Chapter 26
Alistair turned toward the cameras. Smile in place. On his lips but never reaching his cold blue eyes. Damn that daughter-in-law of his. A Halloween Ball. Complete with costumes. He didn't wear one, of course. But that was beside the point. He hated festivities. Of any kind. "Father," Julian greeted. Raising his glass of red wine to his lips. "You don't look like you're enjoying yourself." "Of course I'm NOT enjoying myself," Alistair grit between clenched teeth. "How appropriate," he snarled. "A Fool." Julian narrowed his eyes at his father. "Clever disguise, Father," Julian responded dryly. "Excellent job hiding the devil within." Alistair's blue eyes glittered with anger as he observed his son cross the crowded dance floor. What started out as almost covert defiance was becoming alarmingly and annoyingly open. Maybe it was time to consider ridding himself of problem #2. Accidents were known to happen, he thought. Turning his head at the sound of chaos erupting just behind him as Colin made his grand entrance. A cheap blond adorning his arm.
"Ethan," Gwen groaned as the young man in question trampled her toes for the hundredth time that evening. "Are you purposely trying to cripple me?" "No," Ethan grumbled. "I'm just sick of dancing. Sick of all the cameras. Sick of all this," he muttered. Gwen's brown eyes sparkled at him. "Boring, isn't it? Would you like to do something fun? Something a little." she paused to look around them. Making sure no one was listening. "Something a little adventurous?" Interest flared in Ethan's blue eyes momentarily before it died down again. "But Grandfather." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Forget him." The very idea seemed to sound preposterous to Ethan. "Look," Gwen huffed impatiently. "You don't have to if you absolutely don't want to," she called over her shoulder as she turned to walk away. "Honestly, Ethan. You're such a ninny sometimes." Ethan's blue eyes widened at her words. And he hurried to catch up to her. "What do you have in mind?" Gwen smirked at him as she led him outside to the terrace. "You'll see." We're giving true love a fighting chance, she thought with a self-satisfied smile as she took his hand in hers. "Gwen? The stables? You're out of your mind. We'll smell like man."
Ivy dropped the heavy curtain back into place with a smile as she watched the figures of her son and Gwen disappear down the path leading to the stables. "Just a little longer." The silk of her ivory skirts rustled as she crossed the carpeted room to stand before the powder room door. Rapping on it lightly with her knuckles. "Mrs. Crane," Pilar hissed as she opened and shut the bedroom door behind her. "Mr. Lindsay is downstairs. Causing quite a stir. Are you certain." "Don't worry so much, Pilar," a clear, strong voice rang out in the dimly lit room. Pilar gasped in surprise, and the smile on Ivy's face widened. "He won't even recognize me." "Mija? Miss Sheridan?" Pilar whispered. "Is that really you?" Sheridan's blue eyes twinkled as she slowly came to a stop in front of Luis's mother. "And even if he did.I'm NOT afraid of him," she said confidently. "He'd hardly be stupid enough to try something in front of so many people." Pilar and Ivy exchanged glances. "What about your Father?" Pilar asked softly. Tucking a loose blond curl back behind Sheridan's ear and beneath the cascading brown wig. "I'll worry about him after the party," Sheridan murmured.
Colin's gray eyes raked over the blond's figure appreciatively as she gave him a flirty smile and wink before wobbling across the room on her too-tall spiky red heels. "A hooker," a smarmy young gentleman beside him sneered. "Fantastic costume." "Costume? This is a costume party?" Colin smirked at the look of astonishment that flitted across the handsome youth's face. Quickly replaced with a wolfish grin. "Mind if I." "Colin," Alistair chose that moment to interrupt. Colin immediately straightened up. "Alistair," he greeted with a nervous smile. "Fine party, isn't it?" The younger man quickly made himself scarce. "Who's your guest, Colin?" Alistair inquired evenly. A quiet fury in his icy blue eyes. Colin's jaw worked futilely to answer, but Alistair cut him off. "As a member of the family," he bit out disdainfully, "you have an image to uphold. And that certainly does not entail arriving at a highly publicized Crane party flaunting the prostitute of the week on your arm." Colin tugged at the bow tie at his neck self-consciously at Alistair's disconcerting gaze. Breathing a deep sigh of relief when something else diverted Alistair's attention from him. He followed his line of sight.coming to rest on one particular slender figure in a sea of faces. He looked back at Alistair. Unable to read the expression on his stony face.
Sheridan's crimson tinged nails dug into her palms. Resisting the urge to raise a hand to the diamonds at her throat. Attract anymore unwanted attention. Where was he, she wondered as her blue eyes scanned the crowd of people. Her eyes connected with Ivy's blue-green ones, and she shifted her gaze when Ivy nodded at the slightly open terrace doors. She shivered, briskly rubbing the goosebumps that pebbled her skin, as she stepped through the doors. To another place. Another time. The notes of the music, the sounds of civilized merriment, were fainter out here. The stars seemed to blink in the black sky. She gasped in surprise. Whirling around when she heard a throat clear behind her. Gwen's brown eyes sparkled at her in the darkness as she smiled. "A message for you," she whispered softly. Kissing Sheridan's cheek as she slipped a plain white envelope in her hand. "But Gwen," Sheridan shook her head. "This isn't.this is his letter.why did you." She raised her blue eyes to find Gwen gone. And the dark figure of her dreams a reality. Finally, a reality, she realized as tears stung at the corners of her eyes. "So you could give it to me yourself," he answered with a breathtaking smile. And after many long weeks away-weeks that slowly bled into months, her heart resumed beating.
