by Mallory Fox
The plan is simple. We somehow get into Marcel’s office during the party, plant the bug, and take copies of what files we can. This might mean that we switch tactics and go for an easier win. Such as the illegal trafficking ring I have suspicions that my grandfather is involved in. But that would mean taking down every person involved and my entire family. Not just Marcel.
Whatever happens, we have to be careful.
I’m helping Pearl like she asked. How could I say no to her? But catching Marcel out is going to be difficult. If he gets wind that we’re working together, that I’m helping her, he’ll close up shop faster than we can blink. I have to keep convincing him and my family that I still hate Pearl Darlington. That I’m only bringing her here at his request. So far, I’ve come to her rescue oh about a thousand times already. I’ve no doubt Constance and Romain are reporting everything back. This whole Marcel isn’t here yet is a fucking set up. I know it.
Rain starts, light at first and then heavy. I stand under the overhang as the heavens open. Behind me, the patio door slides open and Constance steps out wrapped in a silk shawl as though the thin material is enough to keep out the cold. She closes the door, eyes slitting when she sees me smoking.
“If Nicole was here…”
“She’d fucking leave me alone like I wish you all would.”
She tuts under her breath. “Still upset about your banishment I see.”
I take a long drag of my cigarette and blow the smoke in her direction. “You had me incarcerated in the military until I turned twenty-one. How could I not be?”
Waving her hand in front of her face, she looks away. “You’re just like your mother. She was always whining on about something we did or did not do to her.”
“When is Marcel coming back? He knows she’s here, right?”
She draws the shawl tighter around her shoulders. “He knows.”
“Is he planning something?”
“Are you?” Her voice cuts in. “Because I’m here to tell you now he won’t like it. I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think I’m not looking. She has you wrapped around her finger. You’re just like Nicole. Running in with your emotions first, heart on your sleeve. The Darlington brat is using you. I wish you’d see that.”
At her mention of me being just like Nicole, the hole in my heart wrenches and the urge to fucking hit something rolls under the surface. I take a toke, using the hot air to sooth my anger, and then twist my lips into a cruel smile.
“Tell me, Mémé,” I say, using the name we called her when we were children. ‘Are you both going to kill me off, like you did Nicole?”
She sucks in a breath between her teeth. “What that man does is nothing to do with me. You know as much as I do.” She turns back to the house, as if to go inside.
“He’s been sending her dead birds.”
Constance hesitates as I knew she would. There are only two other people Marcel has been obsessed about to send dead birds to…
My mother before she died. And my sister.
“What kind of bird?”
I give a shrug. “Does it fucking matter what kind?”
“No, I suppose not.” She pauses and looks at me expectantly. “Are you going to visit her while you’re here?”
She means my sister. I take one last drag on my cigarette before putting it out. “I’ll go in the morning. After breakfast. That’s when visiting hours are.”
Constance nods, like that’s what she expects. Then she’s gone, back inside closing the patio door behind her.
I should really tell Pearl about Beth, but now is not the time to dredge up old dramas. I also can’t take her with me tomorrow. That’s going to go down like a lead balloon so I’m probably not going to tell Pearl. Anyway, I’ll be back before Marcel and the rest of the family arrives. As long as she stays away from Romain. I don’t like the way he looks at her. Of all my male cousins, he’s the fucking worst of the lot of them. I’m one hundred percent convinced he has no empathy.
Odette. I need to speak to her again, drill home how important this is. Odette is the only one I can trust until Emerald gets here. Odette, and God help me if it comes to it, Royce.
The sound of an engine roaring and the screech of wheels drags me out of my fucked-up daydream. I look west toward where the driveway is located to see a blue McLaren race out of the driveway like it’s taking part in a sweet race.
Romain fucking Montford. Where are you going?
