Chapter 31 – A Marriage Proposal

“Valentina.” He closed the door behind him. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“I thought I’d save you the trip to my chamber,” she said, rising to help him out of his doublet. “Besides, my room was cool.”

“Sensible as always.” He willingly let her help him and sighed with relief as the heavy fabric slid from his shoulders. “By all the flames of the Martyr, that man has said more words about sheep than I have seen sheep in my entire life. I was afraid he was going to tell me about the birth of every single lamb he owns.”

Valentina laughed softly and went to the side table where a jug of wine was waiting. “Want some wine?”

“Desperately.”

She poured him some while Cosimo took off his linen shirt and threw it carelessly over a chair. When she handed him the cup, he took a deep sip and closed his eyes with pleasure.

“That’s good,” he murmured. “Much better.”

The fire in the fireplace had burned down to a gentle glow, and Valentina added a few more logs. Compared to the rooms they had occupied in Vandercourt, it was downright poor, but it was warm and private, and that was all that mattered.

Cosimo set the goblet aside and pulled her toward him for a deep kiss before picking her up and carrying her to bed amid her soft laughter.

She now knew how to touch him to elicit a satisfied sigh. It was no longer the feverish passion of getting to know a new body, no, but it was a pleasant familiarity now that had a quality all of its own.

He was always generous enough to think of her pleasure too, and as they lay later in the rumpled sheets, his arm around her, stroking her head, she felt content.

“Look at his face,” Vyxara remarked in her mind. “He has something on his mind.”

Cosimo stared at the ceiling, his thumb tracing absent-minded circles on her shoulder, and there was an expression in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place.

“You’re thinking,” she said softly.

A half-smile flickered around his lips. “Am I that easy to read?”

“Only sometimes.”

He was silent for a moment longer, then cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about your future, Valentina. Not about your position at my court or your career as an Essence Weaver, we’ve talked about that often enough. I’m concerned about your social standing.”

Valentina sat up slightly, propped on her elbow, and looked at him questioningly.

“I assume you saw what happened to the Ferrier woman in Parliament,” he continued. He sounded serious. “Do you understand why that happened?”

“Yes,” Valentina said cautiously. “She had no legal standing, and anyone who defended her would have had much to lose and nothing to gain.”

“Exactly.” Cosimo nodded slowly. “The Ferrier woman made enemies. She wasn’t discreet enough, offended too many people, and thought about the future too late, if at all. You’re smarter than she was, and you have fewer enemies.”

“But enemies always accumulate in court life at some point,” Valentina added quietly. “And basically, the number of enemies tends to increase rather than decrease.”

“Like I said, you’re smarter than she was.” He sat up and pulled her with him so that they were sitting side by side at the head of the bed. “I won’t live forever, Valentina. That’s not pessimism, and I’m fine, I’m still strong, but I’ll soon be sixty. What will happen to you when I’m gone? Sure, Lorenzo will inherit me and he fancies you, but-“

Valentina opened her mouth to say something, but Cosimo raised his hand.

“No, I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to accuse you of anything, and I don’t want to bring up this old story again.” His tone was firm but not unfriendly. “But life is uncertain. Even if Lorenzo is well-disposed toward you, you can’t count on him being able to openly protect his father’s former mistress. Something like that can put a man in an impossible position.”

“He’s not entirely wrong,” Vyxara acknowledged soberly. “Based on what he knows, at least. Theoretically, it could put Lorenzo in a difficult political position.”

“Through your work at Violet Delights and later through your status as Master Weaver, you will have resources that are independent of me or other patrons,” Cosimo continued. “That is good and important. But you also need social standing and legal status that is independent of me.”

Valentina’s heart began to beat faster. “What are you suggesting? That’s what this is all leading to, isn’t it?”

Cosimo turned to her, his gaze direct and serious. “Marriage. After you graduate as a Master Weaver, of course. To Bertrand Mauvaix, the Earl of Palewood.”

He gave Valentina a moment to process what he had said. Which was good, because it had left her a little speechless.

“The Earl is an old vassal of my family,” Cosimo explained matter-of-factly. “A loyal man, recently widowed. Seventy-eight years old. He survived a minor stroke a decade ago, and Master Wilford tells me he suffers from stone disease. He’s still spry, but he won’t live many more years.”

Valentina just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

“But he has a title,” Cosimo continued. “And he has lands. I’m not sure if you know him, but I believe he was briefly at court in Dusktown while you were there. His family’s coat of arms shows a mauve mallow on gold. He is the de jure lord of Palewood.”

Palewood. Her home village. The man to whom her family was technically subject, even though she had never seen him. And her father was a yeoman, after all, not a serf.

“I’ve heard of the family, of course,” Valentina said slowly. “But I never consciously saw him.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I can’t imagine he visited the villages on his land very often.”

Something inside Valentina rebelled. The thought of being given to a strange old man, of sharing a bed with a man who was almost eighty. The farmer’s daughter’s pride flared up. She was not livestock that could simply be traded like at the market. And what would she tell her parents?

“Stop,” Vyxara interrupted her surging emotions. “Think, little Weaver.”

“He wants to marry me off like a piece of-“

“No, he wants to protect you,” the demon corrected sharply. “Think it through with a cool head. A year, maybe a few years, of marriage to an old man in exchange for lifelong security. After that, you’ll be a part of nobility, which will protect you legally and allows you to own property as a widow, and maybe even inherit land. These are all things you wouldn’t necessarily have even as a Master Weaver, because you’re still a commoner and a woman.”

