by Chris Lange
They whispered for the boy’s sake although she’d left the door ajar and her dad’s voice reached them. Raphael lowered his lean body on the chair while she took off her shoes before lying down on the free side of the bed. With a blissful sigh, she put one arm around Johnny’s waist and let her mind wander.
Did people dream when dozing? Obviously yes, because her head filled with images of Garrett looking at her with intensity, his hands stroking her bare body, his cock sliding up her pussy until she . . .
Woke up with a start. No noise came from the main room as she rolled toward the spot where she last saw Raphael. He hadn’t moved, his still shadow leaning forward to whisper. “Welcome back, Tracy.”
“It’s so quiet. Where is everybody?”
“Your father and the gunslinger shared a meal and then went outside ten minutes ago to stretch their legs.”
“How long have I been out?”
“About two hours.”
“Right.”
Not much compared to a good night’s sleep, yet she felt rested and alert. Also on edge as the images from the dream kept flashing in her mind. Something was wrong with Garrett and she had to find out what. She sat on the edge of the bed, put her shoes back on, and approached Raphael.
“I’ve got to speak to Garrett.”
“Do what you have to. Your son is safe with me.”
What unbelievable goodness had she done in a previous life or in this one to deserve such a remarkable, out-of-this-world guardian? Her heart squeezing with emotion, she crouched beside his chair.
“I love you, Raphael.”
Like the brother she never had, like the best friend a girl was entitled to cherish. So she didn’t have to clarify her feelings because he knew exactly what she meant. With a sad smile, he caressed her cheek.
“If I was human, I’d love you, too.”
“Do you think we’ll ever find out why we share this connection?”
“Probably not. Does it matter to you?”
On the whole, she had a tendency to better grasp situations when all aspects were well defined, but in this particular case maybe staying in the dark strengthened their bond. “I guess . . . not really.”
“Then go see your man.”
Although his statement kindled warmth along her nerves, she didn’t want to give him a false idea of her relationship with Garrett.
“He isn’t my man.”
When Raphael didn’t contradict her, she got to her feet and walked quietly to the door, using the beam of light emanating from the main room. But as she stepped outside, she heard his murmur. “Yes, he is.”
Her heart bounced like when she was a teenager and a boy she liked winked at her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. To cool down, she pictured the grounds of the Burnes’ estates as she remembered them from her last visit. Cross the side of the park to the manor, follow the white wall to the small back door.
So she did, soon entering the huge mansion and pretending to be a welcomed guest as servants passed her by. Andrew would hide her if she bumped into him, but Miss Perfect might not be so understanding.
When she reached the main entrance, she spotted Garrett entering a room. Luck seemed to be holding her hand today. She hastened after him, closed the door behind her, and whispered his name.
He certainly didn’t answer. Someone else did, the haughty voice twisting her guts and making her wish she hadn’t set foot outside the garden house.
Chapter 14
“Good heavens, who might you be?”
They’d met four years ago, but could Garrett’s mother not recognize her? Heart thumping, Tracy pressed her back against the door as the dragon queen stared at her with hostility in her eyes. “Need I repeat my question?”
The tone slapped her, and she felt like a naughty child before a severe schoolmaster. Why the fuck didn’t she stay in the secure room with Johnny and Raphael? And where the hell was Garrett? Summoning her courage, she took a deep breath and managed two steps away from the door.
“My name is Tracy, I’m William Richardson’s daughter. I was just looking for Garrett when I saw him coming into this room.”
The first lady of the manor marked a page, set her book down on a side table, and slowly rested her hands on the arms of the chair.
“How perfectly marvelous.”
Coldness and sarcasm seeped off the woman like the sucking sounds of gorged leeches. Knowing exactly who Tracy was didn’t appear to upset her in the least, but might just give her the advantage to strike with more efficiency.
The confrontation with the immortal would require bravery she wasn’t sure to possess but this . . . this was far worse. At a complete loss for words, she glanced at her immediate surroundings, taking in the luxurious Burgundy-red carpeting supporting beautifully adorned mahogany-red bookshelves that reached up to the vaulted ceiling. On the right side, a rolling library ladder rested on a curved track.
Such a wonderful place to sit alone and have a cup of coffee while reading a book, if not for the formidable owner staring down at her. What should she do now? Turn tail and run back to the garden house?
She refrained from shivering as words fell out of Lady Anne’s lips. “How insignificant intrusion makes one feel.”
Sure. Then again, if she’d climb down her aristocratic heights for one second, they might be able to exchange views. Did noble people communicate with non-royalty human beings? Whatever, the odds were against her and she’d better apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your manor or your privacy.”
The dragon queen tilted up her nose. With a freezing glare eyeing her from head to toe, she puckered her mouth. “I am afraid I may have encouraged you to feel you have the right to address me thus, Miss Richardson.”
Pins and needles iced her feet and calves when the condescending tone struck her full force. Shit, how was she supposed to address the woman? On top of trespassing, she’d now be labeled as the peasant who couldn’t tell the difference between a peer of Queen Victoria and the scullery maid.
