“Hey.” A soft voice knocked me out of my own thoughts, and I found Madison looking up at me.
I hadn’t even noticed her family had left.
As I met her worried gaze, guilt riddled me again.
I let out a breath that felt like I was deflating a balloon.
“I know. It’s a lot. I don’t think I realized how much,” she said. “But we don’t have to do any of this. You can go to visit your family, wherever that is, and I can say you had to go. It’s fine.”
She waved her hand as if she could erase everything. As if I didn’t see the way she looked at the ground instead of me when she spoke. The little sag of her shoulders like she was waiting for a blow of disappointment.
In that instant, something took over me, and I blurted out, “I’m already here with my family.”
“What?” She gave a little laugh, but it tapered out when I didn’t join in. Her focus snapped up as she studied me, then her eyes widened, like she’d seen a ghost. “You’re serious. Are we…um…distantly related? Or is it…?”
Before I could answer, her hand shot out, grabbing the handkerchief from the front pocket of my blazer. Her wide eyes bounced from the family crest embroidered in the corner up to that same family crest hanging over the fireplace.
“Oh god. Jacob…a-are you…?” Her words stuttered as she gripped the handkerchief, her hands slightly shaking.
I shook my head with a sigh. Now that it was out there, it was time to come clean. Even if she hated me for not telling her the truth sooner.
“My full name is Laird Lachlan Jacob MacWebley the Third. My great-great-great-grandfather and his wife split up, but so she’d keep her title, he gave her Webley Manor in England, along with one of his twin sons. The descendants of her son Dom became the Webleys of England, with their beautiful manor and town. And the odd duck they pretended didn’t exist are the MacWebleys of Scotland.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, watching her blink. “I guess that is until now. Someone sent my great-grandfather a courtesy invitation to this wedding, so I came instead.”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she shook her head, finally looking up at me. “That sounds… That can’t be. It’s like a history lesson. My sister would have told me.”
I shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t know the full story, either. Maybe she had no idea the invitation was sent out and it was something the family just had to do by noble law or something. It’s not like they’d recognize me anyway.”
She shook her head and paced as she ground her fist into her side. “This can’t be happening. This seriously can’t be for real.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just…”
Madison let out a deep breath, all of the light and color seeming to drain from her face. “So…was that your plan then? Finding a random girl on the train and hoping she’d get you in or have you been stalking me for a while and planning this?”
My face heated like she’d just sucker punched me. Which was what her words felt like. “Absolutely not. What happened with us was happenstance. Well at first…” I trailed.
“At first?”
I swallowed hard before nodding. If she kicked me out and never wanted to see me again, at least she knew the truth. The whole truth. “I saw you needed help. I’d just gotten in myself and had no idea what the feck I was going to do when I arrived here. Just thought somehow I’d get here and tell the Webleys who I was. But they’ve always rejected and ignored the MacWebleys, so then…” I took a step forward, my heart pounding in my ears. “I saw a girl who needed assistance, and it took my mind off my own predicament long enough to help her. Then I realized she might be able to help me, too.”
“So, I was the key to the castle, so to speak?”
“Madison.” Her name cut through my mouth, sharply drawing her attention to me.
I took another step forward until we were toe-to-toe, gently putting my hands on her shoulders. When she jerked back from the touch, my heart sank into my stomach.
Feck. This girl probably thought I was a world-class scunner.
“I’ll leave if you want me to. But I saw an opportunity for us to help each other, and I took it. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
“I…I don’t even know what to say. Holy heck, maybe we should buy a lottery ticket. Way too much of a coincidence.” She sat down on one of the high-back chairs, leaning into her propped elbow.
“It’s too much, isn’t it? Do you need a minute?” I asked.
“A minute isn’t going to help me not be more pissed. I honestly feel blindsided.”
I winced at her words before taking the seat across from hers.
A chill crept down my arms. I’d come so close to my goal and yet was still so far. I was literally inside Webley Manor, sitting underneath the family crest. But I needed time to find proof, and the easiest way was to stay as Madison’s guest.
Once I got it, I would tell everyone who I was.
Madison’s voice rose over the stillness. “I can’t say I’m not pissed. You’re just telling me all of this now, but…” Her eyes softened, but a smile didn’t reach her lips. “We’re also in too deep for you to just leave.”
I inwardly sighed a breath of relief, trying not to smile.
“But I do think now we need some new rules set up. First one would be no more secrets.”
I nodded. “Right. No more secrets.”
I swallowed hard.
Okay, so one more secret.
But telling her what I was really here for wouldn’t make things any better.
Now I just had to try and ignore the guilt riddling in my stomach. This wasn’t just about her or me for that matter. It was about family and legacy. When I had the proof the MacWebleys were owed something, this would all be over.
“And since this is a big room and you didn’t mind the couch last time,” she continued, “you’ll sleep there again, and I’ll take the bedroom.”
I nodded again, thankful she wasn’t kicking me out on my arse. The plan could still work, and maybe by the end of the day, I’d be able to come clean to the family.
