Wicked Game 02 - Something Wicked

by Olivia Fuller

  She’d just have to learn to deal with it like everything else.

  It was just another feeling to lock up inside forever before she threw away the key.

  ***

  Greg thought about all of the years he wasted with Mary not realizing how he felt about her, only to realize that those years had not been wasted after all. Their friendship formed the base on which their love was built.

  And he knew that Mary felt this love too.

  When he touched her and kissed her and felt her inside and out, he knew without a doubt that she felt the same way he did. She had finally admitted to these feelings, but she fought against them, and she rejected him even though he could tell it was tearing her apart.

  At first Greg had thought that she’d pushed him away because she was already engaged to Brad, and so she’d thought it was too late to back out now. But no contract was unbreakable and no engagement was set in stone. And he knew that Mary must know this. Yet she still pushed him away.

  She still refused to explain what was going on and let him in so they could figure out a way to fix this mess, and they could be together as they always had been, and as they always should be. There had to be something else going on, some other reason for why she was choosing to push him away besides the fear of a contract, but true to form, she’d made a decision and she was sticking to it.

  Stubborn, bloody woman! This was the first time ever that her strong will did not enchant him.

  He wasn’t going to let her stubbornness push them apart forever. He could be just as stubborn, even more so, and he was going to do whatever he could to reach inside of her and change her mind.

  Greg sipped his drink as he looked around the room trying to figure out what to do.

  He was surprised at first when he hadn’t been barred from attending the engagement party. Greg was sure that Brad knew how he felt about Mary and so he’d fully expected for Brad to deny his entrance. But when that didn’t happen, Greg knew that Brad was boasting.

  What a foolish move, Greg thought.

  Maybe Brad thought his boasting would tear at Greg’s pride and dissuade him from confronting Mary. Greg just saw it as more fuel for his purpose.

  Greg stood near the exit of the main hall, and his eyes followed Mary from a distance. She was speaking with Priscilla and she looked absolutely miserable. He wanted to cross the room and take her in his arms, kiss her, comfort her and tell her it would be alright. His body ached to do that but he had to pick the right moment. He had to wait for—

  “Lincoln. So you decided to come after all.” Brad’s voice was sickly sweet and it made Greg feel nauseous.

  “Did you really think I would miss this?”

  “Well, if my girl was marrying another man because I was too much of a coward to make a move, then I imagine I wouldn’t want to show my face…”

  “Oh, well see that’s the difference between us. I’m man enough to realize when I’ve made a mistake and to take the initiative to correct my errors rather than slinking off into the shadows and giving up.” Greg took a sip of his drink and set his jaw as he looked Brad over. “And I notice you called her ‘my girl.’ So tell me, how does it feel to know that the woman you are supposed to marry belongs to another man?”

  “Well, you see that’s the truly fantastic thing about marriage. Once she’s my wife she belongs to me. At least all of the important parts anyway.”

  Greg fought the urge to punch Brad square in the jaw. Instead, he dug his nails into Brad’s arm and pulled him outside. Brad went willingly with a smirk on his face.

  Through clenched teeth Greg asked, “So you don’t care about her heart then?”

  “Her heart? Now why would you think I care about that?” Brad let out one loud laugh as he rubbed his arm. “Oh yes. That’s right. I told you I loved her…”

  Greg’s fist was losing the battle with his mind. “You did. Are you telling me that’s not the truth? That you lied?”

  “I’m telling you that you’re a bloody fool and it won’t matter in two days’ time anyway. Take that however you want to.”

  Bloody hell. Greg had known that Brad was dishonorable but he hadn’t realized it went deeper than an obsession with Mary and a perverse need to boast about it. But now it was clear he didn’t even care about her at all, let alone love her. Now it appeared that he had some ulterior motive and it made Greg sick to his stomach just imagining what that might be.

  “Why are you doing this then?” Greg’s fingers twitched at his side.

  “What does it matter?” Brad let a contemplative hmm escape from his throat. “Oh, how endearing. You still think there’s actually something you can still do about this.”

  “Oh, I don’t think there is. I know there is. And let me tell you something else. I’ve always seen right through this facade of yours, starting during the end of our University days. I just see more clearly now, and soon Mary will too. I’m going to make sure of that.”

  Brad laughed. “No, let me tell you something. You aren’t going to say even a single word to Mary.”

  Greg leaned in closer to Brad and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. “Oh is that so? And why is that?”

  Brad ignored Greg’s question. “And let me tell you something else: I knew who Mary was right from the start.”

  Greg’s fist nearly won the battle but he fought back. He couldn’t do anything rash before he found out what was really going on. “You what?”

  “I knew who Mary was right from the start.” Brad slowed his speech and punctuated each word with a sharp point.

  Greg felt lightheaded. “So this—all of this—the courtship, the professions of love, it was all just some—some—what? Some ploy? For what?”

  “You didn’t think this was all a coincidence did you? I come to town and in the blink of an eye I just happen to fall madly in love with the one girl you’ve always had your eyes on but were just too much of a fool to ever realize until now?”

