“You might wish to know you’re going to be an aunt, too,” he informed her.
She nearly strangled on the juice. “Beg pardon? Do you mean Asha—?”
The corner of his mouth twisted up in a quirky smile. “Will be interesting to see our children, to say the least. Twins marrying twins. Trev and I are the only twins in our family, but they seem to run in Clan Montgomerie.”
“Run? The joke is they gallop.” She looked him up and down. He was tired, about as drawn as Trevelyn. “I’m not sure you deserve my sister. But then I don’t worry about her too much. Asha is strong. If you hurt her again, she will fix your little red wagon.”
In the eyes is where the difference was most pronounced, Raven decided. Jago’s were such a dark green, they almost appeared brown or black until you watched them closely. His incisive stare met hers and was judging her measure for measure. “Yes, she’s a wild woman. And I wouldn’t have her any other way. But she’s tenderhearted. Asha doesn’t like her vulnerable side to show. I’m figuring you actually mirror her. You, too, are easily bruised, but there is a strength in you—judging by that shiner my brother is sporting. Perhaps you just haven’t realized it, or perhaps my brother brings it out in you.”
“Well, they are fueling the Mershan jet and filing a flight plan into Bluegrass Field in Lexington,” Trev informed him. “They will be ready by the time you get there. Brother dearest will scream about the cost, but I think he owes you on this one. One hitch. With Julian on Falgannon there is no one to pilot the Sikorsky, plus we cannot get a driver here for several hours. I’m assuming you won’t want to wait, so I’ll drive you.”
“Thanks for handling things. I am beat.”
“Shouldn’t you eat something? I can make you some sandwiches,” Raven offered.
Jago shook his head. “The jet will be stocked with everything. I can pig out over the Atlantic, if I take a mind. Right now food doesn’t interest me. I have this pressing need to get back home. Some odd things have been going on there, and I don’t like being away for very long.”
Trev came to kiss the side of Raven’s head as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “Feel up to a drive into London?”
Raven groaned. “I hate going into London when I feel well. Sorry, but I simply couldn’t take riding in a car right now.”
He nodded. “Why don’t you go back to bed and sleep while I’m gone. I’ll fix supper when I get back. Go lie down. I’ll lock up.”
Jago reached out and hugged her. “Sorry we met under these circumstances. I look forward to getting to know you better once matters are all settled.”
Feeling very weak, Raven nodded. “Bring Asha for a visit. It’s been too long. I often feel like my twin doesn’t need me very much.”
“I often feel that way, too.” Jago laughed and patted Trevelyn’s back.
From the bedroom window, she saw Trevelyn and Jago go out to the silver Rover Trev had been using for the last several weeks. They got into the car and then Trev reversed out of the drive. Since the dome light was on, she had the treat of watching two very sexy men until Trev snapped it off. Her eyes followed the taillights until they vanished into the windy night.
The trees were bowing and twisting in the gusts. A storm was coming, and it looked like a bad one. She suddenly wished she had gone with them. The house seemed so empty without Trevelyn’s warm presence. Still, maybe the storm would hold off until he returned, and then they could cuddle in bed and listen to nature.
At her bedside she noticed Trevelyn’s stack of tarot cards. Her hand reached out seeing the newest one he’d collected: The Tower. It showed a medieval tower being struck by lightning and the house breaking apart in flames. Unlike Trev, who was still learning the meaning of the cards, she knew them. This card meant ruin, disturbance, and dramatic upheaval, with widespread repercussions. Unlike the Death card that was meant figuratively, this card actually carried the warning of being forced into a major change of job or home.
“Silver lining, I suppose. The divination promises enlightenment and freedom at the end of the troubles,” she muttered. Wondering when Trev had pulled the card from the fortune-teller, she turned it over and read:
Sacrifice begets gain. To embrace the future, break free of the chains of the past.
So very tired, she lay down on the bed and then pulled the quilt over her head. She’d drowse a bit, and Trev would be there when she awoke.
Chapter Twenty-three
Gusting winds pulled her from sleep. She’d only meant to doze, but had drifted off and now found it hard to awaken fully. So tired, Raven wanted to roll over and ignore the disturbance, only a discordant note was carried above the racket of the trees bowing to the wind’s will. It took a minute to register that a mechanical thrum rose above the coming storm.
