Who Loves Them? (Who--? Series)

by Storm, Taylor

  Chris wouldn’t care either, the little voice inside of his head whispered. “You don’t know that,” he growled to himself, clenching his fist. Damn it! Why couldn’t he get her off his mind? Mindy was much more attractive, but Chris seemed to pop into his head every few seconds.

  “Don’t know what?” Jacqueline asked cheerfully, whisking into the study.

  “Damn it, Jacqueline, don’t you know how to knock?”

  She shrugged off his anger with aplomb. “You couldn’t have been doing anything terribly important. Chris will be down to meet us in here for drinks in a couple hours, so you should probably think about getting changed soon. And, you should consider being a little nicer.”

  “You should probably watch that,” Gordon sneered. “We cannot have her falling all over herself every night like that.”

  Jacqueline put her hands on her hips. “You listen here, Gordon. Stop talking about her like that. It’s not her fault that this happened any more than it is yours. It’s her grandfather’s yours, and your father’s faults. She’s not responsible, and she’s stuck just as much as you are. Do you think she wants to marry some man she doesn’t know and who doesn’t even seem to like her? She’s not the enemy, Gordon, so stop treating her like she is.”

  Gordon grinned. “Don’t worry, Jackie¸ I intend to be very nice to Chris from here on out.”

  Jacqueline frowned, not liking the innuendo in his voice. “Well, see that you do. I know this isn’t the best situation, but you’ll just have to get through it.”

  Gordon frowned. “And why should I? Nobody told me I had to marry that little girl. She’s so…immature!”

  “You don’t even know her, Gordy. She’s a lovely girl who is probably feeling scared and alone right now. You need to comfort her….break the ice a little. Why don’t you teach her how to play chess? She said she was keen on learning, so she could get close to you.”

  Gordon shook his head. “I don’t even want to get close to her. If I have to marry her then she’ll just have to get used to the fact that I’ll be with Mindy as well. She can have her horde of lovers as long as I don’t have to be one of them.”

  Jacqueline was shocked to hear her nephew speak in such a way. “You will be honest with her because that’s how you’ve been brought up to be. You will be faithful and you will have children. You don’t have to love her at first, but over time you will.”

  “But this is crazy!” Gordon grabbed a fistful of his hair and almost pulled it out. No such luck. “You cannot make me love someone.”

  “Then don’t love her,” his aunt said. “Don’t love her and live a miserable life. Ruin your marriage and this family. Go on, do it!”

  Gordon knew his aunt was upset, and he just wanted to make his family happy. But why should he forfeit his own happiness? Was he condemned to live a lifetime of a loveless marriage?

  He sighed. “Just leave me be. I need to think.”

  Jacqueline nodded. “Make sure you go and teach her how to play chess. Even if you don’t love her, you need to pass the time, and playing chess is a great way to be together, at least,” and she left abruptly, leaving Gordon to his own thoughts. She frowned, feeling partially responsible. She just wanted him to be happy.

  Chapter 8

  That afternoon, Christina was shown to the stables. The rotted door creaked as Jacqueline opened it, sending a blast of the smell of hay and dirt into her face. She coughed and muttered incoherently, then led Christina inside. The narrow cracks in the wall let in beams of bright light. As Chris looked around she saw eight doors, with horse hoofs below and a head above each. In the back there was a stable woman shovelling horse manure out of a small window. The stable woman swatted a passing fly with her hand, and then continued working.

  “That is Maria,” Jacqueline said, looking around. “As you can see, the place isn’t much…”

  Christina thought it was perfect.

  “The tack room is heated in winter, and air-conditioned in summer. As you can see, we keep showjumpers, western horses, highlands, and I am sure there are more, but I’m not the expert. You’ll be able to choose your own horse, of course.”

  Christina was shocked. She liked riding, but never in a thousand years had she imagined she would have all this. It was like being transported to another world.

  “I can have my own horse?”

  Jacqueline nodded. “Sure. It’s part of the contract.”

  Christina sighed. It’s part of the contract…suddenly she felt like an outsider. “Do you mind if we go back inside now? I’m getting a bit of a headache from the heat.”

  Jacqueline smiled. “Of course. I’m not feeling so good myself.”

  She led them back towards the house. Christina looked back towards the stable. My own horse….

  ****

  The evening went much the same as the one before. They had drinks in the library, Christina limiting herself to one small glass of champagne. Gordon didn’t keep his distance from her, in fact, he hovered a little too close, enjoying the way she blushed, until he saw that she was shying away from him, staying close to Jacqueline and only answering him with short, perfunctory answers. She only had one glass of wine with dinner as well, and when they returned to the cabin, she politely declined Jacqueline’s offer of a nightcap, saying that her headache had returned and she was going to bed.

