I Won't Say Yes this Time

My family was so poor we owned exactly one decent coat between us. The day it was my older brother's turn to wear it out to dig wild greens, a princess out hunting spotted him and took him straight into the palace as her consort. I went to the wedding feast when my brother married the princess. The most beautiful woman in the capital, the Chancellor's daughter, looked at me once. The very next day, sixty-six carriers of betrothal gifts piled up outside our thatched hut. She'd marry no one but me. When my old teacher heard the news, he showed up at our door. He'd been a widower for years, raising his son alone, and now he offered to adopt me as his son and give me a proper wedding to be proud of. In my last life, I'd wept with gratitude and said yes. I never imagined that on my wedding day, my teacher and the Chancellor's daughter would be fished out of the lily pond stripped bare and locked in each other's arms. She fainted from the shock. He screamed that he'd been framed and tried to throw himself against a rockery to end it all. Her reputation was ruined beyond saving, so she had no choice but to marry him instead. He climbed straight into the chancellery on the back of it, while I picked up a hoe and went back to my village to keep digging up wild greens. A year later, word came from the princess's estate that my brother had drowned. I rode through the night on a donkey to get there, and found wedding decorations hanging from every doorway of the estate. My teacher's son, it turned out, had been comforting the grieving princess with cup after cup of wine. One drunken night, she'd mistaken him for my brother and kept him till morning. He became the new consort. Ten years later, I saw them again. Father and son were dressed in silk and dripping with power, while life had ground me down to nothing. The two of them tossed a handful of copper coins at me out of pity, then swept off surrounded by servants. I froze to death in the street that winter, clutching my brother's photograph. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my teacher came to ask to adopt me as his son. Chapter 1 "There's no dignity in two brothers marrying off without a mother or father to see to it. I'm still your teacher, after all, half a father to you. Let me handle the wedding for you." ... I took a step back, my smile not reaching my eyes. "Thank you for the concern, sir, but there's no need for you to walk me to the wedding." The moment I said it, Arthur Marshall's eyes went red. "Nolan, I only want to see you settled and successful. Why do you keep putting me off?" He sighed. "Is it because you're ashamed of your old teacher, a poor village scholar who can't show his face among the powerful?" He sighed again. "Now that you're going to marry into money, you look down on me?" The village head standing beside him frowned, glaring at me. "Nolan, your parents died young. Your teacher taught you to read and write. His wife cooked for you, mended your torn clothes, fed you when you were hungry. "And now that you've made something of yourself, marrying the Chancellor's daughter, you're ashamed to be seen with your own teacher?" He struck his cane hard against the ground. "Millbrook doesn't tolerate this kind of ingratitude!" I nearly laughed out loud from sheer anger. While Mrs. Marshall was still alive, Arthur really had taught my brother and me to write for a few days. But he'd taken five pieces of silver in tuition from my family for it. And even then, he'd looked down on us for being lowborn, worried we'd tarnish his reputation, and stopped teaching us after only a handful of lessons. Mrs. Marshall used to show up at our house every few days, dropping the "teacher" and "teacher's wife" titles to help herself to whatever she wanted. The moment my parents died, he'd cut us off without a second thought. And now he had the nerve to talk about owing him anything?! The villagers crowded in around me, all talking at once. "That's right! Mr. Marshall has kept himself honest for ten years, helping out his neighbors, raising up students all over the county. He agrees to be your godfather is an honor. Don't be ungrateful!" "If you won't even acknowledge your own teacher, the whole village won't acknowledge you either!" "That's right! Let's kick him out of this village!" Chapter 2 Arthur glanced at me and smiled thinly. He said to the village head, "Don't scold him. Nolan's still young; he doesn't know any better. I'm his teacher, half a father to him. Why would I hold it against him?" He sighed, then added, "Once I meet the Chancellor, I'll make sure he does right by our village. After all, I'll be his daughter's father-in-law." Smiles broke out across every face around us. "Nolan, listen to that! Your teacher's thinking of you!" "Exactly. Mr. Marshall's got the heart of a true scholar." "That's great! Get the Chancellor to fix up some of our buildings and pave the roads for us. Where would Nolan even be without us taking care of him all these years?" "That's right. Those wild greens up on the mountain, he couldn't have dug a single one without our say-so. He owes us." Arthur stood in the middle of the crowd, unable to hide the satisfaction in his eyes. He clearly thought that after all that, I wouldn't dare refuse. I smiled and spoke lightly, as if it meant nothing to me. "My teacher's kept himself clean for years. The year before last, a wealthy merchant sent him a fine writing brush, and he cursed the man out and threw it away without even looking at it, saying a true scholar doesn't consort with the rich and powerful. Who in ten villages around doesn't respect that kind of reputation? "Which is exactly why it