I’ve no idea where he’s off to but I’m relieved to see him leaving the chateau. I had no idea that Grandfather had invited him at all. If I had known, I’m not sure I would have let Pearl stay here. Out of all the grandchildren, Marcel tolerates Romain but only when he needs him to do some of his more distasteful work. That he’s even here tells me this is not going to be a cosy holiday. Marcel could have asked him here to piss me off, but it’s more likely he brought him in to fuck with Pearl.
My Pearl.
And there we go, back to square fucking one.
Chapter 17
Pearl
Next morning, I watch Seth’s car leave early from the window. Where is he going? Maybe I should have gone down for breakfast when one of the house staff knocked, but I decided to ignore them and stay in bed.
After last night, the last thing I want to do is have another meal with Seth’s shitty family. Tonight will be Constance’s birthday party and the moment I’m expected to get Marcel to confess to killing my dad, plant a bug, and look for evidence. For all that alone, I think I deserve a sleep in.
Only now, I’ve no idea where Seth is going. I send him a message asking him to grab me pastry and a coffee while he’s out. I’m not eating anything the staff make here. All night my stomach was twinging and making strange noises which is another reason I stayed in bed. I’m not feeling that great.
I’m just clutching at my tummy wondering if there’s anything in my suitcase I can take to ease it when there’s a knock at the door. It’s probably the maid to make up the room for Emerald, since she’s arriving today.
“No thank you.”
Since I hung all my pond clothes up, the room reeks of damp. I wouldn’t wish this room on my worst enemy, let alone Seth’s nicest cousin.
They knock again. Louder this time.
“I said, no thank you.” I repeat to the closed door, hoping whoever it is would just fuck off and leave me alone.
“Pearl, it’s me, Odette. Can I come in?”
Fear spikes, and almost at once I’m sitting up, gathering the sheets around me.
Why is Odette here? She tried to kill me, gave me a shitty welcome last night, and now she wants to come in?
“Why? What the hell do you want?” I say, in a spiky voice.
She doesn’t wait for an invitation but pushes the door open, since there are no locks here anywhere, and walks in. I already removed the chair I’d pushed up against the handle which was the only thing that allowed me to get a wink of sleep in this place.
Odette sees me still in bed and wrinkles her nose, blue eyes frosty as the morning air. “It smells damp in here.”
I glare at her. “Some fucker drowned my suitcase, so everything is wet.”
She purses her lips. “Romain and I are heading out for brunch. Thought you might want to come with us since you haven’t eaten yet and Seth told me to look after you.”
“Oh, he told you to, did he? He must not know that you’ve tried to kill me once already.”
Her eyes glaze over at my words. After a few seconds, she steps in completely, pushing the door closed. “If you must know, I was saving your life. You’re welcome, by the way,” she hisses.
If I wasn’t already freaking out, I would be now. I feel super vulnerable sitting in bed while my murderer stands only a few feet away. Even more now with the door closed. I push the bedclothes off and get out of bed, eyeing my handbag where Levi’s gun is tucked inside. “Seems like a strange way to save someone if you ask me.”
Odette’s eyes ro
ll up and she huffs. “Romain was about to shoot you with a tranquilizer dart so it would look like you drowned. I pushed you in early, before he could shoot you, so in a way I saved your life.”
Mouth pinched, I give her a distrustful look. “I still could have drowned!”
“Oh, please, I waited until you got out. If you hadn’t done so I would have jumped in after you.”
“I seriously doubt that,” I mutter under my breath.
She sighs, rubbing her temple. “Look, are you coming or not. If you don’t want to come you can stay here with Constance. Royce said he was arriving soon and Grandfather usually arrives before lunch. Seth was the one who asked me to protect you, if you must know. If I know where Seth has gone, he may join us after.”
“Okay, but Romain is coming and according to you he tried to kill me?” And according to Seth I should stay away from him.
She shrugs. “I can handle Romain. He’ll piss off when we get there anyway and I can give you all the gossip I know about Seth.”
