Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
GRACE
Whatever Christian’s father said to him, it wasn’t good news. He’s staring pensively into the distance, his posture now slouched instead of erect. A guest passes him and says something that he completely ignores. They pause, as though they’re thinking of stopping, then carry on.
“Would you excuse me?” I smile at Destiny and Loris, then make my way over to Christian. He doesn’t acknowledge me until I touch his arm, then he jumps as if he got an electric shock.
“Hey, it’s just me. Is everything all right?”
He lets out a laugh filled with bitterness, his eyes facing forward. “No, Grace, everything is not all right.”
A lump of anxiety crawls into my throat. Does he know? Has his father found out who I truly am and left Christian to deal with me? Am I… in danger?
“Can I help?” There’s a tremor to my voice—one I hope he doesn’t pick up on.
Keep playing the part, Grace.
“No.” He shakes his head to emphasize the point. “You can’t help.”
“Have I… done something to upset you?”
His head snaps in my direction. “Of course not. It’s family stuff, that’s all.” Pulling his gaze away, he returns to his staring contest with the other side of the room.
I shouldn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for this man. He’s covered up what really happened to my parents, and for that alone he deserves to suffer. But there’s something in his bleakness that gives me pause.
“Come with me.” I take his hand and lead him from the room.
He doesn’t resist, trekking along beside me in obedient fashion. “Where are we going?”
“The gardens.” I chuckle. “Although you’re going to have to take the lead. I can’t remember where they are.”
A flicker of a smile touches his lips. He tugs on my hand, veering left instead of right, which is where I was headed. “That way leads to the kitchens.”
The urge to make a joke comes over me. “I mean, the food was pretty scarce in the ballroom.”
A low chuckle rumbles through his chest. “Come on, through here.”
Less than a minute later, we emerge into the gardens. Scented flowers envelop me, along with the same sense of peace I had last time we were here.
The time Christian called himself a monster during the full moon.
However in jest that was, it hit a nerve far too close to home.
I quash the dark thoughts and trek through the neatly tended pathways.
At the bench by the lake, he stops but doesn’t sit.
Instead, he faces me square on and brushes his thumb over my cheekbone, his dark eyes filled with a melancholy I haven’t seen previously.
An uneasy feeling spreads through my midsection, and my breath catches in my throat.
Fate can be a cruel mistress sometimes. In another life, Christian is the kind of man I’d fall for, but in this life, he’ll always be the man who took my parents from me.
If he has discovered something about me, though, it’s better I get him to tell me and then I can attempt damage control.
In other words, deny everything.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but talking to a stranger might help.”
“Grace.” His voice is low and filled with longing. “You’re far from a stranger. Sometimes I feel as though I’ve known you a lot longer than a few weeks.”
Oh, believe me, I’ve known you far longer than a few weeks…
“Whatever it is, I’m a good listener. I’m also discreet, in case that’s worrying you.”
“I don’t doubt your discretion for a second.
You’re a lady, and a classy one at that.
” He flashes a smile. “Or should I say, Duchess.” The smile doesn’t last. He draws in a deep breath before letting it out slowly through pursed lips.
“My father just dropped something on me without warning, and there’s no way out of it. ”
Instead of saying anything, I stay quiet. My gut tells me that’s the right approach.
His other hand cups the back of my neck, and he brings our foreheads together. I lose track of how long we stay like that, but it has to be more than a minute. That’s a long time when no one is speaking, but however uncomfortable it is, I know I’m doing the right thing.
Eventually, he breaks our connection, but his hand remains around the back of my neck.
“In our family, our wives are chosen for us. It’s been that way for centuries.” He rubs his lips together. “My father just told me he’s looking for a wife for me.”
Somehow, I swallow the gasp that threatens to burst out of me. Our plans, our carefully constructed plans, put together over months of meticulous work lie in ruins at my feet. If Christian marries another woman, that’s it. Arron and I will never find out what truly happened to Mum and Dad.
“And you don’t want to marry?”
He barks a laugh filled with acrimony. “No. I don’t.
I mean, I’ve always known in the abstract that marriage is on the horizon, but now my two elder brothers are married, and Dad has his first grandchild, I guess I’d convinced myself he’d be more relaxed with me.
That he could, with some persuasion, leave me to live my life the way I want to live it.
” He laughs again; it’s harsh tones reminiscent of nails scraping down a blackboard.
“And how do you want to live it?”
“The same as now. I like the single life. I don’t want a wife hanging off my coattails, asking me where I’m going or what I’m doing.”
“Or who you’re doing?” I grin in an attempt to hide the devastating impact of his news.
“That’s just it,” he mutters. “We don’t cheat, either. It simply isn’t done.”
“Can’t you talk to your father? Explain how you feel?”
His head tilts to one side. “Oh, Grace. If only it were that simple.”
He caresses my cheekbone again, then lowers his head, brushing his lips over mine.
A jolt of electricity zips up my spine. There’s no denying I’m physically attracted to this man, even if the logical part of me sees him as nothing better than a cold-blooded murderer.
Humans are complicated beings, that’s for sure.
“Can I still see you? You know, until…” He trails off, his expression bleak.
Time. That’s what I need. Time to figure out what to do next. Time to talk to Arron, Uncle Daniel, and Juliet, then work out our next steps. So, I give him what he wants. “I’d like that, Christian. I really would.”
Christian’s driver drops Juliet and me off outside her building.
Knowing there’s a high probability of him reporting every word we say back to Christian, we kept our conversation to a minimum on the journey home.
We step inside her building and wait for the car to leave. As soon as it does, I spill the beans.
“We have a problem.”
“What problem?” Juliet asks.
“Christian’s about to get married to someone else.”