“All right. That’s fair. Anything else?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to appear pissed, but the movement also pushed up her dress, giving me a bloody fantastic view.
Dammit, stop staring at her tits and focus.
“I don’t know yet. But we probably need to figure out what happens now. Are you going to tell Gavin who you really are?”
I opened my mouth then closed it, swallowing hard. “Eventually, yes.”
“Well, I guess I can’t stop you since this is your family, but can you at least wait for us to get through all of this wedding stuff? I can’t ruin this day for my sister.”
My chest tightened. I wanted to get this all over with. But I guessed a few more days couldn’t hurt.
“Sure. I can do that.”
“Good. Then I guess we need to get our stories straight before tea.”
“Tea?”
She tilted her head. “Natalie said we were going to have tea in an hour with Gavin’s grandmother.”
“Did she happen to say if it was his mother or his father’s mother?” I asked tentatively.
“Does it matter?” She shrugged when I didn’t answer then said, “I don’t know. So I guess we just prepare for both scenarios.”
I nodded, that stiffening feeling back in my neck. “Ah.”
…
Madison retreated into the bedroom for what felt like an eternity, and I could do nothing else but pace the room. My plan before coming to Webley had been solid, but current circumstances had me reconsidering that stance. Thinking I could just walk in and find proof and that it would somehow fix things had been naïve of me.
And now…now things were much more complicate
d.
I had to keep my cool, be the doting wedding date to Madison, and look pretty for pictures. And definitely not sleep with her. Or think about it.
Madison finally emerged from the room with a fresh coat of lip gloss on just as a maid knocked at the door.
“Afternoon. I’m here to escort you to the dining room,” she said in a proper posh accent.
I turned to Madison, offering her my elbow.
She raised an eyebrow and mouthed, “Seriously?”
I didn’t reply but stood there, not able to hide my smile.
Finally, she rolled her eyes then looped her arm through mine.
We followed the woman down the long corridor until we stopped at an open doorway. The room was flooded with light, and a large round table filled with different trays of tiny tea sandwiches sat in the center of the room, an array of people around it.
Out of the group, one person zeroed in on me.
An older woman with short silver hair pulled back from her face. She wore a high-neck floral dress that, even in the afternoon light, I could see was hand sewn. Her poised demeanor and those bright blue-green eyes felt familiar.
The maid introduced us. “Miss Madison and her date, Mr. Jacob,” she said with a small bow before backing out of the room.
Another maid pulled out two chairs next to Madison’s mom for us.
But before we could sit down, a powerful yet shaky voice carried over the table. “Excuse me, Mr. Jacob, is it?” The old woman ushered me closer, hooking a wrinkled hand out to me. “Come, let me have a better look at you.”
Each step was like wading through wet cement as I rounded the table and stood in front of the old woman. Then I crouched down so that our eyes met.
“You look so much like Lachlan. My husband’s uncle. He was such a handsome man, too. And Scottish,” she murmured, her hand going up toward my cheek but stopping not even an inch from it as if she thought better of it.
I swallowed hard to drown out the pounding in my ears.
I’d underestimated the Webley family’s memory of the MacWebleys.
And I promised Madison I wouldn’t say anything—hell, I’d promised myself—but when this lady stared at me like that, there was only one thing I could say.
“Ah, perhaps because I am his grandson,” I said. “I am Lachlan Jacob MacWebley. The Third.”
Chapter Five
Madison
Out of all of the ridiculous drama to happen in my life, this had to be the most chaotic of them all. Hadn’t we agreed to keep things quiet for now? Although it wasn’t exactly his fault for being recognized. But holy heck, what a mess.
“What did he just say?” my sister whispered.
“Bloody hell,” Gavin mumbled.
I tried to think of the right thing to say.
Hell, I’d only found out not even an hour before that the guy from the train who I thought just wanted in my panties was the odd duck long-lost cousin of this noble family.
Well, at least it would take the heat off what I had to tell my family.
I’d spent the last hour furiously sketching in the bedroom, trying not to think about everything going on. Yet every time I tried sketching the hills outside my window, I kept getting the outline of a dragon.
That damned family crest.
I should have seen it sooner.
Or asked.
And now…well…here we were.
“My stars. It’s been so long. How’s your family, dear?” The old woman cooed as if everyone’s world just hadn’t been shifted on its axis. As if everyone was not staring at the two of them while they got lost in their own conversation, not even stopping to acknowledge everyone’s WTF faces.
Okay, so maybe it was just my sister, Gavin, and me who had that look.
“Did you know your boyfriend or friend or friend with benefits or whatever he is was a MacWebley? Or did Lady Elizabeth just drop a bombshell on all of us now?” Natalie whispered, leaning in close so her words were a harsh breath against my cheek.
“I didn’t know either until just a few moments ago,” I muttered, heat rising to my cheeks as I fidgeted in my seat.
