AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mama would tan her hide when she found out she’d moved four thousand miles away to be with two men she’d “dated” less than a week.
Eric noticed her sudden panic. “What’s holding you back?” He jerked a head toward the limo. “Those two? I can find you younger men. Or swap one of them out for a sexy lady.”
“No, but thank you for the offer. They’re the only reason I’m coming with you.”
Eric grumped. “Then you’re joining. You want them, you’re a member. Which means you answer to me.”
There was something Sylvia was curious about, something she needed answered before she agreed. Before she could give her life to the Masters’ Admiralty. “Hugo said that marriages are arranged, that people don’t get to choose their partners. Trinities are created for the good of society, as a way to better the world.”
“That’s right.”
“Love doesn’t come into play.”
Eric crossed his arms. He was very good at giving off impatient vibes, making others think he had better places to be and he was merely indulging them. No doubt that kept conversations short and made sure the speaker got right to the point. But he wasn’t as aloof as he seemed. Sylvia could feel his attention on her, could tell he was scrutinizing her, sizing her up.
“It doesn’t come into play.”
Sylvia didn’t believe him. Nothing in his voice, words, or stance betrayed him, but she knew he didn’t mean what he said. “But you know that were we free to choose, Hugo, Charlie, and I would have chosen each other.”
Eric didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he walked over to her porch swing and sat down. “Humph,” he said, swinging slowly. The wood creaked, and Sylvia was a little worried the chains and bolts would give way under his weight. “If we’re going to talk, a bench swing is a good place to do it.”
“Porch swing,” she corrected with a smile.
“Porch swing. The porch isn’t the part swinging. But I like it.” He patted the spot next to him, inviting her to join him. “Normally people are recruited with promises of the good stuff—money, success, security. Then they agree to the arranged marriage. You’re the first person I’ve recruited, and I have definitely fucked it up.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s easier to fight a war if you believe in what you’re defending.” His tone was serious, not so sarcastic as it had been.
“And what is it I should believe in?”
“The Masters’ Admiralty.”
“The money, success, security.”
Eric rolled his shoulders, and when he spoke, his voice was low, barely above a whisper. “The Masters’ Admiralty was created during a time of strife. The society, the trinity marriages, they were a way to protect the things that we needed to live. Not to survive, but live. The best of us—the artists, the scientists—were members usually protected by their trinity marriages. The painter married in secret to the Lord and Lady who were his patron. And through them, he had family and connections. I’m not great at this—I’m going to need a recruitment director—but when someone explains it right, the Masters’ Admiralty is a…a noble calling.” Eric winced, as if he hated saying the words.
“Is that why you joined?”
Eric snorted. “You want to recruit young men? You tell them they get to be part of a super-secret organization protecting the world. It’s like the Avengers meets being a medieval knight. We’ll come running. I did.”
She wondered if that’s how Charlie had felt. For Hugo, it would have been about protecting knowledge, plus he was a legacy.
“Were you in love with your wives when your marriage was arranged?”
Eric shook his head. “I didn’t know them before the day we were wed. But I did come to love them. Very much. Did I resent the arranged marriage? I did. Even though I knew that’s what was going to happen when I joined. My wives weren’t the kind of women I’d have picked up at a bar.”
“They weren’t your physical preference?”
“They weren’t outgoing. Weren’t stay-out-all-night-dancing, have-sex-on-every-surface-of-the-house, carefree partiers.”
“And you were?”
“When I was off duty, damn right.”
“What did they think about you?”
“Dahlia thought I was a bit stupid. Compared to her, I was. Trina was horrified—I was too big, too loud. If they’d had the choice, I think they would have swapped me out for someone like Hugo.”
