by Hazel Grace
“My days are busy. I’m sure someone else can take you up on that.”
Sophia nodded. “Another time then.”
“How long are you staying?” I asked, so I could start counting down the days till she’d be gone. “Why would your interest lay around the castle? Is your father moving back into the city?”
“I plan on marrying someone here soon and making this my permanent residence.” Missing a step, I caught myself, but she noticed. “Your silence makes me wonder if you think I couldn’t find myself a husband.” She stiffened in my arms.
“Any other man would be lucky to have you, Lady Chitwood.”
“What about you, my Lord?”
“I don’t plan on marrying anytime soon,” I replied, viewing other couples over her shoulder. She needed to bother some other poor soul.
“Nonsense.” She raised her chin, giving me a view of her copious nose.
I tightened my eyes. “I promise you that I’m serious.”
“Many of these men, my Lord, are a plain bore. I’ve already searched for and found the man I will marry.” She met my eyes, not hiding the fact that I was her choice.
“Then let me escort you to your fiancé,” I insisted, starting to step away, but Sophia clasped my hand.
“Let’s not play games,” Sophia insisted. “I know what I’ve come here for.” Before I was able to tell her she’d better think again, the music ended. Couples around us clapped, as I immediately walked away from her, not giving her a second glance. It was rude as hell, but this charade was over.
“Enjoy your dance?” my asshole brother asked, and I glared at him. Madelyn grinned ear to ear; she obviously didn’t feel the tension.
“Very much,” Sophia replied. Femme Fatale, the woman couldn’t, or didn’t, want to take a hint.
“Son of a bitch,” I mumbled. Madelyn stood next to George, which confirmed that he didn’t speak to her yet. George introduced Sophia and Madelyn, and I scowled at him.
“Will you grab me some punch, Lord Cranfield?” Sophia inquired, under hooded eyelashes. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t her lap dog, but I was open to getting away from her...without the punch. I turned to leave, almost running into Ava.
“Hello.” She smiled. Her cheeks were flushed from dancing, and cheerful green eyes looked up at me.
“Avie,” I replied, my lips quirking. A piece of her red hair fell along the side of her face, and I held back the impulse to swipe it away. She looked…amazing.
“Escaping?” she accused, nodding behind me.
I shook my head. “Not anymore.” Her smile widened.
“Did you need help, my Lord?” Sophia probed, appearing at my side.
“Just speaking with Lady Barlow,” I replied, keeping my eyes locked with Ava.
“Lady Barlow?” Sophia repeated, looking Ava over. “The ex-fiancé?”
“I am,” she declared, raising a brow. “And you are?”
Sophia straightened. “Lady Sophia Chitwood. I apologize…it just caught me off guard that you’d be in attendance.”
“And that would be surprising because…?” Ava paused.
“His Grace is courting another,” Sophia informed. “Wouldn’t that make it a little embarrassing and awkward?”
“No,” Ava deadpanned, which made my grin widen.
Sophia’s forehead tightened. “If you are here for selfish reasons, Lady Barlow, I’ll warn you to cease any plans you may have.”
“Plans?” Ava recited.
“Tactics to break up the courting of Lady Madelyn and—”
“Hold on,” Ava interrupted, holding up a hand. “How are you involved with this?” She glanced at me, then back at Sophia. “I’ve never even heard of you.”
Sophia glowered. “I’m Garrett’s close and personal friend.” Ava raised a brow at me, then dismissed any opportunity of my defending myself.
“Interesting,” Ava pondered. “I’ve spent weeks at the castle as a child, and never have I seen you around.”
“I’m just giving you friendly advice, Lady Barlow. Take it as you will.” Ava’s jaw twitched. “Now, Lord Cranfield, that drink.” Sophia lightly yanked on my arm.
“George,” Ava called, dropping her hands to her sides. She waited patiently until George appeared next to me. “Will you be a darling and take Lady Shitwood to the punch table?”
Sophia’s mouth gaped open.
“It’d be my pleasure,” George replied, holding out his arm for Sophia. She hesitated, knowing she was being dismissed. The women fixed each other with scowls, neither backing down. “Ready, Lady Chitwood?”
Sophia huffed and nodded, leaving me alone with the annoyed redhead.
I took a step closer to Ava, grabbing her attention. “You were amazing.”
Ava
Chapter 14
Garrett stared at me like I was his hero. His blue eyes gleamed at me in amusement for ridding him of the blonde shrew. I’m not sure why she irritated me so much, standing so close to Garrett, but it did. The possessive closeness sent a jealousy through me.
“Who was that?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Garrett sighed. “That is the vexing Sophia Chitwood.”
“I got the name, but who is she?”
Garrett raised a brow and smirked. I instantly regretted my meddling in his business.
“An aggravating female who seems to have her sights set on a rich husband.”
“You?”
“I’m hoping not.”
I bit my tongue. It was none of my business who he corresponded with, or what he planned on doing with other females. I was here to help George, and nothing else.
He held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
I hesitated for a moment before I took it, and he escorted me deep within the mass of dancing pairs. The music was slow and whimsical, the notes gently rising and falling around us. The soft candlelight illuminated off his back as I followed him to the floor, outlining his broad shoulders.
