“I might be able to help with that.” He stroked my hair. “I mean, if you want my help. I don’t want to presume.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I do, and thank you. I wouldn’t know where to start.” My stomach tumbled in my belly, light and unsettled.
This was big. Huge. If this was available to me, why had Henry pushed marriage as the solution to my problems?
He held up the third pile with the listing of holdings. “My friend David can help. He’s a real estate attorney in New York. Anything he can’t sort out, he knows someone who can.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a little more settled. “What’s in the last stack?”
I pressed my fist against my midsection, fighting the nausea threatening to overcome me. Shady land deals? A secret trust? What else did Henry have up his sleeve?
“It’s going to be all right.”
My entire body shook. “What if he sends another copy? What happens if Freddy signs?”
He kissed the top of my head. “Let me get this scanned and sent to David.”
“How much do you think is there?”
“Sweet Rowan, I don’t know, but there are pages and pages.”
“I want to shoot Henry.” Anger bubbled to the surface, and I curled my fingers into a fist.
He laughed. “How about you don’t shoot anyone? I don’t want to have to visit you in jail.”
I wiped at my tears. “I didn’t mean to ruin our weekend.”
He dipped down, bringing his eyes in line with mine. “It’s impossible to ruin our weekend. We’re together, and that’s all that matters. You’re mine to take care of, sweet Rowan. I want all of you, even the difficult parts.”
I smiled at him. “I want you, too. Is that crazy when we barely know each other?”
“I’ve thought of nothing but the unforgettable woman I met in the club. I haven’t stopped thinking about you, and it feels like I’ve known you my entire life.”
My cheeks heated. I hadn’t stopped thinking about him either. Only now, all I could think of was Freddy. I needed to protect him from a man I had thought to call a friend.
“I need to get home,” I said.
“I know, but first…” He gathered up the papers and put them into one pile. “Let’s take care of this. I’ll get David working. He’s going to need time. Then, let’s enjoy what’s left of our day. I hate to lose you so soon.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
He gripped my hand. “Now, scrub those tears from your cheeks. I’ll meet you in the library.”
I did just that. I shed my tears and wiped my cheeks. I even took time to apply makeup. After fifteen minutes, I emerged from my room and located the library after only two wrong turns. Determined to enjoy the rest of my evening, I put a smile on my face, and my steps lightened. When I walked into the library, I came to a heart-stopping halt.
Tears were streaming down Richard’s face.
Chapter 32: Wait
Richard
“What happened?” Rowan’s words called out from the hall.
But I didn’t react. I couldn’t.
I’d explained her situation to David. He’d promised to look into Rowan’s trust. I’d made a note to look into Henry Porter and sent a text to my security team. My butler had taken the documents to scan. Then, the call had come, and my world had crumbled.
Edmund had passed.
“Richard?”
Rowan’s light fragrance flooded my senses. She sat on the arm of the chair, wiped my tears, and then wrapped her arms around my neck.
A dam broke within me, and I folded her into me, needing the comfort of her in my arms. I let out my pain.
She said nothing while choking sobs spilled from my lungs. Her tiny arms gripped me hard. I took in a deep pull of air and blinked free of the tears. Now was not the time to be weak. Not when the country needed me to be strong.
My voice decided to abandon me, but with a swallow past my grief, I managed to clear my throat.
The concern in her huge bluebell eyes latched on to my heart and gave me the strength to find my voice. Her fingertips caressed the side of my face, and I leaned into her warmth and support.
I grabbed her hand and twisted my fingers with hers, needing a more solid connection. “My brother passed.” The sharp pain in my chest crippled me, and it took several long moments to gather my thoughts.
What do I need to do?
Fortunately, not much. Like the death of a monarch, the death of the heir to the throne was a well-planned affair. The official news would be announced by Buckingham Palace in the morning. Obituaries had been drafted in advance. We all had one prepared for emergencies.
“I’m sorry,” she said and then kissed my cheek. “I’m so very sorry.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to take a breath. I didn’t think this pain would ease anytime soon.
“What can I do?”
I hugged her tight. “Just sit with me for a moment.”
A moment was all we would have. Protocol demanded I go to the hospital. The staff would prepare my brother’s body for transport to Buckingham Palace where he would lay in rest until a full-state funeral. Rowan wouldn’t be allowed by my side. My mother would never condone it, and I wouldn’t insist upon it. Not yet.
It had taken months to find Rowan. Now, after only a couple of hours together, I had to send her away. The universe was conspiring against us.
Shock ripped through my body with a sudden realization. With Edmund’s death, I was now the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne of England. The formalities would come later. I would tour Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales to officially meet my people as their future king.
Could Rowan’s and my timing be any worse?
I didn’t think it possible.
“I’m supposed to tell you it’ll get better,” she said, “but it doesn’t. I promised not to lie to you. It hurts, and it sucks, and then it hurts even more. It’s the worst possible thing. I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’m here.”
“Thank you.”
