13. The Marriage Routine #3
Mr. Moore didn’t deny it. As Mary began removing the false beard, carefully peeling away the adhesive, she continued her gentle reproof.
“Your feelings are clouding your judgment.”
“What would you have me do? Leave? The business arrangement benefits us both.”
“The business arrangement. Of course.” Mary worked in silence for a moment, removing the last fake at his throat. “She’s asking questions about your past.”
Mr. Moore froze. “What kind of questions?”
“Where you learned to dance. Where you studied. About your family.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Only what we rehearsed. But she’s curious by nature. She won’t stop.”
After Mary unbuttoned the shirt and finally took it off, she commanded, “Arms up.”
Mr. Moore complied. And then there was only the tight binding that had become both armor and prison.
Mary examined the marks left by the binding on the edges. “You’ve worn it too long again. Look at the marks.”
Gina now, winced as Mary began unwrapping. “I couldn’t find a moment to slip away.”
“Because you didn’t want to.”
The accusation landed with devastating accuracy.
Once the binding was removed, Gina took a deep, shuddering breath, holding her breasts with both her hands and when she spoke again, it was in her natural voice—softer, more musical than Jason’s practiced tones.
“She makes me forget myself, Mary.”
“No,” Mary clarified, folding the fabric carefully. “She makes you remember yourself properly.”
The words hit Gina hard, because they were so true. She moved behind the changing screen, and Mary heard the sound of water being poured.
“I thought I could maintain the distance,” Gina called out. “Keep our arrangement as agreed.”
“But?”
Gina said nothing while she washed herself.
And when she emerged in a simple dressing gown, her face freshly washed, all traces of Jason Moore had temporarily vanished, leaving someone vulnerable and achingly real.
“But when she kisses me, I want to kiss her back as myself. As Gina.”
Mary sat beside her on the bed, taking her hand. “She believes she’s married a man.”
“A man who cannot be a husband to her in the ways she’s beginning to want.” Gina’s voice broke slightly. “She’s falling in love with Jason, Mary.”
“And you are already in love with her.”
They sat in silence, the weight of the situation settling around them like heavy chains.
“What if she learns the truth on her own terms?” Mary asked gently. “Before you can control the revelation?”
“She’d feel betrayed. Humiliated.”
“Worse. She could have you arrested.”
Gina rose, moving to the window. She parted the curtain, looking out at the estate grounds that had become both sanctuary and stage for this elaborate deception.
“I saw something today, Mary. When we argued… when she kissed me… I saw something in her eyes. As if some kind of recognition, something that has finally made sense to her.”
“What exactly?”
“I don’t know. But she’s watching me more carefully now. Studying my movements, my reactions.”
Mary’s expression grew grave. “Then we must be even more vigilant. No more passionate arguments. No more dances in the moonlight.”
Gina turned back to Mary, her expression resolute despite the fear in her eyes. “I won’t leave her.”
“I’m not suggesting you should. I’m suggesting you remember who you’re pretending to be.” Mary’s voice was firm but kind. “Jason can admire his wife. He can respect her. But he cannot lose control. Not even for a moment.”
“And if she initiates again?”
“Then Jason must respond appropriately. With restraint. With excuses if necessary.”
Gina nodded, but conflict flashed in her eyes. “And what of Gina Moore? Must she forever watch the woman she loves through Jason’s eyes?”
“For now, yes. Until you find another solution—or until you’re prepared to risk everything.”
A soft knock at the door startled them both. They froze, hearts racing.
“Jason? Are you well?” Kate’s concerned voice carried through the door.
Mary quickly gathered the binding and beard, slipping into the large wardrobe silently. Gina grabbed Jason’s shirt, pulling it on hastily while adjusting her voice to his deeper tones.
“A moment, please!” she called out, whispering urgently to Mary’s hiding place, “Be quiet!”
She ran fingers through her loose hair, tucking it haphazardly inside the shirt collar. “I’m not dressed for company!”
“I merely wished to apologize. For earlier,” Kate said through the door.
Gina glanced at the wardrobe, then at her disheveled state. Moving to the door without unlocking it, she pressed her palm against the wood.
“No apology necessary. We both spoke hastily.”
A pause from the other side. “Will you not open the door, Jason?”
The intimacy of her fake first name on her lips created visible conflict on Gina’s face. “I… I’ve begun preparing for bed. Perhaps we could speak in the morning?”
Another pause, longer this time. “Of course. How inconsiderate of me.” Her voice carried disappointment. “Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight, Kate.”
Footsteps retreated down the hallway. Gina leaned her forehead against the door, eyes closing in both relief and regret.
Mary emerged cautiously from the wardrobe. “That was too close,” she whispered.
Gina turned, expression pained. “Every lie feels worse than the last.”
“Because you care for her.”
“I need to find another way, Mary. I cannot continue this forever.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I don’t know yet. But something must change.” She looked at the door where Kate had stood moments before. “She deserves the truth. Eventually.”
“The truth could destroy you both.”
“Or set us free.”
Mary studied Gina’s face, seeing the determination there despite the fear. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“No more kissing until you’ve decided which path to take. Jason needs a clear head.”
Gina nodded reluctantly.
“Remember who you are when you leave this room,” Mary warned.
“Which version?”
“The one that keeps you safe.”
They exchanged a look of understanding before Mary unlocked the door and slipped out, leaving Gina alone with the weight of her choices and the lingering memory of Kate’s lips against hers.
* * *
Kate made her way back to her own room and lay down on her bed, but sleep would not come easily tonight. Instead, she lay awake thinking about passionate arguments and passionate kisses, about the way Jason had pulled away from her and the fear she had glimpsed in his eyes in that moment.
And then her own words came back to her, unbidden.
I release you from it. She hadn’t planned to say it.
Hadn’t known she would until the words were already out of her mouth.
What had possessed her to say such a thing so plainly, so easily, as if it cost her nothing?
As if she hadn’t spent months building careful distance between them for exactly this reason?
She stared at the ceiling.
She knew what it meant. She simply wasn’t ready to say it to herself yet.
But why had he backed away?
She wanted an answer. She intended to have one.
Whatever secrets he was keeping, whatever he was hiding from her, she was determined to discover the truth. For both their sakes.
The marriage routine they had established was comfortable, pleasant even. But comfort was no longer enough. Not when her heart was involved. Not when she suspected his might be as well.
Tomorrow, maybe, would bring new opportunities to observe, to question, to slowly unravel the mystery of Jason Moore-Sullivan.
Kate had never backed down from a challenge—especially one that mattered this much. She wasn’t going to start now.