The Arrangement

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

When I wake up the next morning I feel a tingle in my stomach. I’m nervous but not nearly as nervous as I was yesterday, and I’m not nervous about the same thing. Yesterday I was nervous about meeting Amalrich, my fiancé, for the first time. Today I’m nervous about meeting his mother. I want to make a good impression because we will be family soon. I hope that Amalrich family will like me, we are getting married and I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.

I order room service for breakfast and I eat at the same time I do a little packing. I didn’t pack up everything, but I have to tidy up a little. I would be embarrassed to leave this room in chaos. When I’m halfway through my breakfast, my phone rings. I smile when I look at the caller id.

“So did you dream of my voice?” I ask when I answer the phone.

“Yeah, but hearing the real thing is way better”, Rich says.

“I’ve always found my voice irritating”, I say truthfully. I’ve always found my voice high-pitched and annoying.

“It’s definitely not irritating”, Rich says. “Anyway, I felt like I had to call you because I won’t be able to talk to you until tonight”.

“That’s sweet of you”, I say with a small smile. “I’m nervous about meeting your mother”.

“Don’t be, she’s pretty easy going”, Rich assured me. “Just be yourself and she will adore you”.

“You think so?” I ask.

“I know so, I mean we met yesterday and I thought I would dislike the woman my father has set me up to marry”, Rich says. “Today I apologized to him and admitted I was wrong”.

“You did that?” I’m surprised at this.

“Yeah”, Rich says. “Of course I did because that’s how I feel, I feel like I have to know you better, that you are better than what I could ever hope for, besides like I told you, if I would have randomly seen you, I would most likely try to get your number”.

“You’re making me blush again”, I say and feel my face heat up.

“I wish I could see your face right now”, Rich says. “Our driver will be picking you up soon”. I look at the clock, yeah, it’s already 11 am. “I have to go now though, I have to continue my work, I just wanted to call you”.

“So you’re thinking of me while you are at work?” I ask.

“Of course, you’re all I’m thinking about”, Rich tells me.

“Okay, well, think of the fact that I’m sitting in the bed, only in my underwear”, I tease. Why not add a little fuel to the fire while it’s hot? There is a silence on the other side of the phone for a little while.

Rich then clears his throat. “Thank you for that, now I won’t be able to concentrate at work”, he says a little hoarse.

“You’re very welcome”, I tell him.

“Goodbye now”. I hang up the phone and laugh to myself. I would’ve loved to see his face when I said what I said to him. I don’t even know what got into me, why would I say that to someone I don’t really know? That’s not like me at all.

I pack up everything and put on some clothes, very casual and some casual makeup, I don’t want to overdo my looks today, but I don’t want to look like an ogre when I meet Rich’s mother and sisters. I want to make a good impression, but I don’t want to seem too much. 11:45 I walk down to the reception to check out of the hotel. Five minutes later a man walks up to me.

“Lady Campbell?” He asks.

“Yes hello, you can call me Katherine”, I say and he takes my bags.

“I’m Carl, family Walter’s driver”, he says and talks my bag. “The car is right outside”.

“Thank you”, I say. “Is it a long drive?”

“No it’s only 15 minutes”, Carl tells me.

“Great”, I smile.

Carl shows me to the car, it’s a nice small limousine. A Rolls-Royce Phantom if I’m not mistaken. Carl opens the door for me and I slip inside, I love it, it’s a very nice car. When Carl starts to drive I start to feel sad about the fact that it’s only a fifteen-minute drive. This is a very nice car. But I assume it’s not the last time I’m sitting in this car. Even though I love this car, I spend the drive worrying and feeling anxious. All I want right now is to make a good impression. I want them to like me, Rich’s family.

All too soon I feel the car stop. I look out the window and see that we are outside a very big house, this is a mansion. The house is surrounded by tall hedges. Carl opens the door and helps me out. What I can see from the front, there is a culture fountain in the middle. and bushes of flowers and lamps. From the front side like this, you can't even tell that two little girls are living here. No bikes, no toys, or anything like that.

"I thought Amalrich said that he has two small sisters", I mumble. Carl heard me.

"Oh he does, yeah all the stuff is in the backyard, two toy houses full of toys, bicycles, even a water slide to the pool".

"Oh", I smile. "The front is very beautiful", I say.

"I will tell the gardener you said that, he will be very pleased", Carl smiles.

My family is rich, yeah, but we don't have a personal driver or garner. That seems very luxurious, and I thought that I was living luxurious, I probably did compare to others, and I'm sure that we would've afford it but my father probably thought it was a waste of money. I don't know.

