Read an excerpt from Chapter One of The Power of Love

When the time came to introduce Robert and Grace to each other and reveal only a portion of the agreement, Baron Massey sent for Grace to come to his study. Grace was in her chamber, reading her book when there was a knock at the door. “Enter,” she called. When the door opened, it was her handmaid, she curtsied and said, “My Lady, your father requires your presence in his study immediately.” Still reading her book and without looking up Grace replied, “I will go as soon as I finish this page.” As the maid was straightening Grace’s room she said, “Nay child, your father needs you now.” Grace rolled her eyes and marked her page, and without delay, she headed to her father’s study. On her way there, she wondered what was so important for her father to summon her with such urgency. From the moment Grace was born, Baron Massey took a special interest in his daughter. It was not because of her intended marriage to Lord Davenport’s son, no, there was something different, a special bond with his daughter, one he could not explain. When Elizabeth was born, he thought the bond he had with Grace would be the same, but it was not, and no one was more surprised than himself. Grace was his world, even after his wife bore him a son and heir. There was nothing he would not do for his daughter Grace. When Grace arrived at the entrance to her father’s study, she found the door was open and her father sitting behind his desk with her mother by his side. Her father’s desk sits in front of the window facing the door, it was not a large window, but it was big enough for the daylight to fill the room with its light. Baron Massey’s desk was a thick and solid desk made from the strongest cherry oak in France; it was created precisely to fit his needs. The front paneling has square molding, and somewhere, only known to her father, was a secret compartment. Although her father’s study was a small room comparable to their cottage, for her father, it fit his needs, and even with its small space, it appeared to be spacious and comfortable. To see her father and mother together, she wondered, what could it be that requires both mother and father? When Grace entered her father’s study, she immediately looked to the portrait of their ancestor who acquired Dunham Massey, Hamon de Massey, as she has always done. It hangs on the right wall, just above the bookshelves with an assortment of English books, along with books from France and Italy. To the left of the room was an oval French rug, and resting on the rug was a dark red two-seat chair with two large wooden chairs covered in French royal blue fabric. It was odd though; the chairs were usually situated in front of her father’s desk, no matter, she thought. To her surprise, sitting on the chairs was a man and a woman she did not recognize, and on the two-seat chair was a boy about her age. “Father, you wanted to see me,” Grace asked? When Baron Massey saw his daughter, he smiled, then stood and walked around his desk to greet his daughter. He took her hand and said, “Ah, my dear, yes, come in and meet Lord and Lady Davenport, along with their son and heir Lord Robert Davenport.” Grace greeted Lord and Lady Davenport and their son with a curtsey, “I am pleased to meet you,” Grace said. Grace did not understand who those people were, or why she was required to be there, and was curious as to why these people were in her father’s study and not in the drawing room where her mother and father usually received their guests. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders; the matter was no concern of hers. And then, she felt it was odd; Father does not like having so many people in his study, she thought. He considered this his own private space, and the only time her father had people in his study was when he was doing business. Then it dawned on her, of course, these people are leaving, otherwise, why would he summon me to his study. As Baron Massey guided his daughter to where the Davenport’s were sitting, she noticed the table in front of the two-seat chair; there was a tray full of pastries and fruits with an open bottle of wine. Lord and Lady Davenport with their son, stood when Grace approached, they bowed and curtsied as she did to them. “My dear, please have a seat next to Lord Robert,” Baron Massey said as he guided his daughter to the seat next to Robert. “Your mother and I, along with Lord and Lady Davenport, have something to speak to you about that involve yours and Robert’s future.” Grace took her seat and looked at Robert and he at her. Grace became suspicious of the reason she was sitting on the chair next to Robert that was made for two. Then Grace looked at her father with a raised eyebrow in question; then, she turned back to look at Robert. Robert was a thin boy with dark hair and brown eyes, and he seemed to be as suspicious as she was. It was clear, they both had questions about the reasons they were there and to what future her father was referring to. “Both of you have reached your tenth year of life, and the time has come to inform you of the agreement Lord Davenport, and I forged at the time of your birth, an alliance forged between both our families that you,” Baron Massey said, motioning his hand to his daughter, “My dear daughter, you will marry Robert Davenport.” Grace and Robert looked at each other with surprise, as this was the first, they heard of this. Baron Massey turned to look at Robert, “When you turn seventeen, you will marry, merging both our families together as one. In doing so, it will strengthen our wealth and power