  Greg’s heart raced. He breathed heavily and quickly through his nose. “You mean to say—”

  “And you just fell for it. Like the fool you are. Though I must admit I never imagined things working out quite as well as they did. Though that, again, was thanks to you.”

  “Why did you say you loved her?” Of all the things that were rushing through his mind right now, this was the one question that Greg most wanted an answer for.

  Brad twisted his lips into a tight bunch. He was laughing at Greg and he was very satisfied with himself. But his eyes revealed nothing. They were dead and cold and made Greg shiver.

  “I wanted to snap you into realization,” Brad said coldly. “Make you finally realize how you felt about her right before I snatched her away forever. And you fell for it too. Everything worked out so much better than I ever could have imagined. Of all of the ways I imagined this going—Mary’s secret? Oh, God what a gold mine!—and then you selfishly revealing it? I couldn’t have imagined things working out any better…”

  “Why? Tell me why!” Before Greg realized what was happening his hands were around Brad’s throat and he had shoved him against the wall.

  And Brad’s expression barely even changed. That cold, dead gaze in his eyes held firm, interrupted only by the choking breath that came out of his throat. Greg’s jaw quivered as he stared directly into Brad’s soul until he could no longer immerse himself in that much darkness anymore. Greg released Brad before the darkness took hold of his soul too and he did something he would really regret.

  Brad coughed as he rubbed his throat.

  “You men with titles are all the same, at least those of you born to them and this whole wicked world. You think you can do whatever you want without any consequences. But you? You were the worst of all. Leading my sister on like you did. As if it wasn’t bad enough that you used your title and power to seduce other women into your bed, all the while you had Mary here waiting—a woman that you loved!—and you left my sister broken hearted because if it. Well, there are conseque
nces! And I would do anything to see you face them.”

  He faced Greg and pointed a finger at him as fire burned in those dead eyes. “You will pay for what you did to my sister …and to me!”

  This accusation slapped Greg directly in the face. It was a severe perversion of the truth and Greg was taken aback. “You know as well as I do that the disillusion of my courtship with Miss Barnes was a mutual decision. Neither of us wished to pursue it any further. There was no spark between us!”

  “That’s because you had a spark with someone else and she could see it in you! She told me how it pained her. She didn’t wish to be shamed and so she broke it off with you before you could hurt her more …and before I had a chance to go to you first…”

  “I’m sorry if the lady was hurt. I truly am. I can’t help that she lied to me anymore than I can help the way I felt about her. But I made her no promises of a lasting courtship nor did I ever do anything that was improper or would have led her to believe otherwise. And I never wanted to begin a courtship with her in the first place.” Greg jabbed his finger in Brad’s chest. “I only finally did so at your request. As a friend.”

  “If you were a real friend, you would have married her, for both her sake and mine! But no, you were too good for her, too good for a family with less money than you and no titles.”

  “That’s not even close to the truth!” Greg ran his hands over his face. “None of this makes any sense. If you hate me so much, if you hate men like me with privilege and title, then why were you so insistent that I court your sister in the first place? Why did you—” Greg recoiled and his eyes widened. “This is about more than your sister, isn’t it? You tried to use her for your own personal gain. And then when that failed you decided to—”

  Greg felt himself shaking in terrible shock.

  “You were my friend once. But that man I called ‘friend’ no longer exists. You have let yourself be eaten alive by this world and become everything you say that you hate. And for what? Some ridiculous vendetta against me and men with titles, just because a few men with titles misused their power? We are not all like them. I am not like them!”

  Greg’s words touched a nerve and Brad’s controlled demeanor began to crumble.

  “Oh, but you are.” Brad spat. “You all are. And I was tired of it! I couldn’t stand it any longer, always being second best: to men in business and women in love! It was my turn. And you destroyed my only chance of achieving it honestly when you destroyed my sister. So I decided to take it for myself! And you’re right. It started with my sister, but it became so much more. Your rejection of her and the things it drove me to do are all just more reasons for you to face the consequences.”

  Greg’s words were strained. “And so Mary is just what? Another piece in this whole plan to destroy me?”

  “Mostly yes,” Brad said without blinking. “I wanted to destroy you like you destroyed me. But the fact that she’s the woman who prevented you from marrying my sister means she needs her own special punishment as well.”

  Greg scoffed. “What luck, then, that you inherited your title when you did so you could see this plan to fruition!”

  “Yes. What luck…”

  Greg thought he heard Brad’s voice catch but he didn’t have a chance to contemplate that before Brad added, “If you consider it lucky that I must now marry a whor—”

  Screw it. Greg punched Brad square in the jaw.

  ***

  As Brad walked away from the musicians, Mary heard the triple time of a waltz begin to play.

  Her stomach jumped. Though she knew the steps of the dance, Mary rarely saw anyone dance a Waltz in public. It wasn’t the sort of dance generally considered appropriate for a social dance such as this. Normally Mary wouldn’t have cared but seeing as it meant she must dance closely with Brad, she felt the urge to protest.

  “Don’t you think the Quadrille would be much more appropriate?”

