by Anna Stone
“Yes, but-”
“And you know about her illness, right? About how she can barely live a normal life?”
“That’s not true. Her life is still a normal one. And it’s not a problem for me.” Sure, Camilla had had a few flare-ups in the time Lindsey had been living with her. But Camilla managed just fine.
“You say that now, but you might not feel that way in a few months’ time. She’s what, 20 years older than you?”
“I’m 23,” Lindsey said. Not that Denise cared about the details.
“You’re still so young. What’s going to happen when you decide that things are too hard? When you decide that no amount of money is worth being locked away in this manor with an emotionally stunted old woman?”
“That’s-”
“Because it will happen. And Millie will be crushed.”
“That’s not going to happen!”
Denise stared at her, her eyes boring into Lindsey’s. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed but didn’t look away.
“Christ,” Denise said. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
“I do,” Lindsey replied.
Denise shook her head. “Here I thought you were a gold-digger. But you’re just naive. It’s no wonder. You’re barely more than a child.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I’ll wake up one day and realize that I don’t want this life with Camilla anymore.” Lindsey clenched her fists in her lap. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. But I know what I feel right now. And I care about Camilla more than I even know how to express. I’m not going to leave her. There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than by her side.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Denise said.
“Why are you trying so hard to turn me against Camilla?”
“I’m just trying to protect her.”
“She doesn’t need your protection,” Lindsey said. “What she needs is your love and support, yet here you are, tearing her down behind her back. Some sister you are.”
“You know nothing about this family. Don’t talk about us like you do.”
“I know enough. And you’ve shown me exactly who you are just now.” Lindsey tried as hard as she could to channel Camilla’s commanding manner. “Get out of my room.”
To Lindsey’s surprise, Denise turned her nose up and walked to the door.
Before Denise left the room, she addressed Lindsey. “Whatever happens, don’t you dare hurt my sister.” She slammed the door shut behind her.
Lindsey blew out a breath and collapsed onto the bed. As she lay there with her eyes closed, she recalled something Denise had said earlier.
It’s clear that she’s fallen hard for you.
Camilla? Falling for me? Lindsey doubted that. It was all just part of the lie.
But as Lindsey lay there, she realized something. Everything she’d said to Denise about her feelings for Camilla?
Not a single word of it had been a lie.
Chapter Seventeen
For the days that followed, Lindsey avoided Denise. She couldn’t be in the woman’s presence without feeling enraged. Denise probably didn’t even notice that Lindsey was avoiding her. On the rare occasion that they crossed paths, Denise appeared determined to ignore Lindsey’s existence completely, which Lindsey didn’t mind one bit.
She hadn’t told Camilla about Denise’s visit to her room. Between work and her sister’s visit, Camilla was stressed out enough. Nevertheless, she insisted that they all have meals together. These were always awkward affairs.
Breakfast that morning was no exception.
“Denise,” Camilla began. “The disaster relief foundation the company supports is holding a charity auction. How about we go through some of mother’s jewelry and select a few pieces to donate?”
“Just do it without me,” Denise said. “I have too much to do.”
“Let me guess. Work?”
That was something Camilla and Denise had in common. Lindsey didn’t know why Denise even came to visit considering how much time she spent locked in her room working.
“Well, not all of us can just lie around all day.” Denise looked pointedly at Lindsey. “Some of us have jobs.”
Lindsey returned Denise’s glare.
Camilla put down her knife and fork carefully. “Denise, didn’t I tell you to stop being rude to Lindsey?”
“Oh, stop acting like she’s some innocent little girl,” Denise said. “Lindsey here can dish it out just as well as she can take it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Camilla’s eyes flicked between Denise and Lindsey. “What’s going on?”
Lindsey said nothing. After all, she wasn’t the one who had started this.
“Denise? You said something to her, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Denise said. “I didn’t say anything.”
“For a politician, you’re not very good at lying.”
“Fine. I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
Camilla’s eyes clouded over. “You bitch. What the hell did you say to her?”
“I’m just looking out for you, Millie.”
“Oh, because you’ve done so much of that in the past, haven’t you?”
Lindsey tried as hard as she could to dissolve into her chair. Luckily, June chose that moment to reenter the room, carrying a pot of coffee, which she placed on the table before Camilla. It seemed to remind Camilla that Lindsey was still sitting there.
“Lindsey, darling,” Camilla said through gritted teeth. “Do you mind? I need to talk to my sister. Alone.”
“Okay.” Lindsey got up and followed June out into the hall.
Seconds later, the dining room erupted into shouts.
“I can’t believe you said that!” Camilla yelled.
Lindsey stopped just within earshot.
“I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt,” Denise replied.
“That’s bullshit. You don’t get to disappear from my life for months, even years at a time, then come back and stick your nose in my business and pretend to care.
“I’m not pretending, Millie. I do care.”
“You have some way of showing it. Calling Lindsey a gold-digger? Trying to drive the person I care about the most away?”
June cleared her throat. “I would have thought you’d learned your lesson about listening at doors.”
