Chapter 12
.
The Tales of Flynnagan Rider
The Things We Do For Love (cont'd)
I sat and listened as Danielle poured out her heart and soul to me. She explained that I was wasting my time coming here to see her when she was already engaged to be married. She was engaged to an Ethan Carver, one of the most eligible bachelors in the Four Kingdoms. Ethan's parents, Jonas and Laura Carver, had already established their mercantile, Carver's Closet. They'd already opened the small store in Corona. Laura was a dressmaker and Jonas was a salesman and merchant who quickly profited from his wife's fine handcrafted dresses. As the business grew, so did their line of products. It was known throughout the Four Kingdoms as the place to buy anything that was needed. I had been to the one in Charon, the island that the Carver family called home. Every once in while, the Carver's came to Corona to manage the business.
And they would stay with Danielle's family on their estate.
Of course, I asked if Ethan was residing in the guest house and Danielle shook her head and mentioned that he had just left. The two of them had an argument, you see. .
Ethan had come to explain that his parents were pushing this marriage; they wanted the two families to merge and become partners in selling of dry goods, where Danielle's family, the Kings, had made their money. Right now the two stores were competing with each other, but combined they could make thousands.
And so Ethan had come with a ring and marriage proposal, although he told Danielle that he didn't love her. His heart and soul belonged to someone else and that he was only doing this because he felt an obligation to his parents.
Danielle told him the same thing, that she wasn't in love, that her heart belonged to someone else, someone that she felt a connection to and someone that she loved all her life.
Ethan, who hadn't wanted the marriage in the first place, suddenly changed his mind. He was jealous and didn't like the idea of her falling in love with someone else. It was alright for him, however, to love someone else, but not her; that would not do. He vowed that he ever found this upstart, he would challenge him to a duel. Danielle, shocked and hurt, sent him packing.
I asked her who was this lucky man and she smiled.
That lucky fellow was me.
XXXX
Rapunzel had to sit for a moment. She ran out of the house so quickly that Eugene had trouble keeping up with her. He found her sitting on the porch steps in back of the estate.
"Hey lovely lady, are you okay?"
Rapunzel turned away from the magnificent view of the Rolling Valley Hills, which spread out for miles.
"Something strange about that house," she said. "It was as if I belonged there. It was as if something or someone was calling to me."
Eugene frowned, but he was all ears.
"Did you see the family portrait? Didn't you see the resemblance between me and the Mrs. King of the 18th century? It could have been me standing there."
"I know you looked at the recent photo of the Kings. Did you see anything there?"
Rapunzel nodded her head. "Yes I did. That picture that you describing? You left out someone standing next to Donna. Didn't you notice the two of them staring at one another?"
Eugene frowned and shook his head. "If you mean her manager, Eric Carver, well, that's…"
He stopped in mid sentence. "You don't think that he and Donna…"
"I don't know, Eugene. I'm not sure. He's been acting strangely for a long time now, that's one of the reasons I left. I needed to be alone for a while. I was actually grateful when Mother called and told me to return here. I mean, it wasn't the best news to get, but it gave me an excuse to leave."
She looked up at Eugene and smiled. "And there was something else I wanted to say, something that I realized not too long ago. You see, Eugene, I…"
But the conversation stopped as Rapunzel's cell phone rang. She took the call and walked away leaving Eugene to sit on porch alone.
"It's Mother," she said, returning after a few minutes. "Eric's already at the guest house. Donna picked him up from the airport."
XXXX
Greta watched Donna and Eric together, giggling, smiling laughing. It was a strange way to act if she was engaged to her daughter, right?
Or maybe she was reading into things. She didn't really know and she wasn't actually sure; it could have been all fun and games, what did she know about true love these days? It was all so different than when she had grown up.
But right now she had other things to think about, like moving in with Rapunzel and the investigation. Speaking of which, she stared out the window and noticed the van that was sitting across the way, parked right in the driveway. What were they doing in there; what could they possibly find out? Nothing had changed and she was sure nothing new had been found. Nothing could.
Was the necklace starting to lose it powers or was it all coincidence in the first place?
Or was the necklace really cursed as her aunt had said it was?
Her attention was distracted again as he heard giggling again and watched as her daughter's fiancée kissed Eugene's intended.
And it wasn't merely a little peck on the cheek.
XXXX
"She's been holed up in that guest house for two days now, except for the funeral and the visit to the main house this morning," Elliot said, watching the house like a hawk.
"What are we waiting for again?" Lisa asked.
"We waiting for the blood and DNA tests to come back," Edward said. "We can't be sure until they do. Barbara and James were very happy to supply their blood for the testing. Now all we need is Rapunzel's to see if she really is the King's long lost daughter, Danielle."
Elliot nodded. "The Fitzherbert's also supplied a sample of Gothel's DNA from a glass she touched."
Lisa frowned. "When do those arrive?
Edward shrugged. "The lab was closed down because of mishandling evidence. Just this morning, I had the evidence moved to another lab. It could take anywhere from a week to 10 days, depending upon the sample. They also might need additional testing done. We just have to wait."
"Then report the findings back to the Olivia," Edward said in agreement. He turned to Lisa. "By the way, have you found any information about that flower?"
Lisa nodded. "Yes. I have. The resemblance to the necklace and the Sun Flower of Corona is uncanny. It's the same exact flower."