Once Upon an Irritatingly Magical Kiss by Bree Wolf

Chapter Eleven

Among Sisters

Descending the stairs to the ground floor, Christina found a small mob waiting for her at the bottom, their eyes fixed on her and matching frowns upon all their faces. “I sense an intervention,” Christina mumbled, unable to help the smile that came to her face as her gaze swept over her sisters. Generally, Harriet was the recipient of these interventions for she was the one with the most outrageous ideas and plans.

Harry laughed, no doubt guessing Christina’s thoughts. “I actually have no objections.” She ignored the dark looks from her sisters. “I’m just here for the fun of it.”

Stopping on the bottom step, Christina turned to look at Louisa, Leonora and Juliet. “Well? Say your piece then.”

Louisa shook her head. “Not here. Come.” Without waiting, she grabbed a hold of Christina’s arm and pulled her forward, their sisters following in their wake. The door to the drawing room was shoved open, and Christina was pulled inside and then pushed down onto the settee. The door was closed behind them before her sisters settled around her, all their eyes coming to rest upon her. It was an eerie feeling, and Christina did not much care for it.

Jules, the oldest and most rational sister of them, smiled at her softly. “Christina, we only wish to speak to you to ensure that you—”

“You cannot marry him!” Leonora interrupted, the pulse at the base of her neck beating wildly as she shook her head. “You simply cannot!”

Christina could understand her sister’s concern considering what she herself had been through recently; however, she had made up her mind and would not be swayed.

“Why not?” Harry inquired, a bit of a frown coming to her face as she looked from one sister to the other.

Leonora gaped at her for a moment, then inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Indeed, she had never been impulsive, but rather calm and collected, thinking everything through before taking a single step. Every once in a while, it had been rather maddening to wait for Leonora to make up her mind. Today, however, was different. “She hardly knows him,” she began, her voice trembling and a bit of hesitancy in the way she spoke as though she did not quite know what she wanted to say. “In fact, she does not know him at all. They have barely said two words to each other. The only reason we are even here discussing this is because they were discovered alone together.”

A wide smile came to Harry’s face. “Precisely,” she teased, her gaze moving to Christina. “How exactly did that come to be?” Something wicked twinkled in her eyes, and Christina knew from experience that her youngest sister more often than not was like a dog with a bone once she had found something that piqued her curiosity.

Christina rolled her eyes at Harry, then turned to look at Louisa and Leonora, deciding that at the very least she ought to try and distract them from this topic. “What are you two doing here anyhow? You’ve both been recently married, and yet you have nothing better to do than to call on your little sister early in the day? Leonora, you should be on your honeymoon. Does your husband not object to you spending all your time here with us?”

Leonora shook her head. “Of course, he does not. He—” She paused, and her gaze narrowed. “There are more important matters to be discussed here than my marriage. Stop trying to distract us!” She threw up her hands and looked at Louisa for the two of them had always been close in the same way Christina and Harry had.

Louisa nodded, coming to Leonora’s defense. “She is right, Chris,” Louisa said with a bit of a chuckle. “You know we need to talk about this. You did not truly expect us to simply accept this madness and—”

Christina laughed. “What madness? You two are the ones to talk. Have you not both found husbands in…how shall we say it?…most unusual ways? Did you truly expect me to be an exception?”

“We married men we love,” Leonora objected, exchanging a knowing look with Louisa. “Are you telling us you’re in love with him? How could that be possible?”

Chuckling, Christina shook her head. “Of course, I’m not in love with him. However, I have my reasons as you have had yours. Why can you not respect that?”

Harriet scooted forward in her seat, curiosity sparking in her green eyes. “What exactly happened last night?” she asked, looking from Leonora to Christina. “I admit I am terribly disappointed that I was not there to see it.”

Heaving a deep sigh, Christina gave a brief recollection of what had transpired the day before, frowning when she realized that sharing the mere necessities of how she had retreated to the library and how he had come upon her there made it seem quite uneventful.

Yet it had not been.

Not for her.

Had it been for him?

Christina felt her breath momentarily lodge in her throat as she recalled how close they had stood in that moment. She could still feel his hands upon her, those emerald eyes of his looking down at her, seeing more than she wanted him to see. She remembered that teasing smile upon his lips and the way she had all but swayed toward him. More than anything, Christina remembered her regret upon being interrupted. Would he have kissed her if the door had not been flung open? Would she have let him?

“I admit, Leonora has a point,” Louisa stated, reaching out to pat her sister’s hand, to which Leonora responded with a grateful smile. “Quite frankly, I have never heard you speak well of the man. On the contrary, you seem to loathe the very sight of him.” Louisa’s green eyes looked deeply into hers, demanding an answer, demanding the truth.

Juliet cast a somewhat placating smile around her small circle. “Is he not the man you thought him to be?” she asked gently, turning to look at Christina. “Or—?”

“Wait!” Harriet interjected, holding up a hand to stop everyone in their thoughts. “Are you only marrying him so he cannot marry Sarah?”

All her sisters’ jaws collectively dropped open.

Christina shrugged. “It is a good plan. Frankly, the best one I could come up with.”

Leonora stared at her, her cheeks paling. “It is not a good plan! It is not even a plan at all! It is foolishness! It is madness!” Her hands began to tremble, and once more Louisa settled her own steady ones upon hers, offering comfort.

