Love and Marriage: Do they have to go together? by Carmen Webster Buxton

MUSE MONDAY

Please join me in welcoming Carmen Webster Buxton to Muse Monday. Love and marriage, they go together like a horse and carriage...or do they? Let's ask Carmen.

I like to read both historical romance and far future romance. If you think about it, romance—at least romance with a happily ever after ending—is not just about falling in love, it’s about pairing off and getting married—finding a partner for life, if you will. And one reason I like reading (and writing, when it comes to far future) stories set in the past and the future is, marriage, as practiced in these stories, is not always familiar.

Romances set among the upper classes of 18^th or 19^th century Great Britain, for example, often feature arranged marriages, something you would rarely see in a contemporary romance unless it was set in some exotic place where fathers still rule their daughters’ lives.  Such historical romances also describe a very restricted life for unmarried ladies. Chaperones were a fact of life. If you were a woman caught alone in a house with a man who wasn’t a close relative, your reputation was in shreds and you might be forced to choose between an unwanted marriage and being an outcast from society. I like reading about people coping with unfamiliar (to me, anyway) situations.

In far future romances, there is no limit to the differences that can exist.  Women can have harems; marriage might have been abolished; if the author creates a new species, marriage might never have existed. That’s what I did in Alien Bonds, the first book in my Wakanreo trilogy; I created a species that mated purely from biology. No one ever tries to choose a mate because if they do, it could all be blown away if mating occurs with someone else. Widows might pair off, but they didn’t call it marriage. In Tribes, a standalone science fiction romance with only human characters, I abolished marriage in favor of tribal allegiance. In this story, people pair off, but because nothing is more binding than loyalty to your tribe, no one actually gets married. If you think about it, marriage as we practice is at least partly about ensuring the continuation of the species. Marriage helps make sure children have a secure home. And if something else provides that security, who needs marriage?

The thing is, customs change but feelings don’t. I’m sure lots of people who practiced arranged marriage grew to love their spouses. But I’m also sure lots of people weren’t happy in a marriage where they might not even have met the other person before the wedding. For one thing, sex becomes a matter of duty instead of attraction, and robs it of a lot if its appeal. At least in my Wakanreo trilogy, biology takes control and attraction is there whether you want it or not. But that can be difficult to bear, too, if you don’t really want to be with that person, as Alien Vows, the second book in the trilogy, illustrates.

And if it comes to that, even people who get married after a long acquaintance sometimes choose to end the marriage. One reason I was inspired to write Alien Bonds is, my father left my mother after 28 years of marriage, after he found out that a woman he had always admired was a widow. He went to see her, and a week later packed his belongings and moved out, leaving my mother shocked and devastated. I wanted to explore what a society would be like where such a thing would never happen.

So, love and marriage are two different things, but they are two things that are often tied together. And I find that it’s when they’re not tied together that things get interesting.

EXCERPT FROM ALIEN BONDS

She turned to survey the crowd again, looking for any sign of iridescent blue and silver. She didn’t see Arliana, but she noticed the silver-headed Wakanrean had left the Ambassador’s circle and was standing by himself in the middle of the room.

Dina wasn’t sure, but she thought he was staring at her. She took a few steps toward the stairs, and his eyes followed her so closely there was no doubt that she was the object of his scrutiny.

No, his animosity. He looked angry—furious, in fact. She had never seen a Wakanrean show so much emotion. His eyes gleamed with rage, and his nostrils flared wide. She took another step toward the stairs, and the Wakanrean began to walk rapidly toward her.

Dina fought panic. What could she have done to make him so angry? She hadn’t come close enough to any Wakanreans to offend anyone. She clasped her hands together to reassure herself that her gloves were on.

The silver-haired Wakanrean came closer still. Under his cape he wore a long, blue robe instead of the trousers and loose, tunic-style shirt favored by Wakanreans of both sexes. He was very close now. His golden facial and body fur combined with the creamy white of his crest reminded her of some Terran animal, but she couldn’t remember which one. Other than the dark blue trim on his robe and the diamond-shaped pattern that decorated his sandals, his only adornment was a piece of silver jewelry fastened at the base of his throat; she couldn’t tell if it was pinned to his robe or his chest fur.

Dina could feel herself breathing faster, her heart pounding hard. She should walk away. Why couldn’t she move her feet? She stood waiting by the mezzanine railing, as still as if she had taken root in the floor.

The Wakanrean stood in front of her. He glared down at her, his face contorted into a scowl, his amber eyes glowing with contempt.

“I beg your pardon.” Dina tried to keep the quaver out of her voice. “Do I know you?”

He was so close, she could feel the heat from his body. Either that, or the room had gotten suddenly warmer. Dina felt herself flush from head to foot.

He didn’t answer, but all at once it was as if his anger was a physical thing, an invisible mass, pushing against her. She stepped backward, stumbled, and almost fell.

She reached for the mezzanine railing behind her, and in the same instant, the Wakanrean grabbed her arm.

Dina froze, utterly baffled. The orientation had said clearly that Wakanreans would always avoid touching a Terran, and yet here was one not only touching her, but holding her firmly by the arm and helping her to stand.

The orientation had also failed to warn her that a Wakanrean’s touch was so warm it almost burned. Dina could feel a flush of heat on her arm where his hand still gripped it. She stood straighter and looked into his face. He had typical Wakanrean features—an arched nose, large round eyes, a wide mouth.

His expression changed as she watched. His anger faded to confusion. He looked almost stunned. His nostrils still flared, but from the way his eyes had opened wide, Dina knew he was surprised rather than angry.

Neither of them had taken a step since he took hold of her arm. Dina swallowed once, conscious of discreet glances and overt stares from those around them.

“I’m all right,” she said finally, wondering if she was speaking the truth. The dizziness had passed, but she still felt lightheaded. “Thank you, but you can let go now.”

He loosened his grip but didn’t release her for a few seconds. When he did, he brushed her bare arm with the back of his hand. Dina was amazed when it sent shivers of anticipation up her spine.

“This is unexpected.” His wonderfully resonant voice had a rich, warm timbre to it that made Dina’s shivers change from anticipation to yearning.

“Yes,” she said, unsure of what he meant, but afraid to give offense.

“Where do you live?”

“I have an apartment in the off-world sector,” she said, wondering why she was answering him. She fought the urge to close her eyes and just listen to that wonderful voice.

“My house is in the cliffs outside the city. Let’s go there instead.”

“All right.”

It took Dina a moment to realize that she had agreed to go home with him.

Buy link for ALIEN BONDS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07959BHM4

You can connect with Carmen here:

Carmen's blog: https://carmenspage.blogspot.com/

Carmen on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Webster-Buxton/e/B004V8MM8U/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Carmen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carmenwebster.buxton

Carmen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarmenWBuxton