by J. M. Madden
The girl had been stewing about something all day, so Sarah paused and lifted her brows in question.
Tory fiddled with her phone, worrying at the case. “Are you and my uncle, like, dating now? Or something?”
Sarah felt her cheeks go pink. Apparently they hadn’t been as slick as they’d thought. “Well, yes, I guess we are. You saw the kiss this morning, huh?”
Tory shot her an incredulous look. “The entire neighborhood saw you kiss.” Reaching out she ran her finger down the wall, tracing a line on the molding. “I’m happy for you. Actually, I’m happier for my uncle. I think you’ll be good for him.”
Before Sarah could respond, Tory turned and headed toward her own room.
Shaking her head at the communication abilities of preteens, Sarah headed for her own room.
She had planned to slip down the back staircase and help Faust with the dinner for the family, and was just picking out an outfit when Clayton knocked on her door and let himself in. Sarah had to catch her breath as he walked toward her. What a yummy looking man. Her body began to hum with tension as he leaned in to kiss her. It built as his lips moved over hers.
Sarah glanced invitingly at the bed, but Clayton shook his head.
“I better go to dinner with the family tonight.” Glancing at her half-dressed body, he raised one brow inquiringly. “Will you be there?”
Sarah paused in the act of slipping on her fresh jeans. “I hadn’t planned on it. I was going down early to help Faust with dinner. But if you want me to I will.”
But he was already shaking his dark head. “No, no, don’t worry about it.”
For some reason though, Sarah got the impression he was disappointed as he let himself out the door. Sarah was actually disappointed herself because he had not given her a kiss goodbye. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she let her jeans fall to the floor. Was he subtly asking her to be with him? She waffled between going the easy route and eating with the staff, or going the difficult route and eating with Clayton’s horrendous mother. If she did go down, was he planning on letting the family know they were an item, or just going on as they had before? Sarah knew she had no actual claim on Clayton, but if her being there would support him in some way, she would do it.
With a growl, Sarah pulled a nice pair of slacks out of the closet that would go with the collared shirt she had on, and put the jeans away. She refused to put on a dress. They made her uncomfortable, and she was sick and tired of being uncomfortable here. After blow-drying her hair, she did up her face and added a few pieces of jewelry. Or was it armor? Glancing at the clock, she quickly called down to the kitchen on the house line and let Faust know she would be eating with the family tonight. Faust did not let her surprise show in her voice, just assured her there would be an extra setting at the table. Sarah then had ten minutes to second-guess her decision.
At two minutes till, she started down the hallway. She had not heard Clayton’s door yet, so she assumed he was still in his room. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to beard the old matron lioness in her den.
Of course, Mrs. Gallagher and Andrea were already in the dining room, talking quietly. Tory was across the table and down on the opposite side, closest to Clayton’s chair. The table seated sixteen, without any extra leaves, and it was very clear that the family was pretty much divided in two; the two older females at one end, and Clayton and Tory at the other. That made Sarah sad; a family should be more … together… than this one. Clayton’s chair was still empty, as she had suspected, and Sarah was left to make her way around the table with all eyes on her.
Mrs. Gallagher spoke up first, as Sarah had known she would. “Ah, the little painter, still looking for scraps from our table, are you?”
At that moment, Sarah decided she was going to be as pleasant to the old bat as she possibly could, so she just smiled politely, draping the cream linen napkin on her lap. She was saved from any more comments as Clayton walked into the dining room. Glancing up, her eyes connected with his and for a brief second she was sure she saw relief or satisfaction, something happy, flash in his eyes before he greeted the rest of his family. Settling himself in the chair, he finally glanced at her directly.
“Sarah, I’m glad you could make it to dinner this evening.”
Sarah now knew how he wanted to play the game. Though he appreciated her being there, he did not want to acknowledge their relationship to the family. And that was fine with her. She had a feeling she would be fielding enough poison darts without that piece of information being public knowledge.
Smiling brilliantly, she rested her hand on the table close enough to his to feel the heat from his fingers. “Yes, it was a spur of the moment decision.”