She knew exactly how I felt. It hadn’t been that long since she lost her father. Who had stood beside her when the news of his suicide came? I couldn’t imagine having to go through that alone.
“What happens now?” she asked.
I explained protocol. It helped to go over the formalities of state because it made my brother’s passing feel a little less real—at least for a moment. It gave me time to catch my breath and absorb the implications of how my life would change.
“I see,” she said after my words came to a halting stop. “Is there any way we can keep in touch?”
The hesitation in her question hinted at her state of mind. I wasn’t the only one whose life had been irrevocably changed.
Her place would not be by my side. It couldn’t be. The status of my rank disallowed that. Even through the agony ripping through my soul, her pain slammed into me. It mirrored mine.
I needed her now more than ever, someone with whom I could be both strong and painfully weak. She slid into my lap. For the next few minutes, she held me while I mourned my loss—at least, until my butler, George, returned.
“Your Royal Highness,” he said with a clearing of his throat. “Your car is waiting.”
I lifted my hand, letting him know I’d heard but also giving a dismissal. I would leave when I was ready. A minute or two more with Rowan wouldn’t matter.
“You have to go, don’t you?” The sigh in her breath told me she wanted to say more.
I could guess what that might be. She was an intelligent woman. It was what I respected most, but I didn’t have the strength to give her the reassurances she needed. We’d agreed there would be no lies between us.
“I do.”
She brushed back the hair from my forehead and stared deep into my eyes. “We have a year. We still have time.”
“You’re amazing.”
My previous plans for a city tour, dinner, and a passionate night in bed see
med trite and inconsequential when placed beside the death of my brother.
“Do you have your phone with you?”
“I left it charging upstairs.”
My mind wasn’t working on full capacity. The conversations I wanted to share wouldn’t be possible on an unsecured line.
“Mark will provide you with an encrypted phone. We can talk using that. I don’t know how long it will be before—”
Her pillowy lips brushed against mine. “Family comes first. You lost your brother, and you need to grieve. Official duties will make that challenging, and having me here while you juggle all of that is impossible. I’ll be waiting in New York. I’m not going anywhere.”
“No,” I said, “you’re not.”
Now, how to convince my mother to let me keep her?
Chapter 33: Sponsor
Rowan
I waved to Richard as his car drove away. He’d asked if I wanted to keep my flight back to New York the following evening, but the last thing I wanted was to wander around his London residence alone. I could do that in the penthouse, and I could relax there. Even if there were no personal effects of his to remind me of him, I considered it our home.
I could cry there without the judgmental eyes of strangers and whispers behind my back.
How long we would be separated wasn’t clear. I hadn’t asked, and he hadn’t said.
“Miss Cartwright,” Mark said, “if we’re to catch our flight, we must leave.”
“Okay, it won’t take me long to pack.”
I climbed the long, sweeping staircase to my suite.
In half an hour, Mark and I were back at the airport. I’d been in London barely ten hours. A part of me wished to stay and comfort Richard as I could, but I didn’t want him worrying about entertaining me when his focus needed to be on his family and country.
Another seven hours brought me to New York. In all, I had been gone less than a day, and I’d spent less than two hours with Richard.
Mark left me with an apologetic smile, perhaps understanding my tenuous role. Exhaustion from two transatlantic flights had me crawling under the covers, and I barely felt my head touch the pillow.
A harsh ring the next day brought me to sudden and painful awareness. Thinking it was Richard, I answered, too asleep to realize it was my cell phone, not the encrypted one Richard had provided.
“Hello?”
“Rowan Cartwright?” The voice was unfamiliar.
“Yes?”
“This is David, Richard’s friend. I was wondering if we could meet.”
“What time is it?”
He gave a soft laugh. “It’s ten.”
“Ten?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. You woke me from a dead sleep.”
“Perhaps we could meet after lunch? I’d like to come to your place. I have a few things of Richard’s to bring.”
“Of course.” If he was bringing Richard’s things, maybe the echoing penthouse wouldn’t feel so lonely.
“Is noon too soon?”
“That’s perfect.”
After hanging up, I worked out the kinks in my muscles. Hopefully, David would bring Richard’s clothes. My nights would be much easier if I could cuddle in one of his shirts.
Two hours didn’t leave much time, but I managed to shower and make myself look presentable a few minutes before David arrived. When he did, two burly men accompanied him pushing carts stacked with boxes.
“Is there someplace you want the boxes?” David asked.
I pointed to an empty space on the floor. “There is fine.”
“There’s more. I’ll bring the rest over later.”
David was dressed in a smart business suit and carried a satchel over his shoulder. He was a strikingly handsome man. After the two men unloaded the boxes, he gave them a tip and then turned to me.
“Miss Rowan Cartwright, I have to say, you’re a breath of fresh air.”
“I am?”
“Yes, Richard has not stopped talking about you—all good things.”
Heat rose to my cheeks, and I hoped he didn’t notice my blush. The twinkle in his eyes said otherwise.
