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“What drama? You said they can’t stay in the castle together… Why?”
He looked off to the side briefly before focusing on me. “When I said my grandfather’s beliefs are on the archaic side, I wasn’t lying. They really are. He’s a complete snob.”
“Okay.”
“He arranged a marriage for my father when he was in his early twenties. It was to the daughter of a friend of his—another duke, although I forget who,” he explained. “My father was in love with my mother, and Dad’s supposed fiancée was also in love with someone else. They decided together they weren’t going to go through with the arranged marriage and married who they loved.”
“And that caused such problems your parents can’t stay in a bloodycastlewith your grandparents?”
Whoa.
That was some serious drama.
“Mum has absolutely no aristocratic blood in her family tree. She is, to be gross, a commoner. When they got married thirty-five years ago, there was still somewhat of a class disconnect. Especially for older dukedoms like the Glenroch one. Dad was expected to marry well.”
“But he chose not to?”
“Exactly. My grandfather was furious. Neither he nor Grandma went to their wedding, and I think if he’d had a second son, he’d have disowned Dad for not toeing the line and named the other the heir.”
“Were your grandparents an arranged marriage?”
William nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. “Don’t get me wrong, they love each other very much, but my great-grandfather insisted that Grandpa marry at least an Earl’s daughter. My great-grandfather on Grandma’s side was the Marquess of Lochfearn.”
And a marquise came above an earldom, so he’d gone above and beyond.
“Let me guess; since it worked for your grandparents, your grandfather thought it would for your dad, too,” I said.
Another nod. “That about sums it up. Perhaps if he hadn’t met Mum by the time it was brought up, he may have done it. By all accounts they’re still good friends with Mary and her husband, and Mary and Dad get along famously. It’s just more of a sibling relationship, I suppose. I think they would have been happy together if they’d gone through with it, but it wasn’t the life he wanted.”
“Your grandpa was upset by it.”
“Very. He didn’t approve of Dad marrying Mum, and he wasn’t shy about saying so. He’s never changed his mind on it.”
“What about your grandma?”
“Grandma is softer than he is, I’m sure you can tell.” He shrugged. “Remember that thirty-five years ago, society wasn’t as progressive as we are today. She basically had to toe Grandpa’s line and go along with his wishes.”
I tilted my head to the side and pulled a cushion onto my lap to hug. “Did she agree?”
“She’ll never say, so I suspect she disagreed with his position.” Will shifted his weight to his other foot. “Freya was her red line. Mum laughs when she tells this story, but apparently Grandma told Grandpa to get his foot out of his ‘ruddy great backside’ and she was seeing her grandchildren, whether he liked it or not.”
“Did he like it?”
“Not until I was born.” He cracked a smile, and his shoulders bobbed with a quiet laugh. “He loves Freya, don’t get me wrong, but uh, she’s not the heir he was looking for.”
I pressed my lips together and looked down.
Boy did I know howthatfelt.
“I get that,” I said, nodding. “So… You told me that he was trying to set you up with someone. Do you think he was trying the same trick with you?”
“Perhaps, in a more modernised way,” he said after a moment. “He wouldn’t be able to get away with an arranged marriage these days, but he would definitely partner me up with someone he deemed suitable for me to marry in the hope I would give in to his wishes.”
“Would you?”
“If I found myself genuinely interested in her, yes. Of course.”
“But if you didn’t?”