“Obviously,” Mrs. Gallagher purred. “Ms. Tyler, I’m sure Clayton informed you we dress for dinner. That does not include slacks.” The word slacks came out contemptuously, but Sarah just continued to smile.
“Oh, yes, he told me. Honestly, for me, this is dressed up. I think dresses every day are just way too stuffy.” Across the table, Tory snorted and almost choked on her water. Her mother and grandmother wore skirted suits and dresses every day. Sarah chanced a glance at Mrs. Gallagher and saw her face had turned purple with rage.
“How dare you criticize my attire?”
Sarah turned and looked at her full on. “How dare you criticize mine?”
Mrs. Gallagher spluttered in outrage, but Sarah merely smiled. Andrea looked at her with her mouth open, shocked and gaping like a fish. Sarah almost told her that, but held her tongue. Andrea hadn’t thrown any stones yet, so neither would she.
Faust came in at that moment and began serving dinner, starting with Mrs. Gallagher. When she set the plate in front of Sarah, Sarah told her enthusiastically how wonderful the food looked and smelled. Faust smiled slightly and gave Sarah a very subtle wink, out of sight of the rest of the family. Faust had already approved of the way Sarah dealt with Mrs. Gallagher, because Sarah was in a position none of the staff could be. The matriarch could not fire Sarah, because she had not hired her; besides, she was an artisan, not a member of the household staff.
In a way, Sarah felt kind of bad for Mrs. Gallagher. She was getting older, and it was inevitable that her life was changing. Looking at her now, Sarah could see the damage time had played out on her once beautiful face. Although still attractive, Sarah had a feeling it had more to do with her skill with make-up than anything else.
With a sigh, she wished things could be different between them, but she had a feeling it was a wasted wish.
Dinner was rather strained, though the food was excellent. Sarah made it a point to compliment Faust on every course, and to thank Marianne when she came in to refill water glasses and remove dirty plates. Tory’s eyes were dancing with laughter as she watched the dinner progress and several times Sarah herself had to choke back laughter. Mrs. Gallagher continued to dig, subtly, at Sarah every chance she got. Sarah’s choice of fork for the salad was wrong, her ignorance of the current Broadway shows insulting, apparently, because they shot her contemptuous looks even when she didn’t voice her thoughts. Jillian made it a point to criticize Faust and Marianne in counterpoint to every compliment Sarah paid them.
Andrea sat to the side with an ugly smirk on her beautiful face, occasionally adding a subtly biting comment. If the older woman chuckled, so did Andrea. If she glowered down the table at them, so did Andrea. It was nauseating to watch, and Sarah could only feel sorry for Tory and Clayton. They had lived with this nonsense for years. How on earth had they survived this emotional devastation? And manipulation? It never let up, not even for a moment.
Then Mrs. Gallagher stepped over the line. Tory had smiled secretively at something said, and her grandmother pounced on her.
“What are you laughing at, young lady? This person,” she intoned dramatically, as she flung a hand at Sarah, “is attempting to worm herself into this family and destroy it using her feminine wiles, which you know nothing about.”
Sar
ah had a flash of Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey and had to stifle a laugh.
Tory, amazingly, did not back down. “I know exactly what feminine wiles are, Grandmother, and I hope she does worm her way into the family. I like Sarah, and I think she’s perfect for Uncle Clayton. When are you two getting married?” Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms over her small chest.
There were gasps all around the table. Clayton looked at his niece as if he had never seen her before, as a broad smile slowly appeared on his face. Mrs. Gallagher’s face froze in shock and she clutched a hand to her chest in disbelief. Andrea also stared at her daughter as if she had never seen her before, but for a totally different reason. Sarah had an idea that Tory had never talked back to any of her elders, and certainly not to her grandmother.
Then her last sentence sunk in. Had she actually asked Clayton when they were getting married? Sarah glanced at Clayton but he was still sharing a smile with his niece, who was positively beaming at him.
Mrs. Gallagher’s face had turned an unhealthy shade of purple, and she levered herself to her feet. She pointed a clawed finger at Sarah, but spoke to Clayton.
