Chapter Twenty-four
Once Allison and Quinn rejoined her family, she picked up her wine glass and tapped on it a few times with a spoon, getting everyone’s attention. “Quinn has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes,” she announced.
Even as she said the words, it seemed a bit off to her. He hadn’t really asked her. Not in the traditional sense. She had the feeling she’d browbeaten him into it more than anything, but as her nieces and nephews erupted in happy cries, her sisters-in-law surrounded her with hugs and well-wishes, and she saw her brothers do the same to Quinn, she tried to squash her feelings of dread.
She’d thought this through in a hundred different ways, and she really couldn’t come up with a better alternative. This way, she got to have Quinn in her life. They’d figure the rest out in time. For now, she just wanted to enjoy her family’s congratulations and getting to sit down to dinner with Quinn at her side for the very first time.
“He looks a bit overwhelmed,” Serenity observed quietly as she stepped away from hugging Allison.
Fiona laughed lightly. “Well, we can be an overwhelming bunch. The first time I came to dinner with you all, I was terrified.”
“Do you think he’ll be able to fit in eventually?” Allison asked, biting her lip.
Vanessa wrapped an arm around Allison’s waist, squeezing her from the side. “Of course. Your brothers like him already.”
Allison sighed and leaned her head on Vanessa’s shoulder. “I think it was probably a little easier for all of you. The man is supposed to be the rich and powerful one. He is going to have a hard time adjusting to the fact that I’ll bring so much money into our relationship.”
Her three sisters-in-law exchanged looks, then as one steered her further away from the men. She glanced around at them, worried, as they obviously tried to figure out how to tell her something.
“Lucien thinks that he should have Mr. O’Brien sign a prenuptial agreement,” Serenity said at last. “He knows your biggest worry is that your husband won’t let you continue to do charitable works with your money.”
Nervousness twisted in Allison’s stomach at the thought.
As though hearing her unspoken thoughts, Fiona frowned. “If you trust him, I wouldn’t let Lucien do that. I think such a thing would make him think you didn’t.”
“I think you should do it,” Vanessa countered. “If you don’t, you’ll have no say at all once you say your vows.”
Allison bit her lip, looking back and forth between them in dismay. “Thank you for telling me. I suppose it’s yet another thing I must think about.”
Before she could say anything else, they were called in to supper.
She rejoined Quinn, and he led her into the dining room, where they took their places at the bottom of the table. The place I’ll always be from now on.
Did it matter, though? Did sitting higher at the table really mean anything in the grand scheme of things? And why did they call it higher? All the seats were exactly the same height.
The thought made her smile as Quinn pulled out her seat for her. As they sat down, she had a quick moment of terror that he wouldn’t know which fork to use, not because she cared, but because she knew he would, but then she remembered that he’d lived with the Countess of Bridgewater all those years. He probably knew quite well which fork to use.
Reaching under the table, she took his hand and squeezed, needing the comfort that she always found when touching him.
He gave her a half-smile and squeezed back, but she could feel his tension, how uncomfortable he was to be here, surrounded by her family.
“Thank you for doing this,” she murmured for his ears only. “It means a lot to me that you get along with my family.”
“They’re not so bad,” he murmured back, sounding more himself, making her wonder once again if he drew some comfort from her as well.
Soon after the first course was served, Lucien set his gaze upon them, still looking very self-satisfied. At least he seemed to think she was doing the right thing, even though she thought him dreadfully high-handed to even be thinking about a prenuptial agreement before he talked to her.
“I think the wedding should be as soon as possible, don’t you?” he said, addressing Quinn.
Quinn cleared his throat. “Yes, I think that would be for the best, given the situation.”
She frowned, not liking that their relationship had been downgraded to a “situation” that needed to be taken care of. Though everyone had said all the right things, she couldn’t help feeling that this was not the way it was supposed to be. She wanted this to be a far more joyous occasion than it was. But she also knew that her own actions were what had brought them to this.
“I will see if I can get a special license. Should we aim for three weeks from Friday?” Lucien asked.
“Yes, that would be fine,” Allison finally spoke up, feeling as though she should get at least some say in it.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur. The whole thing seemed surreal somehow, that she should be sitting in her brother’s home with Quinn by her side, discussing plans for their wedding. She’d chosen this, so why did it all feel as though it was all spinning out of her control?