Aria Graice - 36. Chapter 36

Cerrian rolled her eyes and disappeared around to the driver’s side of the bus. “I’ll go with her,” Jay said, opening the passenger door. “At least they’re friendly in the kitchen.”

“Are they?” Aria said sounding surprised. “When have you been to the kitchen?”

Jay smiled fondly, but with a sad edge. “You’d be surprised.”

Drew watched the bus disappear around the corner with a tinge of sadness, then he turned to the door and sighed. “Oh we’ll, you’d better lead the way.”

Aria nodded, still gazing after the bus. “Sure.”

Without any enthusiasm, Aria led the way up the steps and into the house. Drew followed more slowly with Amara, who refused to lean on him.

The inside of the house shouldn’t have been a surprise, given what Drew had already seen, but it came as a shock nevertheless. It was like every British mansion he’d seen on television, with parquet floors, sweeping staircases and heavy-framed paintings. It was also like every museum he’d been in with a smell of age and polish, and a deep silence broken only by their footsteps, which seemed to ring very loud.

“This way,” Aria said, leading to the left. His voice didn’t echo, but somehow Drew felt it should have.

The salon was much as Drew had expected, with fancy, upholstered furniture, spindly-legged tables and fancy flock wallpaper in duck-egg blue. A huge, gold-framed mirror hung over an ornate fireplace filled with flowers. Drew eyed the chairs with distaste. Did the old dragon really expect Amara to sit on one of those for a couple of hours?

“Over here,” Aria said.

Drew helped Amara navigate the furniture to where a day bed sat in a patch of sunlight before a massive window. Amara sank onto it with a sigh of relief. Drew settled him down with his feet up and pillows, collected from around the room, supporting him into a comfortable position. Aria procured a woollen throw and tucked it around him. Amara closed his eyes. His face was pale and he seemed exhausted. The last thing Drew wanted was to leave him here. He should be somewhere he could rest properly. The last few days must have been a complete nightmare for him. The psychological stress must have been exhausting for him, without his injuries. However, he didn’t want to rock the boat when they’d only just arrived.

“How do I get to the study?”

Amara’s eyes snapped open, and Aria gripped his arm. “Don’t go,” he said, his expression tortured. “Please. You don’t know what she’s like. She won’t like you. She’ll twist things around and make you think it would be better to leave, to just slip away. We’ll never see you again.”

“Just like at the hospital,” Amara whispered. If his face had been pale before, it was now bleached, even his lips pale. He seemed on the point of passing out. It was the first time Drew truly appreciated how much he’d hurt Amara when he’d left the hospital.

Drew gripped Amara’s hand and gazed into his eyes. “I swear to you, no matter what, I will not leave without you. If the worse comes to the worst and she has me removed, I will break back in for you. I’d burn the damn house down if I had to, take it apart brick by brick.”

“You’d never get in,” Aria said sadly. “They have the best security ever.”

“And I have connections. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back.”

Aria nodded, his eyes huge in a pinched face. Amara simply closed his eyes and turned his away.

“Oh no you don’t.” Drew caught his face between his hands and forced him to turn back. He gazed into Amara’s eyes. “Do you trust me?”

Amara gazed back for a few moments then the tension singing through his body left him and he sagged, nodding. Tears slid silently down his cheeks and he looked bleak. “I give you my oath, and that’s a serious thing to a soldier. I can’t give you any better reassurance. You just have to trust me.”

“I do,” Amara whispered, “but I don’t trust her.”

Drew wiped away the tears with his thumb, then leaned down and kissed Amara gently. He pulled away and Amara didn’t try to stop him. Aria held out his arms and Drew hugged then kissed him. He clung on tight for a minute, then let go and stepped back.

“I’ll take care of Amara,” Aria said his voice only shaking a little.

Drew nodded. “Where do I go?”

“Directly across the hall.”

With another curt nod, Drew turned and walked away.

“Drew.”

