Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
REBECCA
The Southalls were arrested a couple of days ago and charged with multiple counts of child abuse after several men and women came forward to report what was done to them in the Southalls’ care.
It didn’t make splashy headline news like Felicity La Salle’s arrest did, but for Tobias, that doesn’t matter.
He got the closure he needed. Now, we wait to see if justice is served.
If the courts don’t handle it, my husband will.
That fact doesn’t scare me; it makes me proud. He has a dark side, but it’s directed at bad people. And, let’s face it, sometimes the justice system lets down victims. Vigilante justice, while not morally right, is sometimes what’s needed. I hold no guilt for thinking that.
These last couple of days, creativity has flowed out of me, and I’ve been writing and illustrating like a demon.
I estimate another couple of weeks, and I’ll have a draft of my very first children’s book finished.
Even if I never publish it, or I do publish and it sinks to the bottom of the bestseller ranks like a lump of concrete tossed into the sea, I’m proud of myself.
It’s the first step on a path I feel confident will lead to a fulfilling career.
“This is odd.”
I glance up from my tablet, where I’m putting the finishing touches to a drawing.
Tobias is sprawled on the couch, scrolling his phone, his bare feet resting on the arm.
There’s something about Tobias’s feet that does things to me, beaten only into second place by his hands.
He has the sexiest hands. Oh, and forearms, too. Those veins. And his abs…
“Wren? Is anyone home?”
I blink. “Sorry, distracted. What’s odd?”
A smirk pulls at his lips. “I saw you checking me out.”
“Busted.”
He grins. “I love it when you check me out. Your eyes go all glazed. It’s sexy as fuck.”
A blush steals over my cheeks. “You’re pretty hot, I guess.”
“You guess? I need to work harder. And for the record, you should see the number of times I check you out in a day. At least a hundred.”
“You do not.”
He laughs. “It’s probably more.”
I shake my head, although my smile won’t quit. “What’s odd, anyway?”
“Dad’s message in the family chat. Dinner tonight. All of us. No exceptions.”
“That is odd.”
The De Vils have a tradition that they all gather on the first Friday of each month, and attendance is mandatory unless there’s an emergency. But it isn’t the first Friday. “Does he say anything else?”
“No.”
My stomach clenches. “You don’t think he’s ill, do you?”
With the number of things that have plagued us recently, it’s automatic for my mind to jump to yet one more disaster. Charles is the picture of health, but sometimes that doesn’t tell the whole story.
“God, I hope not.” His fingers fly over the keyboard. “I’ve asked Xan what he thinks.” He bites his lip, his eyes on his phone. “He’s got no idea, either, but he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Dad.”
“I feel awful for mentioning it now. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
He holds out his arms. “Come here.”
I put down my tablet and join him on the sofa, curling into his taut body.
“Listen, you never have to keep your thoughts to yourself with me. It’s natural you’d think something bad.
We’ve had a pretty crap record of late. Things have to turn around sooner or later.
” His phone buzzes again. He glances at it and laughs.
“Dad’s sent a follow up: Nothing’s wrong with me, so no planning my funeral just yet. ”
I chuckle. “I adore your dad.”
“Everyone adores Dad. He’s pretty rad. We’re lucky to have him.”
A bite of envy twists in my abdomen. As a child, I’d have given anything to have a dad like Charles De Vil. He’s always there for his kids, unlike my sperm donor. And as for Mum…
But that was then. What matters is now, and I hit the jackpot meeting Tobias.
“Hey.” He slides a hand over my hip, easing me closer to him. “What did I say?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking how much I’d have loved a father like Charles.”
Sorrow flashes in his eyes. He runs his nose down mine, then pecks my lips. “And now you have.”
At seven o’clock that evening, we gather in the dining room.
All eyes are on Charles, but as I scan the room, it’s Saskia who draws my attention.
She’s virtually vibrating, her cheeks pink, her eyes dancing with delight.
She catches me gazing at her and winks, then makes a zipping motion across her mouth.
Interesting.
Whatever the reason for this gathering, Saskia is at the center of it.
We all sit, and the staff serve the first course.
Charles has clearly decided to keep us all on the edges of our seats, because he strikes up a conversation with Nicholas about some business deal or other, and the other family members, realizing he’s not going to spill the beans right away, begin chatting to one another.
Tobias’s hand strokes my thigh, his touch light, but the effect it has on me sends me into a spin. Up and down, up and down, each sweep upward bringing him closer, closer, closer. He slides his hand between my thighs and uses his thumb and fingers to push my legs apart.
I’m sweating.
A quick glance at everyone seated around the table satisfies me that no one is looking at us. I part my legs, and Tobias cups my pussy. He doesn’t move, doesn’t stroke or pet me. He just… keeps his hand there while carrying on a conversation with Vicky like he isn’t driving me up the wall.
At a break in their chatter, I lean closer to him. “What are you doing?”
“Taking comfort,” he murmurs. “You calm me. But if you want me to take my hand away, I will.”
It’s the last thing I expect him to say, but it comforts me, too. I like his hand there, possessive, intimate, yet without demand.
I place my hand over his, caressing his knuckles with my thumb. “Leave it.”
His smile dazzles me.
The main course arrives, and still, Tobias keeps his hand between my legs, eating his roasted chicken with butternut squash puree and crispy potatoes with one hand.
