Ava
Chapter 38
Garrett had been quiet all night, and I knew something was wrong. It was in the air, stagnate and suffocating. From his glances that he didn’t think I saw, it was written all over his face. The crimped eyes and heavy sighs, he was keeping something in. And it pricked my nerves.
George and he exchanged strange glances throughout dinner. Garrett picked at his food, taking small bites to make it look like everything was normal. I seemed to be the only one to notice; Isabella and Hara laughed continuously at George’s jokes, that were far from funny.
When supper finally ended, Hara suggested playing cards, and I found myself tapping my leg in suspense, waiting to get Garrett alone. George was keeping his collected attitude, teasing Hara and trying to involve Garrett, who was zoning out. He lost every hand he played because he wasn’t focusing.
Garrett opted out a few hands in and walked over to the liquor cart. Excusing myself, I sauntered over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His body stilled, which pricked my pride, and he stopped the decanter pouring the brandy into his glass. Like I’d caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
“What’s wrong, Garr,” I asked him gently. “Don’t tell me nothing.”
He continued to pour his drink. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
I released his waist and turned him to face me.
“You barely ate, you haven’t said but a paragraph all night, and I’m not stupid.”
He gave me a smile; that smile that made me weak at the knees. The one he was purposely trying to distract me with.
“Never thought you were stupid, my goddess,” he murmured, wrapping his hand around my waist.
“Garrett, please,” I continued. “What happened?”
He gave me a light kiss on my forehead. “Not here, okay?” he murmured softly against my skin.
I nodded without hesitating.
He knew he must tell me, and that was all I needed right now.
∞∞∞
“Can you sit down for me?” Garrett asked in a strained tone. His shoulders were tense, and he wouldn’t stop pacing my room.
I did what he asked, watching his face the whole time. He raked his hand through his dark hair and knelt in front of me. “Before I begin, I need you to know that we are going to get through this.”
I raised a brow. “What are we going to get through, exactly?”
He clasped my hands, rubbing them with his thumbs. I could hear servants bustling outside my bedroom, the soft wind hitting my window gently, making it rattle. The sounds were welcoming because the dead silence in here was unnerving.
“Is it Papa?” He shook his head, to my relief. “Sam?”
“No.”
I exhaled my held breath.
“What is it?”
“John found some startling information today.” He peered up at me. “Before Father died, he allegedly signed an agreement, that neither George nor I were aware of.” I nodded, and Garrett looked away from me, biting the inside of his lip.
“Go on.”
Bring his attention back, he locked eyes with me. “He arranged for Sophia and I to marry.”
My heart started beating rapidly, adrenaline pumping through my veins at lightning speed, and my stomach turned in knots. All I could do was stare at him.
The feeling of being powerless overwhelmed me; something that I used to manipulate into anger or rebellion, but this…this was something all too new.
The familiar feeling of disappointment and betrayal crept in my mind. That state of mind was something that I fought so hard to destroy, but it assaulted me so quickly that I was thrown off.
“Ava.” Garrett broke through the silent tension, shaking my hands. “Did you hear what I said? We are going to get through this, I promise.”
“What else?” I stammered. “What happens if you don’t?”
I know that Edward would have all his bases covered. He was a smart man; always got what he wanted, no matter the cost of others. No matter how lonely or heartbreaking it was, he would play the game and win the prize. Whatever that was.
Garrett put more pressure on my hands. “It’s not going to happen.”
“What happens to her?”
He looked down at our clasped hands and back at me, knowing who I referenced. Edward knew Hara was Garrett’s weakness, and to get him to move in the direction Edward needed, Hara was the only wager to play.
Even under the ground, Edward was still complicating my life.
“If I refuse, then Hara marries King Leo Dufour.”
“Who is that?”
I watched Garrett’s jaw twitch. “Dufour is a piece of shit. He rules Romeni and has already gone through six or seven wives; I lost count. The last one was—it didn’t end well.”
