“I care nothing about power. Have you forgotten we lost our daughter the last time you played with darkness?” Colin asked heatedly. “I want no parts of this. I swore after our friends died, I would never again conjure another dark spell.”
“We could do anything we dreamed of with this kind of power.”
“Provided we don’t betray Richard,” Colin reminded his wife.
“Why would we want to? He has never lied to us and you certainly can’t complain about our lifestyle. It was because of his generosity we have all of this,” she said. It was true. Richard was very generous with the Cavanaugh’s. He made them rich enough to live in a luxurious home just outside London.
“He cost us our daughter. Did she mean nothing to you?” Colin asked furiously.
“There is still time for more children. With the book of Marcus, we can have immortality. Do you realize what that means?”
“What I want more than anything is to live in peace.” He got up and walked to his workshop.
Claudia was left thinking of the endless possibilities the book would bring. Colin would have to get over Shannon. She wasn’t his daughter any longer.
When Richard left London he returned to the Devereaux home in Paris. The whole house was asleep except for Desiree; who appeared to be waiting up for him.
“I knew you would return tonight,” she smiled. “Shall we go to bed together?” Richard guided her up the stairs. He would speak to Natalie and Meredith in the morning.
Chapter 32
After Aidan’s meeting with Jeziel , he stopped at Aura’s room. When he knocked on the door, she didn’t answer. The light was already off and he couldn’t hear any sounds. They must have already gone to sleep. He wanted to speak with her about Jeziel, but he would have to wait until morning.
Richard woke up early the next morning. As he looked at Desiree, he realized how much he loved her. He would speak to Meredith this morning about submitting a petition to annulled. months. Even his father would have to admit that he could be dead.
If Desiree could be granted an annulment, they would be free to marry.
her to marry Caspian.
He damned his mother for pushing
Desiree was in love with him. Richard wanted a son and he was sure Desiree would oblige him. He got up and started to get dressed, being careful not to wake her.
He needed Natalie to be ready, so they wouldn’t keep Claudia and her husband waiting. When he was dressed, he leaned over to kiss her gently on the cheek before leaving. “Soon my love, we will be together soon,” he whispered, and then he walked quietly out of the room. the Council, to have his brother’s marriage No one had seen or heard from Caspian, in
When he went downstairs, he found Meredith and Natalie already dressed and waiting for him.
“I trust you slept well last night?” Meredith smiled. “I did,and yourself Mother?”
“I had several nightmares about them finding you guilty after the trial.”
Richard laughed.“I can assure you that is highly unlikely. You should use your time more wisely.” “How can I relax, when the Guild is trying to murder both of you?”
“I told you it will never happen. You need to start trusting me. The Guild may be powerful, but I have some powerful friends myself,” Richard said, as he poured himself a cup of tea.
“When do we have to leave?” Natalie asked.
Richard looked at the clock on the wall. “We will be going in the next thirty minutes, so I suggest you take care of any personal businessbefore then. We will not be late!”
“Are we going to stay in London?”
“No - London is only a stop off. When we have concluded our business we will be going back to New York. I’ll be making arrangements for you to stay at the Godwin Academy, with Yvonne and Yvette Devereaux. You may still be able to gather some information there. You will be introduced as their cousin Monica, on their mother’s side. She is the same age and they have never met. In the event the Guild decides to question them, they won’t be able to offer any damaging information.”
“Who else is going to be there?”
“I have it on good authority Will and Joshua will be returning there this morning.”
“How could you know that?”
“Just because I’m not there, doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes and ears in Aeden.”
“Did you find out anything else?” “I understand they are still planning to hold my trial tomorrow,” Richard laughed.
“I thought they were going to wait for a week? You aren’t still considering going there,are you?”
“I see no reason to stay away. If I don’t go , my fate will be sealed. By showing up, I might have an opportunity to sway the Council my way. I need to make them believe, I was acting in the best interest of the children of Utopia.”
“That may be easier said than done. Surely they will introduce these unfortunate events concerning Natalie,” Meredith said.
“One has nothing to do with the other. They will not address Natalie’s charges during my examination. I can assure you, I have the means to disappear if it looks like things are not going my way. I’m going to ask you and Desiree to appear there with me. We can ask the Committee to annul her marriage to Caspian on the same day.”
“I have been giving some thought about that. Since your brother has had no contact with anyone in months, I believe we could construct an argument to have him declared legally dead. I can make the petition to the Committee myself. It would be a greater benefit to us. Desiree would then be entitled to the inheritance left to your brother, by Henry’s father. Don’t you agree?” Meredith asked.
“Do you believe the Commissionwill listen to us?” Natalie said.
“If Desiree testifies, they will have no choice. Surely she has the right to have children. Considering the marriage was never consummated, they would be hard pressed to deny her request.”
“What does Desiree think about this?” “Actually it was my idea,” Desiree said, as she joined then at the table. “I am in complete agreement with your mother. There is something else I need to tell you.” She gazedlovingly at Richard. “We’re going to have a baby.”
‘What?” The porcelain cup almost fell from Meredith’s hand. “Why didn’t you take precautions?” She glared at Richard.