  Gordon watched her go, confused. He had hoped he could teach her how to play chess this evening. She had looked gorgeous, dressed in a cream colored cocktail dress with blue and green embroidery around the hem and the band of the sleeves. She had worn the same emerald earrings that she had worn the night before, he had noticed. She was so unfussy, not like the other girls that he had been raised with, the ones who dolled themselves up in layers of satin and lace and endless sets of diamond and precious jewelry. Her clothes were all simple, beautifully made, and no doubt expensive, but not ostentatious at all. He had only seen her wear the earrings and the lariat necklace that she’d had on the day before, nothing particularly gaudy or expensive-looking. She hardly wore any makeup, and she had, in fact, looked far more comfortable that morning in her jogging clothes than she did in her evening clothes, no matter how beautiful she looked.

  But there was nothing wrong with the way she dressed, not at all with her. She looked lovely without a fancy dress and covered in jewelry from head to toe. However, it made him feel a little uncomfortable. He was not used to women so uninterested in the way they looked.

  All the women he had been with were painted from head to toe, with not a smudge of imperfection. He couldn’t even remember all of their names. There had been Alice, when he was sixteen, incredibly rich with dark ochre skin and chocolate brown eyes. And Denise, tall and pale with white-blonde curly locks and dark gray smoldering eyes. Lois, who, at first he was not attracted to, but once she took off her clothes… Danielle, with the disapproving father, who made him want her even more. Annabelle, fiery red hair and a cascade of freckles across her shoulders. Annalisa, with the hidden tattoos… In fact, there were so many women that he grew bored counting them. Chris was just another number, another woman he would conquer. Only this time he would claim her as his own, and she would do as he willed.

  He’d decided to seduce her, to get her out of his system, but evidently she’d decided to play hard to get. That was a game he knew how to play, even though he hardly ever had to work to seduce women before.

  ****

  The next day, Gordon decided to teach Chris how to play chess. He cornered her and practically dragged her to the table, where he had set up a game. Chris was surprised, but was glad to spend some time with him away from everyone else. “You’re white and I’m black.”

  Chris was shocked. “Don’t I have a say in this?”

  Gordon shook his head. “I’m going to teach you and you’re going to learn.” He swept his hand over the chessboard. “Now, I am going to teach you in three parts. After each part, I want you to show me what you’ve learned. If you make a mistak
e, you will need to try again. This repetition will help you learn quickly.”

  Chris nodded obediently. She was a little overwhelmed, but glad they were spending some form of quality time together.

  “The goal is to force the other player to yield. To do this you must trap the other player's king.” Gordon held up the king piece and handed it to Chris. She turned it over in her hand and handed it back.

  Gordon held up the pawn. “The pawn is the most basic piece in the game. On its initial move, it can move forward one or two spaces, but it is only allowed to move forward by one space afterwards. Pawns are only allowed to attack other pieces one space diagonally from it, and cannot move backwards. Do you understand?”

  Chris nodded. “Yep. Continue.”

  Gordon smiled. “Good. The rook, which looks like a castle tower, can move horizontally and vertically as many spaces as are available. It can attack pieces in its path. Got it?”

  “Yep.”

  “The knight, represented by a horse, is the most complicated unit. It moves in 'L' shapes that consist of two spaces horizontally then one space vertically, or one space horizontally then two spaces vertically, in any direction. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces. He attacks only the pieces that are in the spaces he settles. Do you understand?”

  Chris smiled. “I think so. It’s the only piece that can overtake people.”

  Gordon smiled. “Yep. Now, the bishop can only move diagonally, but it can move an unlimited amount of spaces until it attacks. Got it?”

  Chris nodded.

  “Okay. The queen is the most powerful piece. She can move either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally by any number of spaces and attack from any of those directions. So you want to keep your queen.”

  “Okay. So that’s the piece I want to guard.”

  Gordon nodded. “Yep. You can sacrifice your pawns, but never sacrifice your queen.” He tapped the king with his finger. “The king can only move one space each turn in any direction and attacks in the same manner. He is the unit you do not want to lose at all costs, as it will make you lose the game.”

  Chris smiled. “So he’s more important than the queen?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well that’s not surprising.”

  Gordon smiled. “That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, dear.” He pointed to the board. “Now that you know the pieces, this is how every game needs to be set up. As you can see, you need to place all the pawns on the second line in front of your opponent so that you have a wall of pawns between you and your opponent. Then you place each rook on a corner of your side of the board, and then place a knight next to each rook and a bishop next to each knight. Got it?”

  Chris nodded. “Got it.”

  “Okay. Then you should place the queen in one of the two spaces left, according to her color. For example, if you have a black queen, it should go on the black square, whereas, if it's white, then it should go on the white square. Finally, you need to place the king on the last remaining space, and check that your opponent has the same arrangement of pieces.”

  Chris watched intently as he placed each piece in its place. It was interesting to see how focused he was, and it made her see him in a different light.

  “To begin playing, it is best to have a strategy,” Gordon continued. “One common idea is to place a few pawns one or two spaces forward. This allows more pieces on the first row to pass through and enter the playing field easily. You should keep in mind to always have a comeback move, because I might set my knight where you can capture it with a pawn. If my knight was originally in the path of your bishop, then that bishop can then take the pawn. Got it?”

  Chris nodded. “So always stay one step ahead.”