I grasped his hands tighter. “What did he do?”
He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. “His three sons raped and killed her.”
So, he pulled out the biggest gamble. Use the worst candidate to offer Hara to, and compel his son to marry the blonde whore.
I choked down a chuckle.
Well played, Edward.
“What do we do?”
Garrett looked at me in surprise. I think he expected me to fly off the handle and lose my temper, but I didn’t have the strength in me to do so. I was too worried and sickened, knowing this sealed everything.
“George and I are going to fight it.”
He explained to me that he couldn’t leave for Aruna and be done with the whole ordeal. That his bloodline with Edward and disobeying a signed agreement wouldn’t be supported by King Ezra, the King of Aruna.
We were both trapped here.
“And if we fail?”
Garrett shook my hands again. “I will not fail you.”
“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about the two of you.”
He kissed my hand softly and laid his head on my lap.
“It’ll be all right. It has to be,” he replied. I laced my hand through his dark hair, soothing his own worry. “I won’t lose you. I won’t lose our future.”
The anguish in his voice made my heart ache for him. My strong, fearless Garrett—who saved my life and fought valiantly against Pierce—looked like a different man. I think all the past events, and current, were starting to take their toll on him. This was the tipping point for him.
“I’ll be here, with you,” I told him. “I’m not leaving you.”
Not until I hear George tell me otherwise.
He brought his head up, looking at me. Sinking out of my chair onto the floor beside him, I pulled Garrett into my embrace. I’d never seen him vulnerable. “My darling, we’ll figure this out…together.”
Even though I doubted we’d be able to.
∞∞∞
“How is the appeal going?” I asked George, as he poured the three of us a drink. Reddington was there in George’s study, helping us with possibilities of getting around this bogus arrangement.
It’d been eight days since Garrett laid in my arms on my bedroom floor. He repeatedly asked me if I was having second thoughts, doubt consuming him. I wasn’t having uncertainties about my feelings for him, but I couldn’t help but feel disheartened.
“Nothing new to report,” George admitted. “These Lords are starting to test my patience.”
“We are investigating Edward’s signature to see if it was forged, or if Cecilia was involved in some way,” Reddington added, accepting his drink from George. “Also, to see if Edward was in his right mind.”
“Right mind?” I repeated. “How would you prove that?”
“It’d be extremely hard.” Reddington took a seat next to me and crossed his legs. “Maybe he was threatened? But we thought he would have told George or Garrett that.”
“It’s an excessive feat to prove, but we want it in our arsenal if we need it,” George indicated.
“That he was threatened?”
George nodded. I went to open my mouth again to tell him that was impossible to prove but quickly shut it.
“I’ve put in a request for King Ezra to give sanctuary to Garrett and Hara, in case this doesn’t work out in our favor,” Reddington said. “Just as an option B, of course.”
“But Garrett said King Ezra wouldn’t protect Hara and him from Edward’s agreement.”
“That’s true, but sanctuary in Aruna can be granted for a few months. People use this for pending trials, where they need to go to gather evidence or a strategy. In our case, it’s a strategy to end this.” He moved his cup in the air.
“You are amazing, William, thank you,” I said.
“How have you been holding up, A?” George asked, now sitting across from me.
“Like my whole life has gone sideways.” I took a long sip of my brandy, welcoming the burning sensation down my throat.
“Hang in there for me. We aren’t done yet.”
I nodded at him. I knew he would do everything in his power for me; I had complete faith in that. But Lord Chitwood was a powerful man, and we were fighting a dead man’s pact.
“Ava, do you trust your ladies?’ Reddington inquired, swirling his brandy.
“Of course.”
“Good. Ask them to keep their ears and eyes open. There is a traitor within the castle. Has to be, when the assassins knew about the hidden bookcase that led into Edward’s study.”
“Whatever I can do to help.”
Which really hadn’t been much. George made me promise to stay away from Sophia, so I had, much to my dismay. I knew it wouldn’t help anything right now, but those seconds of satisfaction seemed more inviting by the minute.
