Heirly Ever After

by Vernon, Magan

  Way to start off on the right foot with her.

  As if the ghosts of the English manor heard my silent cries of desperation, once we rounded a corner, a loud clanking echoed as she ran into a suit of armor.

  “Piss off,” Cecily exclaimed. That posh accent was still there, but instead of a stone-faced woman, now she stood, holding her foot, her face red as she let out large breaths through her teeth.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, stepping closer and praying there wasn’t blood spatter around the life-size giant metal knight.

  She didn’t answer right away, just sucked in large puffs of air through gritted teeth.

  “Um…”

  “Fucking knight. Who put this here?”

  I tried to keep the surprise off my face that this uppity English lady was talking like this. Her foot had to be hurting really bad. “Did you break something? Do I need to find a medic? Does this place have one of those?” I asked, glancing around the empty hallway with nothing but a few more knight statues and some fancy oil paintings looking at me.

  “Bloody thing,” she sputtered, leaning against the wall with one hand and taking off her booty with the other.

  I let out a silent sigh of relief that there wasn’t a pool of blood dripping from it.

  “That hurt like hell,” she barked, wiggling her toes.

  “Um…” I racked my brain for the right response to that. I was used to being around some foul-mouthed guys when Chris gamed but never expected the words to come from this blonde goddess.

  Cecily put her foot down, hand on her hip as she raised her eyebrows. “You should tell your sister to stop moving so much crap around the castle without telling me.”

  A nervous laugh bubbled in my chest. “You obviously don’t know my sister if you think I can tell her anything.”

  She nodded, her lips tight as if she was assessing the situation with a faraway look. Then she smiled, finally looking at me as she giggled like a little kid. “You’re right. Her and my brother can be downright pain in the arses, can’t they?”

  I blinked hard, my ears, face, and neck burning to an impossible level.

  She pursed her lips together before taking a step forward. “Take it you’re like your sister and not accustomed to a foul-mouthed English girl.”

  “Err…yeah…not exactly.”

  “Is it because of the shoes? I swear these booties make me look like a prissy little thing, but my lady at Galliano assured me these were perfect. Whatever.” She took off the other shoe, dangling the suede pieces from her fingertips as if they were a pair of dollar flip flops from Old Navy.

  “Hey, at least they look good. Better than being in a soaked dress and heels.” I let out a nervous laugh, trying to make a joke and stop the heat from gathering in my face.

  “How about you wear these shoes instead? What are you, a five? Six?” she asked, raising one of her eyebrows that were perfectly threaded and penciled into a light brown color.

  “Um…more like a seven or eight.”

  She looked down at my feet, my drying dress clinging to my legs to show the one nice pair of heels I owned and had bought on sale at Target.

  “U.S. sizes, right? That’s different than U.K.”

  She waved her hand then flipped her hair back, her pace picking up.

  “Come, we’re going to my room,” she called over her shoulder.

  “What?” I moved as fast as I could without becoming a power walking old mall lady.

  She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as soon as I was next to her. “We’re going to my room to find you something to wear with these booties. We can’t have you in an apron for dinner. Mother and Father don’t need another reason to complain.”

  All the heat drained from my face, replaced by a chill like a bucket of cold water to the face. “Your parents are coming, too?”

  “Unfortunately,” she grumbled. “They weren’t going to come for a few days, but once they got wind of a MacWebley being in the building, of course Mother had her maids pack the town car to get here as fast as they could from London.” She turned to me with a wicked smile on her face. “Don’t worry, you’ll know when she’s here from all the snipping at the help or her dragon’s breath burning down one of the rooms.”

  I swallowed hard.

  My sister had told me horror stories about her future mother-in-law.

  And about her future sister-in-law for that matter.

  How they both weren’t too happy about having a non-noble lady in a relationship with Lord Gavin. His mother even went as far as to try and bribe my sister with a bunch of money to leave the manor and never come back.

  Obviously, things turned out very differently when Gavin had tried to give her the manor to make her an official lady.

  And now, one year later, there was a wedding.

  “I’ll make sure to keep my distance,” I said with as much courage as I could muster.

  I wondered what this meant for Jacob, currently still down in the kitchen. I probably needed to tell him about Gavin and Cecily’s parents coming, but how could I warn him? I didn’t have his phone number. I didn’t know the way back to the kitchens. And I didn’t really feel like facing him again after what happened.

  What if the kiss had been a mistake?

  Was he now feeling just as awkward as I was about seeing him?

  Yeah…

  Talking to him could wait.

  I followed Cecily through a maze of hallways before we ended at another large wooden door, the molding carved with roses and thistles entwined all around it to form a beautiful façade.

  As soon as she opened the door, light from the floor-to-ceiling windows cast a low glow over the dark wooden floors and sitting room. It was similar to the Thistle Room, but this one had all powder blue furniture facing a large white fireplace.

  “Come, this way,” Cecily called over her shoulder as she marched through an open doorway.

