*
Margaret swept me up later to go for a walk in the freezing cold. “How richarethe Fortescues?” I asked her.
“I honestly don’t know. I doubt the taxman does, either.”
“Did you know they have a private jet?”
Her eyebrows rose. “Yet youstilldon’t want to marry into the family?”
“Private jets are bad for the environment,” I said virtuously.
“There’s that,” she agreed, before getting into the reason she’d wanted my company. “I asked James about what Steven said. He wasfurious,though he tried to hide it. The story he spun is that they want to enter a partnership with us because of our distinguished lineage.” She mimicked James’s pompous accent to perfection. “An alliance of their money and influence and our history will result in other dragons treating both of us with suitable deference and following our lead in everything.”
“He said it that openly?” I was surprised.
“Alex, you’re getting the short version because it’s bloody freezing out here. Now, shush, and let me finish. He explained how badly Steven had misunderstood about the two million—that would go into a trust fund for any children, just as he’ll do for all his grandchildren. He would, however, make generous compensation to both you and our family for requiring you to live in Bath once you were married.”
“He expects me to leave Cornwall?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“I spoke to your father earlier. Once he stopped laughing at the idea of you creating babies with a Fortescue, he agreed with me not to knock this on the head too quickly. James is evidently manoeuvring for a big shake-up of the dragon world, and we’re safer knowing what he’s planning. I wish we could go back three months to when no one was even thinking about us, but we can’t—we have his attention now.”
“What does this mean for me?” I was cold, I didn’t like the sound of where this was going, and right now, that was all I cared about. “You don’t expect me to—”
“Alex.” It was her leader's voice, not her aunt's voice, and I shut up. “I told James that, before I make any decisions, I need to get to know his daughter and determine if she’s worthy of marrying into my family.”
“How did he takethat?”
She grinned, her eyes dancing with enjoyment. “It annoyed him, though I think he quite liked the reminder there’s a reason he wants a partnership with us. We’re not just common or garden dragons. Anyway, what that means is that you’re off the hook for the moment. Refer Anna to me if she tries to push you together again.” She raised a finger as I opened my mouth to speak. “And yes, I know you’re perfectly capable of telling Anna Fortescuewhere to get off. I’d prefer to avoid a diplomatic incident, however.”
My wounded expression went sadly unappreciated.
“I think Ella may be the best of that family. She’s young for her age and is flailing a bit, trying to prove herself. If she can get away from her family, she could become a decent person and dragon.”
The problem was, we both knew how unlikely it was that the Fortescues would let her go. Look at the way Charlie’s mother was trying to hold onto him. I wished Anna hadn’t pulled Nate into her machinations. The further Nate kept from Charlie, the better pleased I’d be.
And not only because of my dragon’s possessive instincts. I remembered the look Charlie had put on Nate’s face. I didn’t want to see him hurt again.
Once Margaret left me in order to take advantage of Bath’s shops, I was at a loose end. Bath wasn’t much fun without Nate, but I had to dosomething,so I decided to visit the places on the tourist trail that Nate and I hadn’t yet seen.
The more I saw of the beautiful Georgian houses, the more it seemed like Bath was a rich person’s place. Where did the locals live, the ones with normal jobs? It reminded me of Cornwall, where all the rich Londoners had bought second homes and priced locals out of the property market. Rich Londoners who were probably bankers.
It appeared I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of the Fortescues’ jet. Or the realisation of how very different Nate’s world was from mine. He probably had multiple suits hanging in his wardrobe, one for any type of occasion he might possibly encounter. More intimidating was the fact he doubtless knew the difference between them.
I’d worked myself into a mood full of gloom and uncertainty as I looked at the magnificent houses that formed the curve of the Royal Crescent and wondered how many millions each one cost. Why would someone like Nate see me as anything more than a brief diversion? A bit of rough trade (thank you, Steven Fortescue). Then my phone vibrated with a message, and I forgot everything in my excitement at seeing it was from Nate.
Where are you? Traffic was better than I thought.
I started down the grassy slope below the Royal Crescent and met Nate halfway up the hill. His stride lengthened when he saw me, until we stood in front of one another, grinning like idiots. God, it wassogood to see him.
“May I kiss you?” he asked.
I glanced around. Everyone close to us looked to be the typical Bath tourist type—middle-class and middle-aged. The worst reaction we’d likely elicit would be a disapproving tut.
So, by way of answer, I kissed him. It was already so familiar, the ease with which he opened under my mouth, the way he pulled me against him as if he never wanted to let me go. And I never wanted to stop kissing him.
Of course, we had to, eventually. If nothing else, the day wasfreezing.We headed to Sheila’s for fresh flapjacks and hot coffee to warm up.
“Thank God we don’t need to do any more Jane Austen research,” Nate said, passing me his flapjack. They were smaller than I’d expected, or I’d have asked for two. “I think leaving my phone unattended again would be too obvious.”
