Richard poured a small amount of scotch into a glass, turning to hand it to his son who was seated on the chesterfield next to him. While the women cleaned up from Easter dinner and the younger boys ran off to get into mischief the men had retired to the sitting room, relaxing by the fire with a drink. It used to be that it was just Richard and his brother-in-law Thomas who would take part in the yearly ritual but since Nick had become a University man they had taken him under their wing. He was now officially able to share secrets with the men. 

“So Nick,” Thomas spoke as he sipped from his glass, staring into the fire, “How do you like school?”

“Oh, I like it just fine,” Nick smiled, feeling awkward sitting in the room with his father and his uncle. 

“Charlotte said that you seemed to be enjoying yourself up there and learning quite a bit,” Thomas commented, “It must be a fine school.”

“It is,” Nick agreed, “I have to say that it’d be a fine choice for you to send your boys to.”

Thomas looked at Nick curiously with a chuckle, “I’m sorry?”

“Charlotte told me about how you had Cambridge in mind for your sons, and had asked about my preparatory school grades,” Nick explained, feeling as though he were missing something.

“Son, I have no idea what you’re talking about, that must be something the women have been discussing,” Thomas laughed and Richard was quick to change the subject so Nick wouldn’t embarrass himself any further.

“So you and Charlotte seem to be getting on quite well,” Richard observed, “a smart match if I’ve ever seen one.”

Nick had just lifted his glass to his mouth and struggled not to spit his drink back into it after his father’s words, “I’m sorry? What do you mean ‘a smart match’?” he laughed nervously, “No, I think you’ve gotten it wrong, I’m not courting Charlotte.”

“Of course you are! There have been all the letters and the visits to your school!” Thomas said, clearly confused.

Nick just shook his head, not knowing what else to say.

“Well if you aren’t courting her then what are your intentions?” Thomas wondered, having believed all this time that the money he was spending on sending his daughter to visit and write to this boy would result in a marriage.

“I don’t have any intentions, Sir. She’s the one who started writing me!” Nick defended.

“You invited her to come visit you Nick,” his father pointed out, “That does look a little like you’re interested in her.”

“Well, I don’t know,” Nick answered, unsure, “I don’t dislike Charlotte, I think she’s a lovely girl.”

“That settles it then, you were courting her,” Thomas shrugged and they changed the subject back to matters of politics. 

Nick thought long and hard about what had just gone on. He was now completely uncertain as to whether or not Charlotte had been under the impression that he was interested in her. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t interested in her, he was male after all and he didn’t exactly have a lot of women chasing after him – or any at all for that matter. It just came to the fact that he wanted to concentrate on finishing school, not on supporting a wife and then subsequently a family. Since the rest of the family was unaware of his parents financial problems they also weren’t aware that Nick was paying for his schooling on his own. He had saved up enough money from working and had not spent a dime before his tuition was due. Since he was living off that money, not having looked for a job, there was no way he could support more than himself with it. At the same time though he knew that having a wife would garner him extra respect with the senior fellows at school, and potentially put him in a whole new social group he would have never been previously a part of.

~*~

Thinking about Charlotte and what he thought of her brought him through the night and into the next day. He was going for a walk around his Aunt and Uncle’s property when he noticed her down at the creek washing clothes and decided to catch up with her. 

“Do you need any help with that?” Nick asked, walking up next to where she was leaned over a basin. 

“No thank you,” Charlotte replied, surprised to see Nick. He had kept to himself for most of the weekend which was fine by her because she had other things to take care of, including going through his things he brought home from school.

Nick walked the thin line along the edge of the creek bed, trying to keep his balance, “Do you think we should get married?” he asked out of the blue.

“What?!” Charlotte exploded, standing up and whipping around so fast she knocked Nick off balance and sent him straight into the water. 

The creek was only a few feet deep, but deep enough for him to be completely soaked, “Well that wasn’t exactly the response I was expecting,” he chuckled, brushing the wet hair away from his face. He groaned as he tried to move, having falling on his butt straight onto some rocks. His blue eyes turned up to Charlotte and he extended his hand, “Are you going to help me up?”

“First tell me what you’re going on about,” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I’ll tell you once you help me up. The water is really cold,” he complained, reaching his hand out again. 

Charlotte sighed but reluctantly grabbed Nick’s hand and pulled. She was met with so much resistance that she nearly let go but his grip was too strong and soon she found herself sitting next to him in the water, dripping from head to toe, “That was uncalled for,” she huffed, glaring at him. 

