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William made his way through the crowd and knocked on the door of the suite where Richard Wilkins held his unofficial office hours. How on earth did men like him gain so much power? From all he could gather, Richard was nothing more than a run of the mill local politician, from an old Southern family with good bloodlines, but terrible with money. Rumor had it his family’s property had been hard hit by the last drought and Wilkins was always in town attending to politics, rather than crops.

He took a deep breath, which did little good in the smoke choked lobby, before he entered the room where Wilkins held sway as chairman of the Harbor Authority. The one final hurdle to getting the permit he needed to dock enough ships to make his business worthwhile.

"Mr. Montgomery, how are you this fine day? Do come in and join us. I was just telling my friend Holland Crawford about the plans for your shipping company. Quite a fine idea, I was hoping you could fill in some details."

William made himself comfortable, refused the offer of a drink, then laid out his business plans yet again. Who would have guessed these Southerners would be just as close-minded as back home, only for different reasons. He gritted his teeth as Crawford and Wilkins rehashed objections he’d countered long ago. He had the ships, he had the financing, he had the connections in England, he’d already begun to line up business here in Charleston.

All he needed now was a bloody permit to operate out of the harbor and he’d be set. But instead these wankers continued to blather on about ties to the community and the need for assurance he’d be a benefit to the city. He knew what they were after, but he had no intention of selling out parts of his company to the locals. He had one partner, Xander, and that was enough.

Finally he pulled himself from his haze as Crawford rose to leave, sensing some negotiation was forthcoming. He focused on Wilkins as he leaned across the desk. "Mr. Montgomery, we truly appreciate your interest in becoming a contributing member of our fair city. It’s just that we’d like some reassurance as to your permanence. Now I understand you aren’t interested in new partners, you’ve made that clear. But there’s one other thing that would allay any qualms the Harbor Authority might have."

William leaned forward. This was the deal breaker. What were they going to want? Campaign contributions? Some donation for the city? A flat out bribe? He leaned back heavily at Wilkins’ next words, completely taken by surprise.

"If you were to take a bride from out fair city, a local belle, that would reassure us all I believe. You are unmarried, isn’t that right sir?"

William nodded.

"Well, then. We have many fine young women, including my lovely daughter Harmony. I know you’ve had a chance to attend a few social functions. If you were to say, choose a bride shortly, I think we could see fit to grant you your permit when the full Authority meets."

With narrowed eyes, William leaned across the table. "Mr. Wilkins, I’m not much for facades. Let’s cut to the heart of this, shall we? Are you proposing I marry your daughter for this permit?"

Wilkins’ eyes twinkled. "Well now Mr. Montgomery, I wouldn’t put it in those words, but if you were to offer a sizable sum to be settled on your new bride’s family upon your marriage, and were to express an interest in my Harmony, then I don’t think I could see fit to let a fine upstanding young man with family connections lose out on such a great business opportunity."

William stood up and crossed the room, staring out the window at the street. "And if I refuse?"

Wilkins shrugged. "Well, the Harbor Authority can be tricky sometimes. I know there are several members that resent us granting new permits to outsiders who haven’t proven themselves loyal to South Carolina."

He closed his eyes, blocking out the charming view of a bustling city as he considered his options. He had planned to look for a wife once the company was established, someone with good connections and family name to bear him heirs. He’d met this Harmony chit before, a bit vapid, but passable to look at. What about love? Do you want to be miserable like your father? He shoved his inner poet aside. No, I want to be successful like my father. Love wasn’t what marriages were for, as he well knew. He’d marry Harmony and maybe, if he was lucky, he could find some little soiled dove looking for a protector that he could find companionship with. It had worked for his parents, after a fashion.

He abruptly turned. "Very well. I’ll be at your home tonight for dinner. I want a signed contract, a guarantee I’ll have the permit by the first of the year. If I get it, I’ll marry Harmony as the end of February, after these races I hear so much about and settle a sizable sum on you."

"Done."

