The Tie That Binds

by Maura, Catharina

  I feel his breath tingling against my lips and lean in eagerly. His lips brush against mine and when I’m certain he’s finally about to kiss me, the sound of knocking on the door interrupts us.

  We jump away from each other just as Mary walks in. She looks from me to Dominic with a displeased expression and I know she full well realises what we’d been up to.

  “Are you ready to escort your future sister-in-law down the aisle?” she asks, her tone sharp. Dominic clears his throat and nods, his eyes filled with regret.

  Mary walks up to me and rearranges my hair carefully. I don’t dare to look into her eyes, scared she’ll know what we’d just been about to do.

  Just as I’d been avoiding her gaze, Dominic avoids mine as he walks me down the aisle. I’ve got my hand through his arm and he’s clutching my hand tightly with his other hand. We walk slowly, as though both of us know things will never be the same again when we reach Daniel. For the minute or so that it takes to walk down the aisle of our local church I imagine that Dominic will stop me. That he’ll tell me not to make the biggest mistake in my life and that he didn’t know what he was missing until I almost became someone else’s.

  But he doesn’t. He can’t. If I don’t marry Daniel today I’ll lose everything my father has worked so hard to build and Dominic knows that. He hesitates for a second before putting my hand in Daniel’s and then stares at our joint hands with clenched teeth. My eyes follow him as he turns and walks right out the church instead of sitting down in one of the pews. Daniel’s hand tightens on mine and I turn to look at him. His expression is carefully blank but there’s a mocking smile on his lips. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, silently reminding myself of what I’m doing this for.

  Daniel leans in, his lips brushing my ear. The touch sends an unexpected thrill through my body.

  “I guess that love wasn’t as unrequited as I thought,” he whispers.

  I pull my hand out of his and glare at him, directing all my helplessness and pain at him. He looks unfazed, and much to my regret, stupidly handsome in his tux. I glance at the empty church. Our only guests are Vincent and Mary who serve as our witnesses. If it had been up to me Daniel and I would’ve signed our papers at city hall and called it a day, but Mary wouldn’t have it. Since Daniel is her first child to get married she insisted on having a church wedding. It seems like a big insulting joke to me to get married in the house of God against your will. I guess my father was right. If God truly existed I wouldn’t have found myself standing here with the wrong Devereaux.

  Despite the beautiful church the ceremony feels empty. I can’t help but feel oddly disappointed, which is quite the accomplishment considering my low expectations.

  I turn back to Daniel who is studying me intently, his expression unreadable. He’s basically the more rugged and taller version of Dominic. Where Dominic is still boyish in many ways, Daniel is all man. He fills his suit out nicely with muscles I know Dominic works for but has yet to achieve. Daniel’s attractiveness just pisses me off more.

  The ceremony is over before I even realise it. I know at some point Daniel and I both said I do, but that’s about it. We sign our marriage certificate in silence, the pen shaking in my hand as I put down my signature. To me it feels like signing off my own death sentence and I have to breathe in deeply before I can make myself do it. I stare at it in shock as both our witnesses sign as well. It’s done. I’ve officially become Mrs. Devereaux, just not quite how I imagined I’d be.

  5

  Daniel drives me to my house in silence. The last few days have been such a blur. We haven’t even had a chance to discuss the details of our marriage. If the two of us have to live together, where will we be living?

  I follow behind Daniel quietly. He lets himself into my house with ease. My dad put his biometric details into our security system years ago, allowing Daniel access to our house at all times. I’ve gotten so used to Daniel being here that it never struck me as weird until now. He’s far too comfortable here, but then I’m pretty comfortable at the Devereaux mansion too.

  As soon as the door closes behind us we hear the sounds of laughter. He looks at me in surprise and I shake my head, indicating that I have no idea who it might be. We follow the chatter to the sitting room, where we find my grandmother surrounded by some of the most influential women in London. Daniel’s eyes darken and he grabs his phone immediately, sending several texts.

