Arranged Marriage by Samantha Price

Author:Samantha Price [Price, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samantha Price

CHAPTER 8

He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me:

thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

Psalm 18: 48

* * *

Try as she might, Miriam couldn’t stop loving Stephen. Solitude was the only thing that kept her from going crazy. Whenever she could get away from her mother and the chores, she escaped to the comfort and familiarity of the deserted barn, which had been one of their many secret meeting places. For the moment, it was a place of blessed solitude.

Standing in the barn, Miriam pawed desperately at her cheeks in a futile bid to wipe all the tears away. She leaned against one of the support beams and let her thoughts drift.

She didn't know what to think. Her thoughts twisted over every single moment she'd shared with Stephen, every conversation, everything. She tried to puzzle out the clues that she should have seen before, but there were none to be found, which made her heart burn all the more. She tried to take a deep breath, but it couldn't quite get past the knot in her throat.

Behind her, she could hear the rickety door of the old barn creak open. The footsteps in the straw and grit were familiar enough, but she didn't turn to look. She didn't need to. Miriam sniffled again and rubbed at her nose.

“Miriam, I...”

“I don't want to hear it right now, Stephen.” She swallowed hard and shut her eyes. It didn't block out the sensation of his hand resting on her shoulder. She tensed under his touch, and he withdrew. “I'm not in any mood to hear it. Please, just go.”

“No. I won't. You need to hear it.” Stephen's voice was thick with tears of his own. “I have deep feelings for you, but I can’t go against my word. My father wants this marriage between Elsa and myself. I can’t tell him that I have an eye for someone else.”

“And I could? It was perfectly fine for me to, but you can't?” She half-turned to look at him, her bleary, red eyes still watering. Yet, her jaw was firm and her hands balled into fists. “That's awfully fair, isn't it? I can break my obligations, but you're helpless?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow of his jaw as it clenched.

“That's different. She's coming from very far away to marry me, very far. And I never asked you to cancel your betrothal. Not once. You chose to do that because you weren't happy. Now you're asking me to go against my word?”

“I believe you encouraged me to stop the wedding. You told me to tell my parents I would not marry Adam. You told me they wouldn’t force me to do it.” She tensed further and turned away again. When he remained silent, she said, “When was all this arranged - your marriage?” Stephen didn't answer. Miriam could feel the tightness building in her chest again and she buried her face in her hands.

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