"Mistress, you have a guest," her servant, Aiden, interrupted.
Kimmy turned from where she stood at the balcony and looked back into the chamber. Aiden was pointing to the door while the other servants gathered to the side as they looked to their lowly station. As she approached the door, she noticed her mother standing there.
"Mother, what is it?"
"My sweet, your father and I have just received word that the Earl and the Baroness have son and daughter, respectively. They are of age to be wed and we have been requested to send you to the Earl's home to be married."
Kimmy opened her mouth to question 'who' would she marry, but quickly remembered that name didn't matter when you're a noble. She had been raised to believe that duty above all was the true value. She had been groomed for this since she was a young child, and it seemed no amount of preparation would have allowed her to prepare for this news.
"Yes, mother," she said, bowing her head in agreement.
Kimmy left her mother's company and went back to her balcony. Here she was, the youngest of the noble daughters. Her friends were to be wed before her, but she reminded herself that she was the one with the stamina to yield heirs worthy of being her parents' successors. She chuckled to herself for a moment. If it were even possible to have an heir, she would produce four or five!
The day of the ceremony came and Kimmy found herself in a finely decorated tent along many other noble daughters. She looked around and saw a few of the girls she knew, including the daughter of the market steward. Kimmy knew should would marry a lesser noble, or even a merchant. Kimmy should have felt sorry for the girl, but she did not. Kimmy's father had received word from the Earl of their intent long ago. As the noble families were typically cautious, the marriage of her oldest sister had been arranged and Kimmy had been able to spend the last few months at the market getting to know the steward's daughter.
Her sister's marriage had been simple and quick. The market steward's daughter was no longer used to this sort of affair. She had been brought up to be a respectable wife of a merchant, but the pomp and circumstance of a noble wedding was unprecedented. Kimmy's father was quick to have the wedding done to suit the needs of the Earl, and his wife, lest she be either too popular or too hard to please.
Just then, Kimmy saw her target for the evening. He was standing in a corner, talking to a few young men. She began to think about how she would approach this tonight.
Just then, the noble daughters were called in one by one and then escorted into the main hall. There the Earl's wife had been waiting for them to assemble. She was a small, reserved woman. Her blonde hair was combed back from her head and her grey eyes were cold. Kimmy didn't really know her. She had never made an effort to get to know the woman, but she was at least grateful she did not have to marry one of her daughters because the Earl called her 'weak'. Still, she could not deny that she the woman she was a bit unimpressive.
After announcing that the sons of the Earl and the Baroness would be gathered, she left the tent. A few servants came in to bid the daughters farewell and make sure that all was arranged to their standards. Kimmy was the last one, so she took a deep breath as the servants swarmed around her.
As Kimmy walked into the main hall her eyes went immediately to the Earl. He was clearly the largest of the men there. He was standing next to a shorter, darker, more mature looking man. The Baroness' son shared many of the height and build of the Earl.
Kimmy was escorted to the front of the room. The Earl took her hand and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
"I look forward to watching you squirm at my every command," his voice dripped with silk.
She resisted the urge to gag. She had to be polite, after all, this was not an option, but instead of focusing on the time she might have spent saying 'no' she thought about the irony in his statement.