  “Grandma,” I say, nodding at her before greeting the other ladies present. She’s invited the Mayor’s wife as well as the wives of several high ranking DM Consultancy employees and some politicians. They’re all having tea and she waves me over with a smile.

  I’ve got to admire her guts. She’s invited people she barely knows to a house that isn’t hers. I don’t think I’d ever dare to do something like this. The ladies present all light up when they see Daniel and it makes me chuckle. It’s like seeing teenagers eyeing a cute boy. Their elegance just melts away in front of Daniel.

  “You two look stunning. Did you attend some event today?” My grandmother asks, looking peeved. Neither Daniel nor I informed her about our wedding, so she probably thinks we attended some corporate event she would’ve loved to be at.

  Daniel places his hand on my shoulder and smiles at her, though I’m not sure you can call that a smile. Even I shudder at the way he looks at her.

  “Mrs. Moriani, you’re still here,” he says. “I’ve booked you a room at the Shangri-La and a flight back to France in two days. My driver is waiting for you outside and will help you with your luggage.”

  She looks at him with wide eyes and then laughs. “Oh there’s no need. I’ll be staying here for the foreseeable future. After all, Alyssa shouldn’t be alone now. She’ll need me.”

  The ladies surrounding her nod in agreement, and so does Daniel. “Indeed. That’s why she’s coming home with me. As you’re well aware, my younger brother is her best friend and my mother is as much of a mother figure to her as your son was a father figure to me. She indeed needs to be surrounded by people who know and love her. People she’s used to.”

  She stands up, her cheeks reddening in anger. Daniel speaks before she can attempt to talk her way into staying in my house.

  “As such, Alyssa won’t be able to host you. Of course, if you wished, you could extend your stay here by finding a place to live or by extending your stay at the Shangri-La. I’ve already pre-paid your two nights there, but I’m sure you’ll be able to extend that if you wished.”

  He then turns to the ladies that are present and bows slightly.

  “All of you lovely ladies, please accept my sincerest apologies for cutting your teatime short. Please allow me to make it up to you. If you give my secretary your contact details I’ll be sure to set up an afternoon tea appointment for next week, should your schedules permit it.”

  The ladies all smile, none of them even remotely angry. If anything, they look excited to be having tea with Daniel himself. One by one the ladies leave, until only my grandmother is left. Daniel leans back against the wall and stares her down. It looks like she wants to argue with me, but then her gaze falls back to Daniel and she rises instead.

  The two of us stand in silence as she packs her things and leaves in a huff. I didn’t think I’d get rid of her so easily.

  “Thank you, but I could’ve handled that myself, you know.”

  Daniel smiles at me and ruffles my hair like I’m a child. I pull away from him in annoyance. “Yes, but you don’t have to,” he says.

  Daniel calls my security team and instructs them to deny my grandmother access to any of my properties while I walk through the house in search for anything she might have left behind. I’m not surprised when I find more than a handful of her belongings and pack them all neatly. I have no doubt she intended to worm her way back into the house under the guise of collecting the things she forgot. I’d rather not deal with that all.

  I call my head of security and ask him to drop off my grandmother�
�s things at her hotel as Daniel takes a seat on the sofa. He pulls his bowtie off and leaves it around his neck. I hate how handsome he looks.

  “Come and sit for a minute,” he says.

  I nod and sit down opposite him so enough distance remains between us.

  “I know I just told your grandmother you’d be staying with us, but that was just to get her out of your house. If you’d like to stay here then I can move in here.”

  He places a stack of documents on the table. At a glance I can tell what it is. It’s a copy of the various clauses relating to our marriage.

  I look around the house and bite down on my lip. This house is filled with memories of my dad and I’m not sure I’ll be okay here.

  “Would it be okay if we stay somewhere else for a little while?”

  Daniel nods, the same lost expression on his face. He’s got just as many memories in this house as I do, and I’m sure it isn’t easy for him.