Drew turned. “We love you.”

“I love you too.”

Drew’s heart broke as he slipped through the door, hearing Amara’s soft sobs and Aria trying to comfort him, but anger took hold as he crossed the hall and curtly rapped on the door.

“Do come in, Mr Chance.”

Drew opened the door to what he was surprised to discover was a modern, working office. Although the walls wore their original panelling, one was entirely covered by shelves and filing cabinets, while another was a floor to ceiling bookcase. The lower shelves were filled with files, folders and what appeared to be well-thumbed reference books.

To the right, under another huge window was a massive wooden desk bearing an impressive computer set-up with a screen bigger than his mother’s television. Another sat on a desk turned at right angles. Around the computers, papers and files lay in neat piles or scattered in a seemingly haphazard way.

Lady Jane sat behind the desk. She motioned Drew to one of two chairs facing her across the table. Drew was tempted to sit in the other, but he didn’t want to seek out trouble. He’d play along for as long as he was happy with the game.

Lady Jane gazed at him in silence, her expression tight but non-committal. Drew sat straight and still gazing back with what he hoped was the same expression. Although his heart was pounding and he wanted to squirm under that cool, grey stare, he’d been taught better.

“Mr Chance,” she said at last, “I have reviewed the camera footage from the night of the party and I am satisfied you were not at fault in the kidnapping of my grandsons.” She paused.

Do you expect me to say thank you when I don’t give a fuck what you think?

After a time, when Drew didn’t respond, she continued. “If anyone is to blame all, it’s that piece of French trash they’re unfortunate enough to call, Mother.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Drew found himself unable to prevent himself saying. “I was rather coarser myself.”

The ghost of a smile passed over Lady Jane’s severe face, but it only lasted a moment. “No doubt. I have some experience in army language myself and I can’t deny there have been moments when I would have liked to resort to it myself. My fool son has assailed me with a slightly less colourful version on many occasions, most passionately since the incident. I have told him many times, the situation is only what he made it, and he must find his own way out of it with as much pride as he can salvage. I am not too happy with him for the moment. His fathering is only slightly less deplorable than his wife’s mothering.” She gave Drew another hard stare.

“My son is a fool, Mr. Chance. He has made many bad decisions in his life, and marrying that woman was the worst. The only good things to come from that relationship are my grandsons. Henley defied me and ran away. I wasn’t invited to the wedding, which was just as well for them. If I had known where and when it was to take place, there would have been no wedding. Thank God I was able to talk him into having the harridan sign a pre-nuptial agreement before they went through with it. Given her very public display of unfaithfulness, she’ll walk away with nothing.”

“Frankly. I don’t care. I’m surprised you think I do. Is there a point in this?”

“The point, Mr. Chance, is that I was unable to protect my son from a money-grabbing, self-serving gold-digger, and I’ll be damned if I don’t do a better job with my grandsons.”

“I’m not—” Drew began hotly, but Lady Jane raised her hand, cutting him off.

“I am not levelling accusations, Mr. Chance, I am merely seeking to protect those precious children from having to suffer any more abuse or heartache in their lives. To put it bluntly and utilizing a popular cliché, I wish to know what your intentions are regarding my grandchildren. You are, after all, considerable older and from a very different background. The twins might not have had a traditional upbringing, and Amara particularly has been exposed to very different life experiences than most of his age and standing, but they have, in many ways, been sheltered from the harsh realities of life, while you…have not.”

Drew took a deep breath, fighting to keep his anger in check. It wouldn’t do any good at all to entirely alienate her at this point.