As they shook hands, William realized that he felt lower than he’d ever felt in his life, even thought he’d just found the way to make his dreams come true.

~~~~~~

Xander Harris fell over in his chair. As he managed to right himself slowly, he stood back up. "You did what, Will?"

"I agreed to marry Wilkins’ daughter and he’s guaranteed the necessary permits. Now sod off."

"I will not. Are you out of your mind man? Do you really want to marry that simpering twit?"

"No, I do not, but I’ve been negotiating with these bastards for two months, Xander. I knew Wilkins wanted something, I just thought it was money or a bribe he was after, not this."

"Well, the talk down at the docks was that he was having money problems. Wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out his conniving wife had something to do with this."

"I’m sure she did. Kept trying to call me Lord Darlington last time we met, stupid cow thinks I have a title or something. Probably thinks Harmony will be Lady Montgomery." He went over to the bookshelf that graced the wall of the library and smoothed his finger over the pen and ink drawing of his mother’s face. "Sides, Harris, you and I both know marriage is just a business arrangement. I’ll hopefully get a heir and she’ll get a pretty house. I’ll buy her one of those country places maybe and set her up out there if she gets too bothersome."

Xander shrugged. "It’s your call Will. I know how much you want this, but just be sure it’s worth the price. She’ll be your wife, you’ll have to share her bed, she’ll bear your name, your children. Do you really want it to be that way?"

He shrugged as he prepared to leave for his evening meal with the Wilkins. "Don’t have a lot of options here, Xander. Besides, it’s not like I’m in love with someone," he chuckled harshly. "Not even sure I believe in love these days."

Xander clapped him on the back. "Tell you what, you may not believe in love, but I know you’ve still got to believe in good old-fashioned lust. When was the last time you had a woman, Will?"

He paused at the doorway and looked back at his friend of many years now. "Not since we left England. I’ve just been so busy since we got here, haven’t had a chance to go about seeking suitable company. Some of those doxies down by the docks look like they’d rot a man’s parts off."

"Exactly. But I’ve gotten a recommendation on a brothel, supposed to be one of the best in town. Very high-class clientele, upscale. Run by a Madam Anya. I was going to go see about it later tonight. Why don’t I wait until you come back and we’ll make a night of it?"

William frowned. "It’s really a classy joint?"

Xander nodded. "We’ll see if Madam Anya can’t find us two beautiful brunettes, maybe if we’re lucky they’ll have a slightly crazy one, I know that’s your thing." He ducked at Will’s mock-punch.

"Hey now, lay off Dru. She was a bit off her bird, but you wouldn’t believe what that woman could do under the covers. It’s a plan, I’ll meet you here at ten and we’ll go."

~~~~~

"Miss Buffy?"

"Who is it Fred?"

"Your brother, Miss Buffy."

She tightened her lips and closed the book she’d been trying to snatch a few pages in to pass the last bit of afternoon that remained after she and Willow had returned from the tea. "Not my brother," she mumbled under her breath. She checked her reflection in the looking-glass, tucking a stray hair neatly away before nodding firmly at her reflection. "There, very presentable."

She raised her voice so it could be heard through the door, "I’m coming Fred, just put Parker in the sitting room."

She knocked on Willow’s door and called out that Parker had come by before descending the stairs to greet him.

"Parker, how are you? And your mother and father, I do hope they are well also?" Buffy politely went through the motions of inquiring about the health of the various Crawfords, secretly wishing a plague of locusts on the whole bunch. Why on earth was Parker here? He was only a little older than her, maybe a year , but as the baby of the family, he’d always acted much younger. With Angel’s death he’d become the heir to the family fortune however. She couldn’t tell that it had made much difference.

He’d known better than to make any advances when she was married to Angel. He might have been gone much of the time and showed her little affection when he was there, but she might as well have had property of Angel Crawford branded on her forehead during their short marriage. Parker had leered and insinuated but had never touched.

Until Angel’s death that is. He’d grown bolder with his advances during those few first horrible months when she’d been shut up in that gloomy mansion, listening to Lilah sob her eyes out over her precious boy. If it hadn’t been for Holland’s sending Parker off on a trip to England, she had been sure he would have invaded her bedroom one night to see what else of Angel’s was now his, but she’d managed to escape before his return, setting herself up in this little house and separating herself as much as polite society allowed from the Crawford family.

He dropped by occasionally, but she always made sure to keep someone nearby and meet him in the formal sitting room. His frequent offers of help and assistance, suggestions he squire her to dances or picnics, were all met with polite declines as she pointed out the obvious mourning she still wore for his brother.

She wasn’t dense. Parker had no interest in her as a bride, he wasn’t trying to court her. He already possessed what should have been her dower, all of the Summers’ holdings at Revello. No, what he wanted was her, what his brother had had, for a plaything. And that was something he would never have. So she politely endured his visits and prayed he’d one day lose interest and become distracted by someone else. She wondered if he knew Darla? Maybe she should give him her name, after all, she’d been Angel’s too. And she was already a whore.

She snapped back to the present, realizing she’d missed whatever his reply had been.

"I’m so sorry, Parker, could you repeat that? I must have gotten a little distracted, it’s a bit warm in here, don’t you think?" She delicately dabbed at her forehead with her handkerchief and tried to appear to be slightly swoony, not that hard under all the layers of starchy fabric.

"I’m sorry my dear. Were you laying down all loosened up upstairs? I feel terrible making you get all buttoned back up to come talk to me." He lowered his voice and leaned in closer, "I could have just come up to your room. After all, we’re family." He slid his finger familiarly down the jet buttons that adorned the front of her bodice, almost reaching the swell of her breast before she jerked away.

