Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
OVER MY DEAD BODY
Ella
The helicopter rose, Gordain taking my brother and Beth to hospital, and I closed the tall door at Belvedere’s central entrance, taking a breath. I turned to face Autumn and her baby.
“Hello again.” I gave her a ghost of a smile.
“I’m so sorry,” she started. “I was in the area anyway and I saw that you and Gordain were going to be here this afternoon. He was tagged on a photo of the two of you, and a few of his RAF friends commented on it, which is how I saw it.” She waved a hand, her face flushed.
“I had no other way of contacting him, and there’s something important he needs to know.
But my timing is terrible. I do hope your sister-in-law will be okay.
I’d only just got here when you landed.”
I stared.
“Whose child is that?” I unhinged my jaw and asked the one question that must be haunting Gordain now.
“Oh! This is Benjamin. My nephew. My sister is having some troubles, so I’m looking after him for a while. He’s a little older than yours there.” She smiled at Sebastian, asleep in my arms.
Not Gordain’s. A funny sort of laugh, relieved and borderline hysterical, came from my lips, and I shook my head, getting myself under control. “I apologise. Where are my manners? Let’s go upstairs and get a drink. You’ve come all this way. We can put the babies down and talk.”
I led the way, my mind reeling.
With the children settled and snoozing in Sebastian’s cushioned playpen, I made tea and sat across from Autumn on the couches.
“I believe congratulations are in order.” She indicated to my wedding ring.
“Thank you.” I twisted my cup in my hands, wondering how I could politely demand she get on and tell me why she’d come.
Autumn took a sip of tea before putting the cup down. “I see now why Gordain didn’t turn up to the hearing on Monday. Getting married is a much better way to spend your time. But when I found out he’d cancelled his slot, I couldn’t let it lie.”
“Hearing?”
“Against Dad.” The pink splotches on her cheeks paled. “There are so many charges now, I can’t remember half of them, but I stood up in Gordain’s place and told them what happened with your husband.”
He’d missed a hearing with the RAF? Despair and pure love mangled in my gut. He’d given up his chance at redemption to come with me.
Autumn continued, “Do you know what happened? Why Gordain got in trouble with my dad?”
“Your father found you and G…together.” I winced and stopped.
“I never meant anything bad to happen to Gordain. But I did take advantage of him. I knew Dad would walk through that room and I knew if I was found in a compromising position, he’d be angry and send me away.”
“You did that? You lost Gordain his job?”
“I didn’t mean to!” She fluttered her hands then clamped them in her lap.
“I thought Gordain was interested in me and I followed him out of the bar. But he was stumbling around, and I figured he was drunk. Then he passed out on the couch. I had no idea that Dad would throw the book at him. But Dad was already drawing attention over the underhand deals he’d done, and he took his frustration out on Gordain. ”
I sat back, aghast. “That was his career. He’d been in the RAF since he was sixteen and worked so hard. He wanted to be a search and rescue pilot. You took that away.”
Autumn recoiled, her eyes welling. “I know! It wasn’t what I intended.
He’s a good man. At the time, my father was controlling my every move, and I needed to get out from under his thumb.
It’s different now because he’s in trouble, but even if it had worked, I couldn’t justify the cost. That’s why I stood up on Gordain’s behalf on Monday. ”
From the playpen, her baby nephew squawked. She collected him and balanced him on her hip, her expression chagrined and her gaze on the floor. “They’ll offer him his job back. I made a bargain in exchange for giving them paperwork I found of Dad’s.”
I rose and picked up Sebastian. “Do me a favour. Call Gordain and leave him a voicemail summarising that. Then if he has any questions, he has your number to call back.”
I rattled off his number. She programmed it into her phone.
“I’ll do it now. Thank you for listening. I’ve hated the past year. I gained freedom but had a cloud hanging over me the whole time, and now everything is awful again. Dad will go to military jail, and there are all these awful people trying to get to him.”
After everything Gordain had been though, it was hard to feel sorry for this woman. But the parallels between her life and mine tipped the balance.
I would have done anything to get away from Richard. Begged, borrowed, lied, and stolen. Certain evils justified extreme actions.
Strapping Sebastian to my chest with a carrier Beth used, I walked Autumn back downstairs. “I’ll make sure Gordain knows you were in a bad place. He isn’t one to hold a grudge, and I know he’ll be grateful for what you did.”
“Thank you.”
“What will you do now?”
She paused at the door. “Dad’s friends and allies have deserted him.
That includes most of my old friendship group.
There are rumours that he’s done much worse than has so far been revealed, and I’ve had threats to watch my back.
His enemies want revenge. I’m leaving the country.
I just need to persuade my sister to come, too.
We’re not exactly close. She’s more like Dad. But she and Benjamin are all I’ve got.”
Shit. Well, now I felt bad for her. “Good luck with everything. I hope you find a better place.”
Autumn gave a little wave and walked away.
But as I closed the door, the overtones came of a brief conversation before her engine revved and her car trundled away. Was Mrs Hinchcliffe home already? James had said an hour.
I halted my actions and peered outside.
Then the door flew open, knocking me.
I fell, banding my arms around Sebastian. We jolted, hitting the cold, marble floor. The baby awoke with a wail, though I’d protected him from harm.
A man appeared, standing over me.
“Well, well, Elinor. Don’t you look the part of nursery maid.”
Richard.
And his gaze clung to Sebastian.
“Give him here. Let me meet my new heir. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.” He reached out to pluck my nephew from the baby carrier.
My heart sped, and I let out a cry, scrambling back. “No!”
Then energy flooded my limbs, and I sprang to my haunches, holding my nephew close.
“How dare you,” Richard said with a curled lip. “You forget yourself.”
“No,” I said again, quieter, my mouth drying from fear.
He was here. In front of me. Looming large and evil in every move.
“Don’t think I’m ignorant of what you’ve just done. Why won’t the realtors talk to me about my home? Or the fucking lawyers? Why won’t they return my calls about you? I’m your guardian.” He took a step. “What have you done? Speak, Elinor. You owe me answers.”
I slid on the marble, inching away. In the distance, a car engine roared, becoming distant. Autumn leaving.
Which meant I was alone with him. Just me and the baby he wanted.
“You think you’re clever, don’t you? Like your stupid bitch of a Scottish mother.
I own this family. I raised you. Who knows what would have happened to you if I hadn’t taken an interest in your care?
That child needs me, just as you and your brother did.
Let me see him. Undo those straps. Hand him over. ”
“Over my dead body,” I snarled. “How can you even—”
Then I remembered myself. There was no reasoning with this man. There never had been. He was made of malice and spite, his mind twisted.
I wasn’t afraid of him anymore.
But I’d never put Sebastian at risk. I needed to get away.
Outside, my car waited, the keys inside and the doors unlocked.
I had to be fast.
Even so, I couldn’t leave without a parting shot.
“You seem confused.” I stood, cautiously, one hand out to ward him off. “You lost, Richard. You’re a jerk. A vile, disgruntled, piece of shit who is now homeless and hopefully penniless. If I never see you again, it’ll be too soon.”
At his dropped jaw, I fled. Passing him, I shoulder-barged the ajar door, clutching a sobbing Sebastian tight to my chest. As I half stumbled down the steps, Richard made a grab for me, only just missing.
Then I was on the gravel and sprinting. Richard was right behind me.
Only at the last second did I hear the screech of tyres. Saw the whites of our housekeeper’s eyes above the steering wheel.
Over my dead body, I’d told Richard.
The car hit with a sickening crunch.