“Yes, I need some fresh air.” She went to push past him but he stopped her.
“I’m glad to see you looking so well. I would never have forgiven myself if the accident had resulted in any long-lasting effects.”
“What?” She frowned at him, unable to understand his meaning. He was nowhere near her bathroom when she slipped and fell. Had all the men in this family lost their minds?
“I’ve never struck a woman in my life. I didn’t see you there and I’m so, so sorry that I hurt you.”
“What?” He might as well be describing the operation of nuclear reactors. Nothing he’d said made any sense to her.
A look of confusion settled on his face. “Was the knock to your head serious? Do you remember what happened yesterday or not?”
“I don’t remember anything after I stepped out of the bath. Carson said I slipped on the wet floor in the bathroom and hit my head.”
“No, that’s not what happened. I’m not sure why he told you that. You walked in on Carson and me fighting. We were both bleeding and you offered us the towels you were wearing, leaving you completely naked.” He coughed and his eyes dropped to her breasts before darting away again. “I drew my hand back to punch him and mistakenly hit you. You fell down and cracked your head on the floor.”
She was about to tell him that he had to come up with a better story than that when she stopped herself. She did have a faint recollection now of a fight and of being so angry that she’d pulled her towels off her body without caring about her nakedness. Why had Carson lied to her?
“Are you sure everything is ok, Arial? Where’s Carson?”
“He’s upstairs. And no, now that you ask, everything is not ok. My marriage is a joke.” Carson was as much of a playboy as he’d always been and he would never change. It wasn’t in his character to make such an enormous change. She’d talked herself into believing in something that would never happen. Their marriage was nothing more than a business transaction and she should have known better than to believe it could ever be anything more than what it was.
She clenched her fists, feeling her nails cutting into her palms while she valiantly struggled not to cry. “I can’t stay here, Matthew. Is there any chance you can get me back into the room at the Casino? The one that I stayed in before the wedding?”
Chapter Forty
Carson
He’d finally managed to get rid of Gabriella. The woman was as clingy as a damn limpet and she did not like taking no for an answer. He should never have involved himself with her in the first place. He sighed. Maybe he shouldn’t be so harsh on her. She wasn’t the one who had changed – he was.
He ran back up the internal stairs after putting an extremely disgruntled Gabriella into a car and sending her on her way. He was pleased that Arial had slept through the other woman’s visit. It might have taken some explaining and Gabriella was sure to have done everything she could to make it difficult for him in front of his wife.
He swung around the library doorway with a jovial comment about sleepyheads and snoozing the day away poised on his lips but the words never had a chance to leave his mouth. She wasn’t here. Her shoes were here, casually kicked off and lying beside the chair and her book with its pages open sat on the seat cushion but Arial was nowhere to be seen.
He walked down the corridor to Arial’s bedroom, thinking she might have gone there to freshen up. However, the door stood open and one of the maids was busily making the bed and plumping up the pillows. “Hi, Mandy. Have you seen Mrs. DuMonde?”
“The elder Mrs. DuMonde?” Mandy hastily righted herself and smoothed her hands down the front of her smock.
“No, the younger one. Arial. She was up here just a few minutes ago.” Or was she? For how long had Gabriella taken his attention?
“No, sir. I haven’t seen her today.”
He hastily checked every other room on the second level but he did not find her. She might have gone down for a stroll in the garden but she couldn’t have gone far without her shoes. Puzzled now, he ran back down the stairs and barreled into Terence’s office without knocking first. Matthew, who was sitting in the visitor chair and Terence looked up and stared at him.
“Arial. Have you seen her?” He didn’t bother with pleasantries.
Matthew shifted in his seat, turning to face Carson directly. His expression was sober and serious and Carson instantly knew that he had the information he needed. “Where is she?” he demanded. “I want to know where my wife is.”
“Shut the door and pull up a chair,” Terence boomed. “We have things to discuss.”
Carson remained where he was, standing in the doorway with one foot outside the door, poised to run to Arial’s side. “Not until I know where she is.”
Matthew glanced at Terence before replying. “She’s safe. She’s on her way to the Casino now.”
“The Casino?” Carson stepped into the room and slowly pushed the door shut behind him. “Why has she gone to the Casino?”
“I thought you’d finally started to grow some brains over the past few weeks but it seems I was mistaken,” said Terence. His eyes were hard and fierce beneath the hairy shelter of his brows. “Your marriage appeared to be steering you in the direction in which I wanted you to go but it was all smoke and mirrors. You haven’t changed. What were you thinking?”
“I think we’re looking at a big head/small head type of scenario here,” put in Matthew.
“Shut up Matthew,” Terence and Carson said in unison. Carson placed his hands on the back of one of the chairs but he didn’t sit down. His eyes were on his father. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
“Why on earth did you bring one of your women into the house? Did you really think Arial wouldn’t notice? She’s not stupid, unlike her husband.”
“I didn’t bring Gabriella into the house! You were the one who let her in, which you had no right to do.”
Terence blinked. “That was her? I thought she was a florist or something, bringing flowers to brighten up the sick room.”
