I finish my mouthful and clear my throat, taking a sip of the wine as I get my thoughts together. “I guess you’re all wondering why I chose to stay in London for Christmas instead of returning to the States. Well, I’m not ready to return home, and it’s time we dealt with Ash’s problem.” I turn to the man in question. “Not that I’m opposed to marrying you, but I want you to want it, not just be doing it for the sake of your sister.”
“But Idowant it.”
“Would you have asked so soon if your grandmother hadn’t forced your hand?” I ask gently, and I see him think about it before shaking his head, his eyes shining with guilt.
“I’m not upset, Ash. I wouldn’t have said yes so soon either. We need to see how this whole dynamic is going to work in the long-term.” I gesture to the whole table. “We can discuss something at a later time once we know we all work.”
Alex crosses his arms with a stubborn set to his jaw. “I have no doubt this will work, but I’ll go with the flow.” The rest of us roll our eyes or scoff, knowing that won’t last long. Alex is the least patient of us all.
“So we need to find a way to protect your sister, and I know you’ve been dealing with it through the correct channels, but I wasn’t willing to wait any longer.”
Ash frowns. “What have you done?”
“A couple of things. I had Jake do some private investigative work for me. He got the name of the sheik your grandmother has been in contact with, and I gave him a little call. Turns out Sheik Abdullah Amiin II was not aware of the deal. Your grandmother has been dealing with his aging father. Luckily for us, the son is in his thirties, and he’s much more modern thinking. He was horrified to hear that his father was trying to buy your fourteen-year-old sister. As of now, that deal is off the table.” Ash sighs with relief. “But that doesn’t mean she won’t find another scummy man to strike a deal with. So I looked into the judge who wouldn’t rule you as her guardian. Turns out that your grandmother is blackmailing him, and you are not going to believe the dirt she has on him.”
The guys exchange blank glances, and Riku waves his hands. “Come on, you’ve built up the suspense. Now share with the table.”
“He’s a member of the Sugar and Spice Gentlemen’s Club. Let’s just say Aunt Merideth knows him… intimately. Apparently, when she was still a working girl, he was her biggest client despite being married. They still see each other even now, although she doesn’t charge him for it anymore.” I giggle as the guys at the table make all kinds of faces at the thought of Aunt Merideth and sex. “Anyway, his wife passed away a few years ago, which is actually great news. Her finding out about my aunt was the only thing the judge was worried about. Now that the risk of that is gone, he was happy to overturn his ruling, especially when I gave him proof of your grandmother’s gambling habit.”
“Gambling habit?” Ash sounds shocked.
“The old bat has a problem with the ponies and the dogs. I’m afraid you’re going to be even more shocked by how big a problem.”
Ash groans and runs a hand through his hair. “God, what now?”
“Well, it’s lucky for you that you pay for your sister to attend boarding school, because I’m afraid your estate is pretty much empty.” I hand him the photos Jake had taken through the windows of the empty rooms. “She’s been selling off all the furniture to pay her debts. Shit, Ash, she sold the house. I’m not sure why it was still in her name instead of reverting to you, but Forrest’s English lawyer friend had a look, and it was all above board.”
Ash’s mouth drops open. The poor guy’s face will get stuck that way at this rate. “She sold it? But... But…” He sounds outraged as he stares down at the photos in front of him. “But where is she going to live? And what about Edie? She still comes home during the holidays. Shit, how long ago was this? I just spoke to Grandmother the other day, and she didn’t mention anything. I called the phone at the house, so she must still be there.” He jumps to his feet, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Fuck, I need to make some calls.” I stand up and put my hand on his arm, knowing I have to share the rest before he has a heart attack.
“Sit down and let me finish.” He looks like he’s going to argue with me, so I give his arm a squeeze. Sighing, he sits down again. “Thank you. The new owner is giving her until after the new year to vacate the place. The new owner bought it as is, so all she has to do is remove any personal items she has left.”
“Shit, I still have a lot of stuff at home, and all of Edie’s things too—if the bitch hasn’t sold it all. I’ll have to figure out a way to get them and then arrange something for my grandmother. Where is she going to go?”
“Well, I happen to know that she made a good profit off the house. More than enough to pay off her remaining debts. She was also strongly encouraged to move into a posh retirement village that’s about twenty minutes from the estate.”
Ash frowns. “How do you know all this?”
“I have good people who work for me.”
“That’s not all, is it?” Shane asks, and I beam at my very astute boyfriend.
“No, it isn’t, and I’m proud you realized it. You can have a treat later,” I tease him, and he gives me a wicked smile. Maybe it will be me getting the treat.
“I bought the estate, though she doesn’t know it was me. I thought we’d have fun springing it on her tomorrow when we all roll up to have Christmas with her. Though I had to arrange to have more furniture delivered. All that was left was her bedroom furniture and a shabby lounge suite. She let go of all the staff too, so I had to make some calls to offer them their jobs back.”
I pass Ash another folder, studying the absolutely gobsmacked expression on his face. “How did I not know any of this?”
“Because she kept you so busy chasing your tail and trying to keep your sister safe that you didn’t have time to think about what she was doing at home. When I spoke to the butler—”
“Joseph? Why didn’t he call me?”
“Because she made all kinds of threats, and most of the staff thought she still had influence. I mean, sheisLady Lavington. Joseph has an old nuisance arrest on his record that she was holding over his head. If he said anything to you, she would fire him. He has an elderly mother whom he supports, and he’s also in a relationship with one of the gardeners, so he kept his mouth shut.”
Jace shakes his head in surprise. “Wow, that woman really is a piece of work.”
“You have no idea,” Ash mumbles as he opens the folder containing the title and deed to the estate in his name. “What’s this?” Poor thing, he sounds like this last surprise is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Well, you didn’t think I was going to keep it for myself, did you? That’s your family home, and you deserve to do what you want with it.” The money I spent is a drop in the pond that is our fortune, and when I spoke to Jax about it, he was completely on board.
