Magic of the Marriage Market

Once again Blair had a major headache, but for once it wasn't a hangover. A few short days ago, she'd been colluding with others to help Alaric and Aayina realize they were absolutely unsubtle about each other, and today she was bidding Farran a long farewell as she set out on her adventure to Cador as part of the Exchange Project.

"You're absolutely sure this is what you want?" Alaric was fussing over Farran, ever the older brother.

"Considering how much effort I put into convincing EVERYONE of my suitability, I feel confident in saying yes." Farran's exasperation was audible, clearly written on her face, and likely emanating from her like a perfume.

It made Blair laugh.

"Ignore the worry wart, you've got your revolver and we know you're not afraid to use it," she pushed Alaric out of the way so she could hug Farran goodbye.

Although Blair was the elder sister, she was certainly shorter, hugging around Farran's waist as she realized her little sister was nearly Eddy's height. "You must write me every week, I need to know how everyone's doing and they're all terrible at correspondence except Derbie," Farran insisted.

"I will, and I'll bully the others into it as well," Blair promised, fighting to keep any trace of a tear at bay.

She smiled brilliantly and stepped back, letting her siblings each have their moment to wish Farran well on her journey. Calvin whispered something in her ear that made Farran laugh so hard she gasped, Derbie promised to come visit with Lady Ban after their honeymoon, Eddy merely held Farran tightly as it seemed the pair were ships passing in the night – only briefly in each other's company. Gavin picked Farran up as he hugged her tightly, openly crying while Hida stood quietly, pale and still recovering but she'd insisted on coming out to send Farran off.

"Good luck with your Prince," Farran teased at Hida.

"Good luck with your Duke," Hida teased back and Blair wasn't the only one who was obviously confused by that exchange.

"Remember to send word when you've arrived at every waystation, you're not just representing Taroton but our family as well," Alaric's worry showed in his overbearing seriousness.

"I will, and I will do you proud," Farran insisted, looking excited despite how visibly sad the rest were.

Blair's temple throbbed as she kept her smile in place, determined to be the happy, carefree sibling so Farran could go and know the rest of these soft-hearted fools would be alright. Hida, of course, was excluded because Blair knew that Hida was the toughest once of them all.

"You already do us proud, now go show Cador what you're made of," Blair encouraged, wanting nothing more than to hug her little sister tightly so she couldn't go. Some part of Blair suspected this would be the last time Farran considered living with them 'home'.

Their little adventurer was off on her first journey, and Blair smiled brightly while her temples throbbed and her heart ached. They all waited and waved, watching as the heavily loaded and guarded carriage holding Farran rolled off and out of sight. Alaric left to his office, having multiple marriage licences to request for their family, Hida was escorted back to her room by Gavin, and Calvin had already disappeared; possibly literally. Derbie stood with Blair the longest, waiting even after Eddy returned inside.

"She's only seventeen, but I can't help but feel like Farran is more than capable of conquering Cador all on her own," he remarked and Blair laughed.

"She bullied a Duke into sponsoring her, I suspect our little Farran will have the entire Kingdom under her thrall before winter," Blair hooked arms with Derbie and headed inside to escape the sun.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she had the continent under her thumb by this time next year," he kept the ridiculous exaggerations going.

"By this time next year we'll have a niece or a nephew," she bumped her shoulder against Derbie's waist, "at least one though I suspect it'll be more given all you love birds." His pale cheeks burned violently red and Blair grinned.

"Are you not looking forwards to you our future children, dear sister?" Derbie tried to tease back, "a little girl with Clayton's dark tones but your reckless enthusiasm? Or maybe a little boy with your eyes but Clayton's height, just so he can get books off of the high shelves for y—" Derbie cut off with an oof as Blair elbowed him sharply.

In the time since Clayton had agreed to her fake Courtship, they'd behaved almost like a real couple would have. Their outfits matched, they spoke in close whispers, and there were sweet but proper caresses; and it'd had the intended result of finally ending the cascade of Letters sent to her house. But between the outings spent in friendly conversation, to the Events full of posturing and plotting, Blair had found herself enjoying Clayton's companionship far more than she knew she was supposed to. Once the marriage Season was over, he'd return to his Earldom and she'd go home to the coast, and their fake relationship would come to its natural end. There was absolutely no room for her to consider what any children might look like as they'd never exist.