Valentina’s racing thoughts began to settle.

It was indeed meant as a gift, Cosimo did not want to insult her. He was trying to secure her future, and he would have to expend political capital to arrange something like this. Because he wanted her to be protected. Controlling, certainly, yes, that was how he was, that was his way. But definitely caring, too.

“And at seventy-eight, with his pre-existing conditions,“ Vyxara added dryly, “how long can he keep going? You’ve slept with men who were probably almost as old for less in return.”

Valentina suppressed a snort, but the demon wasn’t wrong.

“Could this jeopardize our agreement with Lorenzo and Innogen?” she asked Vyxara in her mind.

“Not necessarily,” the demon replied thoughtfully. “Many married noblewomen also serve as ladies-in-waiting to a higher-ranking lady. And this duty as Innogen’s lady-in-waiting would even give you a good reason not to spend more time than necessary in the company of your then-husband.”

“Tell me more about him,” Valentina finally said. “What kind of man is he?”

Cosimo visibly relaxed. He had obviously been watching her reaction closely and noticed that she hadn’t exactly burst into raptures of enthusiasm. “He’s relatively traditional, but he’s no fool. Not necessarily the friendliest or most pleasant man, but not cruel either. He likes young women, obviously, but as far as I know, he never took one to bed during his marriage.” A brief hesitation. “He was never part of my inner circle either.”

“You said he is widowed? What happened to his first wife?”

“She died of a malignant lump last year. Master Wilford removed it, but she still didn’t recover. There are no reports that he ever treated her badly, if that’s what you mean. They had only one child who reached adulthood, his heir, Lord Bertrand the Younger. He is in his late twenties and married, but still childless. He will, of course, inherit most of the estates, but arrangements can be made.”

“What arrangements exactly?”

“After the old man’s death, you will receive a small estate, one of the tower houses, perhaps, modest but comfortable. After that, you would remain Dowager Countess.” Cosimo’s voice softened. “Your own mistress before the law.”

“That would indeed be perfect,” Vyxara murmured appreciatively.

“And what timetable do you have in mind for this?”

“After your graduation next summer. It would be a small, quiet wedding, and then a few years of marriage to him, probably less. Then widowhood and freedom.” Cosimo tilted his head. “Enough time for the arrangement to seem mostly decent and not a deathbed wedding for obvious gain.”

So he had obviously already thought this through carefully and probably already had some cautious preliminary talks.

“And his heirs wouldn’t contest it if I received a small estate or something?”

“Lord Bertrand the Younger is a very moderate and reasonable young man. I have never heard him utter a single heated word since his birth. He won’t contest a small inheritance for his father’s widow, especially if I have a word with him.” Cosimo smiled thinly. “He’d be a fool to get in trouble with the Duke of Duskenshire over a tower house.”

Valentina let the words sink in. Valentina Mauvaix, Countess of Palewood. The farm girl who became the countess of her own home village. What a ludicrous thought.

“Say yes,” Vyxara urged. “It’s more security than we ever dared hope for.”

“I suppose so,” Valentina said calmly. “I accept. And thank you, Cosimo. Sincerely.”

“How remarkable you are,” he said softly. “No tears, no stamping your feet and no naive objections. You just asked the most important practical questions and then accepted.” He reached out and touched her cheek tenderly. “I knew you would understand. That’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”

Cosimo froze briefly when he realized what he had just said. It had apparently slipped out without him thinking about it. But he didn’t take it back, and his gaze held hers.

“There you go,” Vyxara said quietly. “He finally said it.”

Valentina couldn’t suppress the smile that stole across her lips. She nestled against him and felt excitement surge through her body. This powerful man loved her, no, she made this powerful man love her so much. He belonged to her in his own way, just as she belonged to him.

“I love hearing you say that,” she whispered in his ear before moving further down and showing him exactly how much she loved it.

Afterwards, she lay in his arms, listening to his calming breath and watching the glowing embers in the fireplace.

“Countess,” Vyxara tried out the sound. “It has a certain appeal, don’t you think?”

“A tower house,” Valentina thought back. “Somewhere in the forest, probably. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“We’ll see when the time comes. I already have a few ideas. But the important thing is that it gives you the freedom to live your life with Innogen and Lorenzo,” replied the demon. “And that without being dependent on anyone’s favor. That’s more than most women in this world will ever have.”

~

When Valentina woke up very early the next morning next to Cosimo, who was snoring quietly, she remembered what they had talked about the night before.

Valentina Mauvaix, Countess of Palewood. The words echoed in her head, seeming strange and unreal to her.

No one in Palewood had ever seen the Earl, as far as Valentina knew. He had been an abstract figure, a name on documents, a coat of arms on seals. And now she was to become his wife.

What would she tell her parents?

“Your residual shame is really amusing,” Vyxara remarked lazily in her head. “You’ve slept with the most powerful duke in the realm, worked your way into the highest circles of society, work as a prostitute, have a demon in your head, and are in the process of forging a rather impressive love triangle, but the thought of what your parents will think of a more than advantageous marriage makes you blush?”

“Aaah, please shut up, Vyxara.”

“As you wish, little Weaver.” The demon sounded amused.