Chapter 48
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Sponsored chapter by LC. Thank you ❤️ (2/2)
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The woman was fast asleep. Occasionally, Khaled recalled the faces he'd spied. Face that clenched its mouth shut and gripped the pencil in desperation, face that grunted as she tried to keep something down. They were so colorful. The chair was pushed back and he stomped over. It was the same seat from earlier. The one facing the woman.
Khaled sat down without a sound. His tired gaze fell on the woman's face. Her lips were still red from how hard she'd bitten. Even more so than her finely combed red hair, braided to one side.
What the hell…
Khaled stared at the notebook sprawled across her thigh. An ambitious woman who was going to stage the tale her mother had told her. He was sorry, but that was a dream of a woman too ignorant of the world.
He was sorry he crushed it, but Khaled didn't regret what he'd said, because that foolish dream had to graduate, but it felt strange to see the woman's eyes fill with tears at his harsh words. He hesitated for a moment as he put the cigar to his lips out of habit, only to find that it was still a matchstick.
He turned his gaze back to the woman's face. She was no longer coughing loudly, but her face looked peaceful as she slept soundly. Khaled silently took the notebook from her thigh. He flipped it open with a firm pressure of his hand, and found it filled with her scribblings. A tale of a kindly gardener, a story of a young girl with many younger siblings, and so on. If you knew her a little, you could usually guess who the main character was.
Unfortunately, despite his advice, she was doing the same thing over and over again. But there was no anger on Khaled's face as he closed the notebook. There was no anger, only disappointment. He hadn't contracted her to do the job in the first place, and the reason for the contract was simple. He couldn't stand the thought of the woman who could control his emotions, not to mention be annoying. He wanted to keep her in his sights, somehow, and that was all.
"I heard Lady Sandalwood is to be Lord Hemburg's third wife?”
Annie's words echoed in his ears. The words were already being said in social circles where the only thing to talk about was other people. It didn't matter. Aubrey Sandalwood would be here to stay, not as the third wife of Count Hemburg, but as a screenwriter for a play to be staged at Cannon Hall. Only when he stepped out onto the wide-open balcony did he light a cigar. But a few days later, his plan went spectacularly awry.
"Say again."
Khaled glared at the servant he'd sent to the Ravant mansion.
"They said Miss Sandalwood left early this morning."
The servant fumbled with the letter he had handed him, his head bowed. Khaled roughly snatched the letter from his hand and crumpled it. He'd written to move the meeting due to the ongoing construction at the townhouse, but the only thing he'd gotten back was that Aubrey had left the mansion.
"Where? Alone? Tell me clearly.”
This was not what he had expected. Aubrey Sandalwood had left. She couldn't have. At least not now, when she was well on her way to fulfilling her elaborate plan.
"Uh, uh, they said she left at Lord Hemburg’s invitation."
"...."
"I didn't hear anything else but that, either.........."
The servant bowed his head deeply in apology. Khaled stared down at the barely eighteen-year-old servant and turned away. In his mind's eye, the greedy face of Murfrio flashed before him. It was as if he were trying to get a rise out of him. Without delay, Khaled grabbed his coat and left the townhouse. There was only one place the damned fat man would invite Aubrey.
***
Aubrey stared off into the distance, her face dejected. She could still hear Jeffrik’s words echoing in her ears. Murfrio's invitation had come out of the blue, bragging about his first wine bar and inviting her to Lavonne. He said he'd made time for the lady who'd never had a proper trip.
Jeffrik couldn't have been happier. She'd never seen him smile so brightly in all the years she'd lived in the Ravant mansion. Aubrey felt sick to her stomach, for it was the kind of smile he usually wore when he was kissing his mistress. The invitation had been so abrupt that he hadn't given her time to hesitate.
Even Barbara seemed secretly pleased. Of course, it meant something different to her than it did to Jeffrik, but it was hard for Aubrey all the same. The preparations were quick: a few changes of clothes and a basket of refreshments to go. Aubrey, who had been in a daze the entire time, grabbed Trin's hand in frustration.
"Please let me take Trin with me," she begged, "it's my first time there and I'm scared.”
And so they did, with Trin sitting across from her, hugging a basket of snacks. Her brown eyes darted from one to the other, constantly checking Aubrey's mood.
