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“As I said, accept it. Come to terms with it. Do what you can to get to know the man who, whether you like it or not, is going to be your husband.”

“You can’t expect that of me. You ask too much.”

“Yes, it is asking a lot. It is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do, but what you find on the other side can be beautiful.”

“But there’s no way to be sure it will be. He could be a horrible person, and if he is, then what?”

“You’re right, he could, but that could be true of whomever you marry.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s true, even if you hand pick the man yourself, there’s no way to know if someone will make a good husband until you’ve walked down the aisle. Courtships are short, and so are engagements, especially when you want to move out of your family home. This situation really isn’t any different.”

“You’re wrong. It isn’t the same at all.”

Mary sighed. “Just think about what I said, all right?”

“If I say yes, can I go now?”

“All right,” Mary finally relented, “but please come to me when you’re finally ready to talk.”

Amber nodded then fled.

She’d already taken far too long, and she couldn’t keep Christopher waiting. Still, with Mary’s words ringing in her ears, her body struggled to follow her commands. Mary talked as though everything was already completely settled.

As if her fate was inevitable and all she could do was lay down and let it happen.

It served as a stark reminder that her plan with Christopher was her only hope. If this failed or if he backed out, all was lost and who could say what would become of her.

And now, he was going to back out.

Each step felt a bit like she was walking to her execution. Amber could do nothing but watch her future go up in smoke before she could even try and grasp it. She did her best to start to plan what she was going to say when Christopher told her he couldn’t help her anymore.

She couldn’t make him feel bad about it. That wouldn’t be fair to him, but she couldn’t help but hope there was a chance she would be able to persuade him to change his mind or find a middle ground.

Entering the silent study, Amber took a deep breath. The place was too bright, too clean for a study. There was no musty smell of books, no thick curtains blocking out the light, but instead, it was spotlessly clean and almost entirely absent of seating. It seemed more like a room to show off than a room to use.

She wasn’t surprised to see Christopher was already standing there waiting for her. He was standing near one of the bookshelves, scanning over the titles.

“The man who put this library together is a fool,” he said. “So many of these books are made to look prestigious but are actually either rather common titles or pure pseudo-science.” He shook his head, turning to face her. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“I suppose?”

She waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. After a few seconds, she knew she needed to say something.

Amber swallowed then forced herself to speak. “You said you wanted to talk?”

“I did.” He took a step towards her.

“I came.”

“I know. I’ve been waiting.”

“So?” Her heart pounded in her chest, but she refused to let him see her nerves. She wanted to cross her arms, to shift where she stood, but Amber forced herself to stay still. “What do you want?”

He studied her for a moment, pacing the perimeter of the room. He paused for a minute, pulling one of the books off the shelves, turning it over in his hands. “I thought you might want to discuss moving forward with your plan if you actually want this, that is.” He put it back on the shelf, a little harder than seemed strictly necessary.

Amber flinched at the sound, but she didn’t want him to see, so she forced herself to square her shoulders, looking him dead in the eye before she spoke. “Of course, it is.”