Chapter Four
Molly
Devon, England
I stared up at the iron gates that protected a long stretch of driveway that curved behind a long line of shrubs. It seemed impossible that one man could own such an estate on a hundred acres of green land, but Alfie owned it clear and free. That much I remembered when Harry spoke of Alfie with a sense of pride and envy.
And he’s incredibly generous. I had thought for a horrible second all of this was some sort cruel ploy since Alfie was Harry’s best man for the wedding. Nothing in Alfie’s demeanor had suggested otherwise. He looked horrified, irritated, confused, and worn out over the entire situation, too. Not once did he stick up for Harry as a close friend would do. He didn’t seem to understand it as much as I did.
Rolling the window down, I leaned out to press a button on the small metal box with a speaker that sat outside the gates.
“Conner Estate,” a male spoke briskly. “What can I help you with?”
“Um.” I bit my lip, unsure of what to say exactly. I had no idea if Alfie had told any of his staff around his estate to expect a fleeing bride. “My name is Molly. I’m sort of a friend of Alfie who gave me perm—”
“Come inside, love. Mr. Conner called us about ten minutes ago.”
Buzz.
I stared at the box in surprise. The gates swung open a second later as I rolled the window up to slowly drive up the curve of the driveway. A butler stood proudly on the front steps in front of a large oak door when I parked next to what appeared to be a detached sort of garage and shop. There was a buzz of energy around the estate when I climbed nervously out of the car to stand in front of the butler who didn’t seem to be phased by anything
“My name is William,” he said, nodding as I approached. “I am Alfie’s personal butler and assistant when he needs it.”
“Molly,” I said, gathering the skirts of my dress. “So, Alfie told you I was coming?”
“Yes. He explained the situation over the phone.”
He didn’t say anything else on the matter. I looked up at the four-story stone house with a wraparound porch filled with freshly potted flowers. It was beautiful, with arched windows and a sloped roof.
I followed William in through the front door into the spacious foyer. It smelled clean and fresh as I caught a glance of a maid walking upstairs before disappearing into a hallway with folded towels. There were various antiques and paintings throughout the foyer while William led me to the stairs.
“We have a guest room here ready for you,” William said, still brisk. “The staff and I will be leaving here shortly, so you will have some time for yourself.”
“Thank you,” I said.
We walked along the hallway to the very end where a maid emerged from a room with a smile. She nodded briefly at me before continuing down the hallway in the direction of the stairs. The guest room felt like a suite from its expensive furniture and spacious room with even a large guest bathroom. A fire already crackled in the fireplace near a balcony that over looked sprawling green acres.
I found myself letting out a trembling breath when William gestured to a pile of robes on the end of the bed
“I’m afraid we don’t have any female clothes here,” he said, but I didn’t find that regretful. At least I knew Alfie didn’t have women staying the night here on a usual basis. “Mr. Conner confirmed he would be here in the morning with your bags. He is driving your maid of honor to the airport.”
“Right,” I said. A part of me wished I was in the car listening to them talk about Harry. Knowing Peyton, it was humorous and horrible at the same time. “Thank you. I appreciate all the help.”
William bowed a bit stiffly. “You’re welcome. If there is anything you need, there is a list of our numbers in the kitchen.”
He left without saying another word. I let the skirts of my dress drop down to trail along the swept hardwood floors. It smelled of fresh sheets and soap in the room. The chill of the entire day fell away as I stood in front of the fireplace with my hands extended forward to warm them.
I listened to the staff leave the house before I grabbed a large fuzzy robe from the end of the bed. A suffocating wave of emotions crashed over me when I stepped into the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. I looked like the bride I had hoped I would be. I had spent months planning every detail of this wedding.
Bitterness tore me from the inside. I reached up with a trembling hand to rip out the veil clipped into my hair. I watched as it fluttered to the ground along with some strands of my hair attached. The butterfly and flower pins were next on the floor.
I stripped out of everything until I stood bare in front of the mirror with those cursed salty tears trailing down my cheeks.
“Stupid,” I whispered, wiping at my face. “You’re stupid, Molly. You’re stupid to be crying over him.”
Slipping into the robe, I heard the distant trill of a text message from inside the pile of white fabric, lace, and my undergarments. Peyton had brought my cell phone on her way out to tell me what had happened. It was the one thing that I had on me besides my wedding dress.
I stared down at Harry’s name on the touch screen with a twisting stomach as I read the message. You realize how fucking shitty it was of you to do that to all of our guests? For Christ’s sake, Molly. Your parents and friends flew into England to see this wedding! What the hell is wrong with you?