Natalie tilted her head. “I feel like I’m missing a lot of you two’s story here.”
Before I could even think of a way to answer that, Gavin stood, the sound of his chair scraping against the wood floor echoing throughout the room.
“Lachlan, wish you would have just said that in the first place,” he said, putting his hand out. There wasn’t a smile or any crack of anything other than that stern look.
Jacob stood and turned away from the old woman, Lady Elizabeth, only a slight quirk to his lips as he shook his cousin’s hand. “My father and great-grandfather go by Lachlan. Much easier to go by Jacob.”
“So, was it your great-grandfather who got the invitation I sent, or did you just take it upon yourself to find my future sister-in-law to be her plus one?” Gavin asked, their hands still shaking between them.
Jacob smirked, glancing at me and shooting a wink.
A freaking wink.
If my face hadn’t been hot before, now it was smoldering.
I hoped no one else noticed as he faced Gavin. “A little bit of both. Great-Grandad couldn’t make it, so he sent me with his invitation. My plan was to come here and introduce myself, but that was before my good friend, Miss Madison, told me she was attending this wedding and needed a date.”
Gavin quirked an eyebrow as he dropped his hands then crossed his arms over his chest. In his jacquard vest, button-down oxford, and charcoal trousers, he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine. Or a boardroom from Hell, when he gave that damn cold stare.
“So, it’s not just a story. You did know Miss Madison before this and weren’t just using her to get into the wedding? Because you could have just asked. We are family, after all. Maybe estranged, but still family. The invitation to your great-grandfather was an olive branch. Not even Lady Elizabeth knew.”
Neither glanced at the old woman, but I snuck a peek to see her looking between the two men with her eyes wide, her mouth in a perfect O as if she was waiting for something to go down.
“Like I said, Madison and I have known each other for a while, and I took the chance to help out a friend and see my family at the same time. I was hoping I could get a tour from Lady Natalie, since Madison tells me she’s quite the historian,” Jacob said with a broad smile on his face as if he was just repeating back instructions and didn’t drop a bombshell on the family.
Lady Elizabeth finally spoke, putting her hand on each of the boy’s hands. “I’m just so happy you both are here. However it happened.”
“Yes, however it happened,” Gavin repeated with much less muster.
“Lachlan…I mean Jacob…come sit by me. We need to catch up,” the old woman said, putting her hand down to pat the arm of the chair next to her.
Jacob’s gaze went across the table until it landed on me. “Ah, only if it’s all right with my date.”
I wished I knew Morse code or something so I could blink “I am going to kill you,” but of course I didn’t. I really couldn’t do anything other than gently nod. At this point, we were both drowning, with no lifeboat in sight, so it was everyone for themselves.
Jacob took the seat, the old woman waving her hands then clasping them on his arm as they started talking.
Gavin sat down next to Natalie, and the two whispered among themselves, their narrowed gazes flicking toward mine every few minutes.
“Did you really know that about Jacob?” Mom asked tentatively, suddenly at my side, her voice so low that I barely heard. I hadn’t noticed her moving from her seat across from me and taking the one Jacob was supposed to be occupying at my side.
“I didn’t until recently,” I admitted.
She nodded. “Gavin’s grandmother
does seem very happy to have him. But are you okay with him here, honey?”
I tried not to wince at her words, knowing where this conversation was going. “He’s a friend, Mom. A friend who helped me out by being my date for this wedding.”
“Did you have another motive when you asked him to be your date?” she asked pointedly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Mom shook her head. “Up until a few days ago, I thought you were living with Chris and planning your lives together when you both graduated next fall. Now you’ve shown up with a man I’ve never met who also happens to be the groom’s cousin. I just want to make sure that everything is really okay, honey.”
Graduating.
Mom really had no idea.
My stomach twisted in knots.
I’d put it off for so long just to not have this feeling, and now everything had come to a head.
“It’s fine, Mom. Jacob is…” I met his eyes across the table. I had no idea when he had started staring at me or how long he had had that smile on his face. Lady Elizabeth looked in my direction, too, before patting his arm then whispering in his ear as he nodded, his smile widening. What the hell was he talking about with her?
Maybe if I kept Mom talking about him, we wouldn’t need to talk about Chris and school.
“He’s…um…”
“So, how did you two meet if it wasn’t just a train rendezvous?” Natalie asked aloud, breaking the awkward tension of everyone’s individual, hushed conversations.
“It was back in Charlotte,” I blurted, the words coming out almost too fast. I had no idea where that came from, but I’d been stretching the truth for so long now, I just had to hope Jacob played along.
“Charlotte?” Lady Elizabeth asked, tilting her head.
“Natalie and her sister are from the American South, North Carolina,” Gavin said, his face still unmoving. Like a goddamn statue. Did this guy ever smile?
“Oh, how lovely. Tell me, what were you doing in Charlotte, Lachlan? I mean Jacob. Yes, Jacob.” She patted his hand.
Heirly Ever After Page 5