Raven reached over and switched on the lamp at her bedside. Nothing. No light. She clicked a couple more times. “Must be a burnt out bulb, guys,” she mumbled to her cats.
Getting up, she pushed her feet into her slippers, yawned and reached for her shawl. The kitties stretched, grumpy from being dislodged from their cozy sleep spots. Small wonder. The house was cool, evidently the storm dropping the temperature as it drew closer. With a low rumbling purr, Chester came to the edge of the bed. Pyewacket curled into a tiny ball so he could go back to sleep. Raven stopped by the door and flipped the wall switch, but found the overhead light didn’t come on either.
“Bugger, the electricity must be out. Hmm, guess I’d better go tend the fire before Atticus complains. Hope it hasn’t burned down too much.”
Distant lights flashed across the bedroom wall as a car turned into the lane. Since no one used the old back entrance to Colford, they could only be coming to the cottage.
“Trevelyn’s back,” she told the cats as she headed downstairs. At Trev’s name, Chester followed on her heels.
As she reached the turn in the landing, the high beams slashed through the dark downstairs. The car wheeled into the drive, and in the backwash of their brightness, she caught sight of a silver body as it rolled into the slot where Trev parked behind the MGB. She looked out through the long greenhouse to the stack of lumber, piled high against the door, and could hardly see the vehicle’s top.
“That ugly pile of lumber is ruining my view,” she grumbled to Chester. “Trev is just going to have to figure out another temporary lock in the morning.”
In the dark she made a misstep, her foot coming down too late on the edge of the third to last stair. Losing her balance, she tumbled forward. It was a small distance; ordinarily it wouldn’t upset her, but panic spilled through her, because she worried that if she fell she might hurt the baby. The doctor had said with her past history that she’d need to be extra careful until the second trimester.
Despite tripping over Chester and making him squall, she caught the newel post and hung on desperately. Her arms jerked, bearing the blunt force of stopping her descent, but she was able to right herself.
Her palms burned and her hands shook. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. I’m not awake enough to watch where I’m going.”
The doorknob rotated a several times, then rattled insistently. When Trev took the Lamborghini into the shop to have the paint fixed, he’d removed the house key from that ring and hadn’t bothered to put it on the rental ring. Raven sighed, realizing he’d likely forgot his key. He’d done the same thing a couple days ago.
The brass door knocker sounded. Trev assumed she was asleep and was trying to get her attention. It made her think back to the first day when he’d brought her the single white rose.
“Coming!” She shuffled forward, almost not lifting her feet after the scare of the near tumble. Reaching the door, she released the inner lock and pulled it open. “You know, if you—”
Her words died in her throat. There were only faint embers in the fireplace, and no light came from any other source; however, her eyes were accustomed to the dark and she had excellent night vision due to Bilberry being a
daily part of her vitamins and herbs. Though he stood in the inky shadows outside, she instantly knew this man was not Trevelyn.
“Alec…?” Her fuzzy brain was struggling desperately to come awake. She held on to the door and blocked the opening with her body. “What are you doing here?”
For a moment he didn’t reply, just remained standing there. Finally, he spoke. “I came to see your pet ape.”
Raven nearly reeled from the fumes. He’d been drinking. “Hmm…I have a one-legged seagull, a midget pony and two fat cats. Don’t recall ever having an ape.”
“Don’t be coy, Raven. It doesn’t become you.” He lashed out against the door, shoving it wide. It jerked out of her hand and slammed back against the grandfather clock.
Raven was forced back a few steps, making her scared she might lose her balance.
“Alec, you really shouldn’t be here. Cian said the restraining order is still in effect—”
“Screw that whoreson. Your brother is next on my list to visit tonight. I’d really like to bury the hatchet with him. You know—the one that’s in my back.” He whipped around in both directions. “Why are the damn lights off?”
She slowly closed the door against the blowing wind. “The electricity keeps going on and off. The wind. It’ll be back on in a few minutes.” Instinct told her she didn’t want him to know how vulnerable she was here. Alone. She glanced to the phone on the small table. “Let me call Colford, see if they can bring a small generator over.”
