Miranda lunged. Her fist stopped inches from Graves’s face, her arm straining. The guard had caught her wrist and they were locked in a stalemate. The guard was strong, even for fae. She couldn’t move or shake his grip in the slightest. Miranda started to panic. Graves, however, gave no sign that her outburst bothered him. He made a flicking motion and the guard tossed her backward.
Devin caught her, but she twisted free of his touch. She had never been good at accepting defeat. Whenever her trainer had knocked her to the ground, she had just wanted to hit all the harder.
“Your father will be here soon,” Graves continued, “Once I see you safely in his care, Mr. Drake and I can have a little chat about choosing a better location for his trysts.”
Her father? A new sort of panic settled into her chest. What would he think of her now? Their story was she had come to this room with Devin to do wicked things. She couldn’t tell her father the truth, either. That she intended to spy on Graves and stop his wedding to Cordelia. She was doomed either way but having her father think she was here to debauch herself was unsettling.
“Though I can’t say I blame you,” Graves continued, “Miss Wilde is quite beautiful. I was almost a victim of her beauty myself. A year ago. But it is clear to me now that her sister is the better match for me.” His eyes casually settled on Miranda. “She’s more compliant. Younger. More easily persuaded. Less…volatile. She knows what really matters in a relationship.”
“And what’s that?” Miranda asked, barely keeping her tone civil.
“Pleasing me,” Graves said, staring straight into her so that his jovial air finally gave way to the sinister lurking beneath the surface.
Miranda resisted the urge to spit in his face, instead crossing her arms and attempting to keep from doing any furtherdamage. Graves didn’t know Cordelia at all. She was none of those things. She could be more headstrong and quick to fight than even Miranda, but he was right about her not having training to protect herself. Delia was still just a human and there was no way she could defend herself against a monster like Graves.
“Yarrow?” Her father’s voice, from the hallway. “What’s going on? Your guard came and pulled me from the ballroom. Something about Miranda?”
Graves finally stepped aside, allowing her father to enter. When his eyes found Miranda and then landed on Devin behind her, his expression swirled between anger and disappointment. This was humiliating.
“I’m afraid I caught them in the midst of some rather unsavory acts, James. But I arrived before any real harm had been done, thank goodness.” Graves said, as her father straightened and assumed a stance Miranda recognized as one of authority. Legs slightly apart, hands behind his back, chin up. She hated when he stood like that. It meant she was going to be reprimanded.
“Miranda Wilde. I’m not sure what happened here, but we can discuss it at home. You will remove yourself from Lord Drake and find your mother immediately. Tell her you are to go straight home.” He spoke to Graves, “I would appreciate your discretion in this,” he wouldn’t meet her eyes and it was killing her to think she disappointed him. “With any luck we can avoid scandal or, Divine forbid, marriage.”
Miranda shook her head, hating the injustice of it all. Her father loved her, she knew he did, but he was so blinded by his own perceptions. He couldn’t see that Graves was the evil one here. If he knew, if he truly knew what Graves had done to her then Graves would be in pieces. But she had never told him. Now…now he’d never believe her.
“Father, nothing hap—”
“We will talk at home, Miranda. Now please, step away from Lord Drake.” Her father looked to Devin, “Who, I might add, I would be well within my rights to challenge over this. You can thank providence that you were not discovered by some gossiping debutante looking to one up a rival and with any luck, we’ll avoid the altar, which if Drake’s reputation is anything to go on, would be ideal.” James took a deep breath, his anger simmering, but controlled. “I suppose it’s to be expected when you weren’t brought up in the right circles. Raised by a Faery mother, they’d have different standards of behavior.”
Miranda’s voice failed her. Her father’s comment was unfeeling, incredibly rude and not something she’d ever heard from him before. Her father gently pushed her from the room before she could speak. “Your mother. Now.” He ordered.
“Thank you, James,” Graves said, “I’ll see to the management of Drake.”
No. Miranda almost turned back, but then her father’s voice stopped her.
“I think I’d like to speak to him myself, if you don’t mind.” Her father could be just as commanding as Graves and, with the wedding lingering between them, Graves did not want to piss off her father. “Outside. This isn’t the sort of conversation for a civilized gathering.”
Miranda prayed that Graves agreed. She slowed her retreat as she listened.
“Of course,” Graves’s voice was tight, like he was speaking through a fake smile. “I’ll leave it up to you then.”
Once assured Devin wouldn’t be left to Graves’s mercy, Miranda ran.
Maybe she was a coward, but she did not want to face her father again while Devin was with them. At least she knew her father wouldn’t hurt him. Even angry, he was not the sort to resort to violence unnecessarily. She knew it was wrong to leave,but she felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside out, her body pulled in too many directions for one evening.
She found her mother with Cordelia. When their eyes met, her mother set down her drink and came to her side.
“What is it, dear? What’s happened?”
“Father will fill you in later, I’m sure. Nothing I say will make a difference now, anyway. He sent me to find you,” she took a deep breath, “And for us to await him at home.”
“At home?” Her mother chuckled. “And be the first to leave the engagement party of our daughter? What is to be done with Cordelia? She can’t leave early and we can’t leave her behind.”
“Oh, I don’t mind, mother,” Cordelia said, “It’s a family emergency. I’m sure Lord Graves will understand.”
Miranda hated the man’s name leaving her sister’s mouth. Cordelia threaded her arm through Miranda’s. “Come mother, it is my party, and I shall decide when I leave it. I’m sure any fiancé of mine will understand that family is most important to me.” She strode quickly from the room, Miranda pulled along behind her.
“I…but…” Her mother sputtered for a few moments before following them. “Your father better have a good explanation for this.”