Oh, that’s okay then. I close my eyes, take a breath and then open them. My phone chooses that moment to ping. I glance down to see a message from Seth telling me he’ll be back before the party and to hang out with Odette until he gets back. No indication of where he is or anything.
He’s so infuriating. Just because I trust Seth now, doesn’t mean I trust his bloody judgement on things. He needs to learn to share with me if this partnership is going to work.
I shake my head. “Fine, this is just brunch, right? Where?” I don’t want to stay here alone. What if Marcel shows up? This could also be a good opportunity to get dirt on the family. Odette seems talkative. That said, I am going to kill Seth for leaving me when I see him.
“There’s only one place we can go around here for Sunday brunch.” Odette eyes my things hanging up drying around the room. “The golf club.”
I arch a brow. “Are you serious right now?”
“Completely,” she says, stepping inside. “So, is everything wet? Do you have anything to wear apart from what you’re wearing now?”
I’m in what I was wearing when I arrived in yesterday. I don’t trust the staff in this house to bring my clothes back so I hand washed and hung up everything but my arrival outfit. “All I have is what I’m wearing right now.”
She sighs, giving me a once over. “We’re about the same size. You can borrow something of mine.”
“Where has Seth gone?” He won’t tell me, and I have to ask.
Odette looks at me with cool eyes. “Oh, Seth has gone to see his sister.”
Odette lied. We’re not the same size at all. She’s taller and bustier than me and it shows in everything of hers I try on. I sit on her bed, mind wondering to Seth’s sister and why I’ve never heard of her, while Odette digs around in her wardrobe before finally throwing a dark, ruby red garment at me. I want to ask more about Seth’s past, but I don’t know how to bring it up.
I’ll just have to steer the conversation.
“Here, try this. It’s old. It’s definitely too small for me.”
I hold it up and immediately recoil. It’s a wine-colored halterneck dress with a plunging neckline and a lace-layered skirt. It’s not something I would ever wear.
“I’ll just wear what I have on.”
“No, you won’t. Romain will take one look at you send you back. Now put it on, we’re late.”
I dress as quickly as I can with Odette fussing over me and then follow her out into the hallway. When we get to the top of the landing, I turn away from her and head across to my room.
“Where are you going? We need to leave now.”
“I need a purse or something for my phone?” And my gun.
“No, you’ll ruin the look. Just stick it down your bra.”
I’m not sure how I feel about sneaking a gun into a golf club anyway, I also don’t even know how to shoot it. Breathing out all of the stress that’s beginning to build up, I forget my bag and follow her outside to the front of the house where Romain is waiting with his pretty, blue sports car. I have to snort back a laugh at how ridiculous he looks with his blue hair and his blue car.
Almost immediately, it starts to rain and Odette squeals. She runs around to the front of the car and yanks open passenger side door and gestures for me to hurry inside. The laugh is on me when I realize the sports car doesn’t have rear seats and I balk at the three seat configuration in the front. The middle seat, obviously meant for me, is tiny and looks like it was made for a child. Huffing slightly, I slide into the all black leather interior as Odette climbs in after me and closes her door. Romain gets in and closes the door on the driver side. It has the effect of packing us all in very tightly.
“Is Seth definitely joining us later?” I ask, because my derrière is squished in between both siblings and I don’t want to have to do this on the way back.
The rain is falling harder now. You can hear it drilling the hull of the car, leaving me wondering why the hell I bothered to change when I’m going to get soaking wet as soon as I go outside.
A smirk flashes across Romain’s face as he glances at me practically sitting in his lap. “Oh, loverboy will be along later. Don’t you fucking worry.”
The golf club is nothing like I imagined. Romain drives up and we join a host of super cars which are also pulling up outside the front entrance. Girls and guys are piling out of the sleek cars, passing them off to valets to park. The rain has stopped so outside is buzzing, and all around the young, French elite are gathering looking extremely hot and vogue-esque. This is how the French do Sunday brunch?
