“I’m happy to hear that. I can’t wait to meet him.”
She giggles. “Now thatdefinitelywasn’t in the contract.”
The club’s chef has outdone himself, with a menu of perfectly grilled filet mignon, served with a red wine reduction, accompanied by truffle mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus. It’s followed by a decadent chocolate cake, served with whipped cream and a raspberry coulis.
Henrik has been insufferable all evening, trying to flirt with Granny, who’s reverted to chilly politeness to fend off his efforts. As the port is being served, I stand up and the hum of conversation fades. I nod at Daniel, who’s poised at the side of the room and he dims the lights further.
“Ladies and gentleman, I hope you are all enjoying this evening as much as I am. First, I would like to express my gratitude to you for joining us tonight to celebrate this occasion. To my beautiful bride, Minna, words cannot express how lucky I feel to be standing here today, ready to embark on this incredible journey with you.”
There’s a warm round of applause from the assembled guests and Minna gazes up at me, playing her part to perfection.
“And my wonderful grandmother, who’s been a member of this club since she was twenty-five. It’s an honor to get married here, where you and my grandfather pledged their vows many years ago.”
Granny blows me a kiss.
“And finally, to our club’s president.” Henrik is barely listening, playing with the strap of his watch. He’s drunk enough that his eyes are a little glassy.
“I’m pleased you brought up the Harrington diamonds in your speech at the wedding reception. When I was a child, my brother Asher and I would spend hours on treasure hunts, trying to find them. It’s always been something that I’ve puzzled over, knowing my grandfather like I did, trying to figure out how such a conscientious man could lose the priceless family diamonds. After he died, I received a folder containing a handwritten letter which laid out his suspicions.”
Henrik’s paying attention now. He’s sitting up straighter, his eyes narrowed.
“Working through the information my grandfather left us, my brother ran an audit of the club’s accounts. And then a thorough investigation of our dear president’s accounts. Daniel, please.”
Daniel trains the projector onto the blank wall at the end of the room. A murmur runs through the guests.
“As you can see by the red highlighted areas, Henrik Blamore has been siphoning off money donated from the club’s members into his own assets for many, many years.”
A ripple of surprise runs around the room, along with a couple of audible gasps. Mr. Whitley, the club’s most generous donor, has a face like thunder and his arms crossed.
“This is blatantly untrue! How dare you!” Henrik’s face is bright red.
“We also dug further back. It took a long time to establish how you came into your fortune, but every three years or so you’d have a mysterious injection of cash from an art sale. Who knows what kind of crooked accountant you’ve been paying off to disguise the fact that you’ve been systematically selling off the Harrington diamonds, not art.”
Granny is the one to gasp now. Minna’s eyes are wide.
“Daniel, the next slide please. But you couldn’t bear to sell the engagement ring, could you Henrik? Possibly because you came so close to ruining my grandparents’ wedding. Because you wanted to marry my grandmother and tried to sabotage it. Here you are with it in your hands this afternoon.”
“That image isn’t clear. It could be any ring.” His voice is strained.
“It was clear enough for the police.” Daniel opens the door and two heavy-set police officers walk over to the table. “They’ve applied for a search warrant based on the evidence I’ve provided. I’m sure you don’t want to make a big scene, do you, Henrik?”
The two officers haul him to his feet and walk outside. There’s a hushed silence in the room, before Mr. Whitely stands up and claps. The other members join in the applause.
Granny has tears in her eyes. “Iknewyour Grandpa didn’t lose those jewels. Thank you, Kade. This means so much.”
Minna is staring up at me in wonder. She leans in to whisper in my ear. “I’m proud of you. So this was what the whole marriage thing was about?”
I breathe in her scent and my cock twitches. “It was. I needed to get in here without Henrik suspecting anything. Getting married was the perfect cover.”
She squeezes my hand. “It was.”
Once I’ve spoken to a group of guests, who ask me to go over how I solved the mystery, the band starts to play jazzed-up versions of contemporary chart songs. I seek out Minna, who’s holding Granny’s hand at the table.
“Would my lovely bride like to dance?”
She smiles and stands up. A smartly-dressed older man walks up to Granny and sits down on the seat beside her. She winks at me as I take Minna to the dance floor.
I’m not sure what music is playing. All I know is that Minna is in my arms and I never want this to end. Her soft curves are pressed tightly against me as I run my hands up her back, pulling her even closer. We sway together, lost in our own world of warmth and closeness. I lean down to whisper in her ear, my breath sending shivers down her spine.
