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Arrangement Of Hearts

Something touched him about her response. There was a helpless sweetness in it he hadn't expected. She had been all prickles up to now, and suddenly she was subdued, and submissive, but at the same time resigned. She obviously loved her father very much despite the position he had placed her in. That kind of love he had never seen before, and he wanted it. He thought a long time before answering her.

"I told you my relationship with your father was a business one. That is not what I want from a wife. That seems to be all I get any more though. Women who want my money. You don't seem to care except for your father. That intrigues me. As you have said, except for his trouble you would be gone. That means that what I wan't, I can never get. So I am prepared to offer you a bargain. It will restore your father and not absolutely require that you marry me. Are you interested?
 
Angela gave a great deal of thought to his inquiry and then responded, “I want to make my family happy and for whatever reason that is you. I will try but I think we should not rush to the wedding. Let me see if I can tolerate you.” She then paused looking over at the pool. “I do love my father. Despite all he has done he is a good man at heart and I will not be his undoing. So where do we go from here?”
 
Here is what I am offering you. For my part I will forgive your father of any responsibility to pay me back whether you marry me or not. The money he has from me will be his from here on out.
What I require of you is this:
First you will forgive and forget what ever wrong you think I have done you or your father since we have met.
Second you will not judge me based on anything you may have heard about my past.
Third You will live in this house in a private room at my expense for one year. During that time you will be obedient to what I ask of you. You, will treat me with respect, and you will not run away.
At the end of one year you will be free to go and owe me nothing if you want to. Of course you need not leave if we agree to marry. If you leave before a year or break any of the three conditions, I shall ask your father to return the money.

Put simply, what I expect from you is the chance to have you judge me solely on how I treat you, not on whatever predjudices you may have. If I treat you like a whore, you will have been a very well paid one, and free to go after a year. If I treat you like a wife you will have the oportunity to become one. Either way I will have required nothing of you that you weren't already obligated to do, except to forgive me, and you will be free to choose whether or not to marry after a year. I will give you an hour to think about it. After that we will go back to our original arrangement, that obligates you to marry.
 
“And if I stay a year no matter if I marry you my father’s debt will be forgiven? I have your word on that?” Then she thought for just a moment before responding, “I have a condition of my own. I will not sleep with you. I have not and will not sleep with someone I do not love. If you can understand that than I do not need the hour.” She swallowed hard telling herself it would only be a year. “If you can allow me that one thing I shall stay the year. I would like it in writing however so that when the year is over my father knows for certain he is free of his debt.”

She crossed her ankles tucking them to the side as she looked at him with a stern gaze meaning exactly what she said. If it came to her father of her womanhood she would give her father to the debt.
 
"I will not ask that of you, you have my word, but short of that you must not refuse. This is a time of getting to know one another, and I expect some physical contact. Even some fairly intimate contact, and that must not be refused, but I will not take your virginity. Is that enough? That I can agree to.

As for putting it in writing, You must trust me... we had a contract and it did not work out so well. I am trusting you will not hold my past against me, when there is no way to verify that at all, so you must trust me.

After all Under the contract we have now, I could take great advantage of you indefinitely, I am giving that up for a relationship built on trust and hopefully love, not a contract.
 
Angela wanted to tell him that she could never love him but she kept her thoughts to herself for the sake of her family, “Fine. I shall agree. Now what?” Her tone was matter of fact and it was clear she was doing her best to subdue her argumentative nature. Her hands were carefully folded in her lap, “Must I stop my dance rehearsals? You realize I am on the way to becoming the star performer with scouts coming from New York. I suppose however that I shall pass that opportunity up at least for the next year. Correct?”
 
"I suppose that depends on what it requires", he said. I am a man of leisure, as you may know already. I do pretty much what I want. It might be possible, but you would need to accomodate my needs as well. So tell me, just what is involved in this endeavor of yours? What kind of dance is it you perform?
 
She looked down at herself, “Ballet. They were scouts from Broadway. I would have to live there but I will not be that far from my family alone with you in the event that something should happen. So I will not take the offer as of right now. My obligations require me to practice constantly to maintain my level of skill so unless you put a studio in here for me I will have to go to the studio every day.”

She them moved onto the next topic, “When am I to be expected to move in?”
 
