,” she greeted with a smooth tone, “how lovely to finally make your acquaintance.”

Charles had to take a moment to recover. She could not be beyond much of his own age, and—as far as first impressions went—she appeared perfectly and refreshingly normal, holding herself with regality, though her eyes retained a kindness to them that was undeniable.

For once, Mother had not exaggerated.

He cleared his throat, shifting his feet. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Oakley.”

He’d been about to say more, something about how their parents were determined to bring the two of them together, or perhaps how pleased he was to see she was not an aged spinster or feral squirrel.

But when Miss Oakley scrutinized him as her father had, eying him up and down, Charles’s words dried up. Had he passed muster? Unfortunately, her expression remained impassive.

Perhaps he’d extend the quarter of an hour. Spending a few minutes more with a woman who appeared as lovely as the portraits in the Royal Academy of Arts was hardly a chore. At least this way, he’d be able to satisfy his curiosity—and vanity—to see if he was a disappointment or a pleasant surprise to her.

Another moment passed by in silence before he realized all eyes were on him. Expectant eyes. Watchful eyes.

Right, he was supposed to be the gentleman here.

He settled his desire to pace across the room—an urging he had to quiet often in social settings, for the mark of a gentleman was stillness. “It is strange, is it not, Miss Oakley, that we have not met before, essentially living next door to one another? Although, I suppose it is to be expected, what with how often I am away.”

“Indeed. Time and circumstances have certainly not been on our side.”