  “Would you like us to stay with my mother or in my apartment?”

  I hesitate. What I crave is time in isolation which Daniel’s apartment would give me, but I know it’s not what I need. Even though things are awkward between Nic and I, I do still need both him and Mary.

  “I’d like to stay with your mother.”

  Something flashes in Daniel’s eyes but it’s gone before I can identify it.

  “Very well.”

  He stares at me for a couple of seconds before clearing his throat.

  “We need to discuss the specifics of our marriage,” he says.

  I nod uncomfortably.

  “I’m happy to do this verbally on a trust basis, but we can draw up a contract if you feel more comfortable with that.”

  I shake my head. “I doubt that’ll be necessary. We have an iron-clad prenup that protects both our assets, what more could we need?”

  Daniel nods in agreement.

  I speak up before he does. “I want our marriage to remain between us. I don’t want it publicly announced and I don’t want anyone to find out about it.”

  Daniel looks startled for a second before his expression becomes guarded. He nods slowly.

  “Very well. Nonetheless, there are some things I expect of you, and some thing we must abide by per your father’s requirements.”

  I nod for him to continue.

  “I’m happy to keep our marriage a secret, but this doesn’t mean I’ll condone cheating. As long as we’re legally tied to each other I expect you to be faithful to me, as I will be to you.”

  I frown. “What? That’s ridiculous. Do you seriously think you’ll be able to keep it in your pants for three years? You’re photographed with a different model every weekend.”

  Daniel’s eyes darken and the way he looks at me sends a delicious thrill through my body. I subconsciously clench my thighs. Daniel blinks and whatever was there is gone, his usual stoic expression back in place.

  “Hmm. Nonetheless, I won’t condone cheating, Alyssa.” His voice is low and dangerous but I decide to push my luck regardless.

  “How about we both just do our own thing discreetly? After all, you need this marriage just as much as I do.”

  Daniel’s eyes darken and he pins me down with a stare. He chuckles humorously.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. I’m a Devereaux. I never worked for DM Consultancy because I needed the money or the shares. That’s not why I married you, either. I did it because I loved your father like he was my own. We Devereaux’s have more than enough money to fund the next couple of generations comfortably.”

  I gulp. He’s right, of course. My dad was rich, but not like the Devereaux’s are. They’re old money rich with ties to every industry and every significant politician. Daniel doesn’t actually even need to work at all. He crosses his arms and stares me down.

  “Rule number one,” he says. “We’ll be faithful to each other. Defy that rule and I’ll divorce you, shares be damned.”

  I nod reluctantly and indicate for him to continue.

  “Rule number two. You’ll keep an appropriate distance from Dominic. I don’t want to hear any rumours about you two, or about any other men for that matter.”

  I laugh. “You’re crazy if you think you can keep me away from my own best friend. I know you’re ancient but this isn’t the Middle Ages. These days you don’t get a say in your wife’s life.”

  Daniel smiles. “Try me.”

  “You’re an asshole, Daniel,” I whisper. He grins and looks away. “I said an appropriate distance, Alyssa. Be as close to him as you want to be, so long as you keep things appropriate.”

  I can’t even disagree with him because what he’s asking for isn’t unreasonable.

  “Very well. Rule number three is that we keep our marriage a secret. I don’t want anyone to know beyond the people closest to us. If anyone needs to be told I’d prefer that we discuss it beforehand. In three years we’ll divorce, and I don’t want to be known as your ex-wife for the rest of my life.”

  Daniel nods, agreeing. “The rest of the rules.. we can make up as we go,” he says.

  6

  Daniel carries my luggage into the guest room I’ve always used at the Devereaux mansion. It’s right next to Dominic’s bedroom and opposite Daniel’s. I’m fairly certain it didn’t used to be a guest room until I started to stay over regularly. He looks around the room as though he’s never seen it before, and he might not have. I don’t remember him ever coming in here in the last couple of years. He sits down on my bed and watches me unpack with a frown on his face.

