“You can’t. Grace, if you get caught…” Sophia stands up and shakes her head.
“IfI get caught, then you girls take care of each other. There's no point in us all taking the risk. I’m the most experienced. There's plenty you can all do to make this happen, but I’m the one taking the initial risk. I’m the reason we all have to look over our shoulders when Jonah gets out.” I smile at Polly awkwardly.
“How long do we have to prepare?” Sophia looks to Polly.
“Just under a month. I’ll get right on the dress design. If you’re going to that party, you’re going to have to pass as a lady.” She claps her hands and rises to her feet, pulling both Sophia and me into a hug.
“You really think we can pull this off?” Sophia asks, looking excited and scared all at the same time.
“I don’t think we have much choice.” I feel the anxiety knot my stomach, and hear the screams of my own terror fill my ears.
“Selana.” Polly encourages Selena to join us and gets a raised middle finger as a response.
“Okay, let's get to work.” I break away and take the piece of paper in my hand to Selena. “David Stokes’ paranoid wife isgonna have to wait to see if he’s cheating. I need you to work on getting these blueprints. We’re also going to need to know how advanced the Ravenshaw security is. Sophia, I want to know everything there is to know about that new duke. Look on all the socials, check the tabloids. This guy can’t just have come from nowhere.”
“I’ll keep my ear to the ground at the boutique. I’m sure I can get my hands on some very bougie fabric. I have the perfect idea for a dress,” Polly adds, already pulling her sketchbook from her satchel.
“I’m going to need to make a few trips over to Fairfax; check the place out a few times before this goes down. I want a few escape routes planned out.” I pull up Google Maps on my phone so I can start looking at options. “You do realise if we pull this off, our lives are gonna change?” Sophia smiles, and I feel a whole lot of pressure to ensure that happens.
“Then let's hope we pull it off.” I smile back, encouragingly.
JACK
Ihear Cecelia coming down the hall, her heels clipping on the wooden floor and pausing momentarily before she makes her dramatic entrance and opens both the doors that lead into my new gym room.
“Bernard would be rolling in his grave if he saw what you’d done to his orangery,” she tuts, standing in front of me, refusing to make eye contact and holding out a piece of paper.
“What's that?” I pick up the towel that's resting over my weight bench and hang it over my shoulders, gripping both ends tightly in my fist.
“Don’t tell me you're illiterate as well as obnoxious,” she snaps, and the smile I make as I take the paper from her hand and unfold it is as fake as her tits.
“It’s a list of all the renovations that are needed in my quarters,” she explains, trying to make herself assertive.
“Your quarters?” I stare back at her questionably.
“The living conditions aren’t acceptable, your father would?—”
“I’ll have Alistair take care of it,” I interrupt her before she goes off a tangent, and just as she’s about to protest, she realises how reasonable I’m being and silences herself.
“Erm..ahh…And this ball you're having next week, I assume you have invited the Linchfords?”
“Everyone's invited,” I remind her, dreading the damn thing. I see the logic in Alex’s suggestion. Everyone is talking about me behind my back; I should take the opportunity to introduce myself, address the rumours so they can make their judgement of me on truth and not speculation.
“Speaking of the Linchfords, have you thought anymore about my suggestion?” She may have caught me in a good mood, but I’m notthatfucking stupid.
“Annabella isn’t my type; besides, she was my brother’s fiancée, so she is sure to still be grieving.”
“Half-brother,” she reminds me with spite. “And it was your father's wish to unite our family with theirs.”
“But not for her to become the duchess of Fairfax,” I remind her. “If he wanted that, he would have tried convincingmeto marry her.” I can see my words infuriate her, which, of course, was my intention.
“Well, you’ll have to marry someone. Your title comes with a responsibility; for hundreds of years, the Ravenshaws have lived here and carried that title, and you are going to–”
“Relax, Cece, I’ve got this.” I tap her shoulder and head out the back door towards the lawn for some fresh air.
The house may be big, but it’s stuffy, and the old walls feel like they are closing in on me. I hate that Cecelia is right. I can’t let the lineage of our family end with me. At some point, I’m going to need to consider having an heir. But nothing I tell myself convinces me that I’ll ever like the idea of settling down. I’m not against the idea of female company, I love it. But being tied to one woman, for your whole life…marriage? None of that shit haseverbeen on my bucket list. As for a child…? That’s a little different. I’d like the opportunity to prove thatIwas different. I always figured I’d never have a child, but knowingthat having one has become a duty makes me want to do it right. Being in this house, seeing traces of memories I should have been a part of, shouldn’t hurt me the way it does. I’m not designed for that. My life’s been far too busy for me to stop and think, and suddenly, with all this free time, I can see myself going crazy.
I pace the patio, trying not to let what Cecelia just said get inside my head, and suddenly I see something rustling in the bushes, right at the bottom of the lawn. The rustle stills, and I immediately start heading towards it. My arrival at the estate seems to have attracted the attention of the media, and there have been more than one occasion where photographers have been removed for trespassing.