within the land, and Lord Davenport has graciously agreed to assist me in regaining Dunham Massey Castle from the Booths.” Baron Massey looked at Lord Davenport, who nodded in agreement, then he continued, “We agreed when you,” looking at Grace and Robert, “Turn ten, we would bring our families together to allow you and Robert to meet and be given time to get to know one another. This will begin in seven days hence and will continue until after your seventeenth year of life when you will marry. We decided to rotate between Bramhall Manor and Dunham Massey,” he said, turning to his daughter, “We want this for you, to allow you a chance to get to know each other before you marry, an opportunity neither one of us had before we married. We want you to grow to like each other, and hope, with this time given to you, you will come to love each other. As you know, your mother and I did not have such an opportunity. Still, after time, your mother and I grew to love each other very much,” Baron Massey said. He turned to look at his wife and smiled. “Unlike Lord and Lady Davenport,” he said, turning to look at Lord and Lady Davenport, feeling a bit of sadness for their situation. To hear Baron Massey’s words, Lady Davenport adverted her eyes; she does not want Baron Massey to see how much his words hurt her. She felt great sorrow in not finding the love Baron and Baroness Massey had. “We hope with the time given, you will form a bond with each other, and if this goes well, you will find love before you marry. What we offer you is rare, something not normally done. So, my dear daughter,” he takes her hand, “And Robert,” taking his hand, “Take this time we give you,” then places Robert’s hand on top of Grace’s, “And get to know each other. Build a friendship, a bond, and if all goes well, you will grow to love each other,” Baron Massey said, looking at Grace with love, “As your mother and I did.” Baron Massey looked at his wife, “Your mother and I did not know each other, nor did we like each other. In time, I won your mother over, and we came to love each other very much,” he turned back to Grace and Robert, “As I am sure you and Robert will,” he said, then turned to Lord Davenport, “Our first gathering will be at Lord Davenport’s estate at Bramhall Manor in Manchester, and the following seven days will be here at Dunham Massey Castle. I have already made arrangements with Lord Booth to utilize Dunham Massey Castle when the Davenports are here,” Baron Massey said. He left his daughter with Robert and moves to stand next to his wife. Baron Massey took his wife’s hand in his and looked at her, and she at him, both filled with love and happiness. He did this to remind his daughter that an arranged marriage can find love and happiness. Then Baron and Baroness Massey turned to Lord and Lady Davenport, and without words, acknowledged the beginning of a magnificent merger. Baron and Baroness Massey, along with Lord and Lady Davenport, turned their attention back to Grace and Robert. At this, Grace and Robert looked at each other, then back to their mother and father and nodded in understanding. For Lady Davenport to see Baron Massey take his wife’s hand in his and look at her with so much love, saddened her heart. To see this was a reminder that she and Lord Davenport never came to love each other. Lady Davenport turned to look at her husband, if he were to look at me as Baron Massey looks at his wife, and she at him, no one could doubt how much in love they are, Lady Davenport thought, softly sighing. In the years during Lord and Lady Davenport’s marriage, and after giving birth to their children, neither one of them had grown to love each other. Lady Davenport desperately wanted to love her husband, and for him to love her, but he had proven to be too hard of a man. Instead of love, they came to an understanding; she would do her duty as his wife and as Lady Davenport, by giving him his heir. She turned to look at her son, and prayed, I pray Robert will find love with Grace, I never found with my husband, she thought, then returned her attention to the matter at hand as Baron Massey was saying — “Now, let us toast to our newfound happiness and soon to be family,” he said, and everyone raised their glasses in the air then drank to their future. After the celebrations were over, Grace was given leave to return to her chambers, and on her way back, she thought about what just happened, as she felt frustrated and upset. I am only ten. How am I to be expected to do what they ask of me? Why has this been put upon me and not Elizabeth? Then, the little voice in her head said, you know why? You are the firstborn and the eldest daughter. At this thought, Grace rolled her eyes. When Grace arrived at her chamber and opened the door, she found Elizabeth sitting on her bed, waiting anxiously for her return. When Elizabeth went to Grace’s chamber to visit her sister, Grace’s maid told her she was summoned by their father, and Elizabeth has been desperately waiting for Grace to return, wanting to learn what happened. “Grace, finally,” Elizabeth said, exacerbated, “Come, my dear sister,” patting the bed next to her, “Sit next to me and tell me why father summoned you.” At first, Grace only smiled at Elizabeth, and then after a few moments, she walked over and sat next to her sister and told her what happened. Elizabeth was stunned, “Oh...Grace, how do you feel about this?” she said with sadness. “Elizabeth, what am I to do? Everything was arranged when Robert and I were born,” shaking her head, “No, there is nothing I can do. I am trapped,” she said, flabbergasted.