“Yes, I’m older. Yes, I come from a very different background, and believe me this is not the kind of life I ever wanted and would never have sought it out. In fact, when I first met the twins, I was more than prepared to despise them for precisely what you are suggesting I want from them.” Lady Jane opened her mouth to speak but this time Drew cut her off. “Please do me the service of not insulting my intelligence. I know what this conversation is truly about. You don’t give a damn about your grandsons’ welfare. If you did you wouldn’t have left them to suffer for so long, and they wouldn’t be so afraid of you. Let me set this out very clearly. I am not in this for the money. I will sign whatever you want. I will walk away with nothing if it comes to it, but I can assure you the only time I will ever walk away is if they want me to. Yes, I’ve seen more of life’s harsh realities than you could imagine in your worst nightmares and that is precisely why I want to protect them from anything and everyone who might want to hurt them, and if I have to, that includes you.”

Lady Jane quirked an eyebrow. “You would fight me, even though I have the wealth and connections to grind you into the dirt if I wanted? Even though you know you can’t win?”

“I would fight Death himself to my last breath if I had to, and I’m damn sure no one wins against him. Don’t get me wrong, the last thing I want is to fight anyone who loves and cares for Amara and Aria, but if you don’t, or won’t do that, I will use my not inconsiderable resources to grind you into the dirt. Trust me, they may be a different kind of resources, but they are very effective.”

“Are you threatening me, Mr. Chance?”

“Not at all. I’m merely reassuring you that I will fight for my boys against anyone and anything that makes them unhappy because I love them. I fucking love the hell out of them and I won’t let them go no matter what you say or do.”

Lady Jane smiled a proper smile for the first time. “What makes you think that’s what I’m asking you to do?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I may be a hard woman, Mr. Chance. I’ve had to be to manage my businesses and to keep this house afloat after the death of my husband. I’ve had to watch my son turn into a brainless idiot, playing at being a man then playing at being a father. Whether you believe it or not I have tried to help my grandsons, to ensure they have some modicum of stability in their lives. I even sent my own personal assistant to watch over them, and report back to me, even though I was thrown into chaos by her loss. She has remained steadfast even though she was forced to make difficult, and painful, choices to keep that harridan convinced she was complicit with her.”

“Alicia,” Drew said in shock.

“Indeed. It has been agreed she will remain with the boys for as long as they wish, and continue to look out for their interests, as they are still very young and have no idea how to effectively manage their affairs.”

“I think you might be mistaken in there.”

“Then they can learn from her and take their place in the businesses when they are ready. I have received reports from her since you commenced your employment, and I am impressed. She appears to have taken a liking to you and tells me you are totally committed to not only protecting but taking care of my grandsons. She also tells me they feel the same way about you, and whilst it amuses me to think of Aria taking care of anyone, the fact that he has promised to do so means everything.”

Drew frowned, confused by the turn of events. “So, you’re not going to ask me to leave and give up the boys?”

“Good gracious, no. I’ve been forced to stand on the side-lines for most of their lives and watch that ridiculous woman all but destroy them. Henley knew better than to tell me first-hand what was going on, so I always found out too late.” She sighed, sounding wistful. “The number of times I have begged him to give the boys to me. The number of times I have shouted, threatened, bullied…but all to no avail. Henley has proven remarkably resilient against all my efforts. I hope you will be more receptive.”

“Only if it’s what they want.”

Lady Jane appeared surprised, then smiled again.

“Despite your uncouth nature and inferior background, I find I like you, Mr. Chance. I think you will be good for my grandchildren.”

“Despite your arrogant and overbearing nature and your disgustingly privileged background, I find I can tolerate you, but only because I think it will be good for your grandchildren.”

Unexpectedly, Lady Jane barked out a hearty laugh. “I think you might be the breath of fresh air this family sorely needs.”

“One question. If you are as concerned as you say you are, why are the twins afraid of you?”

Lady Jane looked sad. “I have made bad decisions too, Mr. Chance. I allowed myself to be blackmailed by my son and his wife. I kept my distance in return for being allowed to see them a few times a year. I know they are uncomfortable here, so I created the flat where they would have a space they could feel comfortable in. I was never allowed to be in their presence alone and was expected to act in a detached way. If I showed too much affection, I was not allowed to see the boys. In the beginning, years went by with my only connection being photographs. I missed much of my grandsons’ lives for nothing more than being nice to them. I am not an easy woman. I am used to my own company and it is difficult to have two lively children tearing around the place, but I lived for every moment of it.”