Where the holy fuck was Garrett? Why didn’t he sweep in right this second and save the day instead of crouching behind furniture?
Curling her toes to ease the teeny-weeny cramps slithering up her ankles, she licked her lips. “No, you haven’t. I think I’d better leave you now.”
She backed one foot toward blessed freedom, but didn’t reach the door before the voice cut her down.
“My dear, I am not unduly interested in whether you think or not.”
Wow, how did people like her manage to throw insults with only refined words coming out of their uppity lips? Was there a beginner’s guidebook for learning such a skill? Probably not in this neighborhood.
“All right,” Tracy said, “I guess we started off on the wrong foot, but we’re adults and I’m sure we can get past that.”
“It grieves me to say I find you unpleasant to be around.”
So the woman intended to go to extreme lengths to put her down. What were the odds? Okay, fine. The quicker she left the library and found sanctuary in the garden house, the better she’d feel. “Look, just tell me where Garrett is and I’ll be on my way.”
“Am I to assume you stand in need of a favor? Alas, I fear I cannot waste my kindness on an unworthy recipient.”
Bitch! Damn, horrible bitch. A fiery sensation tingled up her spine as the poisonous meaning erected a barrier between them. Except that the great divide had been there from the start, even before they met. The cow belonged to a different world and she’d never accept any kind of agreement.
“Listen,” Tracy said, “I’m not here to make any trouble. I just want to speak to Garrett, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Perhaps you ought to be made aware that I have an abhorrence of ill-breeding and scheming fornicatr
esses.”
She didn’t hear that right, did she? Repressed air spurted out of her lungs while she willed herself to maintain a dignified composure and not shout the swearwords tumbling inside her brain. Tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, she remained still while Garrett’s mother pursed her mouth.
“Silence is the bearer of one’s sins, is it not?”
The time to chill out and converse politely dwindled to the size of a dwarf peanut. Tracy’s only mistake had been to fall in love with Garrett. She never wanted his money or his position, not even his way of life. And for crying out loud, she didn’t deserve to be subjected to such a mean treatment.
Fat droplets of sweat forming behind her ears, she took three steps forward. “I don’t care what you think of me. I’m well aware you want me as far away from Garrett as possible and trust me, the feeling is mutual. But as you put it so nicely, I don’t fornicate. I happen to love your son.”
“My goodness, what a testimony. However, your opinions and values have no place in a civilized home.”
The darn woman called her a slut, and she should just bow and retreat? No way in hell. If a battle was required, a battle there would be. Refraining from shivering, she came forward but halted a fair distance from her opponent. “You don’t have to believe me when I say I don’t give a shit about your money. But for what it’s worth, lady, you’re wrong.”
So much like her first-born, the dragon queen’s gaze remained frosted as she arched a disdainful eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t know. I am not familiar with the sensation.”
Swallowing the frustration rising up her throat hurt. She laced her hands behind her back. Obviously, such a perfect person as Lady Anne never made any mistake and thought of herself as flawless. What would it take to knock her off her pedestal, to make her realize life didn’t revolve around her?
“I’m sure you aren’t,” Tracy replied. “People like you are way too busy navel-gazing to understand what goes on around them.”
“A colorful euphemism I must say, hence—”
The knock on the door interrupted a no doubt vitriolic criticism. A relieved sigh flowing over her tongue, she glanced back to see a young maid entering the library and quickly lowering her eyes.
“I have laid tea in the drawing room, your ladyship.”
“Thank you, Poppy.”
With a curtsy, the young girl turned round, walked out, and shut the door behind her without so much as a muffle. Her departure restored the stuffed atmosphere that seemed to cling to her skin. Inhaling soundlessly, legs wobbly, Tracy rested a wrist on the back of the empty armchair next to her.
“Oh, do stand up, dear. You’re slouching like a ploughman.”
Heat whooshed up her cheeks. Despite her determination to remain indifferent to the slamming remarks hurled at her, her irritation festered to downright fury. Who did the despicable woman think she was? The empress of all universes combined? Well, not in her American book.
“Hey, I’ve had enough of you. If you don’t want to tell me where Garrett is, don’t bother. I’ll find him myself.”
“Heavens, you needn’t be quite so shocked. Perhaps you might consider recovering your nerves prior to seeking my son.”
Was that an attempt to sweet-talk her into staying put? Or a way to send her off on a quest doomed to fail? Whatever, because her fingers now itched to slap something, in all likelihood a wrinkled cheek. But before she could think of a reply, the dragon queen waved a contemptuous hand.
“You may go.”
Dismissed like a lackey. The woman’s sassiness knew no bounds and her unshakable self-confidence felt like the stings of a thousand daggers. Didn’t anything ever wrench her out of her calculated indifference and almighty self-possession? Well, the knowledge she had a grandson might.
“No, I won’t,” Tracy said. “Not until you hear what I have to say.”
The loud sigh that came out of the dragon queen’s nose didn’t sound ladylike at all, but it made her point even before she spoke.