"I suppose there is a personal chef as well?" I joke as we walk towards the front door, through the front yard, it's a three-minute walk at least, that's how big the front yard this is. I almost feel sorry for the gardener, I mean he has both this front yard and the back yard, I can understand why a gardener is needed.

"Yes, and it's good that you brought it up, I am supposed to ask you if you are allergic to something or if you have special preferences", Carl says.

"Oh well I’m lactose intolerant, but special preferences are not needed", I say.

"Everyone in this family has special preferences, Mr. Amalrich is like you lactose intolerant, but he loves ice cream for dessert, our chef makes special ice cream to him in all kinds of flavors, the girls doesn't like ice cream at all, so instead they get homemade sorbet, Mrs. Walter hates everything with carbs and sugar and Mr. Walter enjoys cognac for dessert", Carl explains.

"Oh", I say. "Well, I'm also a sucker for ice cream to tell you the truth, but it's so hard to find good lactose-free ice cream".

"So Amalrich said before this chef started working here", Carl laughs. "Seems like you are alike".

Oh, don't say that. I guess he's right. There is no way my father could've planned this, but it does seem like we are the perfect idyll couple and that worries me. I was so sure that I was going to live in. a loveless marriage, and now I'm not so sure anymore and that's messing my brain up. At the same time, Amalrich said that he has dated a lot of girls, like a serial dater or something, and hooked up with pretty much all of them. I hope he doesn't have too high expectations from me in bed, or that he will have me in bed soon. Who am I kidding, I probably would strip in front of him tonight if I didn't have my morals. Good girls don't do that. Am I a good girl though? Or am I just trying to make myself and my father believe it? Astra sure does not believe I'm the good girl I pretend to be, I doubt my brothers believe it and it seems like my mother doesn't either. Can I really only fool my father?

"Yeah, it seems like it", I say.

We reach the door and Carl opens it with his key. Ready by the door stands a man, a butler I think. Oh man, a private driver, gardener, chef, and a butler. What is left? Is there anything left?I start taking off my jacket but before I get the chance, the butler stops me.

"Oh no, let me take that", he says and helps me off with the jacket. He neatly hangs it on the coathanger beside a purple elegant coat. I guess that's Mrs. Walter's coat.

"Thank you so much", I say and try to put in as much gratitude as I possibly can.

"My pleasure", the butler says.

"What's your name?" I ask with a smile.

"My name is Edvard, Lady Katherine", he says.

"Oh you can skip the lady part", I say with a chuckle. "May I call you Edvard?"

"Of course, I am going to put your bag in your room", Edvard says.

I take a minute to admire the hall in this house. It's magnificent and beautiful with a lot of golden details on the white walls. I don't know what to say really, it definitely looks almost like a castle.

"Wow", I say.

"Carl! You're back!" I hear the voice of a girl shout.

I turn around towards the stairs and see two girls run down the stairs, both of them are a lot alike Rich om appearance. Gosh, they are so cute. Both of them have light blue dresses and white diadems in their hair. They are beautiful young girls. Behind them runs an older girl, trying to catch up with them. A nanny? Yeah, that seems like something this family would have to be honest. Does this mean that there is also a cleaning lady?

"I'm back!" Carl says and the girls run up and hug him.

I smile when I look at them.

"I'm Flora", the youngest says.

"Nice to meet you Flora", I say. "I'm Katherine, and I notice that you can speak English".

"Oh yes, we have been taught both German and English since we were born to be able to talk to you", The older girl says. "My name is Ana, it's nice to meet you Katherine, Iäm ten years old".

"Oh you're a big girl now", I say with a big smile. "And how old are you Flora?"

"I am six years old", Flora says proudly.

"Oh so you're also a big girl now", I say and she nods.

These girls are too cute and copies of each other. If it wasn't for the age difference they could've been twins.

"Oh you're here", I hear a soft voice behind the nanny. I watch a beautiful woman approach us, so much like Amalrich and the girls. This has to be their mother, Mrs. Walter. She has an elegant dress and her hair is curled and put up in a ponytail. I can't miss the round belly that shows that she is pregnant, she has to be the definition of pregnancy glow. "Hello dear, welcome, I'm Adla Walter, but you can just call me Adla".

"Hello, I'm Katherine, it's so very nice to meet you", I say and Mrs. Walter brings me in for a hug.

Maybe I was, once again, nervous for nothing. Rich's family seems kind and welcoming. Maybe I will get through and maybe they will like me. I sure hope they will, and I think they will. From what I have seen now, they are all happy to see me, maybe they have been waiting for me.