Exquisite Death: Dark, Friends to Lovers Romance (The Gilded Sovereign Book 3)

Chapter 20

I haven’t heardanything more from Tarian.

It’s been over forty-eight hours since he came into my room and begged me to listen to his excuses, but I couldn’t face him then. The pain of what he said to me was still too fresh in my mind. I needed space.

When the call came from his mother, I took a chance and told her I’d meet her, but ever since then, I’ve had a tight knot of anxiety twisting in my stomach.

As I stand before the imposing gates of a sprawling estate, my heart is pounding in my chest with trepidation. I don’t know why she wants to see me, but I’m determined to make her understand how badly her actions have affected her son.

It’s the first time I’ll come face-to-face with Tarian’s mother since I was a young girl, yet I’m convinced she hates me already. There’s a niggling in my gut that’s warning me I shouldn’t have agreed to see her, but I’m too concerned about Tarian’s wellbeing to call-off the meeting now. I never imagined I’d find myself seeking help from a woman who faked her own death and abandoned her son. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I intend to beg Yasmine to talk to Tarian.

The ornate gates slide open gracefully, and taking a deep breath, I pull into the driveway. Having parked in front of the grand mansion, I sigh before opening the car door and stepping out into the cool evening air that’s heavy with the scent of roses. The meticulously manicured gardens that surround the house are exquisite and indicate the wealth of the owner.

The enormous property is on the edge of a tiny, rather insignificant town that’s a few hours’ drive from Tynewood. I’m not sure if Tarian knows his mother’s whereabouts, but if I survive this encounter, I’ll tell him. He needs closure, and the only way to get that is for him to confront his mother one last time and then walk away and forget her.

As I approach the imposing front door, my mind is racing with memories of happier times on the beach with Tarian. He’d laze on a towel in the sunshine while I enjoyed a swim in the cool ocean.

Guilt sits heavily in my gut when I think about how I pulled a gun on him and sent him away, but he was the one who told me to leave in the first place. I still can’t believe he thought I could cheat on him, especially with Thane of all people.

Our relationship is in ruins, shattered by the weight of lies and distrust.

With a trembling hand, I knock on the door. The sound echoes through the silent evening like a harbinger of doom. Moments pass before the door swings open, revealing a woman whose icy glare sends a shiver down my spine.

“Hello, Mrs. Calvert,” I greet her politely, but saying her name out loud seems like a betrayal, and the bitter taste of it on my tongue has me fighting down the bile slowly rising up to my throat.

Her lips curl into a disdainful sneer as she regards me with thinly veiled contempt.

“Well, well, it’s the Birchwood girl. I never expected you to accept my invitation. I’ll make this quick. I don’t have time for people like you,” she says in a tone that sends fear skittering down my spine.

I’m not sure what she means by the term people like you, but I’ve a feeling it’s got something to do with my dad, Gregory Birchwood. I know she never got along with my father.

As the daughter and stepdaughter of Crowns, I think my father realized I needed to know more about the Sovereign society and its members. One night he sat me down and told me about each founding family, and his comments about Tarian’s mother, even though he believed she was dead, were very disparaging.

“I agreed to come here because I want to talk to you about Tarian,” I tell her, faking courage like I did with Thane in the kitchen. And look where that got me.

Yasmine Calvert is every bit as cold as Tarian’s uncle. No emotion flickered across her face when I mentioned her son’s name.

“What about him? Has he decided he’s done with that nonsense they call a secret society?”

Her obvious contempt for the Gilded Sovereign doesn’t surprise me. I’m sure being banned from becoming a member because of her gender would’ve angered a woman like Tarian’s mother. I felt the same way when I discovered I wasn’t in line to become a Crown. And even now the rules have changed, I still can’t decide if I want to join a society that previously excluded me.

“No.”

She spins on her heel and pins me with a glare. Her eyes flash with anger as she steps back from the doorway, allowing me to enter the lavish foyer.

“Then what, pray tell, do you want to talk to me about? I left Tarian in Tynewood so he could become a Crown. It’s what his father wanted.”

I follow her into the living room where she gestures for me to sit. After her response when I arrived, I didn’t expect her to allow me in, but now I’m here, I may as well take the opportunity and broach the subject I want to discuss.

“Well, it’s not about the society. It’s about his father…and you. Ever since Tarian learned he’d lost both his parents, he’s struggled. But now he’s discovered you’re still alive, it’s getting worse.”

Mrs. Calvert’s expression darkens at the mention of her deceased husband. A shadow of pain crosses her features before she quickly masks it with a veneer of indifference.

“What about his dead father?” She waves a hand in the air as if he meant nothing to her. “He stopped being my concern once he was buried six feet under. Tarian is nothing like the monster I married, and I’m thankful every day for that. I believe my son’s a better person because he didn’t have either of us to raise him. He certainly doesn’t need his parents now that he’s a grown man. He needs to sort himself out and move on.”