Alistair turned toward the cameras. Smile in place. On his lips but never reaching his cold blue eyes. Damn that daughter-in-law of his. A Halloween Ball. Complete with costumes. He didn't wear one, of course. But that was beside the point. He hated festivities. Of any kind. "Father," Julian greeted. Raising his glass of red wine to his lips. "You don't look like you're enjoying yourself." "Of course I'm NOT enjoying myself," Alistair grit between clenched teeth. "How appropriate," he snarled. "A Fool." Julian narrowed his eyes at his father. "Clever disguise, Father," Julian responded dryly. "Excellent job hiding the devil within." Alistair's blue eyes glittered with anger as he observed his son cross the crowded dance floor. What started out as almost covert defiance was becoming alarmingly and annoyingly open. Maybe it was time to consider ridding himself of problem #2. Accidents were known to happen, he thought. Turning his head at the sound of chaos erupting just behind him as Colin made his grand entrance. A cheap blond adorning his arm.
"Ethan," Gwen groaned as the young man in question trampled her toes for the hundredth time that evening. "Are you purposely trying to cripple me?" "No," Ethan grumbled. "I'm just sick of dancing. Sick of all the cameras. Sick of all this," he muttered. Gwen's brown eyes sparkled at him. "Boring, isn't it? Would you like to do something fun? Something a little." she paused to look around them. Making sure no one was listening. "Something a little adventurous?" Interest flared in Ethan's blue eyes momentarily before it died down again. "But Grandfather." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Forget him." The very idea seemed to sound preposterous to Ethan. "Look," Gwen huffed impatiently. "You don't have to if you absolutely don't want to," she called over her shoulder as she turned to walk away. "Honestly, Ethan. You're such a ninny sometimes." Ethan's blue eyes widened at her words. And he hurried to catch up to her. "What do you have in mind?" Gwen smirked at him as she led him outside to the terrace. "You'll see." We're giving true love a fighting chance, she thought with a self-satisfied smile as she took his hand in hers. "Gwen? The stables? You're out of your mind. We'll smell like man."
Ivy dropped the heavy curtain back into place with a smile as she watched the figures of her son and Gwen disappear down the path leading to the stables. "Just a little longer." The silk of her ivory skirts rustled as she crossed the carpeted room to stand before the powder room door. Rapping on it lightly with her knuckles. "Mrs. Crane," Pilar hissed as she opened and shut the bedroom door behind her. "Mr. Lindsay is downstairs. Causing quite a stir. Are you certain." "Don't worry so much, Pilar," a clear, strong voice rang out in the dimly lit room. Pilar gasped in surprise, and the smile on Ivy's face widened. "He won't even recognize me." "Mija? Miss Sheridan?" Pilar whispered. "Is that really you?" Sheridan's blue eyes twinkled as she slowly came to a stop in front of Luis's mother. "And even if he did.I'm NOT afraid of him," she said confidently. "He'd hardly be stupid enough to try something in front of so many people." Pilar and Ivy exchanged glances. "What about your Father?" Pilar asked softly. Tucking a loose blond curl back behind Sheridan's ear and beneath the cascading brown wig. "I'll worry about him after the party," Sheridan murmured.
Colin's gray eyes raked over the blond's figure appreciatively as she gave him a flirty smile and wink before wobbling across the room on her too-tall spiky red heels. "A hooker," a smarmy young gentleman beside him sneered. "Fantastic costume." "Costume? This is a costume party?" Colin smirked at the look of astonishment that flitted across the handsome youth's face. Quickly replaced with a wolfish grin. "Mind if I." "Colin," Alistair chose that moment to interrupt. Colin immediately straightened up. "Alistair," he greeted with a nervous smile. "Fine party, isn't it?" The younger man quickly made himself scarce. "Who's your guest, Colin?" Alistair inquired evenly. A quiet fury in his icy blue eyes. Colin's jaw worked futilely to answer, but Alistair cut him off. "As a member of the family," he bit out disdainfully, "you have an image to uphold. And that certainly does not entail arriving at a highly publicized Crane party flaunting the prostitute of the week on your arm." Colin tugged at the bow tie at his neck self-consciously at Alistair's disconcerting gaze. Breathing a deep sigh of relief when something else diverted Alistair's attention from him. He followed his line of sight.coming to rest on one particular slender figure in a sea of faces. He looked back at Alistair. Unable to read the expression on his stony face.
Sheridan's crimson tinged nails dug into her palms. Resisting the urge to raise a hand to the diamonds at her throat. Attract anymore unwanted attention. Where was he, she wondered as her blue eyes scanned the crowd of people. Her eyes connected with Ivy's blue-green ones, and she shifted her gaze when Ivy nodded at the slightly open terrace doors. She shivered, briskly rubbing the goosebumps that pebbled her skin, as she stepped through the doors. To another place. Another time. The notes of the music, the sounds of civilized merriment, were fainter out here. The stars seemed to blink in the black sky. She gasped in surprise. Whirling around when she heard a throat clear behind her. Gwen's brown eyes sparkled at her in the darkness as she smiled. "A message for you," she whispered softly. Kissing Sheridan's cheek as she slipped a plain white envelope in her hand. "But Gwen," Sheridan shook her head. "This isn't.this is his letter.why did you." She raised her blue eyes to find Gwen gone. And the dark figure of her dreams a reality. Finally, a reality, she realized as tears stung at the corners of her eyes. "So you could give it to me yourself," he answered with a breathtaking smile. And after many long weeks away-weeks that slowly bled into months, her heart resumed beating.