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The afternoon was full of hard work as she helped Georges, and her body ached as she walked home. The road was full of people and they waved at her, calling out greetings, whereas before she would have been ignored for the most part.
Everything had been different since Phillip had made his claim. When the people thinned out, a man on horseback came into view and she went to the side to let them go by. As the rider got closer, she realized it was Albie Caulfield.
He stopped before her, leaning over his horse’s neck to look down at her.
She gave him a nod as she had always done and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Caulfield.”
“I would have treated you right, Gwen.” His words were slightly slurred. “You should not have shunned me, or made me a laughingstock. I have a plantation and my own business. No one here is as rich as your damn earl, but that does not mean we are any less.”
“It does not have to do with his money, Mr. Caulfield.”
“You do not love him. I have known you most of your life. If you were falling in love with anyone, it would be me.” He spat on the ground, and she had a bad feeling.
“My feelings for Lord Edais are not your business, but I did not love you.”
His sneer grew. “Think about that while you are being fucked in a house that was used to hold and torture slaves. Think about if it is you he wants because he claims to care or if he is looking to get you under his roof where he can treat you no better than the previous owner treated people like you. And have you considered he’s just using you to get the trust of those who look like you on this island?”
Coldness swam over her as the gravity of his words hit her square in the face. Fyre hated that she was giving his comments the slightest bit of validation and purchase. But they were insidious and they clawed for a hold on her. She knew Phillip loved her. Right?
“What are you doing here, Mr. Caulfield?”
It had been a while since Fyre had been happy to hear her brother’s voice, but when his deep voice posed the question, relief took over and her legs wobbled.
“Just passing along greetings to the future mistress of the plantation.” He tipped his hat and rode off.
Turning, she saw Elonne and the kids in the wagon. She realized they had agreed to let her watch them.
His expression hardened and he jerked his head at her. “Get in.”
She didn’t argue. The kids hugged her and she was grateful for the ride to her house, not that it was far. Without a farewell to her brother, she urged the kids inside and set about making a memorable night for the group of them.
Even so, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Caulfield’s words and the number of times she had seen Miss Asherford hanging on and around Phillip. In town and at the house party. The one that she should not have been to because she didn’t have a business.
Yet she had gotten invited.
Yeah, jealousy was a bitch.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The night sky overflowed with stars that winked down at him, and Phillip paused to look up at them, a small smile curving his lips. Fyre loved looking at the stars.
He had plans to take her out for a night picnic so they could look at the constellations. His smile grew larger as his thoughts drifted to her. She was everything to him and he hated being apart from her.
Marrying her fast was on his mind. He wanted to have the right to say she was his wife, his countess. Have the right to kiss her when he wanted and the privilege of sleeping beside her every single night.
A final glance up and he got back on the trail of the person he followed. He had been working with Archer and Zander to follow Cara and find out who she was meeting. That left Damon and Kolby keeping an eye on Fyre.
Right now, he had taken over the tail from Archer on a guy who didn’t look all that intelligent, but they weren’t about to count anyone out. The one he followed had received a note from Cara and left. There had been no reading it, so Archer figured he was just the messenger between Cara and the one she was working with.
Something that would make sense as they hadn’t seen Cara with people other than the ones she was cheating on Elonne with, but all of those guys gave her money then went back to their lives and wives.
He had learned a lot of hiding places on the island he hadn’t known about before. Phillip hated that this was keeping him from Fyre, but he was pleased she understood. Not only that, she was on board with him catching whomever. As well as undermine what that person wanted to do here.
