Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series) Read Online Free Page B

the token away and nodded mutely. 
    “This may seem a little strange to you, being a modern girl, but it really isn’t, when you think about it .  Just before you were born, my dear friend, Mr. Olivier, who has since passed on, came on some hard times.  I agreed to help him out, and in exchange, he made a deal with me.” He paused as if unsure of how to proceed.
    “What deal?” Christina asked nervously .  “And what does it have to do with me?”
    “T he money I gave him was a dowry--your dowry.  I gave him half then, and I will give his daughter the other half in two years, when you marry his grandson.”
    Christina felt like laughing; surely this was a joke.  No one arranged marriages.  When she looked at her grandfather to share the joke, Christina thought her jaw would hit the floor.  It was obvious from his expression that he was serious.  The room felt like it was spinning in circles around her.  She remembered how her parents had been so insistent about her staying away from boys her age, gently suggesting in firm voices that she focus her attention on other things rather than dating.  That was why they had been so supportive of her spending so much time with Lilly, even if they disapproved of her wayward ways.  She had always assumed they were being overprotective parents, and truthfully, she hadn’t cared much.  She had slipped a few kisses here and there with boys that she and her girlfriends hung out with, and fooled around a little, but having a boyfriend had always been far down on her list of priorities.  But now her parents’ behavior took on an entirely new light--they hadn’t been protecting her, they had been keeping her from dating because she had already been sold!  They were protecting their investment!
    Suddenly angry, Christina stood up abruptly.  “How could you do this?  This is…” She struggled for the right word “…archaic!  We’re in the twentieth century, Grandpa!  You cannot just sell me to your friend’s grandson!  If he needed money so badly, why didn’t you just give it to him?”
    Christian Fontenot sighed .  “My friend, Mr.  Olivier, was a proud man, God rest his soul.  He would never have accepted a hand-out, not even from me.  Not even for his precious daughter.  And I didn’t sell you, Christina.  You know that you would be expected to marry, and marry well.  Your mother’s dubious…past…made that prospect difficult at best.  Any suitor of yours would have had to have your father’s approval, and mine as well, God grant that I live so long.  We’ve simply skipped a few steps and chosen the man for you.”
    “But…” Christina stammered , “…what if he’s awful?  What if he’s cruel, or selfish?”
    “I wouldn’t let you marry an abusive man, Christina .  Give me a bit of credit.  I am your grandfather, and I love you.  I would never see you harmed.  I cannot promise that your personalities will be a perfect fit, but marriage isn’t about romance and flowers, it’s about a partnership, and with dedication, that can be had easily if both partners respect one another.  Gordon is a good and respectable man, and he will make sure you are happy and cared for.”
    Christina flinched at the mention of his name .  “And am I going to meet Gordon today ?”
    Christian shook his head .  “Gordon hasn’t been told yet.  We thought it was better…let the boy sow his wild oats, so to speak, without knowing he has a fiancée.  He will be told in due time.”
    Christina laughed, inwardly fuming at the double standard that allowed her fiancé to play around in the interim, while she was expected to “keep herself tidy” for her future husband.  It was ridiculous.  She had half a mind to run down to the swimming hole and let Matthew, her best friend’s brother, get to second base just out of pure rebellion.  She was angry enough to actually speak her mind. “So I have been carefully kept pure as the driven snow while