Her lips part in disbelief. “Oh, fuck.”
“Exactly. I need to talk to Arron and Uncle Daniel.”
“I’m coming with you. Three heads are better than one, right?”
“I’d hoped you’d say that, because I truly don’t know what to do.”
While we wait, I send a text to my uncle, asking him to meet me at the house.
He won’t care that it’s late, not when it comes to our revenge plan, and this is too big an issue to leave him out of the discussion.
Considering the time, he must sense there’s a problem, but his text only confirms he’ll be there.
My mind spins and whirs on the drive from Juliet’s place to my house.
It shows how well my friend knows me because she says nothing, leaving me to process the swift and unexpected shift in direction in my own way.
Unlike Juliet, I’m an internal processor.
It’s the way I’m built. She works out problems via a verbal stream of consciousness, most of which makes sense only to her, before coming up with a solution.
It’s not always the right solution, but quick decisions are also something she’s known for.
Me… I’m a ponderer. Except there’s no time to ponder on this particular problem. For all I know, Christian’s dad may have selected a bride already, his conversation with Christian a way of easing him into the idea.
Uncle Daniel is already there when I pull up outside the house, and my stomach swoops and falls.
He’s going to lose his shit when I tell him the massive roadblock now plonked in our way.
Juliet links our fingers as I shove my key in the lock and turn it.
I give her a grateful smile, and we enter the house.
Arron leaps out of his chair the second he sees me, concern etched into his features. “Are you all right? What’s happened? Why did you ask Uncle Daniel to pop round? Did that bastard hurt you? Because if he did—”
“Arron.” I toss my bag onto the table by the door.
“Take a breath. I’m fine. But we do have a problem.
” I flop into the nearest chair and scrub my hands over my face.
We’ve barely started this revenge plan, and already I’m shattered.
“Christian told me tonight that his father is about to choose a bride for him to marry.”
Uncle Daniel curses. Arron stares at me, dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing, except nothing comes out. I gesture to him. “My thoughts exactly.”
“We… we can’t let that happen. It’ll ruin everything.”
“I’m aware.”
Uncle Daniel slams his fist into the arm of the chair. “Fuck.”
I jump at the outburst of violence. “I thought I’d have more time.
His brothers were, what, thirty-five and thirty-three or something when they married.
Christian isn’t even thirty yet. Why’s his dad chosen now to drop this on him?
” A horrific thought sneaks into my mind.
“You don’t think he knows? Charles De Vil, I mean? ”
If Christian had figured it out, I’d know. Maybe the father is more cunning, or he’s biding his time while he gathers more evidence.
“No,” Uncle Daniel says. “How could he? Besides, you’ve only been to Oakleigh twice. You won’t even be on his radar.”
“Maybe you should get on his radar,” Juliet pipes up. “Maybe that’s what we do.”
I frown. “What? Blow our cover?”
“No, silly.” She perches on the arm of the chair. “If Charles De Vil is looking for a wife for his son, you be the wife he picks.”
“Whoa, hang on a sec.” I raise my hands in the air. “Dating the man is one thing. Marrying him is quite another. It’s a step too far.”
“It’s just words and a piece of paper,” Uncle Daniel says, immediately jumping on the idea. “And look at it this way. Marrying him will get you far more access than simply dating the guy.”
“I agree,” Arron says.
The speed at which the plan has pivoted makes my head spin. I make a calming motion with my hands. “Hang on a second. I’m the one who’ll have to stand there spouting vows. And what happens afterward when I discover the truth and reveal who I really am? I just divorce him and get on with my life?”
“Yeah,” Uncle Daniel says as casually as you like.
I shake my head. “I don’t think I can.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Uncle Daniel explodes out of his chair. “Don’t you want to find out what happened to your parents?”
I stand, too, because sitting will only give my uncle a height advantage over me. “Yes, I want to find out what happened, but marriage? We never discussed that.”
“We’re discussing it now,” he says.
“No, we’re not discussing it. You’re just assuming I’ll do it.”
His face reddens, hands balled at his sides. “So, that’s it? You’re just gonna walk away and let that bastard get away with murder? And for what? Because you’re too fucking scared to do what’s necessary?”
Arron gets up, too. Only Juliet remains seated, her eyes tracking each of us. “That’s enough. Grace is braver than any of us.”
I touch Arron’s arm, grateful for the support.
“I’m not scared, Uncle Daniel. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary, but this is a sharp change in direction.
I need a little time to think it over, that’s all.
Besides, if I do decide to try to make a play as the chosen bride, how the hell do I do that? ”
“You said Christian doesn’t want to get married, right?” Juliet asks.
“Yeah.”
“So, you offer him a way out. What if you suggest a marriage of convenience. Sell it as a way that he can carry on with his life exactly how he wants to.”
I twist my lips while I contemplate. “I mean, that works for him, but he’ll want to know what’s in it for me. I can hardly say ‘to prove you’re a lying son of a bitch who killed my parents and buried the evidence’ now, can I?”
Juliet drums her fingers against her mouth as Uncle Daniel paces up and down like a caged tiger. “Hmm.” The drumming speeds up. “Aha, got it. He knows you’re poor, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. That’s what you get out of the marriage. Financial security. It’s perfect.”
“Give that girl a medal,” Uncle Daniel says.
“But it’s up to you, Gracie,” she says. “Whatever you decide, we’ll back you.” Staring pointedly at my uncle, she adds, “Right?”
He mumbles an agreement under his breath, but the look in his eyes is one of wild excitement. If I say no, he won’t leave it there. He’ll peck and peck and shout and yell until I cave in to his demands.
I look at Arron, then Juliet, then back at Arron. “Okay,” I say, nodding. “I’ll do it.”