“Nothing is wrong with me,” I snapped, and then deleted the message along with Harry’s number. “I’m not the one who did this to us.”
Pretentious. That was the only word I could think of as I knotted the robe tightly around my waist. I left the bathroom to explore the rest of Alfie’s house curiously, but to also distract myself. I paused in front of a series of photographs hanging artfully on the wall. Many of them were of Alfie when he was a little boy. I smiled up at the sight of his familiar mischievous smile and sparkling eyes. A few photographs were of him alone, but there were a few of him with a tall and dark-haired man that I assumed was Alfie’s father. I dimly remembered Harry mentioning that Alfie’s father had passed when he was in Uni with Alfie. It had been a hard death, and I could see why. The small little boy appeared to very happy sitting on the knobby knees of his father.
No mother though. I frowned up at the pictures as I scanned them for a maternal face, but found nothing. I couldn’t remember either if Harry mentioned anything about Alfie’s mother either. In a very strange way, I knew intimate details about Alfie that the general public didn’t know about.
I startled in surprise when my phone vibrated from the pocket of the robe. To my relief, it was Peyton calling.
“I just wanted to check on you,” Peyton said, breathlessly. “Alfie just dropped me off at the airport, but I wanted to make sure you were okay before I got on the plane.”
“I’m fine,” I said and trailed a hand down the wooden banister. “Alfie was kind enough to let me stay here for the night while I think about a few things.”
“I know. He told me on the car ride back to London.”
I smiled a little. “I’m glad he took you back. I’m sorry. I should’ve taken you myself since you came out here to see me.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Peyton said. Voices echoed in the background. “I got to spend time with you, and I don’t blame you at all. Harry’s a prick. Even his own former friend doesn’t understand what happened to him.”
“It’s a mystery,” I said.
I didn’t have any answers either besides perhaps too much alcohol, money, and bad company. Those groomsmen were the worst characters. They cheated on their girlfriends. They drank all the time. I had no idea why Harry craved their company over everyone else’s—including Alfie’s.
“Alfie seems like a good man,” Peyton said. “I really enjoyed his company on the drive to London. He was going to stay somewhere in Ashburton tonight to give you some space to think.”
“I know. He is a good man.”
I chewed on my bottom lip anxiously as I thought of tomorrow morning. What would I honestly say then? I had no idea where I was going to besides possibly back to America to start a new life again. My job was flexible, at least in that sense. I wasn’t even sure what motives Alfie honestly had for letting me stay here. While I gathered that Alfie had changed over the years, I was still a bit cautious when it came to him.
I wasn’t much of a better person by hanging around my ex-fiancé’s former best mate. It was tempting, too. He was incredibly attractive, sexy, and so confident in where he was in life. I loved that about him.
Bad idea, Molly. Don’t go into that area of your brain.
“I can literally hear the wheels in your brain turning,” Peyton said, teasingly. “I wouldn’t judge you if you slept with Alfie. In fact, I think you should do it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t just jump into Alfie’s arms. I’ve only been separated from Harry for a little over two hours now.”
“So? What better way to get over someone than by sleeping with a gorgeous man who is guaranteed to piss off Harry in the process?”
“I’m not after blood, Peyton. I don’t care what Harry does anymore.”
“I don’t believe your façade of strength,” she said, sighing. “Whatever. As long as I know you’re okay, then I’m going to let it go.”
“I’m going to be fine,” I said, assuredly. “I just need a few days to regroup on what I want to do, so don’t worry about me. Have a safe flight back.”
“I will. The offer is always there if you want to come visit for a little bit.”
“Thanks. I might take you up on that someday soon.”
We hung up after I promised to call with my plans even though I had none. I was stuck in a horrible limbo of between my past life and future. It felt even stranger to be roaming through an empty house that belonged to Harry’s former friend.
I found a small library and nook that was stocked well with various books. I spent the next hour browsing through several subjects on Astrology. It seemed odd that a man like Alfie would be into Astrology, but I found it also endearing at the same time. He believed in fate and the stars.
Romantic. My lips curved up as I clicked the light off in the small library before venturing down to the guest room. It was pitch-black downstairs, but I managed to find my way through the dark hallways back to the guest room. Throwing a couple of logs into the fireplace, I collapsed on the large bed to stare up at the moonlight dancing across the ceiling.
I didn’t let my brain go to that bitter part that wanted to remind me I should have been married right now. I let a dreamless sleep take over me, instead.