Well you are quick to make things impossible that are not. I told you earlier that your life could be very pleasant if you were willing to cooperate, and you promised not to judge me on my past behavior, which you just did. It was a small infraction, and I'm sure it was unintentional, so I will over look it, but take care not to do it again. The studio is not problem at all. We have a gymnasium here, and I'm sure a portion could easily be outfitted for a studio, and as for living there, well we will see if that is still a requirement, after I speak with them. I am a major donor to the New York Ballet company, and I'm sure they will find a way to overlook the requirement, and I'm sure I could arange for an excellent coach to attend to your needs.

As to when you should move in, your here now, I'll simply send Harold with a crew to gather up your things and bring them here. You family may visit you here as often as you like within reason of course.

I told you before, your life here can be a very pleasant one. I simply require you honestly try to make my life pleasant as well.
 
Angela nodded in understanding, “Well should that all be an option for me I appreciate it. I know that you said my family may come but what of my friends? I have several and I also have a dance partner who I need to practice with regularly. To put whatever anxiety that might bring you, if any, he is not one of the straight men in my performance group.” Then she stood with grace and ease, “If that is all I would like to see my room and begin settling in.”
She stood there waiting for him to show her the way.
 
"Since it was never my intention to ruin or alter your social life, except with respect to your relations with men, You may see your friends as well, provided you conduct your self as one pledged to me in marriage, which in fact you are, and i expect to meet and approve of any men with which you associate, including your dance partner. He will need to be a consummate professional in his behavior at all times, and I will speak with him before he again rehearses with you. If that poses no problems, I will see you to your suite.
 
Angela nodded agreeing to his terms knowing her partner at least would agree to the situation as he had nothing to hide. The other terms she was sure would work as long as he kept his hands off of her friends. She kept the thoughts to herself knowing the agreement to forget all she knew of him before she met him but in her heart he could not rule her. Her actions and thoughts would never be for him but for her father.

With that she would follow him to her room and once there she requested her things be brought as soon as possible and she would write a letter to her family stating the new arrangement so to not worry them. “Thank you for showing me here. Now is there anything you require before I rest?”
 
"No, I guess not." he said downcast. "you have a cruel way about you young woman. You manage to meet my carefully crafted conditions, and withhold the very thing I want. In your cooperation with me and submission to me, you manage to make it clear you want nothing to do with me. It seems I have bargained away my ultimate control for nothing. Be that as it may, I am an honorable man and I shall prove it. It remains to be seen if you are as honorable a young woman as your father promised. You are excused until breakfast save for something unexpected."

He went to his study and buried himself in a book.
 
By the time breakfast came the next day her things had arrived and she was able to dress in her normal attire. Without a thought to how he would view her she slid into a short black and red plaid mini skirt with chains handing from the belt loops. A tight black spaghetti strap top finished off the fabric part of the attire and then she went to put on her make up.

Thick eyeliner, smoky black eye shadow, and red ruby lips later she was padding barefoot down the steps her long hair down and swaying wildly about her body. She found her way to the seating area for breakfast and took a seat crossing her legs under the table her hands folded around a music player that could be heard blasting music into her ears.
 
"Good morning", he said, knowing she could not hear him. When she didn't answer, he took the ear bud out of her ears. "You will not use this device outside your room again" he said quietly. "Did you not commit to act like a woman in a commited relationship? I haven't asked anything unreasonable, and this I will not tolerate. Go change your clothes."
 
She paused considering for a moment when he pulled the ear bud from her ear, “Here listen. Its rather beautiful.” She offered him the ear bud to listen to the Celtic music set to harps and violins. She knew he still wanted her to change though she could not understand what was wrong with what she wore, “I love the emotion behind this part. It makes my heart throb.” She smiled shutting her eyes and holding the other one close enough to his ear that he was able to hear the passionate yet tragic sound of the violin as it eased back in alone without the harps. Once the part was over she shut the music off and decided again to look at him with a curious look.

“I am not sure what to change into. This is the sort of clothing I own. I can put pants on instead of my skirt if that is better for you.” She was doing her best though she inside hated giving up her clothing at all.
 
"Well" he said " surprised that the music was quite so beautiful as that. " it seems i misjudged your taste in music, but it is rude to listen so that you can't hear another's conversation. he took the device and handed it to Harrold. "Harrold see if you cant connect this device to the stereo, so we may all hear it and still carry on a conversation." Turning back to her, he said, "Its not so much the clothing , my dear as it is the accessories. At least take off the chains, your not some caged animal." "Harrold, go to my mother's old jewelry box, and get her a string of pearls please.
 
