Chapter 34
Elodie
The journey to England was everything I imagined and more. The thrill of it hit the moment we stepped onto the jet.
We arrived the next morning. And that’s when the adventure truly began.
Dorian took me to London first, where we shopped and ate at some of the most incredible restaurants in the city. Then we explored it properly, seeing everything from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the National Gallery, and all the places I’d only ever seen on postcards growing up.
I could hardly believe I was there.
Everything felt like a dream. And that dream only grew bigger with everything we saw and did together.
We spent a week in London before moving on, traveling from the bottom of England all the way up. Dorian made sure we experienced everything each place had to offer, like he was determined to give me every piece of the dream I’d ever had.
Our final stop was Vale Manor in the Cotswold.
We arrived before nightfall yesterday. From the moment the car pulled up outside the manor I understood why he saved this part of the trip for last.
The manor rose up from the rolling hills and woodland in soft honeyed stone, grand yet gentle in its beauty. The effortless elegance took my breath away.
Dorian’s aunt, Maureen called it a cottage. It’s anything but.
And the best part was the private woodland access to Wychwood Forest.
We’re there now. Deep in the heart of the woods, walking side by side. Dorian suggested a walk after we finished dinner.
He holds my hand in his, his thumb tracing lazy circles over my knuckles like it’s become habit. I like feeling him and being this close. We spent most of the day inside the manor, so it’s nice to venture outside together and take in more of the beauty.
Through the canopy of trees, the sun hangs low, casting amber threads across the forest floor.
The forest feels enchanted, like it was pulled from one of the fantasy kingdoms in the Lord of the Rings. The rest of the world falls away the deeper we go. And I love it.
I absolutely love it.
I feel like I strayed into a dream.
Before this—Dorian’s surprise—I planned to go visit England in the summer. Finally, I had money to do make the trip. I was going to wait until school closed. And I was either going to travel by myself or persuade Skyler to accompany me.
It would have been great to finally make it here, but I know it wouldn’t have been anything close to the experience I’ve had so far. I’ve always been told it’s better to visit places with somebody who knows it. I witnessed that for myself.
"The estate's been in the family for eight hundred years," he says, his voice cutting into the gentle silence.
I look up at him. "Eight hundred?" I can’t begin to imagine that.
"Yes. Give or take a few years." He guided me over a root that juts up from the path. “It was passed down from one generation to the next. We have a few places like this throughout England and Europe.”
I smile at him. “That is so amazing. How did it start?”
Pride fills his expression before he even opens his mouth.
"Early thirteenth century. A sea merchant named Aldric Vale built it.
But it was a cottage then. He wasn't noble born, but he was shrewd with money in a way most men of his era weren't." He ducks under a low branch and holds it back for me. "He made one smart move—one—and it changed everything for every generation that came after him. He started helping one of the Lords manage his finances, and from there everything took off. He expanded the cottage and it became the manor we have today. And now it’s mine. Or rather ours.”
I beam at him. “It feels wrong for me to claim something that feels so grand.”
“You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours. It’s as simple as that. We allow family to stay here and enjoy the place, but at the end of the day, it’s ours.”
“Thank you.” I appreciate how he’s included me in everything.
The light shifts through the trees, warming the sharp lines of his profile. I could look at him like this forever. And listen to him telling me things he doesn't tell anyone else.
This is a very different Dorian from the one in New York. I hardly recognize him.
The path curves gently ahead of us, narrow and uneven beneath my boots.
I tilt my face up, letting the cool air brush across my skin. I close my eyes for a moment and absorb it, trying to commit the feeling to memory.
“This is better than I imagined it,” I whisper, slowly opening my eyes.
Dorian’s hand tightens. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Wait until you see the lake.”
My nerves tingle with excitement. It’s so long since I did anything like this, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to stop and appreciate nature.
We walk a little further, until the path narrows and the trees press in close. Branches lace together overhead until the light almost disappears. Dorian guides me under a low bough then the trees open up. And I stop breathing.
The lake stretches out before us, wide and still, its surface catching the sunlight in ripples of gold. Reeds line the edges, swaying in the breeze, and somewhere across the water birds call to each other in a delightful symphony that reminds me of tiny bells.