One of the doors opens and I get out, thanking Odette under my breath for forcing me to change. My blue ripped jeans and favorite white t-shirt with Woman Up on the front would not have worked.
All eyes are on us the moment we step out of the car. Excitement, like it always does when I arrive at a new place, bubbles throughout my body. This time though, there’s also a pang of dread deep in the pit of my stomach. I’m doing what I always do which is move first, think later. I wasn’t really thinking when Odette asked me come out for brunch. I was bored sitting in that blue room all by myself. Seth told me to enjoy myself, so this is me enjoying myself.
Right?
I glance at the cars arriving behind us and then to the view from the top of the hill where the golf club sits of the long-ass driveway we drove up. None of the cars arriving belong to Seth. I texted him earlier to say I was going to brunch with Odette and he said he was finished and would join us soon, dispelling the last of my fears that the psycho siblings were taking me off to a field to be shot. If he’s finished, where the hell is he? He must still be on his way. This makes me wonder where the hell his sister lives. I make a mental note to ask Odette later.
Romain gets out and almost instantly he’s fidgeting, eyes dancing wildly about as he takes in the vibe. I have to wonder what he’s been taking to be so far off his face. He sees someone he recognizes—a redhead with a black and white polka-dot playsuit and heels I could never walk in—and waltzes over to her and scoops her up in arms so she squeals.
“Come on,” says Odette, rolling her eyes as Romain fucks off and the valet drives Romain’s McLaren away. “Let’s get inside. He’ll be ages.”
We enter the foyer of the golf club. Inside is just as glitzy as outside, if not more. I have to keep reminding myself that this is just the local golf club. Odette is suddenly all smiles and sunshine as she scans the room like a pro and makes connections. This place reminds me of the London polo club meet Flick and I used to go to every week without fail to watch the ponies and drink champers. Where I was the one who everyone knew.
Now I’m the one everyone is eyeing up, wondering who the hell and I am and how big my bank balance is. It’s strange to be the unknown entity for once. It’s also kind of refreshing.
After air kissing a bunch of minor celebrities, we pass through the building and out onto the terrace toward the back of the club. The nice weather has arri
ved and the whole place is glowing with sunshine. Odette takes two mimosas from a passing waiter and hands me one. She doesn’t say anything more to me, but she flips open her phone and types furiously with one hand.
I want to call Sophia but it’s already 1 p.m. I know because I checked Seth’s last message in the car. She’ll already be at Sunday church service with Grams. Also, my phone is in my bra and there’s no way I’m fishing it out in public.
The waiter arrives and shows us to a table that the siblings have pre-booked. I can’t help but notice it’s for four seats as Odette and I order lunch. Salad for her and soup for me, since my stomach is still a bit iffy.
I don’t even get to taste my soup, maybe nibble bit of bread, as arms wrap around over my shoulders from behind making me jump out of my skin. Woody. Citrus. Vanilla.
Deep down I want it to be Seth, but the scent is all wrong.
“Maybe now we can get to know one another,” Romain breathes in my ear, sending an icy spike of fear rippling through me.
“Fuck off, lettuce boy.” I shrug him off as he laughs.
“You took your sweet time,” Odette sneers.
He rolls his eyes. “Well, I’m here now aren’t I?” As he takes the seat next to me, I’m reminded that Odette did say that Romain wouldn’t be joining us for brunch. I’m beginning to see Odette is just one big liar.
He gives me a Cheshire Cat grin. “Odette tells me you want to know some gossip about loverboy. How about we play a little game?”
What is it with these Montford’s and their games?
“I’ll tell you five things you want to know about loverboy and in return, you do something for me.”
I meet his crazy look with a scathing one of my own. “I doubt you know anything worth my while.”
He chuckles and naps a cherry tomato off Odette’s plate and sticks it in his mouth. “Oh, I know plenty.”
It’s tempting. Really tempting. “Okay, I’ll bite. What do I have to do in return?”