She drew her brows together, “Please not pearls. I despise them.” She began unhooking the chains where she stood gathering them in her hands as they clanked together, “I prefer simple things like silver necklaces with angel wings or I do have a necklace with a lovely rose charm if you think I should wear one.” She did her best to compromise and as she heard the music playing in the room now she could not help but smile. The song soon changed and she could not help but sing along as she waited for an answer.

From the tiny frame a surprising voice emerged singing Conte Pontero. Her eyes shut and her body almost could not help but sway feeling the music from the depths of her soul. Then realizing how comfortable the action was she stopped catching herself in a moment of enjoyment. Her attention was to the chains she was forced to remove, “By the way I wear them because I like the sound they make. I was not trying to imply I was caged here.”
 
"Very well then" , he said, "pick something Lady like, I don't wish to be dictatorial. Just so you know, perls are on oth the simplest adornments you can wear, and they go well with everything.

He waited while she went to her room and selected a more appropriate piece of jewelry.
 
Angela took her chains to her room and went into her jewelry box pulling out the necklace that would lay perfectly at the top of her chest. The rose dangled from a dark silver chain and the metal of the rose was black with dark purple sparkles around the edges of the bloom. The stem, complete with thorns, came to rest at the top of the plentiful cleavage that spilled from the top of the form fitting thin strapped top.

With a soft sigh she came down the steps and arrived again in the dining area where her music. To be creatively muted was painful to her and thus she simply sat no longer singing or cheerful. After breakfast she was going to the gymnasium in the house and she hoped to find somewhere to stretch and practice her dances. Until then she was stuck here at the table pretending that this was her new happy home. He had claimed she looked like a caged animal but the chains she wore felt more freeing than the pearls he had offered her.
 
"When you have finished your breakfast, we are going shopping" he said. "You shall be required to attend social functions, and I am afraid you wardrobe is simply not appropriate, that however is something I have no problem with correcting, at my expense of course. You do like new clothes, don't you? We'll also be getting you some new accessories, and swim wear.

He called Harold and had him bring the car around.
 
She sighed downcast and hurried through her food so that she could get this dreaded shopping trip over. “So where are we going to shop? Will I have any say or will you be picking them and for that matter will I be going to events often?”
She stood going towards the front of the house in order to retrieve her knee high boots to put on over her fishnets for them to go out. She had not worn them to the dinning are for the simple fact of wanting to seem at home here so that he would not make things too hard on her. She waited by the door for him to direct her where they would go and once they were on their way she felt dread fill her.
 
"Why?" he asked " are you afraid they won't meet up with your highly refined tastes?" He offered her his arm politely, to lead her to the car. Harold was at the ready to open the car door for them, and Samuel, the chauffeur got underway immediately having been given his itinerary earlier. Their car was a classic Bentley, completely restored and in impeccable condition. Its leather seats butter soft. It was more like a carriage really than a car. They headed to the downtown shopping district, and pulled up in front of Morgan's, a fine women's clothier, where women of wealth and position came to be dressed by the designers themselves. Their dresses were all one of a kind, and extremely expensive.

Harold, who had been riding in front, next to Samuel, got out and before opening the door to the car whispered to the Sales Lady "the young woman is the master's intended, and if you value your commission, you had best keep your opinion of her to yourself." "Thanks for the tip Harold, I owe you one!" she whispered back.

Harold opened the door and they were escorted upstairs to a private fitting lounge with many mirrors, a sofa for Tom, and a full time seamstress to make any necessary modifications while they waited.
 
Angela was less than amused at the whole ordeal when she was brought up to the dressing room, “You have got to be kidding me” She mumbled to herself under her breath as she looked around herself. What in the hell was wrong with these people. For sake of appearance she leaned close to him with a smile but clearly stated her opinion, “Please tell me this woman is going to be fitting me for black cocktail dresses. I can do that but this whole Mr. Kennedy crap is going to look ridiculous on me!”

She stepped onto the platform where she was directed to go for measuring. Then her personal space was being invaded. “Watch it!” She snapped as the woman took her inseam and came far too high up her skirt.
 
Tom got up and whispered in her ear. "your cooperation is not optional here. It is required." He then spoke to the seamstress "continue with your measurements, she will undress for you if need be." Tom sat back and watched in a detached manner. then he called the sales lady over and said I'd like to see something suitable for a polo match, or a picnic concert. "Entire outfits please." "yes sir" the sales lady said getting the measurements from the seamstress. She then disappeared and returned with a brown and white polka dot sun dress, a white patent leather belt and a broad brim white hat. " I think she will need appropriate hose as well, and a pair of shoes" Tom said.
 
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