"Dorian," I whisper in awe.
He watches me take it in and grins back at me. “You like it.”
“I love it.” I sigh, looking up and down the lake. “And it’s so peaceful.”
“I know. Come on. Let’s go sit for a while.”
We walk onto the grass and settle down on a soft patch beside the lake. We sit opposite each other and stare out at the water. I pull my knees up, resting my chin on them, while Dorian stretches out beside me, leaning back on his elbows.
"I don't know how I'm going to leave this place," I say, looking around. Everything feels like it's sinking into me, becoming a part of me.
"I used to be the same." His gaze drifts across the lake, distant for a moment. "I haven't been here in years. Being back reminds me how much I love it. I forgot what it felt like."
The soft reflection in his tone shows a reverence that runs deeper than mere nostalgia.
"I'm glad you're getting something out of the trip too." I grin.
“Yes, I certainly am.” He straightens, his heated gaze locking onto mine, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
He isn’t just talking about himself. He means me too.
I brush uncontrollably and we exchange a silent smile. Not a day has gone by since we agreed to start over, that he hasn’t devoured me. The whole trying for a baby thing is no longer the sole priority for sex. We never even went down that road.
"We mostly stayed in London when my brothers and I came to live with our grandparents," he says, pulling my thoughts back to the moment. "But every summer they’d would bring us here. Me and my brothers. We’d stay for the whole summer. From start to finish."
I smile, picturing it. In my mind I see a young Dorian running wild through these woods. Climbing trees and getting muddy at the lake's edge. I imagine him free in a way I know he no longer is.
"It was always great," he continues. Then his jaw tightens and a sour look wrinkles his face. "Until the last week."
"What happened during the last week?"
"Parker."
He doesn't need to say anymore. I understand straightaway and although I don’t know too much about Parker, I’m now aware that the tension between them is as ancient as Rome.
“Why don’t you like him?” I press, searching his eyes.
"We've always been rivals," he says. "We’ve been that way for as long as I can remember. It's just worse now that we're adults. And the whole thing with him recently is because he's after my job.”
My eyes snap wide. “Really?”
“Oh yes. For years." He pauses, pulling at a blade of grass. "It just wasn’t possible until recently. My father holds the line of inheritance in the company. So ownership and leadership passes to his sons unless he decides to change something.”
I lean forward, realizing I was getting the bigger picture. “Is that what he did?”
Dorian nods. “If I didn't meet his terms, he threatened to hand the COO position to Parker when he moves to England next year."
I bite the inside of my lip. "Would your father really do that to you?"
"Sadly, yes. He thought I was giving the company a bad image." A bitter smile crosses his face. "He was right. Parker knew it and took that opportunity to screw with me every chance he got." His eyes darken. "He was even trying to take you."
I shake my head. "I wouldn't have let him get that close. I was just being nice to him because he's your cousin."
A fierce flicker of possessive settles in his eyes. "That's good to know." His voice drops lower. "But I wasn't going to let him take you."
"Yes, I know." I chuckle. "I think he knows that too. He definitely got the message after you scared him."
Dorian was brutal with those steak knives. By the time he was done with Parker, he looked like he was going to shit himself right there in the restaurant.
A familiar ringtone cuts through the stillness. It's Jack. He's checking up on me. It’s been a few days since he called. And he always calls at the wrong time. Quickly, I pull the phone from my pocket and send the call to my voicemail.
"That was just Jack," I say, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
Dorian watches me. "You could have answered it."
"It's okay. I'll talk to him later."
The truth is I don't want to make this awkward. Jack and Dorian are… God, I know that's a wound that will never heal.
They’re not just ex best friends, they’re rivals and I'm the bridge between two sides that don't connect. At least Dorian doesn’t talk about Jack at all. Jack on the other hand always has something to say. It’s unnerving.
I don’t want to spoil this moment by bringing Jack's voice into it. It would feel as wrong as dragging something heavy into a place that's supposed to be light.
Dorian holds my gaze for a beat longer, then his expression softens. "You know you can talk to your brother around me. Please don’t let me stop you.”