Turning to face me, he eased his arm around me, his fingers caressing the bare skin of my back. Heat seeped from his skin into mine, and I shuddered. He bit his lower lip as he clasped my hand with his, his thumb swiping a sensitive part of my hand I didn’t know I had. His eyes were steady on me, dark and dangerous. My heart thudded in my chest as we found our rhythm, swaying back and forth.
“You’re quiet,” Garrett murmured.
I shrugged. “Just enjoying the atmosphere.”
“I’d like it if you’d say enjoying your time with me,” he teased, the corner of his mouth lifting.
I rolled my eyes. “Like you need your ego stroked.”
Garrett beamed, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
“I’ll take any compliment that comes from you,” Garrett stated, spreading his fingers across my back. Heat spread through my cheeks, and my breathing hitched. “In all honestly, Avie, you look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you.” I looked at his chest; my face felt on fire. The way words rolled off his tongue so smoothly sent chills down my body.
“I’m sorry about Lady Shitwood.”
I broke into a smile. “Caught on to that, eh?”
He chuckled. “I did.”
“You looked like you needed help,” I stated. He dropped his hand from my back and twirled me once. Bringing me back toward him, he held me closer. Time stood still, and all I could focus on was the man in front of me. His eyes studied my lips before he brought his gaze up to meet my own.
“How could you tell?” he asked, his voice dropping. I glanced at his lips. Strong. Dominant. Impeccable. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed.
“Your posture,” I blurted.
He tilted his head, his brows furrowed. “My posture?”
“You shift from side to side when you’re irritated, and you clench your fists…I do the same thing,” I explained, knowing my big mouth had already said too much.
He raised a brow. “Have you been studying me?”
“Observi
ng.”
“Even better,” he gloated. “I’m honored.”
“Oh Femme Fatale, Garr,” I reprimanded with a grin. I looked over at a couple, dancing closely together, the man whispering in her ear. Garrett squeezed my hand to capture my attention, and I slowly brought myself to face him. His face was sincere, eyes soft and, in the candlelight, a lighter shade of blue.
“You saved me from that unbearable female, I—”
“Don’t say you owe me,” I said. “You protected me for years, remember?”
Garrett opened his mouth and shut it, like he was contemplating. He leaned forward, keeping my weight under his hand, dipping my body. He slowly brought me back up, our eyes locking together.
He bent his head, close to my ear, and said softly, “And I’d do it again.” His breath fanned across my cheek as his skin brushed against mine. As he came back to face me, a hot surge crept into my cheeks. Now I was the one opening my mouth and closing it.
Garrett
Chapter 15
“Ava is a lovely thing. I wish I hadn’t let George break their engagement,” my father said, puffing on his Belvedere. Standing in the hallway outside of the ballroom, I welcomed the warm spring air, but not my father interrupting my peace and quiet. I continued to look out at the cloudless sky, stars flickering through every inch of it.
“She is lovely,” I said.
My father cleared his throat and placed a large hand on my shoulder. “Speaking of lovely, the Lady Sophia Chitwood is quite beautiful.”
I groaned. “She is a spoiled chit. I feel bad for any man who falls into her little trap.”
“She is an only child, Garr, and her mother is dead. Her father has every right to spoil her.”
“Doesn’t excuse her behavior,” I argued. “She is a straight pain in the balls.”
“Sophia is young; she will grow out of it.”
“Was there something I could do for you?” I peered over my shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be in there spoiling your wife for her birthday?”
Father sighed. “Her friends are entertaining her just fine. I need a break. That woman has been driving me mad with plans of this party.” He leaned on the window paneling and looked out. “Now that I’ve spoken to your brother about what I want, I’m going to do the same with you.”
“And that would be what?” I asked him, staring a hole into the back of his head. He wasn’t about to boss my life around. I wasn’t going to stay for this shit.
“Let’s go discuss this around the corner,” he insisted, pushing off the window sill. Watching him walk down the hallway, he turned around when he didn’t hear me following him. He waved an arm at me. “C’mon, I don’t want this to take all damn night.”
I hesitated a moment longer and decided to get it over with. Not knowing what he had on his mind increased my irritation. We entered a nearby parlor, painted in deep red, with the ugliest black and gold vined carpeting I’d ever seen.
My father leaned against the small desk. “Grab us a drink off the mantel, will you, son?” I made my way over, pulling out two glasses and decanter of rum. “If something happens to George...”
“Nothing will happen to George,” I said plainly, pouring brandy into the glasses.
“But if something does, then—”
I looked over my shoulder. “Do you think I’d let anything happen to my damn brother?” I snapped, irritated that I was in this room when all I wanted was a moment to myself.
“Let me finish, boy,” my father growled. I walked over to him, handing him a glass. “If something happens to George, Ava will still become heir to the throne. I’ll need you here to help.”
I turned to face him. “I’m going home to Aruna when this is all over,” I retorted.
Father shrugged. “Plans change.”
“Mine don’t.”
He narrowed his eyes at me over his glass. “You might not be Tellivan, but you’re my son. If I need you here, you’ll stay here.” I took a seat in a chair and raised a brow.
