Page 50 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

“Eavesdropping.” I repeated with a smirk.

“I was going about my daily duties, Ms DuMont. I did not eavesdrop.” he denied staunchly.

I rolled my eyes and pulled my legs up onto the counter, sitting Indian style as I mocked, “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

We both fell silent for a moment then George cleared his throat and started making the batter for the bread.

“He’s afraid.” George twisted his grey head in my direction.

“Pfft,” I scoffed in disbelief. “Matt’s not afraid of anything. You of all people should know that, you practically raised him.”

“And that is exactly why you should accept what I’m telling you. Heisafraid.”

“Of what?” I asked, curious over George’s assessment of the conversation he’d eavesdropped on.

“Of you.” George said, getting a spatula off one of the hooks while still stirring the batter. Damn, the old man could multi-task with the best of them.

“Okay,” I drawled, tossing my keys from one hand to the next. “I think we need to get you to the G.P, George. You’re obviously losing your mind.”

George grunted. It was the first time I’d ever heard such a noise from Matt’s starchy butler. “He’s never been in this situation before, Ms DuMont.”

“What situation?” I queried with narrowed eyes trained on his back. I was fond of George, but if he brought up some stupid race shit I would have to smack him down. Damn. Was I a violent person? Hmm, I would mention this new worry at my next session with Dr Brown.

“Being in love, Ms DuMont.” George turned, frowning fiercely at me. “He doesn’t know how to deal with the complexities of being in love so he resorts to what he does know, and that is controlling everything. Mr Bradley doesn’t realize love isn’t about control.”

I blinked, digesting George’s words.

He continued to explain. “He’s never had a woman refuse him anything, he’s never had to second guess himself when it comes to relationships.”

“Come on, George. You’re telling me that not one of his exes gave him hell? That’s preposterous.”

“It’s the truth. His previous bed partners knew if they displeased him, he would simply discard them for someone new.” George said.

Now I felt a tad squidgy at this point. George was very proper and his reference to Matt’s sexual partners freaked me out, but he was on a quest to impart knowledge to me and knowledge was power.

“Okay, so my fiancé was a playboy.”

George peered at the batter, he seemed satisfied with the consistency and turned on the stove. “For lack of a better word, yes, he was. But then he met you and everything changed for him. Now he actually cares about another person’s needs more than his own, that scares him. And forgive my saying it, but you’re not the easiest person to get along with, Ms DuMont.”

I laughed. No, it was a cackle, and George sent me a disapproving glance over one shoulder.

“He’s scared of losing you through committing some error unbeknownst to him.”

“So he bosses me around all the time? Makes demands on me? Then proceeds to guilt me into doing what he wants? That’s ridiculous and downright confusing.”

George shrugged. “It’s all he knows, control or be controlled. Rule or serve. His father, his grandfather taught him that. It’s the same with Adam and Hannah.”

“What about the twins? They’re sweet.” I said glibly.

“Yes, well, you haven’t seen them with their peers. They are just the same as Mr Bradley.”

I stopped tossing my keys while George got the bread out. “I still don’t get it though. If you love someone you don’t go all dictator-like on them, or try to manipulate them into doing what you want, I’m learning from my own life experiences that it’s not healthy. Dr Brown has helped me to see that.”

George didn’t say anything, not for a little while. I watched him check the heat in the skillet then he used some thongs to dip the bread in the batter until it was soaked.

Only when he had two slices on the skillet did he speak. “I remember the last time I ever saw him cry. He was five years old,” George used the spatula to check the underside of the bread before flipping it. I waited impatiently for him to continue. “Every year his family would go to the Oxford/Cambridge boat race. All Bradleys attend Cambridge so, of course, it was a big thing for his father and grandfather. Matthew loves boats, he’s always enjoyed being on the water, even as a very small child.”

I was shocked. I had never heard George refer to Matt by his first name before. It was always Mr Bradley, or Sir on the rare occasion.

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