Lindsey jumped. She hadn’t realized that June was still there. “Er, right.”
“Trust me. You don’t want to get caught up in one of their fights. It’s best to just let them talk it out.”
“So, they’re always like this?” Lindsey asked.
“Their relationship is… complicated.” June said. “Now, you didn’t get to finish your breakfast. If you’d like, I can bring you something.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“All right.” June stood in place, waiting for Lindsey to leave.
“I’ll just go then.”
June nodded. As Lindsey walked away, she could feel June’s eyes on her.
Lindsey spent the morning outside, attempting to sketch the wild, overgrown orchard at the back of the estate. It was no coincidence that it was as far from the manor as possible. The tension between Camilla and Denise seemed to permeate the entire house.
But when Lindsey went back to the manor for lunch, both Camilla and Denise were nowhere to be found. The house felt eerily empty, and there was no one else in the dining room. When Lindsey asked June where Camilla was, the housekeeper informed her that both sisters had requested lunch in their rooms. That was unusual. Camilla never took her meals anywhere but the dining room unless she wasn’t feeling well.
Lindsey ate lunch alone, then headed to her room, debating with herself about whether she should go to Camilla, or give her some space. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn’t see Denise standing by the entrance to her rooms.
Lindsey stopped in her tracks. “What are
you doing here?”
“Can we talk?” Denise asked.
“Sure.” When Denise didn’t move, Lindsey realized that she was waiting to be invited in. “Come in.”
They entered Lindsey’s sitting room. Lindsey sat down on the lounge, and Denise took a seat in the Victorian armchair next to the far window. Lindsey crossed her arms and waited. If Denise wanted to insult her again, she wasn’t just going to sit there and take it.
“I’m-” Denise cleared her throat. “I’m sorry.”
Lindsey said nothing. Denise was going to have to do better than that.
“I’m sorry for all the things I said about you. That you’re a gold-digger, and after Camilla’s money. It was rude and hurtful, and I apologize.”
“Did Camilla tell you to apologize to me?” Lindsey asked.
Denise looked down at her shoes. “Yes. But I really do mean it. I was cruel to you. You deserve an apology.”
“What about Camilla?”
“What do you mean?”
“I wasn’t the only one you said nasty things about. What about everything you said about her?”
Denise examined Lindsey. “You really do care about her, don’t you? Yes, I’m sorry for all the things I said about Millie—I mean, Camilla—too. I didn’t mean them. I was just trying to drive you away, to protect her. And I do love her, even though she prefers to think otherwise.”
“It sounds like she has good reasons for feeling that way.”
“You’re right. I know I haven’t always been the best sister. Actually, I was a terrible sister from the start. After me, our mother was told she wouldn't be able to have any more children. Ten years later, a happy accident named Camilla was born. Here I was, an only child who was used to having all my parents’ attention, and suddenly, this little miracle baby was the center of their world. Our parents spoiled Camilla to pieces. I was jealous of her, so I treated her badly. Naturally, she started to lash out at me too, and we’ve been trapped in this cycle of resentment ever since.
“Then, after both our parents passed, I found it too painful to be in this house, so I stopped coming to see Camilla, and she’s never forgiven me.” Denise leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. “For the past few years, I’ve been trying to make amends. But Camilla has a habit of holding onto old hurts. And no matter what I do, she just can’t let go of the image of me she’s built up over time.”
Lindsey felt a pang of sympathy. Denise was no angel, but Camilla wasn’t innocent in all this. Camilla had been attacking her sister with snide comments from the moment Denise had arrived at the manor.
“What has she told you about me?” Denise asked.
“She said you’ve never approved of the life she lives.”
Denise sighed. “Let me guess. She told you that she had to come out to me three times before I believed her?”
Lindsey nodded.
“She’s never going to let go of that. It’s true. But this was more than 20 years ago. It was still the nineties. People weren’t as accepting back then. I came around eventually.”
What do you want, a medal? Lindsey thought. But she kept her mouth shut.
“And when I did come around, I fully supported her. Like when she had her first girlfriend. Camilla must have been 17.” A faint smile crossed Denise’s face. “She had the gall to bring this girlfriend of hers to a party here at the manor as her date. It wasn’t just any party, mind you. It was a high-society party, and one of the first of the season.
“It caused a huge scandal. Well, it would have, if I hadn’t put a stop to all the gossip. The moment Camilla and her date walked in, this group of girls started saying the meanest things about them. Camilla didn’t hear any of it, but I did. I had the whole lot of them very publicly kicked out, made it clear that they weren’t welcome here ever again, and I made sure everyone knew exactly why. I spent the next few weeks defending Camilla and her girlfriend, telling off anyone who dared say a bad word about them. It took a while, but eventually, everyone accepted them.”
“Did Camilla know all this was going on?” Lindsey asked.
“Of course not,” Denise said. “I made sure she was kept in the dark. She’s my baby sister, after all. I wanted to protect her from all the cruelty out there in the world.”
“Maybe if you told her, she’d realize that you cared about her all along.”
