Chapter Twenty- Three

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The yard beyond the glass screen in the dining room was a wide expanse of green land that stretched before a small artificial lake, dotted here and there with trees.

That was where Elara found Victoria after dessert.

She thanked her for her hospitality and for dinner. Now, she was ready to take her leave.

“Are you certain you wouldn’t prefer to stay the night? We have more than enough rooms for you and for your driver.”

Elara smiled politely. “Really, it’s fine.”

“Very well. Come to me if you need anything, dear. I owed your parents a great deal in their lifetime.” She paused,a frown appearing on her face. “Where is my grandson?”

“He…had urgent business to attend to.”

Something flashed in the older woman’s eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. She sighed instead and said, “I apologize for his sake. My grandson might bear the titles of his family, but plays the part of an unmannered child.”

“It’s no problem, really-”

“It should be.” Victoria gave her a sidelong glance. “You are married, remember?”

“It’s more of a contract. He’s entitled to go wherever he wants.”

“You are married in all but name and public show, then. You had both better start playing the part properly. First step would be moving in together, of course.”

Elara’s head snapped up like a spring coil. “Move in?”

“Oh, yes. That is what a couple does after a marriage, be it contract or no. It is only practical.”

-------

She stared out the window later that night as the driver took her back to the Harrington Estate, her thoughts were distant.

Victoria Steele wasn’t the sort of woman to refuse. But moving in with Atlas?

‘It won’t be so bad,’ she thought. ‘We just won’t share the same bed like I had insisted on our first night together.’

And where had he even disappeared to? She told herself that she didn’t exactly care earlier that evening when he was on his phone, when he abruptly left dessert. But that glint in his eyes, that smile that crept onto his face…

…it gave her goosebumps, and not the good kind.

‘Why the hell am I even thinking about that prick?’

He was an arrogant and entitled prick. At least, he and Logan had that in common. And who knows, Atlas could turn out to be another selfish, backstabbing bastard who wanted to use her to her own ends.

“Ma’am?”

She looked up quickly to find the driver staring at her through the sideview mirror.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

She realized that she had been mumbling to herself.

“I’m fine,” she said with an embarrassed smile. “Just thinking aloud…”

Her phone dinged with a message. She reached for it faster than she could allow herself to, and sure enough, it was from him.

‘Where’d you go? I had hoped you’d spend the night.’

She dropped the phone and stared outside for a while. Then she reached for it and replied, ‘I’m not one of your girls. And it was rude to leave a guest waiting like that.’

‘I told you it was urgent.’

‘I really don’t care.’

‘Sure. I believe you.’

She could almost see the sarcastic smile he would be wearing with that last text. Before she could hit back with a harsh reply, he sent another one:

‘Heard we’re gonna be moving in together.’

‘I just talked about it with your grandmother, it’s nothing.’

He sent a laughing emoji, then: ‘It’s never “just talk” with Victoria Steele.’

She bit her lower lip before sending another text: ‘Even if I were to agree to that, where do you think that would be?’

Three dots appeared on the screen, vanished, appeared again. She found herself tapping her thumbs against the sides of the phone, waiting for his reply.

Then the dots vanished once more.

She felt a wave of annoyance and frustration as she tossed the phone into her bag.

-----

Amelia was sitting out on the patio when she got home. She wore a face mask and a bathrobe, wineglass in one hand while one of the servants massaged her shoulders.

“How did it go?” she asked eagerly, leaping to her feet when she saw Elara.

“It went alright.” She paused and gave her aunt an accusing stare. “All those formalities you taught me weren’t really necessary, you know.”

Amelia waved a hand, like she did not hear. “Did Victoria mention my name?”

“Yes, she mentioned your name.”

She sank into a chair next to her aunt’s without bothering to explain how or why the duchess had mentioned her name. she was happy enough with the fact.

“I didn’t think she would! Oh, I could meet her now, maybe-”

“How well do you know her?” Elara asked.

“When my brother, your father, used to visit her many mansions, I tagged along on one or two of those visits. A very formidable woman and would be useful…” She trailed off, as if she realized she wasn’t alone and Elara had overheard her. “She would be useful to you, I mean.”

“Oh, she is.” Elara got to her feet, suddenly wishing to get out of the heavy dress. “She was the one who arranged the marriage between me and Atlas. She keeps bringing it up a lot too.”

Amelia’s finger tightened on the glass, and her lips pressed into a thin line. For a brief second.

Then that sweet smile was back again, though it looked forced this time.

“That’s great to hear! Well, you must be exhausted after such a long evening. Why don’t you go get some rest, dear?”

Elara thought her aunt looked pissed, even under all that appearance. But she WAS tired, so she headed inside all the same.

Maybe she would mention that she was expected to move in with Atlas some other time.

—--

As she changed into a dark blue nightgown in her room, Elara found herself thinking that Atlas’ eyes were of a lighter shade of blue.

She had realized that when he leaned close to her, just before her left. And that his scent stuck with her, when he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Oh, for God's sake,” she snapped at her reflection in the mirror.

She needed to resolve this thing; whatever it was, that made her keep staring at her phone, waiting for his reply.

She climbed into bed with a sigh, but sleep took a long time to come.