Our plates are cleared away, and once the staff have left the dining room, Charles picks up his dessert spoon and taps it on the side of his glass of water. Everyone shuts up, eager to find out why he summoned us here tonight.
“I’m sure you’re all agog with curiosity about why you’re here,” he says, casting a loving gaze at Saskia. “I apologize for the cloak and dagger, as well as the last-minute nature of my request. You all have busy lives and I appreciate everyone making the time.”
“Speed it up, Dad.” Christian rotates his wrist in a sharp, impatient circle. “None of us are getting any younger.”
Grace gives him a dig in the ribs. Vicky laughs. Alexander glares at his brother. And Tobias… he presses his thumb down hard on my clit.
A breathy sound slips out before I can stop it, and a bolt of lust coils in my abdomen. Vicky catches my eye. She winks, her facial expression telling.
She knows what he’s doing to me.
I grip his wrist and pray for Charles to hurry up before I come at the table. I cannot have an orgasm in front of Tobias’s entire family while his father makes some colossal announcement.
“Circumstances have meant I haven’t been able to share this before now.
I’ve been dealing with a delicate situation that required the utmost confidentiality.
So, I’m going to say this once, and I expect every single person at this table to adhere to this request: not a single word I say tonight leaves this room. Do I make myself clear?”
Alexander’s gaze sweeps around the table, briefly landing on each one of our faces. “No one will say a word.”
“Saskia.” Charles holds out his hand to his daughter, and she stands and takes it, grinning widely. “Your sister is engaged to be married.”
A collective gasp rises from the table. There’s a pause of a few seconds, then everyone talks at once, firing questions at the bride-to-be and the clearly proud father.
“Christ, I hope you’re giving the guy a huge dowry, Dad,” Tobias says, grinning at his sister. “He must be a saint to take on Saskia.”
Saskia sticks her middle finger up at her brother. “Funny. That’s what we all say about Rebecca.”
Tobias laughs. “No lies detected.”
Charles makes a calming motion with his hands.
“I’ll let Saskia tell you the rest. Suffice to say, this has been… tricky to say the least.”
“Why?” Tobias asks. “It’s not like we’re new to weddings. We’ve had a glut of them in less than two years.”
“Because”—Saskia’s chest rises on a deep inhale—“there is no need for a dowry, brother dearest, since I’m marrying Prince Luis.”
This time, there’s shocked silence. Jaws drop, including my own. Prince Luis, the heir to the throne. The Prince of Wales is marrying my sister-in-law?
What the heck have I married into?
This is incredible. Saskia will be royalty. A princess. It’s like a fairy tale.
“So, that’s why you needed the bad press about The Lair to go away,” Tobias murmurs.
Charles nods. “As I told you at the time, negotiations have been delicate.”
Negotiations? Makes their wedding sound like a business arrangement, which is when it hits me.
It is exactly that. This is the world I’m in, where marriages are arranged with a hope that love follows.
It’s worked for the men around this table.
There’s no reason it can’t work for Saskia.
She’s clearly thrilled, and that’s all that matters.
As the shock recedes, excitement kicks in. Chairs scrape against the wooden flooring as they’re pushed back and everyone waits in line to hug Saskia. Charles calls for champagne and, together, we toast the happy news.
“When’s the wedding?” Vicky asks.
“November 13th. I’d have preferred a late summer wedding, but Luis’s schedule doesn’t allow for it.
We’re having an engagement party at Buckingham Palace on October 16th.
There’s a formal announcement tomorrow at three at Windsor Castle, which I’m begging all of you to come to.
The press don’t know why they’ve been summoned, but there will be a gazillion of them, and I’d appreciate it if you were all there for moral support.
” She grimaces. “I’m terrified, and considering there isn’t much that scares me…
well, that tells you how big of a deal it is for me. ”
Alexander drapes an arm around his sister’s shoulders and kisses her temple. “Mum would be so proud.”
Saskia nods, then turns away, and I’m sure I see her dash away a tear or two. It can’t be easy for her to know her mum won’t be there to watch her get married. Especially now the truth has come out that she never chose to leave them, which the family believed for so long.
My mother never made it to either of my weddings, but that was a blessing not a curse.
She’d have turned up drunk and made a scene.
On occasion, I do think about looking her up from afar, just to see if she’s cleaned up her act.
Those thoughts are fleeting. I know in my heart I’ve made the right decision to cut all ties.
I don’t need her. Tobias and Isla are all I need.
They’re more than enough, and I get this amazing extended family, too.
I’m more fortunate than most, and I’ll never take that for granted.
“You’re doing that thing with your face when you’re thinking deeply about something.” Tobias nuzzles my neck. “What’s wrong?”
I turn to him, my rock. My safety net. My incredible husband. “Nothing’s wrong. Just thinking about how lucky I am to be your wife.”
Our eyes lock, and for a few moments, the excited voices fade away, leaving only me and Tobias and this crazy connection we’ve built.
“Want to get out of here?” he murmurs, tracing my cheek with the back of his hand.
“Isn’t that rude?”
He shrugs. “I don’t care. I want to be alone with you. Besides, my family will understand. They know what it means to be in love.”
“Then, let’s go,” I whisper.
His hand closes around mine, and we slip away quietly, without fanfare or fuss, and head upstairs.