"I'd rather consider how likely it is that you and Alaric will follow in Gavin's footsteps and produce Heirs after your first nights," she crudely teased to redirect Derbie. She'd known Gavin had been sneaking out to see Eniola, but she hadn't realized they'd gotten that physical with their intimacies until Eniola's pregnancy was announced to the family.

Derbie blushed brightly again, shaking his head at her bluntness, "as if you'll fair any better if we all prove that fecundate," his rejoinder made her shrug.

"I am in no hurry to find out," she couldn't tell him her relationship with Clayton wasn't real, they'd never kissed and it was all a show to keep the world at bay. "I will be happy to play favourite aunt to the lot you all produce in the next year."

Derbie laughed at her audacity, "there are four aunts, how do you suspect you'll be the favourite?"

"Please, we all know I'm the fun sister, just imagine the bad influence I'll be for the children," Blair mocked herself easily.

"Hellfire and damnation," Derbie agreed.

"Speaking of, I need to go to Abernathy's for my final fitting," Blair had a dress made for Eddy's celebration.

As her previous mentor, Lord Daro Korolenko had arranged a celebratory feast for Eddy's selection to be Master Gentileschi's apprentice. Blair could easily had re-worn a gown, but it felt important to celebrate her little sister's success properly, and that called for a new gown. Blair was looking forwards to her sister's unofficial Debut, knowing that Eddy would miss her real one next year so she could study under her new Master.

"Did you want company, or are you meeting up with Clayton?" Derbie politely inquired, and Blair felt like flushing in guilt.

"Since we're supposed to match our appointment is together," Blair confirmed as if it were a date. Although they should technically have a chaperone, given Blair's already well known nature, no one seemed to expect her conformity to the old traditions. It was strangely liberating, but also frustrating as her opportunities to take advantage were sky high but the relationship itself was a fake. There were no stolen kisses, or barely contained desires to combat.

At least not that she could admit to, it was bad form to suggest a fake relationship and then actually fall for the person who had only agreed to fake it. She blamed Clayton; he was funny and charming, and never seemed to expect her to only be a pretty face. And although she wasn't the dancer Eddy and Hida were, Clayton had enough grace to make it look like Blair was just as talented, his guidance steady and comforting.

"You look good in Wignell blue," Derbie's compliment succeeded in making Blair blush just as violently as he had earlier.

"Get lost, you romantic fool," Blair pushed him away as Derbie laughed at her.

She shook her head and prepared to head to Abernathy's for her appointment, determined to ignore how much she truly enjoyed being with Clayton in a Courtship.

It worked well enough that the mild headache she'd had throbbing in her temples only pulses a little echo of pain when she met Clayton out front of the tailors, and he greeted her with a genteel kiss to the back of her hand. She curled her arm through his and walked with him into their appointment, valiantly holding all thoughts of what their theoretical children would look like at bay.

"So how was Farran's send off?" Clayton asked once they were in the fitting suite.

"Emotional," she summarized with a hint of self deprecation, "although we don't fear for her safety as much now that we all know she'd ready to use that revolver."

Clayton's laugh was rich and low, and Blair made herself ignore the headache lingering, "although you are the most beautiful of the Briggs siblings," he flirted as the attendants entered the room with their outfits for final fittings, "I have no doubt Farran was always the most bloodthirsty, even accounting for Hida's impending Knighthood."

"Too true Clayton, too true," Blair agreed, following the female attendant to her curtained change room.

Hida would be a Knight, full of valour and honour, her battles fought would reflect that; Farran was a natural survivor and all that would require a viciousness Blair lacked herself. Clayton had been absent for years, but he'd been Alaric's best friend for far longer, he knew Blair's family almost as well as she did and she had an easy familiarity with him that made it all the harder to maintain a conspiratorial relationship only.

She was like one of those lame heroines from a red covered romance, and there was nothing she could do about it but ignore it. It would just ruin what they did have if she said anything about it, so Blair was determined to simply keep on keeping on.