"I was merely reading, Parker, and it would not be appropriate. We’re not blood-kin and you’ll never enter my bedroom." Buffy realized that last bit was possibly a step too far as she watched him bristle with anger, but he backed away and returned to his seat as Willow suddenly appeared in the door.

"Parker, what a pleasant surprise, what brings you to see us today?"

Willow crossed the room and sat on the other side of Buffy, her tone pleasant but her eyes flashing as she observed the flushed Parker and the tense look on her cousin’s face.

"Miss Willow, so good to see you again. My, but we are going to have to get you and Elizabeth out to some of the balls this season. After all, Elizabeth will soon be out of mourning for my dear departed brother." He grinned maliciously. "Or wait, shouldn’t you already be out of mourning? Such devotion, my dear sweet sister, given how Angel felt about you."

Buffy bit her lip to control her temper, until she actually felt a drop of blood. "I prefer to mourn Angel in my own way, thank you Parker. Willow and I may attend a few festivities before the race week next year. However, as I am no longer seeking a husband, we will likely not be attending many of the St. Cecilia Society dances this season. Perhaps a few quiet musical evenings."

He smiled politely as Willow jumped into the conversation. "Yes, I’ve heard so much about the races, but I wasn’t here soon enough last year to see them, so Elizabeth has been gracious enough, even in her time of sorrow, to agree to a small excursion."

"Wonderful, we will look forward to seeing you at those events. Perhaps you’ll even allow me to escort you to a few?" At the frigid looks from both girls, he dropped the subject. "Perhaps we can discuss it at a later time. However, horses are the reason which brings me here. Elizabeth, Father has requested that I see if you will loan Gordian Knot to me for the afternoon. We are breeding his sire you know, and a potential buyer has asked for a report on some of the other offspring before committing. I’ll just need to take him down to the veterinarian and farrier for a short time, have him looked over, then I’ll bring him right back."

Buffy’s heart seized a little at the thought of Parker, not known for his gentleness with horses, taking off her beloved Mr. Gordo, as she privately called him, even for a few hours. There was no polite way to refuse this and Parker knew better than to damage prime horseflesh, his father would tan him for doing so, but still . . . she sighed. Really, there was no choice. And at least Mr. Gordo would have a good examination, something she had been meaning to attend to.

"Very well Parker. But don’t keep him too long, Willow and I might need him to go somewhere in the carriage tomorrow afternoon, isn’t that right Willow?"

Willow nodded vehemently. "Yes, I think we do have an appointment."

Parker rose, hat in hand. "Then I bid you good day ladies. You still board the horse at Mott’s Stable down the street?" Buffy nodded. "I’ll return him as soon as we’re done."

And then he was gone.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked.

Buffy leaned back and covered her eyes. "Yes. I just hate that I still even have to talk to anyone in that family." She reached over and gave her cousin a hug. "Thank you for coming in when you did. Parker was getting a little personal there. I swear, he thinks I’m his property and I know he’s going to insist on escorting us if we go anywhere this winter, now that he’s back. Everyone will think he’s the most appropriate escort, but it will ruin anything we go to if I have to listen to his snake-like tongue for the evening and endure whatever gropes he thinks he can sneak in."

"Then we just won’t go." Willow patted her cousin firmly as she glanced over her shoulder. "Tara, hey sweetie, come in, you missed the Parker exhibition."

Tara shyly entered the room. Even after several months, Buffy still wondered if Tara was nervous about being a part of the household, even if Buffy knew about their relationship and accepted it.

"Is he gone?"

"Mm-hmm. Come here." Tara perched on the sofa beside Willow as the girls continued to chat. "He was pulling his usual tricks. And unfortunately, he’ll probably come back tomorrow to tell us Mr. Gordo’s back safely."

Tara shuddered. Her few encounters with Parker had been less than stellar examples of his personality as well. Not long after they’d arrived in Charleston, he’d shown up and caught her alone in the hallway. Once he’d learned she was Willow’s companion, he’d had her pressed against the wall and was fumbling with her skirts before the noise of Buffy descending the stairs had frightened him off. She’d kept that little detail to herself, not wanting to cause trouble, until she’d seem how much Buffy detested her former brother-in-law as well.

"Wasn’t Anya supposed to come by this afternoon?" Tara asked.

Buffy nodded. "She was, though she said she might not make it. She was going to visit Giles for investment advice."

Willow laughed. "Do you really think she just goes to him for investment advice?"

Buffy crinkled her nose as she contemplated the question for a moment. "You know, I really do think that’s what it is. Anya’s done very well for herself since Giles gave her a start and she definitely values his advice. But it was always business with them. And you’ve seen him with his new wife haven’t you? Such devotion. It almost is enough to break my cynicism, just a little. If I hadn’t heard it straight from Anya, I wouldn’t have believed it. Men just don’t give up mistresses for their wives." She laughed harshly, "Mine certainly didn’t."





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