Three's A Crowd Of Four ( MissKitty and BloodRedRomeo)

[MissKitty19]

“Gurtie!!” She heard the screech and the little footsteps running down the corridor. Instead of the feet though, the first thing she saw was the little mop of golden curls rushed towards her and collided with her skirts.

She reached down and knelt at the same time to gather up the child into her arms. She would miss this. Her family though she was brimming with the excitement at the prospect of having her own family, even if the situation was a bit odd. Though she supposed things could be even more strange.
Her husband to be was attractive and by all accounts quite virile, a gentleman too. It didn’t hurt that his family had a fortune equal to that of the queen. She’d done well securing a marriage to someone wealthy.

She should berate the child for dirtying the dress her mother had insisted she wear. Instead she kissed the child’s head and made her way down the corridor, handing her sister reluctantly over to the governess. Knowing that living away from her family home, during the preparations and the wedding and the honeymoon, meant she likely wouldn’t see them for some time. A shame because her two brothers were growing fast and her sweet little sister would not be little for long. She wondered about the honeymoon as she climbed into the carriage sent to fetch her and sat upright as her trunk was loaded into the back. This was the first time she was traveling alone and she had to admit she was a bit nervous.

When it lurched to a stop she was a bit grateful to be able to stretch her legs. Gertrude wondered if she’d meet the other brides then.



Marianna did not wish her father goodbye. She did not hug him, did not kiss him. When the matron of the house told her the carriage had arrive she dressed quickly for the journey and dragged her trunk down the stairs herself and was pleased when the footman took it. They had been without servants for so long that She’d become accustomed to doing things for herself. And for her father. Though there was little worry of how her father would survive, the newly hired matron would care for him well. As long as he continued to pay her. If he didn’t. Well. She supposed that wasn’t her problem any longer.

The trip was short for her, after all. She lived moments away from the destination, having met her intended before, even still as she rose and excited the carriage, she felt as if she was seeing him for the first time. After all. She would never have guessed he’d agree to wed two other woman, her insecurities about everything from her appearance to her demeanor came to light. Still. She let her intended kiss her hand and inquired about the other two, was she the first to arrive.



“My Lady I really must insist.” The footman who had loaded the trunks onto the carriage looked exasperated at the young woman astride the vicious mount.
Airibella grinned and clicked her tongue against her teeth and her mount went from nothing to a full out run, she was a day and a half carriage ride out but her mount could make that in half that time. She’d arrive before many of her belongings, looking disheveled and all to pleased with herself. The last bride to arrive, and the least thrilled.
One man was no different from the other, and since there was no affection to be had, since her husband to be now had two other wives to tend to she figured she’d be left much to her own devices.
She had wealth. Her parents had left her with a small fortune, but she would only have access to it when she wed, which was why even though she wasn’t quite thrilled with the prospect of marriage the freedoms that the wealth of her inheritance and the wealth of her new husband would provide her with were a boon. She spun her mount in a circle, the wild, speckled grey gelding rearing up and she clung to her seat with her thighs as stable hands rushed forth to help her dismount and guide her beast to food and water that it sorely needed after such a long ride.
She was a mess, her curls wild as they sat tousled behind her, and her lovely gown, splattered with the dust of the road.

 

[BloodRedRomeo]

Nash Addington held no title. None of his family did. Five generations ago, they had been farmers, grueling away in a lord's countryside to provide their lazy ruler with bread. Yet now, the Addington family held an estate all would envy. Their coffers ran over with gold, more so than all but the crown itself held. Yet despite all this, they still still lacked the proper authority and respect that they were due. But they had been detirmined to change that.

Nash's father, Frederick, was a clever man, as was his father, Aiden, who had started this rapid ascent to wealth. He had found a golden opportunity in a shipping investment, and gambled quite literally everything on it. But it turned out to be incredibly lucrative, betting him a large some of money. He used that to establish his own trading company. Within twenty years, he had built the most powerful trading company under the Queen's flag.

Aiden had been unable to secure a noble bride for his son, and to his dying breath he claimed that had been his greatest failing. But Frederick would not let that happen to a second generation. His three sons, Edgar, Nash, and Henley, had all been arranged to marry daughters of noble families. These families received potential access to fantastic wealth. The Addingtons in turn received connections for lucrative contracts and the ability to obtain the noble rank they so desperately desired.