Richard moved to sit next to Desiree. “When is the baby due?”
“We’re having a son; in another six weeks or so,” she gushed.
The pregnancies of angelbloods only lasted three months and were said to be painless. Most of the changes to their bodies happened rapidly in the last month.
Richard looked more closely at Desiree. Her long blonde curls fell to her waist. The loose fitting frock she was wearing, hardly disguised the considerable weight she had gained. He had been so preoccupied with everything else; he never thought to consider it.
“All the more reason I need to sub mit the petition to the Council. Then you will both be free to marry each other; hopefully before the child is born,” Meredith said.
“Well it would certainly help our cause , if they heard her petition first. Can you have the paperwork ready before my trial tomorrow?”
“The paperwork is finished. I wanted to speak with you before submitting it.”
“I see no reason to delay the petition. Perhaps you should return to Utopia today and meet with Henry to discuss this.”
“I don’t need to meet with him. I can submit the request without his approval,” Meredith scoffed.
“You’re asking them to declare the Governor’s son dead. Don’t you think it would benefit us to at least give him a heads up?”
Meredith reluctantly agreed. She desperately wanted a grandson. If Desiree gave Richard a son, at least she would have some influence in the way he was raised. “It’s the day before New Year’s Eve. That doesn’t give us much time. Promise me you will keep Natalie safe.”
“I can assure you, she will not be anywhere near Aura.”
He looke
d at his daughter.“Are you ready?”
“Yes Father, let’s get this over with.” Richard kissed Desiree goodbye. He was thrilled with the news that he was having a son.
Chapter 33
Aura and the little ones woke up early the next day. They continued their conversation from the previous night.
“Aidan will want to accompany us to New York. We should wait for him to bring up Jeziel’s visit before we say anything.”
“Yeah - we don’t want him telling her about our plan,” Tracy said.
“We don’t even have a plan yet,” Bren giggled.
“Mommy’s got a plan, don’t you Mommy?”
“Indeed I do. I was thinking about it last night. We can talk about it more when we return. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“Why does Aidan have to go with us?” Alannah asked Bren.“We’re going shopping for dresses.”
“He can carry the packages. Are we going to see Anastasia?” Bren asked her sister.
“We’ll go to see her first.”
“Anastasia makes most of our fancy dresses,” Tracy said.
“She’s quite amazing,” Aura said. “After we get the dresses, we’ll have time to stop at the Godwin Academy. Then, we can havelunch before we come home.”
“Do you think we could go ice skating in Central Park?” Bren asked.
“I’ve never been ice skating Mommy,” Alannah said.
“Let’s see how much time we have.” They all dressed quickly and hurried downstairs, so Aura could start breakfast.
A few minutes later, Myra came in with Mahlyssa and Shannon. Rita and Jessica were right behind them; followed by the rest of the family.
As Aura put breakfast on the dining room table, they were all talking excitedly about their shopping trip to New York.
“Is Matthew coming to the weddings too?” Willow asked.
“I don’t see why not, he’s part of the family,” Rita said.
Willow loved spending time with Matthew. He was her best friend. Since the Godwin Academy was located in New York, she would have another chance to visit him.
“Let’s finish our breakfast. Papa has the plane fueled and ready,” Aura said.
She looked at Aidan, who was visibly anxious. “We’re flying again on the metal bird?” he asked.
Rita and Jessica couldn’t contain their laughter. “It’s called an airplane. Don’t worry, I’ll make a hole in the cabin if we get into trouble,” Rita chuckled.
“There are other means of transportation. I don’t know why we have to use the airplane at all.”
“It’s the fastest way to get there,” Bren said. Aidan wasn’t prepared for Alannah’s flippant response.“Yeah it’s not like we can spread our wings.”
“Where is your faith Aidan?” Aura asked.
“Maybe he left his faith in Heaven,” Alannah said. Though some of them took it as a joke, Aura knew that Alannah was being serious.
“Well it seems it is official now,” Aidan replied, unable to hide the sarcasm in his tone.
“What’s ficial?” Mia asked.
“My daughter has enrolled in Smart Ass University and I have no doubt under the tutelage of Bren and Tracy, she will graduate with honors.” Aidan meant it as a joke, but Alannah never cracked a smile.
“At least Aidan didn’t leave his sense of humor in Heaven,” Willow laughed.
As they were finishing breakfast, there was a knock on the front door. Mia scurried from the table to see who it was. She returned with Dareus and Aureus.
Aura greeted them both with a smile. “We were just having breakfast.Would you like to join us?”
Dareus was gracious. “That would be appreciated. I’m afraid we haven’t yet mastered the art of cooking.”
“Have a seat. There’s still plenty of food.”
The twins took a seat near Bren, Tracy and Alannah. “We know you’re planning a visit to New York, but we’d like to invite you to go horseback riding later this week,” Dareus said.
“What day do you want us to come?” Bren asked. “Any day is fine. We’re settled into the house now,” Aureus said.
“Would it be alright if we brought some apples with us?” Bren asked.