“Must I? Whether you approve or not, I feel I cannot listen to your pitiful attempts to try and justify your convictions.”
This time, the blow punched her straight in the guts. Red spots sparkled at the back of her eyes while the royal bitch sitting on her armchair jutted out her lower lip in a pout. In the sudden silence hovering around them, a panel in the back wall breathed open and Garrett stepped inside.
No wonder she couldn’t figure out how he wasn’t in the library when she came in. The whole panel appeared to be a bookshelf concealing another entrance. What was on the other side? The drawing room where hot tea waited for the masters of the house? Certainly not for unwanted guests.
Garrett frowned as soon as he saw her standing not far away from his beloved, charming Mommy. Yet the thick slices of politeness carved from his bones quickly smoothed out his knitted brow. “Tracy?”
His slight interrogative tone went through her, loosening the bunched body parts she used to call muscles. Or maybe his unexpected apparition did that. Pulse jumping, she avidly focused on him.
“Garrett, I wanted a word so I followed you.”
“I see.”
If he didn’t want her presence known, he should be furious to find her here of all places. Yet his polite expression didn’t change as he shut the sliding panel and moved forward to come to stand beside her.
“Mother, I imagine you recall Miss Richardson.”
“Yes, I dare say.”
“Splendid. Can I take this chance to say how delighted I am to have a kindred spirit come to visit?”
Not an inch of flesh shifted on the dragon queen’s frosty features, and still the atmosphere dropped a degree or two. Maybe ten. Her shrewd gaze riveted on her son, pure contempt flowed out of her mouth.
“I should so hate for you to be discontented, Garrett. However, I must do what my conscience tells me. This peasant is naught but a fortune hunter.”
What? No mention of harlot or fornicatress? Oh, come again. Since Lord John died and Garrett became head of the family, it seemed the first lady of the manor learned to sugarcoat harsh opinions. Was she afraid her precious son would throw her out onto the street? Now that would be a fun turn to watch.
“I care not for your sentiment, Mother.”
Wild, undiluted, perfect felicity flooded her heart at hearing his rebuke. He’d changed, too. The constraints of his education still inflated his blood, but his new position allowed him a freedom he didn’t possess before. It showed in the boldness of his voice and in the resolution of his stance.
A sharp pang of desire lanced her belly while she observed the determination heightening his handsome face. Like Raphael said, Garrett was her man. He’d been willing to forsake his whole life once, but his mother and her father made sure they’d never see each other again. What would he do now?
He left her behind him as he moved toward his mother, perhaps in the hope of convincing her that guests had to be treated nicely. But the darn woman smirked before verbalizing her disgruntlement. “Good heavens, Garrett. I hope I don’t hear sounds of a disagreement, for the notion feels rather disrespectful.”
“Were I to answer truthfully, I fear you’d think me rather forward.”
Gee, was he going to lash out at his mommy? Come on, baby, bring it on. But in spite of her lover’s interesting disposition, her fingers still trembled from the fury she’d just experienced. If she stayed in this room much longer, the anger writhing in her belly would overcome her common sense.
She itched to slap the dragon queen right in the trap. With a little luck, maybe break her nose to finally wipe that sneer off her face. No doubt the relieving blow would cool off the pressure straining her nerves, but Garrett would never forgive her. Besides, he’d also wear her out with ‘By George, one doesn’t smite elderly
ladies’ and ‘Dear Lord, how dare you conduct yourself thus?’
Garrett shifted to the side. His large back blocked her range of vision, cutting her off from the mistress of the manor’s sight. What a perfect opportunity to slip out unnoticed and let them tear each other’s heads off. She took two steps back and stilled when he reminded them all of her presence.
“You needn’t get so hot under the collar, Mother. I can assure you Miss Richardson comes in good faith. Perhaps we might present her with refreshment, and comment on our affairs with grace.”
“I would sooner chew gravel.”
Holy shit, that did it. She had to leave now, turn her back on that nasty, horrendous, loathsome bitch and never set foot in this manor again. Heedless of her previous intent to sneak out quietly, she whirled round, marched toward freedom, burst into the hallway, and slammed the library door shut.
Her heart slammed against her ribcage. She began hyperventilating, the rapid flow of air making her light-headed. Garrett could deal with his mother the way he saw fit, and she’d never again be part of their private business.
She strode toward the manor’s back door, the pounding of her pulse flapping in her throat. Members of the staff nodded at her, but she barely noticed them, way too focused on keeping her anger within reasonable control.
“Tracy?”
The call halted her. Plastering a smile on her face, she turned round to watch the charming young man who didn’t deserve to be ignored because his mother had a tendency to treat people like dirt.
“Hey, Andrew. I’m going back to the garden house.”
“I’d be delighted to accompany you.”
“Suit yourself, but I bet Dad is back, probably lecturing Jake. Listening to him when he goes technical can be kind of boring, you know.”
His surprise showed in the widening of his brown-green eyes as he came up to her and rolled his fingers around her elbow. “Your father couldn’t be boring even if he tried his best. He’s the most remarkable scientist I’ve had the honor to meet.”