Page 2 of Midnight Secrets

“He’ll take out his anger on one of you,” I said in a miserable tone with my head down. If he couldn’t strike me down with his anger, then he would direct it at Mum, Aaron, or Oliver.

Mum gave me one of her too bright smiles. “Apparently, my sister Melanie is under the weather. She phoned this morning and I agreed to go and look after her for a few weeks. Kate is already packing my bag and she’ll sort the boys out next. I told her that I’d help you since Helga is sending a car for you now.”

She moved around the room, adding clothes to a bag she pulled out from my walk-in closet. Slowly, I came back to life to help her. I added my toiletries and some T-shirts. She handed me the passport that was kept in Father’s safe and cash since I already carried a card with access to my bank account.

“Thanks, Mum.” I leaned in to her as she hugged me.

“Promise me something, Ashton.” I leaned back to look down at her since I’d grown this past year at school and was now taller than her. “No matter what happens, promise me that you’ll never enter into an arranged marriage.”

It was common knowledge that Mum had been selected from a suitable list because of her family background. She was married into the Blackwood legacy and bound to Father before she ever met him. Marriage in our world was for alliances, not love.

My lips came up in a half smile. “What else is there to marry for?”

“Love,” she automatically replied. “Money doesn’t buy you happiness, Ashton. It buys you possessions, and yes, those possessions can be a wife. But if that wife hates you, then all you’ve done is condemn both of you to a living hell.”

I stared at her and saw the broken shadows in her eyes. He was a horrendous father, but what must it be like to live your life beside a man that you didn’t love?

“I promise.”

She gave me that tight smile that meant she was close to tears and patted my arm. “Your father is already looking at suitable brides for the Blackwood line. Young, vulnerable women who can be moulded into his vision for the future.”

“Maybe I should scupper his plans and remain single the rest of my life?” I smiled at her as I packed the last of my stuff. Italy was warm and I doubted I needed fancy clothes. If I was on holiday, I was going to live in shorts and T-shirts.

She cupped my cheek in her hand. “My boy is too beautiful to hide himself from the world. You get your looks and soul from my side of the family, never forget that.” She zipped up my bag. “Sometimes love is where we least expect it, and sometimes it needs to nurture and grow.”

“Mum!” I groaned. “You’ve been reading too many of those romance novels again.”

She grinned at my reaction before her expression darkened. “I always wanted a daughter to teach to bake and knit, but some fates have been stolen from me. So I need you and your brothers to find them for me. Until then, you’ll have to put up with my ramblings about love and my hat collection.”

I rolled my eyes at her and pretended to grimace when she kissed my cheek. “Not the hat collection.”

Our family home was regal and ancient. The walls were infused with the history of the Blackwood legacy, our coat of arms on the wall where the two sides of the staircases met in a middle landing in the entrance hall before they branched off to create the balcony on the first floor. Black and white tiles decorated the floor where Oliver and I used to pretend to play human chess when we were younger.

Bags sat neatly packed beside the front door.

“Ivan, can you take them out to the car?” Mum asked. “I’m worried about Melanie and want to be on the road as soon as Ashton has left.”

Our butler never said a word, but he saw everything with his hawk-like dark brown eyes. He nodded once and lifted the bags. I never knew if he was friend or foe, a confidante or a spy.

Tension rippled through the hall as my brothers appeared one at a time. We all knew there was a timebomb ticking that could explode at any minute. Aaron paced the hall, his eyes darting in the direction of the west wing of the house where Father tended to reside. He received the brunt of his anger when I wasn’t home.

All eyes moved to the huge wooden front door when car wheels crunched over the gravel outside. I flung the door open as Xavier got out of the car driven by his housekeeper. He waved and strode into our home with his self-assured confidence.

“Hey, Ash. You ready for a summer with Uncle Lucas?” His grin was infectious, and everyone started to relax.

“I guess I should see what all the hype is about from the stories when you return to school every September,” I replied and grabbed my bag.

Aaron and Oliver started to move toward the door and the freedom that was outside.

“We’re picking up Jay on the way through. He was going to drive down until I pointed out he didn’t have a licence. I think we all want to meet his infamous grandfather.”

Mum followed us out, pushing Michael out in front of her. Father never punished him, and he relished in our reprimands. He was the apple that didn’t fall far from the poisoned tree.

“Stay safe,” Mum whispered as she hugged me one last time.

As I moved to Xavier’s car, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I looked up and Father stared down at me. His expression was savage, his smile predatory. A shiver of fear rippled down my spine. A summer wouldn’t be enough to allow his anger to cool. He would find a way to punish me for besting him in our sparring match. Fear uncoiled deep in my stomach at the thought of his revenge.

***

---