‘His name is Edmund’ Alicia replied seriously, standing with her hands folded together before her.

‘Edmund?’ Ashton mumbled, brow furrowed as he stared at his sister hard. ‘It’s…. a man?’

‘It is’ Alicia gleamed happily at him. ‘Mother has at last found another man willing to marry you, willing to marry another man. I think it goes without saying that he is purple blood too.’

Ashton continued to stare at his sister in shock, unable for the longest time to find his voice.

Alicia simply watched him, waiting for him to gather himself.

Eventually Ashton closed his mouth, swallowing with difficulty.

His throat felt dry as a bone, and his voice came out as a little hoarse as he spoke his next words.

‘Oh…. oh’ he said.

Alicia sighed at him, tilting her head slightly.

‘I am sorry’ she said to him, speaking sincerely. ‘I know you never wanted to marry. But you know how things are.’

‘Yeah’ Ashton whispered, hanging his head now. ‘I know.’

He let out a sob then, hands going to his face, hiding his tears away.

‘Oh Ashton’ his sister soothed, closing the distance between them and holding him in a firm embrace. ‘I know how it must be for you. I was not too keen to be married myself. But he turned out to be wonderful for me. He is kind and…. oh Ashton please don’t cry.’

‘I’m fine’ Ashton gasped, raising his head and smiling to his sister, tears welling in his eyes. ‘This is all just a little overwhelming for me.’

‘Its going to be alright’ Alicia said to him, grasping him firmly either side of his face before letting go. ‘I promise you. Mother is doing everything she can to make you happy. But you have to be married. You know how things are’ she said again.

‘I know’ Ashton breathed. ‘I know…’ he smiled awkwardly again, a single tear rolling slowly down his cheek. ‘I just…sometimes wish how nice it would be….I mean…. I think of how nice it would be if…you know…these sorts of things weren’t expected of us. If we could just be left alone to live our own lives… I don’t know…’ he trailed off. ‘It would be nice.’

‘We just live different lives’ his sister spoke to him, holding her hands together before her now.

‘I still wonder what it would be like’ Ashton mumbled.

‘It would be harder.’

‘Would it?’ Ashton raised his head. ‘How would you know?’

‘Ok I guess I don’t’ she laughed awkwardly. ‘It would just be different. Harder in a different kind of way I guess. Think of it this way, whatever happens to use we are more security than the common folk. Our families are so tightly bound together, and we have money to stabilize us, our children can go to the best schools. And so on…’ she finished.

‘I…don’t think I can have children’ Ashton mumbled timidly.

‘You could always adopt’ Alicia spoke merrily.

‘I guess. I still think it would be nice to be without all of this’ Ashton went on. ‘I mean…it must be nice to marry who you want, not who you are told to by your parents, not who you are expected by others. Some people don’t want to marry at all. Some never do. I don’t know…it must be nice to be in control of your own future. And besides’ Ashton sighed forlorn. ‘It would be nice to be able to dance as I want freely, without having to do it in secret, without sneaking around like a crook. It makes me feel guilty, and I don’t know why. I know I’m not doing anything wrong.’

He looked back at his sister then, who was watching him intently.

‘You must keep what I have told you an absolute secret’ Alicia said to him. ‘Mother and father plan to tell you tonight at dinner. But you have to act surprised.’

‘Oh’ Ashton grumbled. ‘Ok…’