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Diarmuid gives the table a frown and everyone quiets again. “As I was saying,” he continues. “Alfred and I wanted our families to be united. Alfred had only one granddaughter at the time.” He smiles down at me. “I had three grandsons. Contrary to popular belief, our agreement had nothing to do with the throne. It was simply the assumption that it would be a union of our first grandchildren. Then Declan left, and the agreement moved to my second grandson.”
My breathing is faster now and I can’t look at Jonah.
“But now that my second grandson is married to another, the arrangement will move to my third grandson.”
He stands smiling.
Everyone else in the room is completely quiet.
The clock ticks five times.
Then Cian says, “Hey, I’m your third grandson.”
Diarmuid nods. “Yes.Youand Linnea will marry. We’ll announce the engagement in three months.”
Now my gaze flies to Jonah’s.
His jaw is tight, and his eyes are hard. He’s watching me. Waiting for me to do something.
Because…I have to do something.
Of course I do.
I feel a little dizzy.
“I’mgoing to marry Linnea?” Cian repeats. “Just like that? Are you kidding?” He looks at me. “No offense.”
Diarmuid nods his head. “Yes. The O’Gradys and Olsens will be united.”
“That’s cra—” Cian starts.
“No.”
I feel like someone else says the word, but I know it came from me.
I suck in a deep breath. Then I shake my head and say more firmly, louder, “No.”
I feel Diarmuid stiffen beside me. I turn to him and pull my hand from his.
I take a deep breath when I look into his eyes. He looks completely confused.
“Linnea?”
I know what I have to do.
I have to stop this.
They arranged my marriage when I wasfour. On a playbill.
Then they swapped out my fiancé when I was seventeen because my original one left home, never to return.
Then that one left home and spent ten years playing around in the U.S..
Then he came home and decidednotto marry me because he just didn’t want to.
Then he fell in love with someone else and got to marry her and live happily ever after.
So they’re going to just trade out my fiancéagain? And because they want me to have a baby for them?