He took two steps, was beside her as she lifted the receiver and found no dial tone. If she’d felt vulnerable before, it was nothing compared to this. She had a landline phone for the house because cell phones were so unreliable around here. Her mind went back to Trevelyn leaving with Jago, trying to remember if he’d taken his. She couldn’t recall, but he’d have no reason to leave it.
“Damn, it’s like being in a cave. I’ll build the fire up to where I can see without falling over the furniture. Then we can talk.” She tried to make it sound as if she saw nothing wrong with his sudden appearance, nothing more than an old friend stopping by to have a nice natter.
Alec had never done anything to harm her physically. He chose mind games, generally. But then Alec sounded odd, and while he did drink—and drink more than a few—he had never been a drunk. The man before her couldn’t stand still. A faint weaving to his posture revealed he was very intoxicated.
She had to stall. Trevelyn wouldn’t be gone much longer. He and his big toe should be arriving anytime. That private jest caused her to smile, drawing comfort from silliness when she wanted to panic.
“What are you smiling at?” Alec snapped.
She pulled the glass screens back, and began feeding newspaper to get the fire going in the hearth again. It hadn’t been tended since Trevelyn left, so it was really past time, and more ash than ember. The paper half smothered it. She casually reached out for the poker, almost waiting for Alec to react. When he didn’t, she relaxed a bit.
“Why don’t you sit? You know how lousy I am at building fires. It will take me a few minutes to get this burning right.”
“I recall you were lousy at a lot of things,” he sneered, finally turning back to look at the rest of the house. “Where is lover boy?”
Her mind grasped for a response. She wasn’t about to tell him Trevelyn had driven to London. Though he should be back anytime, she wanted something more imminent-sounding. “He went over to Colford to mooch a couple steaks. I was so busy painting this week that I forgot to run to the butcher. He’s coming back to fix supper shortly. You know how men are. They get together and talk, talk, talk. Funny, you men always put women down for talking so much and you really are worse.”
“Shut up, Raven. You never knew when to keep your mouth shut. Your boyfriend and I are going to have a long talk. He owes me. Bloody bastard. He’s going to pay.”
Ignoring him, she broke some kindling and fed it to the burning paper, seeing the flames jump to the wood and catch, the whole while trying to stay calm. Her heartbeat was slamming against her ribs. She wasn’t sure why, but this intoxicated Alec truly alarmed her.
“There. You can halfway see your hand before your face.” She turned and faced him—and really wished she hadn’t.
Alec was horribly drunk. That alone made her uncomfortable, especially on the heels of their last run-ins. But it was the look in his eyes that scared her: of desperation, the kind that makes a man do stupid things. She had to get him out before Trevelyn returned, or get away, herself.
Growing more alarmed, she considered her options. She could just open the door and make a run for Colford…
Chester meowed plaintively from the landing. He wanted Trevelyn, plus the ginger tabby had never liked Alec. Raven thought of gentle Pyewacket sleeping upstairs and poor silly Atticus asleep in his nesting box out in the large greenhouse. She could never abandon her defenseless pets to this drunken lout. If she vanished, he could easily focus on them as a means for venting the bile boiling inside.
“Alec, you look tired. Why don’t you run along and I’ll have Trevelyn call you first thing in the morning. I was sick today, and just don’t feel well enough to stay and entertain you.” She thought about moving to the door, hoping he would do as she asked.
“Stupid bitch.” He laughed. “You didn’t even know who you were screwing. He was using you to get to Cian. I’ll give him credit—he sure succeeded where I failed, eh? And he didn’t even have to marry you to do it. I find it rather humorous. I made all the right moves and got zilch. His name isn’t Trevelyn Sinclair, it’s Trevelyn Mershan. I doubt you and your little homebody ignorance know who his brother is. Des Mershan—”
“CEO of Mershan International. Of course I know who he is.” She wasn’t about to allow Alec to start with his old games. She lied, and was damn proud of it: “You think I wouldn’t know who my brother-in-law to be is?”