“Do you see what she’s done? She’s turning our little girl against us. How can you stand by and let her do this?” The woman shook with anger, and she suddenly looked all of her nearly seventy years. “I will not allow her to malign us anymore, and I will not let Victoria be influenced by her. We are leaving. Andrea, have Marianne pack our bags. Victoria’s as well. She is not staying here any longer.”
Clayton had remained quiet throughout the meal, watching Sarah smilingly field and deflect his mother’s barbs and Andrea’s parroted zingers. Even he had smirked at a couple of her comebacks. But now, he stood up at the head of the table and all eyes in the room were drawn to him as he assumed command of the situation, the room, and his family.
“Victoria is not going anywhere,” he stated firmly. “She’s fine where she is. And I agree that you are leaving. Marianne will pack your bags. I believe the chateau should be beautiful this time of year.”
Jillian Gallagher looked at her stepson with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean the chateau should be beautiful? We’re not going to the chateau.”
Clayton raised his dark brows and smiled slightly. “Yes, I believe you are. Because that is the only place I will pay for you to go. You have slandered Ms. Tyler endlessly because she does not conform to your ideal, Mother, and I’m tired of it. I have been patient with you since Father died. I did not say a word when Andrea and Victoria moved into the house without being consulted about it, but I will not allow you to ruin her life with your disagreeable attitude. Sarah is the best thing that has happened to both me and Victoria in a long time, possibly ever.” He glanced at the open-mouthed girl. “You think we should get married, huh?”
Struck mute by the events unfolding before her, Tory nodded her head vigorously.
Sarah had to look down as tears flooded her eyes. Her heart almost pounded out of her chest with fierce, loving pride. Surely he would not say these things if he did not mean them, right?
Mrs. Gallagher sank down in her chair as she watched her stepson with glazed eyes. Andrea also did not seem to know what to do. She sat stiffly in her chair with her hands folded tightly in her lap. Tory’s smile couldn’t get any wider as she watched her uncle with shining eyes. Clayton sat back down in his chair.
“This situation is going to change,” he told them definitively, attention switching to the two women at the other end of the table. “I will not allow it to continue on in this fashion. You are going to France, and Tory is staying here. If she wants to go to Switzerland next school term that is what she will do.”
“I don’t want to go to some stinky school in Switzerland! I want to stay here in my school, with Cara.” All eyes turned to her at the vehemence in her tone. “Nobody ever asked me what I wanted to do.” Her eyes flooded with tears as she looked at her uncle beseechingly. “I know you went away to school when you were little, but everything I know is here. I like my school, and I do really well there. Please don’t send me away!” And she broke down in tears. Sarah’s heart broke, and she looked at the girl’s mother to see what she would do, but Andrea just sat there, stoically watching her daughter cry. When she couldn’t stand the sobs any more, Sarah quickly went to the girl’s side and wrapped her up in her arms. Tory melted into her embrace and seemed to cry all the harder. Sarah snatched a linen napkin off the table and handed it to the girl, who mopped at her face clumsily.
When she looked up at Clayton, he was watching the two women at the head of the table, steely eyed, with a dark glower on his dear face. He seemed to be waiting for the women to do something, and the silence stretched out uncomfortably.
When Mrs. Gallagher did finally break the silence, Sarah could only close her eyes in disbelief at what she heard.
“Stop your sniveling, Victoria,” she snapped. “Act like a Gallagher.”
Sarah could not believe how condescending and disdainful the woman sounded. For the first time that night, she actually lost her temper.
With her eyes flashing, she turned to look at the woman at the other end of the table. “How can you sit there on your sanctimonious ass and not feel something, anything when you see your granddaughter crying her eyes out? You are trying to take her entire life, everything she knows, away from her. I really don’t think you have a kind bone in your body. And you,” she said, turning angrily to Andrea. “How dare you sit there and let your daughter be ripped down by this harridan? When did you become so brainwashed that it became okay to forego common courtesy when dealing with people? Let alone family?” Shaking her head, Sarah cuddled Tory all the closer. “You disgust me, both of you.”