Dareus smiled. “I’m sure the horses would appreciate that.” He looked at all of the food on the table. “Do you always make a big breakfast?” he asked Aura.
“We have a big family and I enjoy cooking.”
“We are indebted to you for your kindness. Perhaps we can repay the favor some other time,” Dareus smiled.
“There’s no need. You’re family. You’re welcome here whenever you like.”
“And you and the little ones are welcome to visit us anytime as well,” Dareus said.
“Don’t you think we should finish? We don’t want to be late.” Aidan didn’t like having the twin brothers around. He didn’t like how friendly Aura was with them.
Aura looked at the clock. “He’s right. Papa has the plane ready to go and we don’t want to delay our trip. I hate to be so rude, but we do have a schedule today. You’re welcome to stay with Iris.The three of you can catch up.”
“Isn’t she going shopping with you?” Dareus asked.
“No I have too many clothes already,” Iris said. “Don’t bother cleaning up Aura. I can take care of the dishes while you’re gone.”
Aura looked at the twins. “We’ll see you at the wedding then?”
“We are looking forward to it,” Dareus smiled.
The weather had turned cold again over night, so Aura bundled up the little ones. She didn’t allow Aidan to help. She hoped the rest of the family wouldn’t comment about her coldness towards him. Even Alannah was keeping her distance.
Of course the others didn’t see what happened the night before. Aura was thankful they didn’t have that discussion during breakfast. She didn’t know how the girls would have responded to his defense of Jeziel. Better to leave that conversation for another time. There would be another time, she was sure of it.
Chapter 34
Richard handed Natalie her coat and grabbed a wool scarf for his neck. As they were walking towards the door, Jeziel arrived at Desiree’s house. “I think I may have some news for you,” she said.
“What news?” Richard asked, as he tightened the scarf.
“The Enchantor Mahlyssa is in Aeden.”
““How do you know that?”
“Last night I went to see Aidan. We were having an argument and he told me to keep my voice down, because it might disturb their guests. I assumed he was speaking about Will and Joshua. But he said Mahlyssa was there to be reunited with her daughter.” “I predicted she would go there,” Richard said.“This news might be useful.”
“Why were you and Aidan having an argument?” Natalie asked.
“Why do we always argue? He was angry because I met him in Aura’s backyard. He felt it was disrespectful to her. When he tried again to convince me to go to the Council, I refused and he got angry. I started to cry. He sat with me until I was calm. I’m sure Aura saw the two of us together,” Jeziel smiled.
“Are you going back there again?” Natalie asked.
“Of course - I’m not afraid of Aura. I wished I could have seen the look on her face when I kissed him again,” Jeziel laughed.
“We would like to talk to you more about this, but we have an appointment. Perhaps you can meet us back here, later this afternoon.” Richard asked.
“That’s fine. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’ll go home and take a nap.”
Jeziel hugged Natalie, before disappearing from the room.
“Jeziel might prove to be a worthy ally,” Richard said.
“I would hope so,” Natalie responded. “She is Lucifer’s daughter.”
Richard and Natalie arrived in London before six o’clock, as promised. There was a new fallen snow on the ground. Walking up to the entrance, Richard looked around; to make sure they weren’t followed. He didn’t trust Aura.
&nbs
p; As they approached the front door, one of the servants invited them in. She then directed them to the sitting room. Taking their coats, she asked, “Would you like a cup of tea to warm you?”
“No, thank you. We’ve just finished breakfast,” Richard said.
Claudia entered the room, minutes later. Richard noticed that her husband wasn’t with her. “Where’s Colin? Isn’t he going to assist you?”
“Colin doesn’t want to be involved. He left the house ashort time ago, to go for a walk.”
“Is he going to be a problem?”
“Not at all, I’m the one who performs most of the spells anyway. Colin never had the guts to delve into the dark arts.”
Richard introduced Natalie. While he waited in the sitting room, Claudia took Natalie into a room in the back of the house.“We’ll be back before you know it,” she smiled.
Claudia was already an accomplished Enchantor. With the book in her possession, she would be more powerful than she could have dreamed possible.
The members of the Guild arrived, as Aura and the girls were preparing to leave.
Aidan pulled Paul aside and told him about Jeziel’s visit the night before.“I tried again to convince her to come before the Council, but she refused. We had an argument. But when she started to cry, I felt terrible.”
“Why was she crying?” Paul asked.
“She believes Aura will demand that she be punished for leaving Elijah alone to die.”
“Did you explain that by coming forward, we could put this matter to rest?”
“She doesn’t see it that way. She reminded me how she was shunned because of her father. We both know that to be true. She said that Aura doesn’t know how it feels to be alone.”
“I can’t help Jeziel, if she won’t let me,” Paul said.
“I trust you, but Jeziel is not so trusting anymore. Perhaps her time with Natalie has changed her opinion of the Guild.”
“We all know that Natalie walks the path to Hell. What we don’t know, is if Jeziel has chosen the same path. It would benefit her to talk to us if she’s innocent,” Paul insisted. “The longer she refuses us, the guiltier she seems. When are you meeting her again?”
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