  “Are you sure you want to stay here and not in the downtown apartment?”

  I nod. “At least here I’ll have your mum and Dominic. I know what your working hours are like. If we lived in the apartment I’d always be alone.”

  He doesn’t say anything as I slowly unpack. I’ve always felt at home in this room but this time I feel off. I feel out of place. Daniel nods and leaves to unpack his own things. I get the feeling that I’m not the only one that feels a little out of place here.

  Before I know it it’s time for dinner. One of the maids knocks on my door, startling me. I’ve never felt comfortable with so many staff members around, but I guess I’ll have to get used to it. The Devereaux’s employ at least twenty people at their residence, ranging from cleaners, cooks and drivers to security personnel. My dad and I had a housekeeper who came over every day but that can’t be compared to this. The Devereaux’s have an entire quarter just for their staff to live in.

  I follow the girl to the dining room where the rest is already waiting. Much to my annoyance, Lucy is in the seat I usually sit in. I smile politely as I take the seat opposite Daniel instead. Dominic looks at me apologetically and then smiles at Lucy, his entire face lighting up. It looks like I was the only one who thought that we might’ve had a moment right before I got married. It’s better this way anyway. I eat my dinner quietly as Lucy and Dominic chat and laugh. Daniel glances at his phone as he eats, reading the news as usual.

  “Have you unpacked, my dear?” Mary asks. I nod and smile at her. “Yes, thank you for having me.”

  She shakes her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. This is your home as much as it is the boys’s. It always has been, but even more so now.”

  Lucy stills and looks at me, anger flashing through her eyes. “You’re staying here? How long?”

  I nod, unfazed. “A couple of weeks at least. I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

  I don’t bother to tell her about my marriage to Daniel. We’ve already informed everyone that we’d like to keep it a secret, so I doubt Dominic will tell her. He’d never let his older brother down like that. He might be okay breaking my trust but he’d never break Daniel’s.

  I’m surprised to see a flash of insecurity in her eyes. She starts to cling to Dominic and feeds him bites of her food. Just looking at them makes me feel uncomfortable, and it’s clear Mary feels the same way. Daniel glances at them looking amused and resumes eating in sile
nce.

  I excuse myself as quickly as possible and walk back to my room feeling dejected. I hate seeing Lucy and Dominic together and I hate knowing it’ll never be me with him.

  I sit down on my bed and grab the photo with my dad from my nightstand, holding it gently. There’s a letter next to it that wasn’t there when I left the room. I frown when I realise that my dad’s wax seal is on it. I pick it up with shaking hands.

  I can’t help but wonder what he was thinking asking me to marry Daniel. The age difference between us is too large and my heart has always belonged to Dominic. My dad knew that.

  I wish I could ask him what was on his mind, what game he’s playing. I wish I could argue with him but more than that, I wish I could just see him one more time.

  I carefully open the letter, tears falling from my eyes as I recognise my father’s handwriting.

  * * *

  My beloved Alyssa,

  * * *

  If you’re reading this letter, then that unfortunately means I’m no longer here and I’ve had to leave you behind. It also means you’ve chosen to honour my wishes and married Daniel. I wish I could’ve been the one to walk you down the aisle. I have no doubt you looked beautiful and I wish I’d been there for this important occasion.

  I know you’re angry, princess. I know you’d like to argue with me and I know you can’t understand my reasoning. But please trust me when I say I’m doing this because I love you.

  Please know that it’s not because I don’t believe you can run the company in my stead. I know you can, and one day you will. I might not be there to see it happen, but rest assured that I left this world knowing you’d get there one day.

  I know I’ve already asked a lot of you but please allow me to ask you one more thing. Give your marriage with Daniel an honest chance. Don’t keep him at a distance and don’t avoid him. Let him in, Alyssa. He’s not just an excellent business partner. I truly believe he’d be an excellent husband to you as well. You might not see it now, but one day you’ll understand.