“Brother-in-law?” he echoed in shock.
She flashed her ring before Alec’s face. “My engagement ring. What? You assumed Trevelyn and Des were keeping things from the Montgomeries? From me? Oh, wake up and smell the sharp aroma of horseshit, Alec. Are you that idiotic? That naïve? The whole ruse was a smokescreen cooked up between Mershan International and Montgomerie Enterprises. They’re moving toward a big merger, which will triple the stock for both companies.”
“Now wait a minute…Melissa said Trevelyn Mershan was buying up Montgomerie stock left and right—”
“Of course he was. We’re trying to consolidate ownership, get rid of the small shareholders so the bulk of the stock will be jointly held by either the Mershans or Montgomeries. If word leaks out about the merger, stock prices will go sky high and there wouldn’t be the huge profit for us.”
Alec glared at her, not wanting to believe. “Melissa claimed—”
“Oh, please. That bitch—who is blonde in more than just her hair color—would say anything to get back at Cian. He’s been planning on firing her for a year. She knew her time was running out. He’s merely waited until he could find a good replacement. He hired Annalee last October, and she’s ready to assume the position now. Melissa couldn’t be so blank that she didn’t realize she was training her own replacement. What do they say about never trusting anything a fired employee says? Don’t tell me because she’s been doing the rumpy-bumpy with you that you actually believed her?” Raven made her tone mocking, condescending. She wasn’t going to give him a chance to get into her mind and wear her down as he had so many times in the past. “Okay, don’t listen. But you know me—I have no head for business and I’m a lousy liar. Mershan and Montgomerie will announce a merger in the coming weeks. Des and Cian are just doing the two-step currently, each trying to come out with the most power.”
“Then why were the Mershans paying Melissa to get information from Cian?”
Raven shrugged with an air of boredom. “Were they? Or did Melissa just spin that bunch of stuff and nonsense for you? Really, Alec, did your IQ just
drop? This whole thing is more than a business merger. Jago Mershan is going to wed my sister Asha, and I expect any day that Des Mershan will announce he’s marrying BarbaraAnne. I told Trevelyn that I would marry him this morning. So, there—nothing mysterious or a big revelation to me. Perhaps to you. Look, I’m tired and don’t feel well enough to answer all your silly questions. So, please leave.”
She marched to the door and opened it, hoping he would take the hint and depart. He did take two steps toward her. Then he stopped and just stared.
“You’ve changed.” Alec looked as if finally really seeing her.
“Seven years does that to people,” she replied.
He shook his head. “Not seven years. It’s since Mershan came into your life. He did what I could never do. He reached you—woke up Sleeping Beauty.”
“Sorry, wrong fairy tale. I’m Little Red Riding Hood.” The joke was pure bravado. She swallowed hard, debating if she’d made a mistake in moving away from the poker. Did she stand her ground and run the bluff that she wasn’t scared of him, or abandon the ploy and get to the poker as fast as possible?
“My, what big teeth he has—all the better to eat you.” His mouth twisted in a cynical, lascivious smile. “Tell me, little Raven, did Mershan ever get you on your knees before him, your lovely mouth wrapped around his—”
“Alec!”
His smirk was sour. “One might say, then, that he’s a better man than I, because I sure as hell couldn’t get the Snow Princess to service me.”
“Leave. Now. You’re breaking a court injunction by being here. Go now, before this becomes a legal hassle—one you shan’t enjoy. Think what being dragged through the courts will do to your professional reputation,” she cautioned.
He laughed, mirthless. “I guess you don’t know everything about the mighty Mershans after all. I thought Cian was bloody relentless. A word from Mac Montgomerie or his pit-bull son, Cian, and I found many doors closed, deals scrapped. Your father and brother left me damn little, Raven. Okay, I screwed Melissa. It was a question of who was using whom. I was trying to suck up some crumbs on the Mershan takeover. But the reach of the Mershans is frightening. Your fiancé has destroyed me, Raven. He was kind enough to give me a choice—take the ten thousand pounds and plane tickets to Canada he so generously provided, or stay in England and face charges of insider trading. Either I go halfway around the world or he promises to see me in jail.”
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