My mouth pops open in shock as I regard her. Apart from the anger I saw earlier, she has shown no emotion. Any evidence of heartbreak, remorse, or even just some kind of affection for her son or late husband is non-existent as she speaks.

“How the hell can he move on when you’re here, making a mockery of his childhood. He lost both his parents and was abandoned by his uncle. He needed his mother, and finding out that you were still alive and didn’t choose to be with him has finally broken him.” I doubt Tarian wants his mother to know these things, but I can’t stop myself from letting them spill out. “You have to go to Tarian, Mrs. Calvert. You need to tell him the truth and explain to him in person why you left him. You owe him that much, surely.”

A flicker of emotion dances in her eyes, but it’s gone too quickly for me to identify it. However, I can clearly see the look of resentment etched on her face. Her body is tense, and her hands are fisted tightly at her sides, making her knuckles turn white as she pins me with a cold, hard glare.

Her eyes, so similar to her son’s, hold nothing but contempt for me.

“I know about your history with my father, Mrs. Calvert. I know you were in love with him before he married my mother.”

Tarian’s mother recoils as if I’ve struck her with my hand. Her mask of indifference crumbles in the face of my revelation.

“How… how dare you speak of a past you know nothing about?” she hisses as she takes a few steps toward me. “That man destroyed my life, and you have the audacity to bring him up in my presence? You have no right to talk to me about him. You shouldn’t be with my son. But I can’t tell him what to do. He’s no longer a child, and even if I tried to offer him advice, I know he’d just brush it off.” Her voice drips with venom as she speaks.

“I’m good for your son,” I throw back as frustration and anger overtake me. “I looked after him while you didn’t. I was there for him when he needed me, and I would never abandon him.” Even as the words come out of my mouth, I want to pull them back.

“It seems you’ve abandoned him now,” she retorts.

I take a step closer to her, my resolve strengthening in the face of this woman’s hostility. I’m not a violent person, but when pushed, I will fight for those I love.

“I’m not here to dredge up the past, Mrs. Calvert. I only brought it up to remind you how our past relationships can affect the people we become. I’m here because Tarian needs closure, and you’re the only one who can give it to him. I’m not asking you to love him, or even act like a real mother, but I’m hoping you can be a half decent human being and talk to him. Face-to-face.”

For a moment, there’s silence as she regards me with a mixture of disbelief and begrudging respect, and then I see her shoulders slumping with defeat.

“Fine,” she relents, her voice barely a whisper. “But make no mistake, Grecia. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for my son.”

Finally, I see evidence of emotion. Maybe she’s consciously hiding it or she’s refusing to let herself feel it, but there is some humanity inside this woman.

“Thank you,” I respond with a nod.

I didn’t think I’d get her to agree. Bringing up my father was underhand, but I want to do all I can to make sure Tarian gets what he needs to heal. Even though he’s acted like an asshole, I can’t bring myself to stop caring about him.

My heart weighs heavy with memories of the times I’ve spent with Tarian. We’ve had so many special moments, but I know I have to let him go. He can’t be allowed to believe a liar over me and treat me like trash ever again.

“You love him,” she says suddenly.

“I don’t know.” I shrug, not wanting to talk about my feelings with this woman.

She nods slowly before saying, “I’ll show you out.”

As we make our way through the dimly lit corridor to the front door, I can’t shake the feeling that beneath Mrs. Calvert’s icy exterior there’s a woman haunted by the ghosts of her past.

“Sweetheart,” Thane’s cold tone comes from the sweeping staircase behind me as we reach the foyer, and my feet stop in their tracks.

Mrs. Calvert turns, and I witness the way she looks at Thane. There’s an emotion in her eyes that was absent throughout our meeting. The woman in front of me, whose heart appears to be as fractured as my own and her son’s, seems to have found true happiness.

Granted, it is with a domineering asshole, but who am I to judge.

“I don’t think you should be leaving so soon, Grecia,” Tarian’s uncle says as he makes his way down the stairs to where we’re standing. His movements are slow and calculated.

“Grecia can’t stay,” Mrs. Calvert tells him, and her tone is tight with something I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s anxiety, fear even, but I can hear it entwined in her words as she speaks.

“I think she should stay.” The threat in Thane’s tone is clear. If I’d known he would be here, maybe I would have asked to meet Tarian’s mother in town. “Don’t you, Yasmine?”

Thane leans in and brushes his hand across my shoulder, sending ice down my spine. I want nothing more than to run, but there’s nowhere to go. I’m pretty sure he’ll have me dragged back if I try to escape.

“Thane, we don’t have to do this,” Tarian’s mother tells him.

“Do what?” I ask, looking at Mrs. Calvert, whose expression has changed considerably from the contentment I saw on her face a few moments ago.

Thane’s chuckle vibrates through his chest as he responds, “Let’s sit down. This might take some time.” He gestures with his hand in the direction of the living room where we’ve just come from. “I think you need to make a call to your daddy, Grecia.”

We return to the living room, and as I’m shoved down onto the sofa, I know without a shadow of doubt that trouble is brewing.