  “That I do not. I want all eyes on us as we dance and make merry and celebrate our impending marriage.” Brad took her right hand in his left and then placed a firm hand on her back as he pulled her against him. Mary heard murmurs and even a few gasps from the assembled party guests. “Don’t you want to celebrate too, my girl?”

  She felt absurdly uncomfortable as he began to lead her around the floor. “Of course. There’s nothing I want more than to be happy.”

  “Yet you are not happy.” Brad’s eyes pondered her as he pulled her in closer despite the hum growing around them. “What’s bothering you, Mary? I can tell that your mind is preoccupied.”

  “I know it was Greg who gave you that split lip,” she said quickly.

  “Oh, do you now?” he mused curiously.

  Now that she’d said it she might as well have an answer. “Of course it was. What did you do to him?”

  “What did I do to him? You’re just as bad as he is…”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Mary found herself becoming suddenly defensive.

  “I’d thought I would give you one good dance before spoiling the mood but,” he made a satisfied sigh, “I’ve changed my mind. And you’re already in a foul mood anyway so I don’t suppose it will make a difference.”

  Mary shook her head. “What—what are you talking about?” She looked at him closely, trying to read him and figure out what was going on.

  And that’s when it happened. Mary saw something change in his eyes. They became dark and fierce and terrifying. He dug his nails painfully into her back and pulled her in close enough for him to speak directly into her ear.

  “I’m going to tell you exactly what I told your precious Greg… and you listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once: he ruined my life and the plans I had for my family and now he will pay for it. In two days’ time you will be my wife and he’ll pay for it for the rest of his life. You’ll be mine and he’ll still love you and I’ll…” Brad shivered.

  “Then you don’t lov—”

  “Love you?” He threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t even care for you let alone love you. In fact I can’t stand you. I find you disgusting. But to make him pay, to make you both pay, I will gladly endure my repulsion.” The words slid off his tongue like drops of venom and they struck at her and stung her to the core. “And I’ll tell you something that I didn’t tell your precious Greg. Remember when you said I seemed so familiar? There’s a very good reason for that.”

  Mary didn’t say a word. She felt her jaw tightening and her teeth clenching.

  “There was a time when Lincoln and I were great friends, you see. I knew him very well. His mannerisms, his speech, and the way he referred to you when he spoke. He even told me the story about how you met…”

  “So you—you used those things to get to me. You emulated him to catch my attention.” She felt herself exhale and laugh at the same time. How had she not seen this? It had all been so obvious. “And I’m the disgusting one?”

  “Why yes. You’re a harlot. No, that word is too good. A whore. That’s what you are.” His lips curled into a satisfied smile. “And while we’re at it, he’s the one who told me all about it. I told him I intended to propose to you and he told me everything.”

  “I already know that,” she snapped. “And I’m going to assume that it was you who told my step-father. I knew it…” Mary gave him a condescending look. “And you’re telling me this now, why?”

  “Simply to see the look on your face. And because it’s too late for anyone to do anything to change this now.” He was entirely too cocky and satisfied with himself. It was making her furious.

  “Now smile. Everyone is watching,” he added. He dug his nails deeper into her skin and pulled her in closer as they continued to spin around the room.

  “That’s why we’re waltzing,” she realized with faint shock. “You wanted all eyes to be on us so I couldn’t make a scene… and even if I did it was bound to be overshadowed by this scandalous display of dancing…”

  “S
o you’re not as much of an idiot as I thought.”

  Mary pasted a smile on her face.

  Not nearly as much of one as you.

  Chapter 14

  Summer 1817

  Mary sat on a bench in the park. It was the middle of the night and she was alone and she felt at peace. She leaned back and looked upward. The sky was endless and expansive and the stars stretched on forever. It made her feel very small but it also made her feel very important. Of all of the things that might have ever had the chance to exist in the history of the universe, she had the privilege of being one of them. A living, thinking, feeling being, with the ability to control her own destiny.

  As wondrous and expansive as stars and the entire universe were, none of them had this power. None of them had any control. And yet she felt humbled to be a part of it at all. It felt like a trade-off. In this life you could only be one or the other: wondrous and expansive or small and in control.

  In this life she had been given free choice and she knew she could not take it for granted.

  She turned her head up further and let the moonlight wash over her. It was like the light of the sun. It was the light of the sun. And how fitting. They began their friendship under the watchful rays of the sunlight and now they would take it to a new place under the moon. Just as the moon was a transformation of the sun, this night would a transformation of them.

  Mary was still looking upward, contemplating, when she heard a twig snap in the distance.

  “You came,” she said without looking away from the moon.

  Greg stood off at a distance, unsure what to do. “Of course I did. Did you ever doubt that I would?”

  He looked exceptionally beautiful in this light, Mary thought, when she finally looked in Greg’s direction. Like a marble statue whose angles and contours had all been carefully planned out, rather than just the product of chance.

  “I doubted every second since I left the party and handed you the note asking you to meet me.”

  Greg looked down at the hand written note in his hand. He was holding it like it was his last breath of air. “There is no way I wouldn’t have—”