“It’s highly unlikely that a florist would come to the house without any flowers.” Carson dropped his head, cursing the laws of bad timing. “Arial must have seen me with Gabriella.”
“She did. She saw the two of you together and she came to ask me to send her back to her room at the Casino. She knows she can rely on me to take care of her,” Matthew crowed.
“What is going on with this Gabriella woman? Don’t you know a good thing when you see it? Arial is perfect for you and she’s an ideal addition to the DuMonde family.” Terence exhaled noisily and sat back in his chair, shaking his head at his son. “I thought I told you not to fuck this up?”
“I didn’t intentionally fuck it up. Nothing happened with Gabriella. I told her firmly that she isn’t welcome here and that I’m not interested in any kind of involvement with her.” He banged the flat of his hand against the back of the chair. “Dammit! Everything was going so well after we got back from the hospital.”
Terence sat forward again. His ferocious frown had returned. “Can you tell me the real reason you were at the hospital? I don’t believe the bathroom story. Arial isn’t that clumsy.”
“Matthew hit her and knocked her unconscious,” Carson said bluntly.
“What!” Terence roared. He jumped up so quickly that he sent his chair tumbling to the floor. He grabbed a book from his desk and Carson could see that he was about to throw it at Matthew’s head. Matthew had noticed too and he was now cringing in his chair.
“Wait! Dad, calm down. Matthew hit her by accident. We were engaged in a small, er, altercation and he didn’t see her standing behind him. She’s fine. She had a scan and they couldn’t find anything remiss.”
Terence leaned his big hands on the middle of the desktop and glared across at Carson. “Does the press know about this? Will I open my laptop and find a scandal pasted right across the internet?”
“No, the press don’t know. We entered a private cubi
cle soon after our arrival at the hospital and the staff dealt with us very discreetly. We’ll have to arrange to send a donation in thanks.”
“Well.” Terence stooped to pick up his chair before sitting down again. “Make sure it stays that way. The press know far too much about us as it is. Now, what are you going to do about making things right with Arial?”
Chapter Forty-One
Arial
She couldn’t get the image out of her mind of her husband locked in a passionate embrace with the leggy and beautiful Gabriella. The same leggy and beautiful Gabriella who had attended their wedding! She didn’t know which one of them she should reserve her greatest anger for, although Carson was probably winning that particular race by a short distance right now. He was the one who’d stood beside her in front of their guests and pledged his vows, not Gabriella. She couldn’t stay at the mansion any longer. She wouldn’t. What kind of wife waited meekly to one side, turning a blind eye while her husband invited his hussies into the marital home and cavorted with them in their own private rooms?
So now she was here, back in her old room at the Casino with no shoes and no change of clothes. She probably should have thought this through a little better but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind for logical thinking when she fled the house. She paced around the room, unable to sit still. Bethany had warned her to protect her heart. She should have listened.
Suddenly needing to speak to her best friend, Arial pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed her number. She waited, counting the rings and hoping the call wouldn’t divert to voice mail.
“Hey Arial. I was just thinking about you.”
Relieved to hear her voice, Arial sank down into the nearest chair. “You were right.”
“I’m always right,” Bethany teased her before she paused and spoke again. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Everything. I’m back at my room at the Casino. I’ve moved out of the mansion and I honestly don’t know what’s next for me.” She wished she’d never met Carson. She would’ve somehow managed to find another job and somewhere else to live. The marriage contract was a stupid idea from the beginning.
“Why? What happened? Hang on, let me put Nico down and I’ll be back.” She dropped the phone down and Arial heard Nico’s cheerful burbling in the background. Her own future looked so cold and dark. Why had Carson pretended to care about her when he was running around with Gabriella as soon as her back was turned?
“Ok, I’m here. Tell me everything.”
“I caught him with Gabriella. You must remember her from the wedding – the blonde with the pneumatic boobs and the self-satisfied look on her face.”
“The one in the red dress?”
“That’s her. I was having a little snooze in the library because I was still feeling a bit woozy from the knock to my head…”
“What knock to your head?” Bethany’s voice had changed, becoming angry and urgent. “He didn’t hit you, did he?”
“Carson didn’t hit me but Matthew did and before you hang up to go and ring the police, let me explain. I’d just had a bath and I walked in on the men fighting with each other and I told them to stop.” She hesitated. She could remember it clearly now as every detail rushed back to her in vivid color. “They were both bleeding so I gave them the towels I was wearing.” She giggled, feeling a little embarrassed by her own brazenness. “I stood there in my birthday suit and told them to grow up.”
Bethany sniggered. “I bet that put an abrupt end to the fighting.”
“Yeah, but not for long. Carson said something provocative to Matthew and he took another swing at him. Unfortunately, I was caught in the middle. Carson rushed me into the hospital and they did a few tests but I’m fine. Oh Bethany, Carson was so tender and attentive. Even the doctor commented on how much my husband loved me. I really thought we’d turned a corner in our relationship but then I walked in on him with Gabriella.”
