Page 2 of Midnight Revelations

“I don’t know what to say.” I stared down at my hands in my lap. “Sofia is at university and Catarina is away skiing with friends. I’m not used to being alone.”

He studied me with that stare that I swore could bore its way into my head to view my thoughts. “You have always been the quiet homebird of my girls. When contemplating a husband for you in the past, I tried to consider who would look after you and give you a good home.”

Considering he had a no-dating policy, he talked a lot about marrying us off. “What if I don’t want to get married?” I asked. “Or want to pick my own husband?”

He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. “I know what is best for my girls.”

I slowly brought my eyes up. “What if Mama had been forced to marry someone else?” Theirs was a story of instant love and devotion that lasted beyond the grave. “Would she have been happy with a man chosen for her by her Papa?”

His brow furrowed for a brief moment. “I don’t want men breaking your hearts for your inheritance.”

“The same could have been said about you, Papa. One day you will have to let us make our own choices before we get lost in this world.”

I moved away before he could interrogate me any further. In my room, I flung myself onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. “Where are you, Ash?” I whispered.

My fingers skimmed over my phone as I texted him for about the millionth time.

Me:Just lying here thinking about you. Have to attend a charity event in Paris with Papa in a few days. Wish I was going there with you instead.

It was true, but wishing didn’t make things happen. To take my mind off my love life, I lifted my sketchpad and wandered out into the garden to find some inspiration for my new designs. Seth was organising the next delivery of diamonds to fulfil the orders from the show, and Harold was processing the order for the chains. I would carefully assemble the pieces when they all arrived and put the last delicate touches to them.

I curled my legs under me on the wooden bench at the edge of the orchard and stared into the fields. When I was here, I felt as if I was in a prison, yet when I was gone, I longed for the quiet solitude that being here brought. I guessed that all I wanted was the door of my gilded cage to be left open so I could choose which side of it I sat on.

My pencil traced across the page as I lost myself in my thoughts, the leaves and fruit from the vines moving from the field onto my page. Papa grew many different types of grapes—maybe I should have a wine collection in my next jewellery line?

Sunstones would be perfect for some of the grapes, sugilite for others, and amethyst for a mid-variety. I could almost imagine the succulent heavy grapes hanging down from a pendant of vine leaves that spanned the throat of the wearer. It would link in with a mythology collection since fruits were infused into folklore. Stones began to swirl about in my head that I could use for every god and goddess.

Ash could be Hades and ruler of the Underworld. He was dark and dangerous, but when he loved you, it was all-encompassing. I felt like Persephone since I had been sent away to this luscious garden world for my own safety while he went to war.

There were special storage boxes filled with crystals in my walk-in wardrobe, far from the prying eyes of Papa since he didn’t know about my business until a week ago. I pulled them all out and sat in the middle of them to study the stones in the light. Each inspired and calmed my tattered nerves. I’d always believed that Aphrodite should have been associated with rose quartz, but she was a jealous and possessive lover who eliminated any romantic threat. Rubellite would be more suited to her character—dark and decadent with dark flecks through it that proved that her passion outweighed the love she felt in relationships. She was a goddess who loved to love and was rarely faithful.

The only gods who revelled in their exclusivity were Hades and Persephone. Now that I had ideas in my head, I scribbled them in my sketchpad, adding some illustrations along the way. I had gotten used to messaging my sketches to Ash and his replies.

Madison found me a few hours later. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched me with that motherly concern that I’d gotten used to over the years. “Lucas has asked me to create a studio for you. It looks like the latest phone call from Ash might have done the trick.”

My ears pricked up at the mention of his name. “When did he phone Papa?”

“I heard them talking this morning, or should I say I heard Lucas shouting down the phone at him.”

My heart stilled. Ash hadn’t replied to any of my messages. He told me not to phone him because he wouldn’t be able to talk. Why was he able to phone Papa? Part of me was exhilarated that he was safe, but a little demon began to whisper in my ear. Was he ignoring me? Now that I was out of sight, had he found himself a more exciting and experienced lover?

I forced a smile on my face. “At least Papa has listened to someone. Where do you think I can put a studio?”

Madison lifted a crystal to study it. “I was thinking of the room beside the library. It has the maximum sunlight for you to work in.”

“That was Mama’s painting area. Papa will never let me use it.”

She gave me a tight smile. “Annabella would have wanted her daughters to know her, not admire her from afar. She would have been the first to encourage your dreams. Maybe this will bring you closer to her.”

Madison left me to my thoughts, but instead of planning my new studio, I delved into darkness. Ash had constantly pushed me away in the past. Maybe this mission was an excuse to make me take a step back. My heart lurched and my stomach churned. I desperately wanted to believe in us because he had been my obsession for years. I needed to believe that he felt the same way for me as I did for him. The terrifying reality had been that I was a scared virgin with no experience when he arrived in my life. He was a man of the world with a lifetime of experiences.

Why would Ash choose me when he could have any woman that he wanted?

Minnie Mouse hid in my wardrobe far from prying eyes. I took the plushie out and read the message he had written on it.Please,I silently begged. Ash needed to come back to me and remind me how to breathe.

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Chapter Two

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