  Like my room, there was a large four-post bed that was swallowed by the massive size of the room, complete with a whole other sitting area. But while my room just had the little desk and my small suitcase laid on it, Cecily’s was more like a fashion bomb had blown up.

  Racks and racks of clothes were placed in a semi-circle near another floor-to-ceiling window. A haberdashery of shoes was strewn next to them on the floor.

  “Are these all your outfits for the week?” I asked, trying to catch my breath at what were possibly the most beautiful silk dresses I’d ever seen in my life. And that included the white bridesmaid dress that a designer had hand sewn for me for my sister’s ceremony.

  I didn’t want to think about the price tag on that one or everything else that was in this room.

  “A girl has to have options, and one of my designers just sent me these from France so I’d have my pick for the week.” She waved her hand dismissively before dropping her shoes then thumbed through the clothes rack next to her. “Let’s see, you’re what, about a meter and a half tall?”

  “Um…I’m five two, so whatever that is converted.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You Americans and your strange system.”

  Thumbing through a few dresses, she finally smiled and pulled out a long black dress.

  Maybe dress wasn’t even the right term.

  This was an artistic masterpiece.

  The stretched velvet material moved effortlessly into a mermaid style. The high scalloped neckline and long sleeves could have made it look like a gothic Morticia, but the slight shimmery hue to the material instead made it look more like something straight off the runway.

  “What about this? Wearing the booties should bring you up to a height where you hopefully won’t step on the gown or trip over any of those blasted knights in the hallway.”

  “I guess I could try it.” I tentatively stepped forward, running my hand al
ong the plush material on the bodice.

  She nodded behind me. “The loo is in that door behind you, and there should be fresh towels. Dry up and try it on with the shoes.”

  She shuffled over to the open bathroom door, hanging the dress over a hook and placing the booties next to it. I stared at her for a second, unblinking, and wondering if this was all some sort of a trap to sabotage my sister’s wedding by being super nice to me then making me look like a fool in front of everyone.

  “Did I stutter? Go, try it on so I can see how you look.” She waved her manicured hands as she stepped out of the bathroom.

  I guessed if she was going to insist, it couldn’t hurt to try it on.

  I made my way into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. The room was bigger than my entire apartment in Charlotte, complete with a waterfall shower, jetted tub, and even two sets of toilets. Well, one was technically a bidet.

  Did people use those?

  I washed down on the sink, scrubbing what bits of butter and powdered sugar I could off of me. Once I was satisfied with that, I dried myself with a clean towel then slipped off my dress and apron.

  Looking in the mirror, I tried not to gasp at my running makeup and mess of wet waves framing my face. I scrubbed my face with some of the lavender soap then clipped my hair back with a few bobby pins from the counter.

  “Are you done in there yet?” Cecily called, banging on the door.

  “Just a minute.”

  Carefully, as if the dress was delicate tissue paper, I peeled it off the hanger then stepped into the silky material. Unlike the flowy dress I was wearing, this clung to my hips and small bust, making it look like I had more of an hourglass figure than I’d ever had. The skirt swished along the floor, but as soon as I put the booties on, it picked up, bringing me at least a few inches taller.

  “Are you ready? Does it look terrible and you’re never going to come out now?”

  I let out a breath before opening the door. I hadn’t even seen my reflection in the mirror, but Cecily’s wide eyes and perfect O shape of her mouth said it all.

  “Wow. Holy hell, do you look hot.”

  “Um, t-thank you,” I stuttered, trying to keep the heat from gathering at my neck and face.

  “I mean that in a sincere way and not that I’m hitting on you. Though your date is going to see you in a different light, that’s for sure.”

  My heart skipped a beat as I thought of Jacob. The place on my neck where his lips had just been tingled at the memory. Would he have the same reaction seeing me in this dress?

  Dammit.

  I had to stop thinking about him this way.

  What happened in the dish room couldn’t happen again.

  No.

  We would just get through this week and go our separate ways.

  I just had to make sure everything went smoothly for my sister’s wedding. I owed her that much. Then maybe later I could tell her and Mom about the whole dropping out of college thing. Not now with all of this going on.

  “So, should I call my maids up here to do your hair and makeup?” Cecily asked, raising an eyebrow.

  I shook my head, waving my hands. “Oh, you don’t need to do that.”

  She grabbed her phone off the table, tapping a few buttons. “Too late, already did.”

  “Really, you don’t have to.”

  She smiled. “Of course I do. My dear cousin Jacob is going to crap himself once he sees you like this. And so will Mother and Father. The little sister from North Carolina in Balenciaga looking like the hottest dime in the room.”

  My face and neck itched as heat bloomed through my cheeks. “I don’t think that’s necessary. It’s just dinner.”

  “Madison. Can’t I just help you out?”

  “Why?” I asked, wondering where the courage came from to even ask that.

  She sighed, dropping her shoulders. “Look, your sister has done wonders for my brother and for all of Webley. She may still kind of hate me after the way my mother and I treated her when she first came to the manor, but I’m trying my best to make it up to her. And if that includes helping you out and making sure that our little Jacob is also distracted, then why not?”