However, tragedy struck mere months ago. Edgar and Henley, eager to show their abilities were equal to that of Nash, their father's favorite, arranged a risky expedition with great potential, but also great risks. Foolhardy young men that they were, they went along, hoping to see the fruits of their labor firsthand. It was six weeks that the news came in. The ships had sunk in a storm, and only a handful of sailors had been able to return. Edgar and Henley had not survived.

No sooner had services been held that the bickering began. The Cart family didn't care as the man betrothed to their girl still lived. But for Helsworth and Kentworth, they no had daughters with no man to marry, having rejected many great prospects due to the engagement. They both insisted Nash marry their girls instead. This was difficult decision for the family. Angering any of the noble houses to this degree could be dangerous, and breaking off the engagement with the girl from Cart would be disasterous. There seemed to be no good options until Nash stepped in.

He had found something, an obscure legal loophole in the marriage law. It stated that in a case where the woman's betrothed had deceased before the wedding and no equal prospects were readily available, the woman could legally be married to the deceased brother, regardless of marital status. It seemed like a desperate move, but the Addingtons tried it. They proposed that all the family's could still have their daughters marry into their family through becoming Nash's brides. Of course no one was thrilled about the idea; it violated a sense of normalcy and tradition, but there were few better options on the table. And so all three accepted the proposal. Nash would have three brides.

So now he waited in his finest clothes, eager and nervous to see his brides. He had met them all before in some place or another, but this would be the first time under the new arrangement. He had no idea how any of them would take it. But as the first of them was ushered into the main room, he was about to learn.

 

[MissKitty19]

*Marianna*

Marianna sighed, putting a stop to her wringing hands. She tended to fiddle when she was nervous. And she was nervous now. They weren’t to be married today of course, there was so much to plan, and with three woman doing the planning, three brides to contend with, there was sure to be the occational disagreement to delay things.

The plan though was for the end of a week. After all, they couldn’t expect the populous to waiting much longer then that and, they had already delayed things by months after hearing the news of his brothers deaths.

She didn’t love her husband to be, but he was pleasant to look at and by all accounts a good man, though there had been no real spark when they had first met but he had made her laugh and was polite. She was lucky, what with the reputation her father was growing in his perpetual state of mourning, she would have been lucky to find another match. She urged herself forward.

“Nash, its good to see you.” She’d bow slightly and offer her hand. Using his first name as he had requested of her in the past. Her hair pulled back in a braided style that was much the fashion of the time, though it didn’t really suit her. “ Am I the first to arrive?” A silly question, of course she was the first, there was no one else there, she moved to say hello to his parents, offering her condolences once again for the loss of their other two sons. She’d attended the services, even as there was talk of her fiancé being promised to one of the other woman over her. She hadn’t known his brothers well, save for the odd greeting here and there. Though to be fair, she didn’t know her husband to be that well either.

Though they would have plenty of time to remedy that she was sure. A slight smile, interrupted by the sound of yet another carriage.

All her insecurities suddenly came to the surface. Would this woman be prettier, better read, more engaging? Would her husband like his other brides more then her, and if he did, what would she do? Men could have mistresses and all a woman could do is suffer in silent protest. These woman would be his wife as well, and she knew nothing of them. What if they were awful. Would she have to spend the rest of her days kowtowing to another woman who had her husband’s favor?

She did know that they were royal as well, or at the least, came with a great deal of power, she'd never met either of them, or if she had, it hadn't been so notable an experience that she could recall them by name. From what she knew, the youngest of the three of them had only just come of age. A part of her worried that would be enough to make her a favorite, after all, every man wants a young thing on his arm. Not that Marianna was old, no, she was quite lounging fact and the doctors that had examined her had said she was at the perfect age to bear young. A good thing, because although her husband would never have her Father's title, the title would fall to her until there was a male hire. The next Cart royal to receive the title of Barron would have there Addington name. If her husband saw fit to take her to bed.

A blush blossomed on her cheeks at that thought. Where there were some woman who looked pretty blushing. She wasn't that sort. On her a blush looked awkward and uncomfortable. And when it was mentioned it only grew.

Her worries did not show on her face though, and the blush suceeded when no one mentioned it. She sided beside the man she was to marry, wanting to meet this woman as well, after all, the woman would still be a sister in law... wouldn't she? The door opened and behind her trunk being brought in by servants, was a blonde woman splendidly dressed and quite the picture of loveliness. She began wringing her hands again.