"So, young lady, what do you think of traveling while you can?"
Trin had never met Murfrio before, only knowing that he was the heir to a venerable family and that he had made a fortune. Sure, he wouldn't be a good match for Aubrey, but he wasn't a bad guy, she thought.
"Soon it's going to get cold and you're going to be stuck inside the mansion, and you're going on a fantastic trip to replace that boring time... and with me!"
Trin added the last part, wondering if she'd said it for nothing.
"Yeah. That makes me feel a little better."
Aubrey said, but her face didn't show it. Trin hugged the basket tighter, thinking she'd said something presumptuous.
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After a long day's ride, Lavonne was a strange city. Turn your head and you'd see old, low-rise houses, and look the other way and you'd see artfully painted structures. This was what a rapidly growing city looked like.
"That must be the clock tower we've been hearing about!"
True to her word, a tall, pointed clock tower stood tall in the square, with a crowd of people coming and going in front of it. They were dressed in the fashionable clothes of the capital, and the red glow of the setting sun fell over their heads. The carriage soon stopped in front of a pink building. It was the Arina Hotel, where she would be staying for the next two days. Again, Murfrio had arranged it for her.
The room was a suite with a living room. There was a large bedroom in the back and what looked like an office on the other side. Aubrey was somehow horrified that the room was decorated in the same pale pink color as the hotel's exterior.
"The bed is huge!"
Trin stuck her tongue out at the bed, which could easily fit two people, and then began to organize the clothes and snack basket she'd brought with her. Aubrey approached the window and looked out over the plaza as the sun set. Aubrey sighed inwardly, her mind racing. It's okay.
Now that she was here, she would write about this new experience. Aubrey tried to use this horrible feeling as motivation. Until she finished the job and got paid, she would have no choice but to hear Murfrio's name. She didn't want to let this emotion ruin her writing.
It was time for Aubrey to lift her spirits. Tap. There was a knock on the door. The sound of Trin's pacing, the sound of the door opening, and Trin's questioning greeting.
"Miss Sandalwood has arrived, so I thought I'd stop by to say hello."
A horrible voice followed. It was a gaunt, haggard voice that somehow seemed to have gained more weight than it had in days. He had a thick jaw that folded when he smiled. Murfrio's eyes swept Aubrey up and down quickly.
“You must be tired from coming here so why don’t you have a meal?”
"I'm a bit tired today, so if your lordship doesn't mind, why don't we meet tomorrow?"
Aubrey calmly declined his offer. Fortunately, Murfrio nodded without a word of protest.
"Come to think of it, it's better that way, it'll be light enough to see the sights, and-"
His gaze lingered on Aubrey's trim waist.
"We're going to have a very nice meal tomorrow. Your waist is only a handful."
Aubrey felt like she had worms crawling all over her.
"My room is upstairs, you can come anytime."
He retreated, making a horrible noise. Aubrey saw him off, as he laughed all the way. Then she pressed her hands firmly against the already closed door and slammed it shut. Trin's face was colored with horror as she looked back.
"Is that Lord Hemburg? The one who invited you to the party?"
"Yes, he is."
"Well, if you don't mind my asking, is it possible that he's the one who took the young lady to.......?"
Trin mumbled in deep embarrassment, but then realized and clapped her hands over her mouth.
"So he was taking you to the ship’s ball!"
Trin shuddered as she remembered the look in Murfrio's eyes. The man's eyes gleamed with the sinister intensity of a prey.
"Oh, my God!"
Trin screamed.
"It can’t be, and by the looks of him, he's older than my father!"
Trin had thought it was possible that the man whose name she had heard had invited her Lady to Lavonne. He was the talk of the town, and she thought he was handsome, but the look on his face told her it couldn't be. Even at his best, the man looked well over forty. He had a body that looked like it would roll over if you hit it, and his armpits smelled like stale cheese.
"It's all right, young lady. The madame will protect you, and you'll never marry him!"
"No, she won't. My aunt wants me to."
Aubrey said blandly.
"Both aunt and uncle want me to be Lord Hemburg’s third wife."
"Third, third......!"
Trin was at the point where she could no longer speak.
***
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