Mrs. Gallagher sat back in her chair, stunned. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and Sarah didn’t know if it was being told off or realization of what she was doing to her granddaughter. Sarah would put money on the former rather than the latter. Andrea showed some hope. Her eyes were full of tears, but once again Sarah could not tell if it was for herself or her daughter. Looking up, she saw Clayton was no longer in his chair, and in that same second she felt his presence behind her. Amazingly, he was smiling, just a small smile to be sure, but his lips were tipped up invitingly. That was the last thing she saw before she and Tory were both engulfed in his arms. Solid as a rock, he held them for several long moments, before finally pulling back and tipping Tory’s face up with her chin.
“You do not have to go to Switzerland. I promise you.”
A gasp across the table drew all eyes. Andrea had apparently come to life and she looked angry. “You can’t do that. She’s going to boarding school.”
“Actually Andrea, if you remember, Robert had the foresight to name me guardian for Victoria and her trust fund. He did not trust you to pay proper attention to her, and he knew you would not stop traveling or living as frivolously as you do. He also knew I would invest the money correctly to safeguard her future. So, as her legal guardian, I say Tory does not have to go away to school. Unless she wants to. There are plenty of wonderful schools within traveling distance of here.”
“But I want her to go to Switzerland. She has to go to Switzerland.”
Clayton looked at her oddly. “Why does she have to go to that school? Do you think that is the only way to get a good husband, if you have Switzerland on your pedigree? Because I can guarantee you it’s not.”
Andrea looked ready to cry in frustration and confusion at the turn of events. “But I am her mother. It should be my decision where she goes to school.”
“Do you know,” he said thoughtfully, “I believe Sarah has been a better mother to this little girl in the few short weeks she’s been here than you have all her life. And I am ashamed of myself for not saying something sooner.”
Kneeling as he was on the floor hugging Sarah and Tory should have put him at a disadvantage, but he was absolutely implacable as he looked at the Gallagher women over the
edge of the table. “The manipulation is going to stop, right now.”
His mother looked at the three of them cuddled together, and a dark look crossed her face. “If you say so.”
Without another word, she and Andrea got up and left.
The tension in the room eased immediately.
Tory looked up at Clayton with tear-drenched eyes. “Do you really mean it? I don’t have to leave Connecticut?”
Clayton smiled down at her gently. “I really mean it.”
His eyes widened and he chuckled as his niece flung her arms around him, apparently squeezing him as tightly as she could. She pulled back and gave him a big smacking kiss on the cheek. “I have to go call Cara!” She exclaimed, and ran out of the room, leaving Clayton and Sarah still kneeling on the floor beside the chair.
Sarah let her admiration and respect show as she turned to Clayton, wrapping her arms gently around his chest. What he had just done showed her exactly how much he loved his niece. She pressed her lips against his neck, inhaling his scent. “You know, I’m very proud of you.” She punctuated her statement by gently biting his masculine neck and pressing a kiss to his bearded jaw.
Pulling back, he frowned down at her in confusion, “Why?”
“Because you just showed that little girl that she actually means something to you, and she isn’t just a responsibility to be sent away, out of sight. That she’s more than just a Barbie doll to be pampered and dressed up and catered to and put into schools just to extend her matrimonial prospects. You made her feel like a person, a person who has some say in her own future.”
Clayton narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. And a realization he had been dodging for a long time was suddenly as plain as the nose on his face. For thirty-four years he had been waiting for a member of his family to give him some small amount of recognition, for anything, be it school accomplishments or building up the business, or even just admiring one of his cars, but no one had. He had never been the golden boy. Things were always expected, but never praised. Then, in walks this warm, insightful young woman who understood exactly what he needed, and did what needed to be done to fill that need. And Tory’s as well. Watching his mother and sister-in-law sit unmoved, and unmoving, as Tory sobbed had shown him exactly what kind of woman Sarah Tyler really was. Someone who could not stand to see someone else’s pain. Someone who would do everything in her power to make things right and better. Someone he had a feeling he could love.
