Welcome to Gaia! ::

The earl listened to the plan, though his expression never changed. He looked between his daughter, her husband, his grandmother. It was all too much. He hated being the center of attention like this and now he had gone and done it, he had gotten everyone all flustered over him. He gave a sigh that sounded more like a groan, sinking deep into his chair. "So you want to do this...just to appease me?" He looked at Marcus for this answer. He highly doubted that he was the one who had come up with the plan. This smelled of Terryn's attempts at complacency.

The earl sighed. It did give him what he wanted-the chance to see his daughter off. Granted, it wasn't exactly the real thing, and he would still feel a bit of a sting remembering that, but it was better than nothing. He rubbed his face slowly, blinking as he rose tremulously to his feet. "I need to return home."

Terryn's face fell. He hated the idea. "Father, please..."

"Terryn, I need to go." He kissed his daughter on the cheek and rubbed her shoulder lightly. "I have to tell Luther to get the gardens in shape. We can't have you getting married in a dirty garden." He smiled, turning to his...his son-in-law. "I want you to come with me. I have something to give you."

The earl nodded, hobbling out of the dining hall a little more quickly than he would be expected to be able.

"Well then..." Terryn looked between Marcus and the Duchess, shrugging nonchalantly, though her eyes betrayed a hint of surprise. "That went over better than expected." She placed her hand on Marcus's shoulder, leaning forward to plant a light kiss on his lips. "Fear not. I doubt that he will do too much to you." She couldn't help but grin wickedly as she steered him towards the door.

It wasn't until Marcus left that Terryn realized that leaving with her father meant that she was alone with the Duchess. Oh dear. She turned to the woman as the carriage pulled away, her hands clasped in front of her. Had she been a good Christian girl, she would have prayed for strength, but as iy were she could just hope to not be barraged with something she couldn't handle.

The earl was already in the coach by the time Marcus arrived. He had been pondering things, and now that he had eaten something, even though it was just a bit of bread, and the wine had worn off, he felt considerably better. As the carriage took off, Lord Arvin leaned forward, a very threatening, fatherly look in his eye. He was going to enjoy this. "So. What exactly are your intentions for my daughter?" And so it began.

Terryn knew it was coming. Luckily, she had prepared some semblance of a response. "Oh, Greece was absolutely lovely. Marcus was an absolute gentleman, even though neither of us were particularly fluent in the local language. I was very impressed." She smiled at her as demurely as possible, wondering if she could possibly deal with the afternoon and avoid incident. "And as for the...well, the purpose of it all..." She knew it would come around anyway, so best not be put on the defensive over it. "It was very beautiful. Marcus and I are glad that we were able to wed on our own terms. We were both more than a bit apprehensive about a whole lavish ceremony. I fear one or both of us may have backed out at the last minute if faced with such a prospect."

"Terryn is a shrewd girl and intelligent to boot. She can handle your affairs as well as any man you could enlist to aid you." Pride rang through in his voice as he spoke, making it obvious that she was not like other women and should not be trifled with. "I must admit though, that she does seem in brighter spirits than I have seen her in a long time. I do hope you could keep it up." He leaned back in his seat, folding his hands on his lap. "Has she told you about her possible problem with having children?"

"Possibilities?" Terryn wanted very much to stay off the subject of the first wedding and get onto the topic of the second. It seemed to be a much more amiable conversation. She started back inside the manor, heading towards the large drawing room. "In regards to the wedding? Well, my father seems set on us getting married in the gardens, which I think would be lovely. He and my mother were married there, or so they told me."

"Really?" This earned a quirk of the eyebrow with the earl. "And here I thought she never wanted children." He looked out the window for a moment, glancing at the passing scenery as he reflected for a moment. "Then again, that may be only because she had never wanted to be married. She was always a little mother, especially after Lillianna died. Took good care of me. I think she would make a super mother." His face looked a bit weathered as he thought of his late wife.

Terryn took a seat in one of the large armchairs, her hands resting in her lap. "Well, I suppose Marcus's brothers of course. I could not say that I have many friends, but there are a few cousins nearby." She wondered just how interesting it might be to have those same two who she and Marcus had once been forced to court for a day at the wedding. Might be fun. "Besides that, I would assume just the households."

"And it would do well for you to never forget that." The earl pointed at him meaningfully, his tone serious. "You may be her husband now, but I am her father first and foremost. I expect you to take good care of her and know that I will not stand for her being displeased." He took a deep breath as he dropped his hands to his lap. "I am sure you are aware of that though."