“If you don’t fire her, I will do the same to you. And her. You know I can. I have the money. I have the power. Actually, it would be my pleasure to ruin you both as I did him.” She smiled smugly, her thin lips stretching over her teeth in a grin that was more brute than beauty. “And then, I’ll take Avery. No judge or jury will allow her to stay with you after I’m done. She belongs with me anyway.”
He glanced toward the doorway to the kitchen, expecting to see Tresia still standing there, but she was gone and again, there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He couldn’t chase after her, not with Frances sitting in his house, just waitingfor the opportunity to snatch Avery and take her away. Perhaps Tresia had just gone to sit outside with Avery to make sure she didn’t come in the house.
“Good. She’s gone.” Frances laughed softly, but there was no humor in the sound. “She seems to be a little smarter than you.”
His jaw clenched as he turned to face the woman who’d been the bane of his existence since he’d met her. “How dare you!” He roared, heedless of the consequences. If he wasn’t a man of law and order, he would happily strangle Frances and just be done with it, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t.
“It’s just as well, Devlin,” Frances fairly purred, thinking—and looking—like she’d gotten her way. Again. “Now, Avery can come home with me.”
“The hell she will!” He ground out between his teeth, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “I made that mistake once. I will not make it again. And Tresia is a good woman. A kind woman. She doesn’t deserve your rancor or your rudeness. She has done nothing to you and you will not talk to her that way.”
“Bah! She is nothing but someone you took to your bed!” Frances exploded, spots of color adorning her white cheeks, her voice no longer modulated and cold, but fiery and harsh. It was the first time he’d ever seen Frances lose control and it pleased him no end. “Though how you could after Hannah, I don’t know. Don’t you have any remorse for what you did to my daughter?”
“I did nothing to Hannah except love her.” Anger burned in him though he tried to tamp it down. “And I will no longer allow you to make me feel guilty for doing so. I loved her, Frances. I love her still. That will never change.” He paused as he looked at her, really looked at her, his gaze roaming over her face. Her dark eyes glittered, red patches adorned her pale face, and her lips were stretched thin over her mouth, but beyond all that, he saw something else. For the first time, he realized that Francesdidn’t know how to love, and he pitied her. “I’m sure you don’t understand.”
That seemed to take some of her anger, but not enough. “I want to see my granddaughter.”
“No. Until you can show me that you have patience with Avery and not cut her hair to punish her or hit her with a brush because she wouldn’t sit still or berate her for imagined slights or for being a child, you will not see her. On this, I will not budge.” His voice lowered as he gained full control of himself, no longer afraid of what Frances might do. “Once you can show me these things, then I will let Avery decide whether or not she wants to see you.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand, stopping her. “Go ahead, Frances. Fight me on this. Try to ruin me as you did Dr. Chambers and so many countless others. I promise you though, you will lose. I am no longer a man full of grief and guilt. The law is on my side. Tresia helped me to see losing Hannah was not my fault, no matter how much you blamed me.” He smiled, knowing that was true. “She and I are getting married.”
Frances sucked in her breath, her eyes narrowing to slits in her face. “You’re going to marry her?”
“Yes. I love her.”
For the first time he could ever remember, Frances seemed to shrink before his eyes. He’d never seen that before and it shocked him, but the moment was fleeting as she drew herself up and stared at him.
“You win,” she conceded. “For now. My lawyer will be in touch.”
It wasn’t the threat she thought it was, not anymore. “I look forward to it.” He walked to the front door and opened it then turned to look at her.
Lips pursed, jaw clenched, Frances flounced from the room in the most unladylike way, which made his smile grow. He followed her outside but didn’t go any farther than the porch steps. “Goodbye, Frances,” he said to her departing back then signaled to Rafael, who still stood with his gun trained on Humbolt, to let them go.
He watched the carriage pull away, then walked back into the house. Tresia stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes bright, her mouth turned down into a frown, her face as pale as he’d ever seen it. And she was shaking. He could see it from where he stood and his heart hurt for her.
“Is she gone?”
“For now, but I’m certain this isn’t over.” He took the few steps toward her and gathered her in his arms, relieved for the moment. “Are you all right?”
She placed her hand on the side of his face. “I am. Oh, I’m still angry the way she barged in here, thinking she could get her way, but I’m all right.”
“How much did you hear?”
“I heard you tell her that you loved me and that we’re getting married.” She smiled, though it wasn’t up to her usual standard. “Are you certain that was wise?”
“Wise or not, she’d find out anyway, but at least she’ll know what she’s up against. I’m not the man I was. I am no longer afraid of what she might do. I think she knows I’ll fight her until my last breath.”
She nodded as if agreeing to his statement. He had no doubts that she would fight for Avery as well. She tightened her arms around him, snuggling closer. “Can she really ruin you?”
“She can try, but she’s not going to win—” he lifted her chin with his finger and gazed into her eyes, so beautiful, so filled with uncertainty, then rubbed his thumb against her cheek. “—not with you by my side. We’ll fight her together.”
Again, she nodded, the doubt vanishing. “Yes, we’ll fight her together.”
He laughed, unable to help himself. How had he ever gotten so lucky to have this smart, beautiful—fierce—woman come into his life? “Where’s Avery?”
“I took her to Lucy’s. I didn’t want to run the risk that she would come into the house and see her grandmother. I doubt it would do her any good. She’s made such great strides since the first time I met her, I didn’t want to undo all that progress.” She pulled out of his arms and leaned against the door jamb. He noticed that she was no longer shaking and color returned to her face. “What do we do now?”
“We wait, I guess, to see what Frances will do next.”