doesn't sit right for a scholar like you to attend my wedding. "Anyone who understands will think you're walking me to the ceremony. Anyone who doesn't will think you're currying favor with a powerful family, angling to marry in yourself." Arthur's face froze. I looked at him and kept my voice soft. "If Mr. Marshall's reputation gets ruined, I'm afraid it'll drag the whole village down with it." The chattering villagers went dead silent. The village head hesitated. "Mr. Marshall has always kept himself above reproach. If he goes somewhere like that and stirs up gossip, people will think all of Millbrook are nothing but shameless social climbers..." I stepped forward. "Village head, don't worry. Once I become the Chancellor's son-in-law, I'll never forget Millbrook. The first thing I do once I have any power will be paving the village roads." The village head's eyes lit up, and he couldn't stop smiling. "Good, good! Nolan, I knew you were a good boy! "In that case, we won't speak any more of Arthur walking you to the wedding." The smile faded slowly off Arthur's face. He stared at me, and finally let out a cold laugh. "Nolan, you've really grown up, haven't you? Got some schemes of your own now." … The next morning, a carriage from the Chancellor's estate pulled up at the edge of the village. The butler, grinning ear to ear, said the young lady had invited me over to discuss the wedding details. The moment I arrived at the estate, I heard a commotion at the gate. Arthur lifted the hem of his robe and stepped over the threshold, a smile plastered on his face. "Nolan, you didn't even wait for your teacher. Came running over here all by yourself?" I shot to my feet. His smile turned crooked. "Are you afraid I'm going to tell everyone about your past?" Without waiting for an answer, he bowed low toward the Chancellor and his daughter, Victoria Winslet. "This boy's had a hard life. Lost his parents young, ran wild with the widows in the village. Every time he came home he'd be drenched in sweat, clothes half off. It breaks my heart just thinking about it." Up on the high seat, the composed, tight-lipped Chancellor's brow furrowed. Victoria bit her lip. I snapped, "What are you talking about!" Arthur let out a short laugh. "What am I talking about? I'm your teacher. Would I ever try to hurt you? I only said it so the Chancellor would care about you more." He turned toward the Chancellor seated at the head of the room. "Sometimes it's one widow, sometimes two, sometimes three or four at once! This boy really has a gift for that sort of thing." He paused awhile, his tone growing even gentler. "Lord Winslet, you're offering him a place in the chancellery, aren't you? I do wonder if he's really worth all that investment." Chapter 3 Every word out of Arthur's mouth was filthy, and worse, each one landed exactly where an in-law family would care most. And the worst part was, I had no way to defend myself. We'd been poor enough to live on wild greens. I was in no position to worry about what people might say. Coming and going with the widows in the village had, admittedly, happened plenty of times. I was shaking with anger by the time Victoria let out a soft laugh. She didn't look at me. Her voice stayed flat. "I don't care what Nolan's past looks like. All that matters is whether he's willing to marry me now." The smile on Arthur's face froze. He clearly hadn't expected a young lady of her standing to react that way. "It's Nolan's good fortune that Miss Winslet doesn't mind any of that." He paused, his expression turning pained. "There's just one more thing. I shouldn't bring it up, but my conscience won't let me stay silent." He glanced at me, as if steeling himself for one last push, then spoke as though he'd finally made up his mind. "Nolan has a gambling problem. He owes over a hundred thousand pieces of silver out there. That's the real reason he's been living on wild greens. "I hope Miss Winslet won't hold it against him. When the time comes, it's only right that a family as wealthy as yours pays off an outsider's debts." Victoria didn't even lift her head. She hid her mouth behind her fan, her voice cool. "My family is many things, but short on silver isn't one of them." Arthur's expression twisted completely out of shape. The Chancellor, silent until then, finally spoke in an even tone. "Mr. Marshall must be tired. Have someone see him out to rest." He waved a hand, and a servant stepped forward to escort him out. Arthur tried to argue, but one look at the Chancellor's darkening face and he shrank back immediately. I pulled a servant aside and murmured, "Lock the courtyard gate from the outside. My teacher's tired. He needs his rest." He'd insisted on following me all the way to the Chancellor's estate. He couldn't blame me for being rude about it. The butler blinked, but seeing that I wasn't joking, he lowered his head and hurried off to do it. I turned to face Victoria. "Miss Winslet, I only have one request for this wedding." I looked her in the eye and spoke slowly. "On the day of the wedding, you're not to go anywhere alone. Wherever you go, you need at least three chaperones with you." Victoria didn't hesitate for even a second. She nodded. "All right." I blinked, caught off guard. "You're not going to ask why?" "You wouldn't have asked if you didn't have a good reason." She lowered her eyes, her tone as flat as ever, though the tips of her ears had gone red enough to bleed. "I'll do as you ask." Looking at her face, I felt the stone that had sat on my chest for a lifetime loosen, just a little. In my last life, she'd walked through the back garden alone and been fished out of the lily pond stripped bare in front of