“Can I interest you in lunch?” he asked.
My gaze latched on to the satchel. It looked full, and that made me nervous.
“Do you mind if we order in?”
The thought of facing the crowds of New York left me less than enthused, and I didn’t know what David might share with me.
He gave a soft laugh. “Not at all.”
We agreed on Thai.
David unslung the satchel from his shoulder and took a moment to look around. “Now, I know why he chose to stay at my place.”
“Why’s that?”
“This place feels…”
“Empty? Cavernous? Huge?”
He smirked. “Something like that. Look, why don’t you let Evelyn and I take you around town while Richard’s away?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Consider it my pleasure. Besides, it’ll be great networking. Richard says you’re a design student at Pratt?”
“Architecture, but I study interior design as well.”
“Then, you’ll want to meet Evelyn. She knows a lot of movers and shakers always looking for fresh talent.”
My insides lit up with a tingle of excitement for my future. These contacts could very well lead to a promising career. Patrick had mentioned he would put my name out to some of his contacts in the industry, but this was simply one more foot in the door.
“Wow, thank you. Of course, I’d love to.”
It was the first time I’d considered what might happen after Infidelity. I didn’t like the twisting in my gut or the sharp pain in my chest.
“Now”—his voice turned serious—“how about we talk about what Richard sent over?”
“I appreciate your help.”
“I’d do anything for Richard.”
What had Richard said to his friend? After the past twenty-four hours, my position in Richard’s life felt tenuous, but David’s praise gave me hope.
He headed to the dining table and pulled out a thick stack of papers from his satchel. “I have a few questions before we begin. Who is Henry Porter?”
“He handled my father’s business accounts.”
“Richard told me about your father. I’m very sorry.” He laid out the papers. “Why don’t you sit down? I need to explain this trust.”
By the time our food arrived, I was no longer hungry. In fact, I was sick to my stomach.
“I need to get to Freddy,” I said, “before Henry sends anyone else over with more papers to sign.”
“How about today?”
“Today? I can’t manage a trip to Georgia on this short of a notice.”
“Richard left specific instructions,” David said. “I’m not allowed to take you away from your studies. This needs to be handled urgently. And I have carte blanche to use his resources. Now, try and eat a little food. The plane is waiting.”
I’d forgotten about the plane. While David stepped away to make arrangements, I tried to eat. Perhaps I should have felt anger toward Henry, but I was too shocked by the magnitude of his deceit. His father and mine had been friends forever. Why did he betray me? It didn’t make sense, but numbers didn’t lie.
My accounts had been drained faster than they should have been. David had been exceptionally thorough. As for this hidden trust, Henry couldn’t touch it unless my brother signed over the rights to his share. There were nearly two hundred million reasons why Henry wanted guardianship over Freddy. All those reasons were tied up in land curated by his company over the generations. Henry wanted control, and it twisted my gut knowing he intended to cheat Freddy and me out of our inheritance. He hadn’t approached me yet, but I wondered if it was tied to the arranged marriage he’d proposed.
Two hundred million in real estate. The number boggled my mind. I’d gone from destitute to wealthy in the blink of an eye.
My cell phone buzzed with, of all things, an incoming text from Henry.
Brent Parker has expressed concerns, given recent media coverage. Call me as soon as you get this.
David glanced down and read the text. “Rowan,” he said, his tone heightening with concern, “how do you know Brent Parker?”
“With my recent financial difficulties, Henry facilitated a…well, it’s kind of embarrassing.”
“I need to know.”
“Henry arranged a marriage. My family connections are important to Brent Parker. It has something to do with development plans in Georgia. In return, he’s agreed to ensure Freddy’s expenses are taken care of, mine as well. I agreed to the marriage, but then I was matched…um, I met Richard. Why are you asking about Brent Parker?” Although I already knew; it wasn’t hard to piece that puzzle together.
“That’s one of the names that keeps coming up when I search the properties in that trust. Brent Parker is a major investor in the proposed development of that land.”
“I need to talk to Freddy.”
He gathered the papers. “Come, let’s see your brother.”
Chapter 34: Library
Rowan
Freddy didn’t take well to the unplanned visit. It took two hours to calm him before he stopped flapping his arms and crying out, “No visit. No visit. No visit.”
Only after I wrapped him in a hug and wrestled him to the ground did his outburst fade. He settled into his favorite reading chair and allowed me to perch on the seat of a bay window looking out over the grounds. Spring had come to the South, and the budding of leaves coated the trees with a light tinge of green.
“Freddy, has anyone asked you to sign your name on paper?”
He shook his head. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I know it’s not visiting time, and I’ll be back in three Saturdays to visit with Rex and Sally. I want to feed Rex.”
“Rex can’t wait that long to eat, silly.”
“I know, but you feed them on Fridays. I was hoping you could feed them on Saturday when I see you again.”
“Okay.” His head bobbed. “Why are you here?”
The Fidelity World- Nondisclosure Page 17