“It wouldn’t help,” Denise said. “The thing about Camilla is that she’s so determined not to rely on other people that she pushes everyone away. She’s always been like that, ever since we were kids. And everything she’s gone through with her health has made her even more cynical and blind to all the people out there who love and care about her. Perhaps it makes it easier for her to justify her decision to never let anyone in.”
It was true that Camilla valued her independence. And Lindsey remembered Camilla’s surprise when she realized how worried Lindsey had been after she’d sneaked into Camilla’s rooms that night so long ago. It hadn’t even occurred to Camilla that Lindsey cared about what was going on with her.
“The problem is, on the rare occasion Camilla lets someone in, she falls hard and fast,” Denise continued. “I mean, look at the two of you. It hasn’t even been two months, and it’s clear that she’s already crazy about you. The flip-side of that is that when things don’t work out, she takes it hard. If you break her heart, it will crush her.”
Lindsey, break Camilla’s heart? “Honestly, I think you’re overestimating how serious things are between the two of us,” she said. “I don’t think I could break her heart.”
Denise stared at Lindsey, shaking her head. “You don’t even know what you have, do you?”
There was a knock on the door.
“That’s my cue to leave.” Denise got up and opened the door. Camilla was standing in the doorway. “She’s all yours, Camilla.” Denise gave Lindsey a polite nod, before slipping away.
Camilla sat down on the lounge next to Lindsey and placed a hand on her thigh. “So, was my sister’s apology satisfactory?”
Lindsey nodded. “She seemed sincere.”
“I’m glad you think so. She’s never been good at apologizing. After everything she said to you, I should have just kicked her out of the house.”
“It’s okay,” Lindsey said. “I think she meant well. She was trying to protect you in her own way.”
“The only thing she was trying to protect is the family fortune.”
“That’s not true. She was worried that I’d break your heart.”
“Really?” Camilla looked out the window pensively. “Huh. It looks like we played our roles a little too well.”
Lindsey felt a sinking in her stomach. Right. This is all just pretend. “Yeah. I guess we did.”
Chapter Eighteen
Camilla slipped into the bed next to Lindsey and pulled the silk sheets up to cover them both. “Thanks again for agreeing to this charade.”
“I don’t mind,” Lindsey replied. “It’s been kind of fun.”
Lindsey peered at her Mistress, searching her face. Could Camilla detect the longing in Lindsey’s voice? Could she hear the real meaning behind Lindsey’s words? Could she tell that for Lindsey, this wasn’t a charade at all?
But Camilla’s mind was elsewhere. “I’m just glad Denise is leaving in the morning,” she said. “She’s been getting on my nerves all week. She’s so overbearing and controlling. And I’m going to strangle her if she calls me Millie one more time. She knows how much I hate that childish nickname.”
After Denise’s apology, the tension between Camilla and Denise had settled. But that hadn’t stopped the two of them from fighting like teenage sisters. Lindsey bit back a smile. Camilla was such a contradiction of a woman. Sometimes warm, sometimes prickly. Sometimes she seemed older than her years. Other times she was liable to throw tantrums and indulge in sweet things like a spoiled princess.
“Is something funny?” Camilla asked.
“No, Mistress,” Lindsey repli
ed. “Not at all.”
“Maybe I’m overreacting. It’s just that, Denise frustrates me sometimes.” Camilla folded her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. “But she’s the only family I have left. My parents were older when they had me, and they passed away when I was still in my early twenties, but by that time, Denise was already busy with her own family and her career. She didn’t have time for me. I began to resent her for it, and we grew distant. I sometimes wish we were closer, but she doesn’t want that.”
“Maybe she does, but she’s not good at showing it,” Lindsey said. “She did come here to visit you, after all. You should give her a chance.”
Camilla raised an eyebrow.
“Er, it’s just a suggestion, Mistress.”
“Perhaps you’re right.” Camilla paused. “I was thinking of inviting her family to come stay for the holidays, but I changed my mind after all the drama of this week. Maybe I should reconsider.”
“I think she’d like that.”
Camilla leaned back and stared at Lindsey. “What did the two of you talk about?”
“Nothing much,” Lindsey said hurriedly.
“It doesn’t matter. Once again, we’re talking about my sister when we could be doing more exciting things.” Beneath the sheets, Camilla’s hand crept up Lindsey’s thigh, pushing up the hem of her nightie.
Lindsey gave Camilla her most innocent look. “Like what, Mistress?”
Camilla moved in closer and drew her lips up the side of Lindsey’s neck, all the way to her ear. “Like your Mistress finally letting you pleasure her.”
“Do you mean-” Lindsey’s words died in her chest as Camilla kissed her way down the side of Lindsey’s throat.
“Yes,” Camilla said. “But you first.”
Camilla took hold of the hem of Lindsey’s nightie and tugged it up over her head. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Camilla swept her lips down to Lindsey’s nipples. They were already hard from just the suggestion of getting to pleasure her Mistress.
“I’m going to need to get warmed up.” Camilla pushed Lindsey’s shoulders down onto the bed. “And nothing gets me hotter than wringing one of those delicious orgasms from you.”