“Were they in bed together?” Bethany’s voice oozed sympathy.
“No… she had her arms around him and she was gazing up into his face.”
“And what was he doing?”
“He was looking down at her and he had his hands on her waist. I didn’t stick around long enough to see anything else.”
“So what if it was innocent? When you said that you caught them together, I imagined you’d found them in flagrante delicto.”
She hadn’t thought about this. “But if it was innocent, why haven’t I heard from Carson to explain?”
“Does he know that you’ve left the house?”
“I don’t know.” Now she was wondering if she should have stomped off without asking questions first.
“Arial! You need to get this sorted out. Michael told me that Carson has been a changed man since marrying you. The two of you have something worth working on. Don’t throw it all away unless you know the facts.”
“Michael told you? Michael Cavanaar? Is he the man you’ve been dating? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Bethany laughed. “I didn’t tell you because it didn’t really go anywhere. We went out twice and we got on well but there was no major spark between us. Nothing like you and Carson have. He also drinks too much for my liking but we parted as friends.”
Arial had only heard one tiny bit of all that Bethany had just said. “What do you mean, like Carson and I have?”
“Any fool can see that the two of you have a sizzling attraction for one another. Now tell me, have you taken that damn padlock off your virginity yet? I guess you must have if you dropped your towel in front of him.”
“No. We were getting around to it but it hasn’t happened yet.” Arial walked with the phone over to the window to look out at the city below. Where was Carson now? Had he come looking for her once he discovered she was gone?
“Let your wise friend tell you a little secret. When you see Carson again, which should be sooner rather than later, make sure the two of you get some time alone. Talk through this misunderstanding, because I’m sure that’s all that it is, and then for God’s sake fuck the man!”
Arial snorted. “You always were good at telling it like it is. Should I phone him?”
“No, and don’t answer his calls. Let him come to you. You want him to ride in on his fiery steed to rescue the maiden fair. Although if everything goes well, you won’t be a maiden by the end of it.”
Arial struggled to speak through her giggles. “I feel so much better now. What would I do without you?”
“You’d be a gibbering wreck. Oh, that’s Nico squawking. It’s time for his bottle and I have to go. You know what men are like when they’re hungry. Talk soon, ok?”
Chapter Forty-Two
Carson
Damn that Gabriella! If she hadn’t barged into the house and kissed him and groped him as if he wanted it as much as she did, none of this would have ever happened. He’d tried calling Arial several times now but she refused to pick up her phone. He’d considered going down to the Casino to confront her in person but he’d quickly decided against it. He would give her time to cool down first and hopefully reach the same conclusion as he had. She should have asked him what was going on rather than storming off like she did.
The entire situation would be funny if it wasn’t so ridiculous. Not so long ago, he had mistaken Arial’s brother Steve for her boyfriend, and now Arial had mistakenly imagined a relationship between him and Gabriel when there was none. They really needed to work on their communication skills, which was exactly what they would do as soon as this latest mess was behind them. From this moment on, communication was the key. It had to be if he wanted this marriage to work and he now knew he wanted it to work more than anything else in this world.
He walked listlessly around the rooms of the upper level, unable to settle to anything. Was she terribly upset? Was she lying on her bed weeping? Did she hate him? Finally, unable to bear not knowing for one moment longer, he called the Casino and asked to be put through to Darius.
&nbs
p; “Hey boss.”
“Hi Darius. I’m not sure if you know yet, but my wife has checked back into the room she was using before our marriage.”
“Here?” The man sounded confused.
“Yes. It’s a temporary issue. However, I would like you to keep an eye on her for me. Make sure she’s comfortable and that she has everything she needs. If she seems upset, you must call me immediately. Is that clear?”
“Clear as glass.”
“Have you seen her?” he asked hopefully, even though Darius had already indicated he didn’t know she was there. He just wanted someone to tell him that she was ok.
“No, but I’ll be on the look out now that I know she’s here. You can count on it.”
“Thanks. Phone me anytime.” He hung up from the call and continued pacing around his study. Patience wasn’t one of his strong suits and not knowing what she was up to was killing him.
He heard heavy steps in the corridor outside the study and he stuck his head out to see who it was. Matthew walked toward him, looking wary and unsure of his welcome. “Do you have a minute?”
“What do you want now? Have you come to gloat about my misfortune?”
“No… Can we talk?”
Carson hesitated in the doorway before sighing and walking back into the room. “If we have to.”
“I’ve come to apologize. I should have done it long ago.”
Carson frowned at him from the other side of the desk. “For what? For sending my wife to hospital?”
Matthew’s face flushed a deep red. “You know I’m sorry about that. I apologized to Arial and she accepted my apology.”
“I wish you’d checked with me before you arranged to transport her to the Casino. This is all a huge misunderstanding and a few pointed questions could have cleared it up before it got to this stage.” He felt defeated now. The mansion didn’t feel the same without Arial here. Darius hadn’t called him yet either, and it was a full twenty minutes since their phone conversation. Was she barricaded in her room, too distraught to leave?
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