“I don’t need to be here; you’re here.”
“I plan on stepping down from the throne and giving it to your brother within a few months,” my father advised, taking a sip.
“About damn time.”
He chuckled. “I want to be able to enjoy the remaining years of my life hunting and reading, not having so much responsibility.”
I nodded. “Does Cecilia know?”
Father shook his head. “No. Not yet. I was waiting for this party to be over. But this is my decision, and she must follow suit. She’ll deal with it in time.”
“I wish you all the luck in the world.” I could imagine the screams and rants from Cecilia now. I took sip of my drink.
“There is more as well, that I wanted to discuss with you. Lord Chitwood and I have been discussing Sophia’s future. We thought you both would make a good match together.”
I almost choked. “No!” I erected from my chair and raked a hand through my hair. I walked back to the brandy, needing another drink. “I will not be pinned down with that bitch for the rest of my life. She would drive me mad.”
“You could mold her into a fine wife and mother for your children,” he said calmly. “I know she might be outspoken and a challenge now, but you are good with fixing things. I am confident that—”
“I will not marry her. Not now nor ever.”
Father glanced at me, unaffected by my outrage. He sipped at his brandy before speaking again. “I will allow you time to think about it.”
I threw my glass against the wall, hearing it shatter, as I turned to face him. “You’re not understanding me. I’m not George; you’re not about to dictate my life. I’m not going to get forced, conned, or argued into marrying that whore of a woman!”
“Lord Chitwood is a powerful judge in the council. I need the backup to keep the funds coming in for the army, and—”
“I thought that’s why you were in business with Lord Barlow and the local farmers. You’ve wanted to get out of the Lords’ power of funding our army. You know that half of these jackasses are crooked as hell.”
“It takes years for that to fall into place,” he retorted, pacing the front of the desk. “Our harsh winters have made Lord Rousell’s, the idiot farmer, crops suffer. It pushed us back.”
I strolled to the door, not able to listen to any more of this. “I hope that was it.”
“No, that was not it!” my father bellowed from behind me, but I didn’t stop moving. No one was going to order me on who the hell I was going to marry because I wasn’t going down the road. “Garrett!”
“Too the fuck bad,” I said, opening the door. “Don’t bring this type of shit to me again.”
“Walk out that door, and I’ll just go to my next plan.”
I looked over my shoulder at him. His face was red, clenching his fist at his side. “What’s that?”
“Trust me,” he noted with a hint of warning. “You’ll like this plan a lot better.”
Ava
Chapter 16
George and I warmed our hands by the blazing fire in his study. Our morning ride greeted us with a chill that stalled in my body. But I welcomed it, keeping my mind off the way Garrett’s eyes and the heat of his hands burned into my skin.
“Sit.” George pushed a chair behind me. I sat and rubbed my hands together.
“Remind me to carry my gloves in my saddlebag from now on.” I leaned forward to capture more warmth. The blistering heat on my skin fighting the lingering prickles of cold. George nodded and sat on the rug beside me, crossing his legs.
“Can we talk about Madelyn?” His voice was solemn. I glanced down at him, his fingers rubbing at his temple as the flames of the fire played along his face.
I nodded. “Of course.”
He sighed heavily, hunching down on his elbows resting on his knees. “Since I must stop courting her, I don’t know the easiest way to go about it. If I knew it’d come to this, I wouldn’t have started courting her. Madelyn is ki
nd and—”
“I know,” I replied softly, touching his shoulder. “I would just explain it to her, so she’d understand.”
“No offense, but as a woman, I don’t see her giving me a handshake after I cast her off.”
“We are very emotional, hell-bent creatures who hold grudges.”
“She won’t understand. I wasn’t in love with her but one day…it may have possibly grown into more.”
“I’m sorry, George. We never seem to get what we want, do we?” He shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on the glowing fire.
“Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to run away from here?” He paused for a moment, bowing his head. “Not just because of the forced marriages and my father wanting to control my every move, but for the freedom. The freedom to fuck up and not have thousands of lives depending on me to make the right decisions.” He peered over his shoulder at me. “To be able to just live. Live a normal existence.”
I saw the frustration in his eyes. “That’s how I felt at the orphanage; the same suffocation and need to break free, but we will get through all this. Madelyn will understand, in time.”
She’d need to; she would never marry George if Edward was against it. Madelyn would have no problem finding a husband. She was elegant and intelligent, something a man would seek out in a wife.
George, on the other hand, didn’t have that luxury. He needed more. His wife would need to be rich, politically stable, healthy, and, a bonus, appealing.
The study door squeaked open, bringing our attention to a man standing in the egress. “Sorry, George, I didn’t know you had company.” The stranger held a stack of papers and before I could get a good look at him, George stood and walked to him.
“No need,” George replied. He gestured to me. “As you well know, this is Ava Barlow.”
The blond stranger walked deeper into the room. “The notorious Lady Barlow.” He pushed the papers against George’s chest and bowed. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. George has told me so much.” I began to rise to greet him, but he held up a hand, flashing his dimples at me and shaking his head. “No please, sit.”