AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ll have to learn about our ways, I suppose.”
“Your ways?” I frowned.
“Well, we like things a certain way. Declan included.” Her eyes lingered over me as though looking for a loose thread or a stain. “He’s broken a lot of hearts in this scene.”
“I’m sure he has.” I kept my tone neutral.
“Then there was Jasmine. He really fucked up there.”
There she was again. I needed to know about this Jasmine. So against my better judgement, I asked, “What do you mean?”
“He hasn’t told you?” Her pout lifted at one end. “Mm… he spoke to me about her from the get-go. He used to talk to me about lots of things. Like how he felt about life. That’s why I fell hard for him.” She sighed as though saying these things to herself. For a moment, I felt sympathy. One didn’t get over a man like Declan easily.
“Declan comes on strong. Like really strong at first and then after a while he loses interest and goes off to his next conquest.”
“That doesn’t sound like him.” I leaned against the sink and played with my hair, determined to remain cool.
“You’ll find out in good time. He’s not the marrying kind.”
She gave me a smug half-grin, and I wanted to slap her for trying to sabotage my moment of happiness.
“He’s asked me to marry him,” came flying out of my mouth before I could edit it.
Why was I sharing this life-changing announcement with a woman I barely knew?
Her eyebrows hit her scalp. “Really?”
“Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me.” I turned away and headed into the toilet. I wished she’d leave so I could call Lucy.
Instead, I sat on the toilet and held my chin and took a deep breath in a bid to find sanity.
When I heard her leave, I went back to the mirror to fix my makeup and recompose myself.
Taking a deep breath, I left the bathroom, and just as I was about to join Declan again, who I could see chatting with a group of older men, Mrs. Lovechilde approached me.
“A word.” She spoke with authority, as though I was still her maid and not her son’s partner.
I sucked back some air and followed her into her office. Dressed in a silky green gown with her dark hair up, Mrs Lovechilde looked even more beautiful than women half her age.
Her partner, Will, entered. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise you were in conference.”
Her face softened. He gave me a faint smile. Will struck me as gentle spirited in that I didn’t get a bad feeling about him, but then, he could have been one of those silent two-faced types—amiable on the outside, scheming on the inside.
“Stay.” She nodded and he pulled a hardback book from the tall bookshelf.
“I hear that you’re going around saying that my son’s going to marry you.”
“He asked me earlier.” Nerves tangled in my stomach. I regretted telling Cleo.
With alarming intensity, she scrutinised my face. “I can see what my son sees in you. You’re a stunner. And you present well in designer. Maid, I could just bear, but not someone selling herself. That’s a slander on the Lovechilde name. He’s always gone for the unwashed.” She looked at Will, and his mouth twitched into a tight smile.
“Excuse me? I don’t have to take these insults. I could have had Reynard Crisp charged for spiking my drink. He was recently stalking me in London.”
“You could do worse. Men like Reynard are rare.”
“You don’t know your son well, do you?”
Just as I uttered that retort, Declan entered.
“No, she doesn’t.” He stared daggers at his mother.
