The Man's Outrageous Demands Page 0,28
through. She carefully put her napkin onto her lap.
“I think it will be a wonderful marriage. And I don’t think we’ve gone back on our word, my dear. It might seem like it at the moment but in time, I think you’ll agree with us.”
Marabeth shook her head. “After George died, you and father both promised me that you’d allow me to choose the man I would marry, contingent upon your approval of his worthiness.”
“I believe we did that.”
“How?” Marabeth demanded, the emotions she was feeling coming through in her tone. “Do you have any understanding of the anger that man generates within me? How awful he is to me? I can’t bear to be in the same room with him without fighting with the man. How in the world could you think that he would be a suitable husband?”
“I think if you’d just step back and think about it, the anger he seems to generate within you is more likely desire that is hidden behind confusion and possibly…fear?” she suggested.
Marabeth shook her head. “No. You’re wrong. I don’t feel anything for him but anger. He’s so arrogant and irritating.”
“Why don’t you talk to him? Explain what you’re feeling? He’s a man of the world and can probably help you with those feelings.”
Marabeth could tell that she wasn’t going to get any help from her mother. “Yes, I’m sure that’s a practical solution.”
Her mother laughed softly at Marabeth’s retort. “Marabeth, I’ve found that Sam is a very reasonable person. If you talk to him, I’m sure you two can come to some sort of compromise on whatever is making you so angry.”
“Since it is his whole personality that bothers me, I doubt he would be very amenable to change.”
Her mother sighed and considered her angry daughter for a long moment, sipping her tea and then pulling a piece of toast onto her plate to butter it. “I heard a quote once that said females marry someone exactly like or exactly the opposite of their fathers. George was the exact opposite of your father. Did you have any respect for George?”
Marabeth shuddered at the reminder of her previous engagement. “No. He was soft and indecisive and had absolutely no work ethic.”
“So the exact opposite didn’t work out for you since you didn’t respect him very much. Perhaps you should give Sam a chance. He’s remarkably like your father in many ways.”
“Doesn’t that sound slightly ediple, mother?”
Her mother laughed despite her daughter’s irreverent comment. “Not at all. You don’t want to marry your father in any way. You just respect the qualities in other men that your father has shown as you were growing up. But speaking of attraction, you can’t deny you are to him.”
“Yes I can,” Marabeth countered immediately.
“Then you are lying to yourself, dear,” she said softly and stood up. “I have to rush, Marabeth but I want you to think clearly about Sam’s proposal. Your father and I are in agreement that this would be a wonderful idea. If you can give us any reason that it wouldn’t work, we are more than ready to listen.”
“Doesn’t the fact that I don’t like him mean anything?”
Her mother smiled gently before bending down to kiss her daughter on the cheek. “On the contrary. I have a feeling you like him too much. And that scares you.”
Marabeth sat in the breakfast room drinking her tea and thinking through her current situation. Her parents were practically ordering her to marry the man. She’d known it would come down to this as soon as they’d found someone that they thought was worthy. And for the past year, Marabeth had been fine with that. She’d been raised knowing her husband had already been chosen for her and she would have married George if he hadn’t died two years ago. She would have even been content in the marriage.
But she didn’t think she could find contentment with Sam. He was too domineering and autocratic. Her mother was right, those definitely were qualities she knew were also in her father. But they weren’t the qualities that she admired about him.
Marabeth got up from the table and called Stacy. “Are we cleared for departure today, Stacy?” Marabeth listened for a moment before her hopes were dashed. “Thanks. I didn’t think so. Well, you might as well take the day off. Was there anything special planned?”
There hadn’t been. But there was a big event planned for tomorrow. The children’s wing of the hospital needed renovations and she’d put