“Maybe,” he shrugged, standing up in the water and extending her a hand. Once they were both standing he began looking at rocks through the crystal clear creek, “Do you not find it odd that your parents let you write to me and come visit me without any concern of your reputation?”

“Why would that be odd? You’re my cousin.”

“I know that’s why it’s sort of odd. To be honest I’m quite surprised we’re allowed to be alone together right now. In any other family we’d have tea together but would not have weekend visits or go off on our own for anything, cousins or not. The fact that you were allowed to come visit me and stay overnight should have been a warning sign for both of us,” Nick pointed out. 

“I’m not quite sure I’m following you,” Charlotte told him with a shake of her head. In reality she knew why he was so confused. Back in the winter she had told her mother repeatedly that Nick had proclaimed his fondness for her through his letters, which then finally convinced them to let her visit. It was not only the security of him being family that reassured them of her safety, but also that he was, as Charlotte had put it, in love with her. Her parents had been searching for a husband for her since her eighteenth birthday and Nick had always been on their list of options. 

“Does it not seem like our parents are grooming us for a marriage?” he questioned.

“Grooming us... for a marriage to each other?” Charlotte asked, heading back towards the water’s edge.

“Well they certainly wouldn’t get us together if they wanted us to marry other people,” he replied sarcastically.

Charlotte scoffed, “That is supposed to make me want to marry you?”

“I do like you,” Nick told her and Charlotte laughed again, “If you think about it, where else will you find a husband who agrees with you about your opinions on women’s education?”

Charlotte had never imagined that all of her scheming and little white lies would actually result in Nick considering marrying her. She had been certain that it was not ever going to be on his agenda. 

“What about school? You’re too busy to get married,” she pointed out, resuming her work despite how soaked she was from her dip in the creek where Nick still stood picking up rocks for skipping. 

“I’ll continue to go to school, that won’t change,” he told her, dropping the rocks in his hand. He made his way over to where she was sitting on the bank and sat down, pulling off his boots to empty out the pool of water that had collected in them. 

“Oh, and I suppose I’m just supposed to sit here and wait for you to finish?” 

Nick chuckled and shook his head, “No, you’ll of course come back with me.”

“Come back with you where?” Charlotte questioned, her interest suddenly peaked.

“To Cambridge,” he said energetically, “you’ll come to Cambridge to live.”

Charlotte’s eyes light up at the prospect, “I thought you weren’t allowed to live off campus.”

“They changed the rules as of this year,” Nick educated her; “junior fellows are allowed to get married and either board inside the city walls or get a house outside.”

In Charlotte’s mind, the deal was just sealed by that news. Not only did she get out of the house that drove her mad, but she would be right in the lion’s den, in the place where she had been craving to be for years, “If this is your way of asking for my hand it’s not very good.”

“Well,” Nick stammered, “I was just seeing what you thought, I haven’t asked your father yet.”

“Like you said,” Charlotte shrugged, “It seems as if they were setting it all up, so you might as well just ask me now.”

“Alright,” he nodded then kneeled down in the water in front of her, “Charlotte Russell will you be my wife?” 

Charlotte smiled and nodded, “I suppose I could do that,” she answered and Nick went back to sitting beside her. It was an awkward moment but she knew they were both content with the result. She wasn’t necessarily passionate about her dear cousin but she liked him well enough and knew that he would help her achieve what she wanted. 

Nick looked to the water then back up to his now fiancée, “May I kiss you?” he asked.

“On the cheek,” Charlotte replied while turning her jaw out so Nick could plant a light kiss on her cheekbone. She smiled at the power she had over him just then but for a moment thought of Nick’s plans for the future over her own, “What about being an adventurer?”

“What about it?” he wondered.

“You’re going to have a wife and go on adventures all over the world?” 

Nick smiled, “Don’t you want to come with me? You can be my nomad assistant,” he teased.

Charlotte glowed as she nodded eagerly, “I’d very much like to be an explorer.”

“Then you will be,” he announced, “And maybe on our way we’ll find out what exactly snow is made of.”

Charlotte laughed and hit him lightly on the arm, “I’d like that,” she told him, hoping that when he found out all of the things she’d been hiding from him since they had begun their correspondence he wouldn’t change his mind on bringing her along.