Louisa then turned her inquisitive gaze to Christina. “Are you serious? You’re only marrying him to protect Sarah?” Slowly, she shook her head. “Believe me, I, too, want to see her happily married, but not at the price of your own happiness. If this man is so awful that you fear for her, should she be forced to marry him,” anxiety darkened her eyes, and she once more shook her head from side to side as though hoping the movement would convince Christina, “how are you not afraid? Are you not worried about yourself?”

Christina swallowed, struggling to maintain the lighthearted, unconcerned expression upon her face. She did not want her sisters to worry. She did not want them to know that, yes, of course, she was worried. Despite the temptation Mr. Sharpe presented, she could not be certain of his character nor of the way he would treat her once she was his wife.

The past night, Christina had struggled to keep her thoughts focused on her accomplishment—she had found a way to save Sarah!—and away from the uncertain future now looming in front of her. A future with a man she knew little about. Of course, she had heard whispers about men of his kind. Whispers that suggested they were far different from the gentlemen she had grown up with. A part of Christina knew that these were only rumors spread by gossips. They were not necessarily the truth. People could not be judged according to superficial aspects. Although she knew so, she could not help but hear those whispers repeated in her head, and they made her wonder.

Were the smiles Mr. Sharpe had thus far bestowed upon her genuine? Did they speak to his character? Or were they simply a mask, like the one Lord Gillingham had worn? He had seemed like a gentleman, and yet it had been he who had attacked Leonora. Was that not proof that those deemed gentlemen could possess equally dark souls? And that men of Mr. Sharpe’s kind could be…decent and respectful and treat a lady the way she deserved?

Christina wanted it to be possible. She wanted it to be true, and yet she knew she did not honestly believe so. Because if she did, would she then not have let Sarah marry Mr. Sharpe? Would then Sarah not have been safe with him? Indeed, the only reason for why Christina had intervened had been because she believed him be a horrible scoundrel, had it not?

Feeling her sisters’ eyes upon her, Christina focused her energy upon appearing unconcerned. The corners of her mouth once more drew upward, and she smiled at them, giving a quick wave with her hand, dismissing their concerns. “You all know that Sarah is all but a delicate flower. She would never be able to handle a man like Mr. Sharpe. I, on the other hand, have lots of experience dealing with…challenging personalities.” She lifted her brows in challenge and looked at each and every one of them.

Harriet snorted with a grin. “Who are you calling a challenging personality?”

They all laughed, and Christina could see that her sisters were not convinced.

Leonora heaved a deep sigh, her hands still trembling. “Even if you marry Mr. Sharpe, it will not save Sarah forever.” She exchanged a knowing look with Louisa. “One of these days, her parents will find a suitor who cannot be discouraged. Who knows who that will be? And what then?”

Christina gritted her teeth, upset with her sister for bringing this up in her moment of triumph. “Don’t you think I know that? Of course, I know that. However, this is the best I can do now. Tomorrow, I shall try and find Sarah a suitor deserving of her.” She looked at all of her sisters. “I would appreciate your help.”

Juliet nodded, that maternal smile once more upon her lips as she looked from one sister to the other. “Of course, we will do what we can. However, today, we are concerned for you. What did Mother and Father say to this?”

“Surely they are not forcing you to accept his hand,” Louisa remarked with no more than a slight frown. “They would not do that!”

“Of course not,” Christina confirmed. “In fact, they have spoken to me in much the same way you are. They’ve asked me to reconsider, to take my time and think this through carefully, to not make any rash decisions that cannot be undone.” Indeed, speaking to her parents earlier this morning, Christina had felt all but discouraged upon leaving their chambers. Her mother’s words had been disconcertingly final as though agreeing to marry Mr. Sharpe was something akin to accepting a death sentence. Could it be?

“And?” Leonora prompted.

Christina gave her an exasperated look. “And I told them what I’m telling you now. I’ve made my decision.”

Leonora shot to her feet and began to pace in front of the window, wringing her hands and casting the occasional disbelieving look at Christina.

“Perhaps we should—” Louisa began when a knock sounded on the door.

A moment later, their butler appeared in its frame and announced that Mr. Sharpe was here to see Christina.

The sisters drew in a collective breath, their eyes slightly widened as they all turned to look at Christina. Leonora seemed dangerously close to arguing with her, but then clamped her lips shut. Louisa hurried to her side and drew her close. “We shall leave you alone to speak to him,” Louisa told Christina, a warning look in her eyes. “I suggest you try to get to know the man you agreed to marry.”

Christina nodded and then watched her sisters one by one leave the room. She, too, rose to her feet and stepped over to the window, inhaling a deep breath in order to prepare herself to face Mr. Sharpe once more. As before, Christina felt torn in two different directions. A part of her felt a deep sense of unease while another almost tingled with anticipation. This was odd, was it not?

Footsteps echoed to her ears, and then a familiar voice spoke out from behind her. “If I am not at all mistaken, your sisters loathe the very sight of me. I assume, you’ve shared your own unflattering opinion?” A teasing tone rang in his voice, and as Christina turned to face him, she could not help but smile.

With him, it seemed she never knew what to expect, and she was not quite certain whether she liked that…or not.