Lady Jane’s voice became more and more wistful and Drew found himself feeling sorry for her. Then she hardened. “Things are very different now, Mr Chance and if you try to keep my grandsons away from me, I will—”

“Grind me into the dirt?”

“Castrate you.”

Drew chuckled and so did she.

“If you’re done, I have to get back to the boys. They’re very upset because they think you’re going to drive me away like their father did.”

“I won’t comment on that, Mr. Chance, except to say that my husband was not a popular choice with my family but no one; no threat, no curse, no plea could have made me turn away from him. Don’t do it again.”

“No ma’am.”

Drew got to his feet and headed across the room. He hadn’t reached the door, when it was thrown wide to reveal a wide-eyed Aria, and Amara who looked as if he was ready to punch someone. “No,” Amara spat, taking a step forward to grab Drew’s arm. “You’re not going anywhere. I won’t let you. Damnit, I’ve spent my whole life being frightened of something or other and I’m sick of it.”

“Me too,” Aria said, drawing himself up and clearly trying to look as fierce as his brother. It didn’t quite work, but it was still pretty damn impressive. “We’re not going to let you leave. It’s not fair. We talked about it—kind of. Amara’s going to fight for you and so am I.”

Drew stifled a grin. It wouldn’t be fair on the boys, but they were just too damn cute. Amara looked like he could barely stand, and Aria was half hiding behind him, but the expressions on their faces were resolute.

“I’m not leaving,” Drew said softly, managing to keep the amusement out of his voice. “Didn’t I make you a promise? You said you trusted me.”

“We do,” Amara said, then flicked his chin at Lady Jane, “but we don’t trust her.”

Drew glanced over his shoulder and caught the expression of sadness that passed over Lady Jane’s face before she turned away to gaze out of the window, her arms crossed across her body. Emotions warred within Drew. More than anything, he wanted to take the boys to the flat where he could settle them down and spend some relaxing time with them without having to worry about anything. He wanted to talk to Jeff, to let his friend’s no nonsense common sense calm him like it always did. On the other hand, he understood what Lady Jane had gone through and she deserved better than this.

“Come and sit down,” Drew said.

“I don’t want to sit down,” Amara growled,

“Just stop for a minute. There are some things you need to know.”

Lady Jane turned. “There will be time for that later.”

“No. Too much time has been wasted already. The boys need you and it’s time you step up to the plate, because I swear if someone doesn’t, I’m going to take them so far away from this fucked up family you won’t see their dust.”

“That’s what I want,” Amara said. “I don’t want any of you in my life anymore. I’m sick of feeling not good enough. Sick of watching Aria getting hurt over and over, and most of all sick of not being able to protect him from you.”

“You don’t have to feel like that.” Aria said, sounding as shocked as Drew felt. “I can take care of myself. I’m not as weak as you think I am. I honestly can take care of myself and I’m not going to let anyone break me. Not anymore.”

Drew’s heart broke, which convinced him more than ever that this conversation had to happen sooner rather than later. “You two are going to sit down and listen. I won’t let you walk away without hearing what your grandmother has to say.”

“We don’t want to listen to her,” Amara said stubbornly, lifting his chin.

“We don’t like her,” Aria said, sounding equally stubborn.

“I don’t care what you want, or who you like. This is important. This situation is fucked up. It’s not what you think it is and you need to know the truth.”

Amara narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Lady Jane. “What’s she been telling you? What’s she been saying about us?”

“The only thing she’s said about you is that she loves you.”

Amara snorted. “Of course she does.”

Drew sighed. “Please. For me. Come and sit down. Just for a minute.”

Aria and Amara exchanged a glance then Amara nodded. “For you, because we do trust you.”