∞∞∞
Hara and I went out riding, wanting to get away from being inside the castle and the chaotic days that had been holding our thoughts captive. Of course, we had four looming men behind us—half the Elite Eight. I had become so used to them that I barely noticed them around anymore.
The day was beautiful and warm; I welcomed the warm breeze that enveloped us. Flowers had already poked themselves out for the summer, a bunny hopped through the field, and the trees swayed to their own rhythm.
“When does Garrett come home?” Hara asked me, moving a lock of dark hair out of her eyes.
“Tomorrow.”
Hara was a wreck, with a lot on her mind, and I could tell she was struggling to keep a normal conversation going.
“I’m sure you’re excited to see him.”
“I am.” I looked over at her. “How are you doing?”
Hara shrugged. “I’m scared. Not for me, but for Garr. I know he’ll never give me up to King Dufour.” She looked at me. “He’ll give up his happiness for mine.”
I knew she was right. His selflessness was one thing I adored about him. It’d been on my mind since Garrett told me the news. Hara would be safe; Garr was the one at risk.
“I know.”
“I’m so sorry, Ava,” she said in a low voice. “It’s my fault.”
“No, of course it’s not!” I insisted. “Why would you say such a thing?”
“I came back. I was in Father’s sight as collateral to use for his own gain. I messed up everything.”
I brought my horse closer to Hara’s and pulled on her reins, to slow the horse down.
“Don’t talk like that,” I chided. “Edward could reach you anywhere since you are his child. None of this is your fault.”
“I can’t help but feel like it is.” She peered over the grassy field. “I’ll never forgive myself if Garrett has to marry that…witch.”
“Let’s try to think positive,” I told her, even though I didn’t feel it. This was all a mess. I might lose the best thing that had ever happened to me.
“I’ve been thinking,” Hara said quietly. “There are other ways we could go about this.”
“How?”
Hara motioned her head toward the men behind us. “The Elite Eight. They are your men. They would do anything you asked them to do.”
“I don’t think they can make this agreement go away, Hara. I have George and Reddington pulling out all the ideas they have on this.”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “They could get rid of the problem.”
My eyes widened, and I furrowed my brows. She couldn’t be thinking what I thought she was.
“Do you mean…you mean to kill her off?”
Hara grinned, which frazzled me a little. How could she smile when she was talking about murdering someone? I’d dreamt of smashing her face against a wall and ripping her hair out until she was bald, but not that.
“Have you lost your damn mind?!” I shouted. Hara looked at me, startled. She probably thought I’d jump at the chance. But I wouldn’t put the men at risk for murder, nor did I want my name tied to it. Not even George could save me from killing a powerful judge’s daughter.
“They would do it discreetly, of course.”
“Hara, no. That is insane. It’s too risky.”
“These are trained assassins,” Hara replied, matter-of-factly.
“They are mortal men that could die for this,” I countered. I placed my hand on her knee. “You are a darling. A crazy, kind-hearted darling. But no. She is too high up on the totem pole to not be missed. It’s too obvious.”
“Then I’ll tell them to—”
“Don’t you dare,” I said sternly, glaring at her. “This isn’t a game. You’ll ruin your life, and Garrett’s.”
“But he will be saved!”
“But you won’t be!” I squeezed her knee. “You aren’t thinking rationally. This won’t happen. You will not do anything. Let the men handle it. I’m serious.” I looked at the men. “Captain, you will not act on any orders that Lady Cranfield gives to you, is that understood?” He nodded his head.
“How dare you!” she gasped.
“Like you said, they are my men. They’ll do what I ask them to do.”
Hara kicked the side of her horse lightly to pick up the speed, and I didn’t follow her. She wasn’t used to this stress, and I was the leading role in it half the time. But her solution scared me. If we weren’t so close, she may have tried to do something stupid.
“Keep a close eye on her,” I said to the captain.