The assistant helping her into the gown stepped out and held the curtain open, allowing Blair to go see her reflection in the floor length mirror of the main suite. Her skirt was a modern trend, skimming close to the lines of her shape from hip to ankle, and making it damnably hard to step up or walk swiftly in. But one look in the mirror forgave the skirt that very sin, as even Blair had to admit she looked amazing. She may be short, but her body lacked not one single womanly curve, and the mermaid tail inspired skirt made judicious use of that very fact. The silk fabric clung to and moved with her thighs as she took careful, deliberate steps, the deep aqua colour unadorned but stunning in its own right. The bodice made up for the complexity the skirt lacked, the corseted torso entirely covered in a careful gradient of blues darkening to purple and finally the layer at her bust was the scarlet of her Briggs name.

It was an artistic, almost aggressive look, and Blair had accepted it as the best gown to celebrate Eddy's success in; her brilliantly artistic sister deserved nothing less.

To cover her bare shoulders, Blair planned to let her champagne blonde hair down for once, and she had already selected a ruby choker and earrings to top it with. But for this fitting, she'd kept her hair pinned up and that left a lot of her shoulders exposed, though at least she had a simple ruby pendent on. And she was wearing the shoes the gown required for a proper fitting, so she at least felt slightly taller.

Blair hadn't realized Clayton had stepped out of his own curtained changing room until she heard him bark, "out!"

She looked from her own reflection to see Clayton as he glared at her while the two attendants swiftly left the suite. Did he hate seeing her in his family colour that much?

The moment they were alone, he disabused her of that notion.

She was on a little platform before the mirror, wearing heels that gave her an extra couple of inches in height, and given how immobile the skirt bound her legs, Blair could only stand still as Clayton stalked over to her, almost radiation fury, and processed to shock the daylights out of her by holding her tightly and kissing her passionately. One of his hands was tangled in the pinned lengths of her hair, the other pressed against her back as if to hold her from running away. And he kissed her like he could drink the passion she'd tried to hide. Her own hands had gripped into the scarlet cravat and blue jacket collar he wore, wrinkling the silk but she didn't dare let go.

It wasn't Blair's first romantic kiss, nor did she presume it was Clayton's, but her brief forays into affection had been tainted by the awareness that the men pursuing her had desperately wanted her family connections, or her physical beauty; that they didn't care about HER. Clayton kissed her like he'd been fighting the urge to everyday and this capitulation was inevitable.

"You are a very difficult woman not to fall in love with, and then you have to go and looked like that in my colour," it took a moment for Blair's scattered thoughts to make sense of what Clayton was saying when he finally stopped kissing her. His forehead pressed to hers lightly, Clayton leaning down even with her on a platform, in heels, "I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted, I know you said it was a fake relationship but-"

This time she kissed him, silencing the entirely unnecessary apology.

His suit was definitely wrinkled, and Blair had to fix her hair, but they'd quickly settled the matter. The attraction was mutual, and although the relationship had started as farcical, it was now undeniably real. They even managed to make it through the rest of the final fitting, though now Blair couldn't stop thinking about how his eyes had weight while they looked over every inch of her gown. Not that she hadn't been just as intense while regarding his attire. His jacket and trousers was Wignell blue, the cravat was Briggs scarlet, and his shirt and vest hinted at the darker blue and purple gradients in her gown. The colours were stunning on his dark brown skin, and the smile Clayton flashed at her was satisfied, now that he knew his intentions were returned.

None of the attendants at Abernathy's made any remarks at being sent out, nor about the state Blair and Clayton were in once they were allowed to re-enter, and Blair knew it wouldn't be gossiped about by the tailors. Not a single soul outside herself and Clayton knew the relationship had started out as a mutually beneficial deal, and no one would know how fundamentally that had just changed, but Blair felt a little disappointed that she couldn't celebrate her oddly successful romance. It was ridiculous, and yet she still accepted Clayton's invitation to dinner at a restaurant so they could toast each other, lacking any other audience to celebrate with.

Their alliance had begun with Blair producing champagne for Clayton's Event, and now they celebrated it with a glass of the same. Only this time the date was real and when Blair returned home much later, she had been thoroughly kissed.