everyone. Faced with the whole crowd's accusations, she hadn't been able to say a single word in her own defense. She'd had no choice but to swallow the humiliation whole. On the day of the wedding, the Chancellor's estate was strung with wedding decorations. The ceremony went ahead exactly as it should. Everything moved forward step by step. As Victoria was led into the bridal chamber, I grabbed the butler's arm. "How's my teacher doing?" "Don't worry, sir. He's still in there pounding on the door and windows, demanding to be let out. The guards have it locked down tight. Not even a fly could get through." I let out a breath of relief. In my last life, this was exactly when it had happened. Barely a moment after Victoria had been led into the bridal chamber, the sound of someone falling into the water had come from the back garden, and Arthur and Victoria had been found tangled together in front of everyone, their clothes barely covering them. This time, Arthur was locked up tight, and Victoria had four solidly built chaperones trailing behind her. Surely this disaster would pass us by. The thought had barely finished forming in my mind when a scream tore through the air outside. "Someone's fallen in the water!" Chapter 4 My face went white. I dropped my wine cup and ran outside. At the lily pond behind the estate, the wedding guests had crowded in so tight there was no room to move. Arthur was wrapped in an overcoat by a few of the guards, soaked to the skin, his hair plastered across his face. He was tangled up with a woman in a bridal robe, skin against skin, and no amount of pulling from the chaperones could get them apart. My mind went blank with shock. The courtyard gate had been locked, with four or five guards taking turns standing watch. How had he even gotten out? The moment Arthur saw me, he staggered to his feet and lunged toward the pond as if to throw himself in. A few guards held him back, and he sank to his knees, choking on his own sobs. "My reputation, built over half a lifetime, ruined in an instant. I'd rather die clean than live like this!" The crowd murmured with sympathy. "Mr. Marshall's been a widower for ten years and never remarried. Everyone for miles around knows what a decent man he is!" "If word of this gets out, his name is finished. The Winslet family owes him an explanation." "Poor Mr. Marshall. Lost his wife ten years ago, kept himself honest through it all, never once bowed to money or power. And now someone's set him up like this. The Winslets need to answer for it!" Every eye in the courtyard turned, as one, toward the Chancellor, whose face had gone dark as a stormy sky. An old man stepped forward. "Everyone for miles knows the kind of man Mr. Marshall is. He only came out today to see his own student off on his wedding day, and now this happens. The Winslets can't just look away!" Someone gave a cold snort. "What accident? If you ask me, Miss Winslet's just greedy. One husband wasn't enough, so she went and took a second!" At that, Arthur let out a long, heaven-facing sigh. "Miss Winslet is nobility, born to wealth. She grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go. What could a poor, powerless scholar like me do to fight her off?" As he spoke, he raised a hand to smooth back his tangled hair, revealing a mark on his neck that could only be a bite from a kiss. The crowd erupted. "Well, that settles it!" "Miss Winslet, how could a young lady of your standing behave with so little shame?" "A woman can't serve two husbands. If this is how it is, then you belong to Mr. Marshall now!" Victoria burst into tears. "I didn't do anything! He's the one who came charging out of nowhere and pulled me into the water..." Arthur gave a bitter laugh. "Is Miss Winslet saying that with four or five chaperones trailing right behind her, a powerless, weak old scholar like me still managed to drag her into the water?" Victoria choked, unable to answer. That was when Denise Ford, Victoria's own maid, came rushing out of the crowd and dropped to her knees. "My lady, you might as well admit it now. You've had your eye on Mr. Marshall for a long time. Marrying Mr. Grey into the family was only ever a way to get close to him. This whole scene tonight was planned!" The courtyard erupted into chaos. "So that's how it is!" Victoria screamed in fury. "Denise, I've never treated you badly. Why would you betray me?" Denise lifted her head, her face full of righteous conviction. "Mr. Marshall does good deeds all over the county. He's a good man. I couldn't stand by and watch him get treated this way!" She spun around to face me. "Mr. Marshall and Mr. Grey are as close as father and son. Surely a man with Mr. Grey's manners wouldn't try to steal a woman from his own teacher?" Every eye in the courtyard turned to me. I took a deep breath and spoke, my voice even. "In that case, the two of you can be together." Someone praised me for it. "Mr. Marshall is his teacher and a man of true character. He's a far better match for the Chancellor's daughter than Nolan ever was!" "You should step aside. It's only right." Arthur let out a sigh. "Since things have come to this, as a man, I have no choice but to take responsibility for Miss Winslet's honor..." I raised an eyebrow, looking at him in mock surprise. "What does Miss Winslet have to do with any of this? That's not Miss Winslet." He froze. The next second, footsteps sounded from the back of the crowd. Victoria, dressed in clean clothes, walked out from behind the guests. The color drained from Arthur's face. Without thinking, he turned to look at the woman in the pond. The instant the firelight caught her face, his expression twisted into pure terror.