  I gulped. “So, is this about my sister or about…um…Jacob?”

  She shrugged. “Why not both?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Do you think he’s planning something?”

  She sighed, plopping down on the settee near her bed. “I don’t know, honestly. I don’t think he’s only here to make peace with the family. But I can’t be sure, either. I know that whatever’s going on with the two of you, I hope it’s enough so we can get through this week smoothly.”

  “You don’t think…he’d try and ruin the wedding, do you?” All the heat now drained from my face as a chill traveled down to my stomach.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but as long as you keep him occupied, we shouldn’t have to worry, right?”

  I swallowed hard.

  So that was where this niceness came from.

  She wanted to make sure I kept an eye on the odd duck of a cousin so that he wouldn’t do anything outrageous for the wedding.

  I’d be helping my sister and maybe having a little fun with the guy. But could I really do all of that?

  Staring at Cecily’s wide, pleading eyes made me think of my sister and mother. When Natalie had first sat down with us and said she was going to take a job in England. That it would help the piles of medical bills we had for Mom. Not only had she gotten the job, paid all her bills, but she’d also paid off my college tuition.

  The one I hadn’t followed through with.

  I had to make it up to her for everything she’d done for me.

  If that meant making sure that the odd duck cousin wasn’t planning anything nefarious…well…then I had no choice.

  Chapter Ten

  Jacob

  After another long, cold shower, I put on my suit, adjusting the tie as I tried to focus on tying a Windsor knot instead of thinking about a certain gorgeous redhead’s lips.

  The way Madison had kissed me had been desperate. Frantic. Yet those soft lips and her tongue dancing against mine had turned everything into pure ecstasy. One I wanted to slow down and keep tasting.

  Shite. I shouldn’t have let her get close.

  I’d come here to get the help my family needed. And I still hadn’t done shite to get it done. Madison was a sweet distraction, but I couldn’t let her get in the way of my plans.

  I had to focus.

  Tonight’s dinner would be the chance to put things into perspective, especially since the rumor around the kitchen was that Lord Edwin and Lady Helena had made the trip in early to see the long-lost MacWebley nephew.

  Of course, most of the kitchen staff hadn’t realized that I was exactly that odd duck they were worried about. Hopefully they also hadn’t realized exactly what I’d been doing with Madison in the back room.

  Shite.

  What was I really doing with her?

  The more we got involved, the more this could end badly if things blew up.

  Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I wondered how the hell I was going to pull this off. I still hadn’t had the chance to find anything to say the MacWebleys were entitled to anything. But I couldn’t just walk away, go back to Scotland with my tail between my legs.

  “Okay, Jacob, you’re going to get your head in the game and stop thinking about your wedding date,” I muttered to my reflection, then I splashed some cold water on my face.

  I tried to swallow my guilt and push Madison out of my mind as I exited the bathroom. She had probably washed up and changed for dinner already, but there was no trace of her around the solar. Maybe she changed in her sister’s room, too embarrassed to come back.

  I’d have to find a way to talk to her
about everything. But even I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And right now, I had to focus on dinner with more of the Webley family.

  The buzzing from my pocket broke my own thoughts.

  Puling my phone out, I stared at the screen where Blair’s face stared back at me with a video call. Why the hell was she doing a video call? Did she want a tour of the manor?

  Now wasn’t the time.

  But if I didn’t answer, I knew she’d just keep calling.

  Swiping the screen, instead of seeing Blair’s resting bitch face, Great-Grandfather’s sunken features appeared.

  My heart leaped into my throat as I cleared it, trying to straighten my shoulders from the sudden jump after being caught off guard.

  “Great-Grandpa, wasn’t expecting your call.”

  The man was in his late nineties, but as long as I’d remembered him, he had been a force of a man. Lively, leaning on his cane in a three-piece suit, his white hair parted to the side. It was only in the last ten years, as end stage kidney failure took over, that he started to wilt. That we didn’t see him much outside of his recliner with a nurse by his side.

  Gone were the suits, replaced with robes and striped pajamas. And the smile and laugh I always remembered? Well, watching his eyes crinkle at the corners when he saw me was the closest I knew I would get.

  “What…what is this thing?” He looked off the camera.

  Blair’s laugh echoed over. “It’s a video call to Jacob. Don’t you recognize him, or does he look super fancy now that he’s in Webley Manor?”

  Great-Grandfather blinked hard before turning to the screen. “You’re really there? At Webley?”

  I swallowed hard. “Ah. I am.”

  He nodded, his lips twitching in what I assume was trying to form a smile. “Good, good. Tell me, do they still have all the birch trees? Would they be in bloom now?”

  “They do. They’ve kept it up very well.” My breath caught in my throat as I tried to think of the right answer. This wasn’t just small talk, and I was waiting for the ultimate question.

  But then he did that lip twitching again. “And the Webleys, are they treating you well?”

  I swallowed, thinking of the appropriate response before just giving an honest one as I tried to hold back a laugh. “Well, the Webleys themselves are a little bit apprehensive, especially Gavin, the lord of the manor.”