  “Exactly.” Gordon smiled. “Remember, each piece has relative value. The king is the most valuable and must be protected. The queen is the most versatile piece and is the most useful for protecting the king. Knights are excellent for surprise attacks, and bishops also tend to be a blind spot for many inexperienced players. Rooks are strong and have a long range of movement. Pawns may seem insignificant, but when they reach the other side of the board, they can be promoted to any piece except the king. This is a great way to regain a lost queen! They can also be great for trapping an opponent, when sacrificed to capture a more valuable piece. Got it?”

  “Yep. So use knights to surprise you, rooks to move around, and make sure I get my pawns to your side to turn them into other pieces.”

  “Yes. Now, to take the offensive, a piece must be placed near the opponent's king. This puts pressure on the opponent to defend his king. When a player can kill his opponent's king in one move, like I will to you, the king is said to be in check. From here, the opponent can choose to do one of three things: he can move his king away from the threatening piece, he can place a piece between his king and the threatening piece, or he can take the threatening piece with a piece of his own. Got it?”

  “Yep. But don’t be so sure you will kill my king.”

  Gordon laughed. “In your dreams. When the opponent has you in check, you must always try to place your king where one of the opponent's pieces cannot check the king again. Try placing most of your pawns around your king, keeping him safe from enemy pieces.” He smiled. “To win the game, which I will, you must get a checkmate on the opponent's king, which means that the king is in check and cannot get to safety. At this point the person with the trapped king must tap over his king so that it falls and signals defeat.”

  Chris smiled. “What happens if we tie?”

  “You mean stalemate. To do this, you must lose most of your other units and place your king where he is safe, but he is in danger if he moves. Another way to describe this is that your king is safe, your other units are all dead, but your king cannot move anywhere without being killed. This causes stalemate and the game is over and tied.” Gordon picked up his king and turned it around in his hand. “But that is unlikely because I will beat you.” He smiled and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, before I beat you, always remember to have many advanced pieces in the middle of the board. The more pawns you leave behind, the better to defend your king with.”

  Chris nodded. “Ok. I’m ready. Let’s play.”

  The game went pretty much as Chris thought it would, and it was over before too long. Gordon beat her swiftly, so he decided to give her a chance and play simple moves that would allow her to beat him. After half an hour, she finally beat him, but only because he set himself up to lose. Chris knew she didn’t win by her own strategy and luck, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. They took a break and then played again. During this time, Chris tried to learn a few more things about him, but he seemed as closed as an unopened book.

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Orange.”

  “What’s your favorite sport?”

  “Football.”

  “Why do you like chess?”

  “Because I like to win.”

  Chris couldn’t seem to hold a steady conversation with him, but she was happy that he was spending time with her rather than working. Chris wondered why he bothered to teach her at all when he didn’t want to talk to her.

  Gordon laughed. “Your questions are distracting. Chess is about discipline and concentration. The more you talk the quicker you lose.”

  Chris smiled. “Does that mean I should keep asking questions?”

  That provoked a smiled. Gordon chuckled and knocked over her king. “Checkmate.”

  “Again?” Christine sighed. “Why bother teaching me if you’re always going to win?”

  Gordon scratched his head and stared at her intently. “You need to keep trying. When you fail, you try again. I know you can beat me if you set your mind to it.”

  Chris nodded and suddenly their marriage popped into her head. She knew it would only work if she tried, just like she would only beat Gordon if she kept trying. Gordon seemed to read her mind.

  “Our grandparents thought they
could beat us with arranging this marriage, but they can never kill our king.” He stared at her intently with a quizzical gaze.

  Chris smiled. “I bet they thought they were good chess players.”

  “I bet they did.”

  Gordon looked at her strangely, and then abruptly stood up. “I have work to do. Keep practicing.”

  Chris nodded obediently. She would beat him. She knew she would.

  ****

  It went on like that for two more days. She and Jacqueline went out and explored, and Christina even rode one of the horses around for an hour or two, while he stayed in and pretended to work, but instead he paced the library and tried to think of how to break through the barrier she seemed to have put up between the two of them. They had drinks every evening and went to dinner, and every night she retired early, leaving Jacqueline to make her excuses as well and leave Gordon staring into the fire, frustrated and lonely. He tried to make conversation with her. What books was she reading? Had she taken a liking to any particular horse? Did she want her own? But Christina answered curtly, and left Gordon wondering if he had offended her, or had said something wrong.

  On Monday night, he approached her in the stables alone. She was brushing down one of the chestnut horses and he strolled up to her confidently.

  “Grooming your future husband?”

  Christina didn’t turn around to answer him. “I haven’t gotten around to that yet. I was not expecting you for another hour.”

  Gordon frowned and leaned against the pillar. “You look like you belong here. But I don’t think they’d accept you as one of them. They’re not broomsticks, you know.”

  “You are implying I’m an old witch?”

  Gordon nodded. “An old, smelly, hag. You have no prospects. Marrying me is the best thing you’ll do in your life.”

  Christina rolled her eyes. “If you must know, I was planning on going to the university before you came along.”