Remington turned around and stood taller then placed the tea he’d poured on a tray. “No, I see Blackwell is returning. Please excuse me while I go check on my grandmother. I’ll be right back.” He left down thehall.
Umm. Now that wasn’t Donna’s fault if he saw Cassidy in there with his grandmother, was it? Donna sipped her tea and went to stand beside her fiancé the moment he came in. “Blackwell, did Lady Cassidy make it into theroom?”
He nodded and kissed her cheek. “It’s why I left, to give them both a few minutes. They wanted to talk and it was clear I wasn’t wanted in thatmoment.”
“Cassidy!” Remington’s voiceshouted.
Donna tugged her ear. There was more going on here than she knew and her face heated. “So, Remington caught her. I think we shouldleave.”
The front door opened and Chelsea entered the mansion, looking sophisticated in an all-black shirt tucked into her knee length skirt. Blackwell massaged her lower back. “Wait, Chelsea is here. Give me a few minutes alone withher?”
If Blackwell was completely free by the time she finished her tea, she’d be thrilled. She gave him a demure smile. “Sure. I’ll waithere.”
“You can’t be serious!” Cassidy’s voice carried from the room with the dyingwoman.
Donna stayed where she was but she saw Remington and Cassidy storm out into the hall arguing and using hand gestures like they were making dramaticpoints.
They went into the room across from his grandmother and slammed thedoor.
Donna told Blackwell, “Oh dear, it doesn’t sound like Remington ishappy.”
He shrugged and walked toward the front door and the newest guest. “It’s the law. Give me five minutes with Chelsea and then come in and get me. We’ll be in the sitting room across from the frontdoor.”
“Good luck.” She blew him akiss.
The house was quiet while she sipped her tea. Today she’d have faith that Blackwell meant every word and that she was his first choice. She stared at the clock and saw thirty seconds past. Blackwell said five minutes but surely they’d had enough time. She put her empty cup down so she could say she’d finished and headed to the door, taking strength from the depth of her love forBlackwell.
However Remington and Cassidy came out of the other room and walked toward her. “Lady Cassidy, Lord Sky, are you allright?”
Remington’s body straightened. “It’s nothing for you to concern yourselfwith.”
While this wasn’t her family, her grandmother would have been sad if she fought with someone near her deathbed. So Donna took a deep breath and said, “Seriously, it’s okay if you walk away from one another as you both love your grandmother. For now, can you try to get along or at least ignore eachother?”
Remington stared at Cassidy with so much ice that Donna felt the chill. “It’s not that easy. My grandmother believes that Lady Cassidy should be my wife and she made it her dyingwish.”
Donna stepped back with apprehension. Her grandmother would never have asked such a thing and truthfully hadn’t approved of Harry all that much. At least in America, she’d had her own self to blame for her bad choices and not a family deathbed wish. She couldn’t imagine marrying someone unsuitable and then having to thank hergrandmother.
Cassidy ran her hands through her hair again, pushing the thick mane behind her. Her glasses seemed large on her pale face. “Look, I love Gigi and want her peace more than anything else, but Remy, we both know you and I are a badidea.”
His shoulders were tight as he said, “I know my grandmother wantsusand I must marry.” Defeated, he added, “Cassidy, I’m speaking to your father aboutthis.”
Cassidy massaged her temples as Remington walked down the hall and back into his grandmother’sroom.
Her face turned ghost white and Donna felt a knot in her own stomach for the woman she hardly knew. She quickly changed the subject. “Blackwell is taking a long time withChelsea.”
Cassidy covered her lips and her eyes rounded behind the lenses. “They’re alone? That’s a bad idea. My sister isn’t thatmature.”
Donna headed toward the sitting room near the front door with Cassidy on her heels. “Yes, Blackwell wanted to break the contract. So he wanted to tell her first before meeting with her father today. I’m goingin.”
Cassidy scowled and Donna walked into the sitting room to fetch herfiancé.
Her heart froze and stoppedbeating.
Chelsea, shirtless, in a black lace bra, was flush against Blackwell on thecouch.
She’d discovered Harry cheating in the living room, on his couch. This couldn’t happen to her twice. She fisted her hand and shouted, “Blackwell!”
He pushed Chelsea off him. “Donna, it’s not what youthink.”
Harry had said almost the same thing once. She felt as if she was shrinking with shame as she pointed to him. “Seriously! Her shirt is missing. It’s exactly what Ithink.”
“No. It’s not.” Blackwell came towardher.
Yeah right. Donna slammed the door and ran out the front and down the steps. Cassidy was behind the wheel of an older brown car but Donna leapt before the bumper. “Lady Cassidy, can I get aride?”
She nodded, her hair wild, and Donna jumped into the passenger seat as Cassidy said, “Sure, though I think you’re making a mistake. My sister wanted to be a duchess,bad.”
“Well she can have him. I don’t marry cheaters.” Donna’s entire body began to tremble. So much for her happy ever after. She should have known better than to believe in thatnonsense.
