Page 11 of The White Enchantress

“This is fucking crazy, dad. Wesley never proposed to me. He has never even said he loves me. He doesn’t care about me. Whatever plans have been made, cancel them. I’m not marrying him.”

“You can’t just throw away your relationship because you are scared, Guinevere. We have already announced the wedding, booked the church, venue, and catering. Everything has been arranged. And I have had to do damage control while you are off galavanting with Josh, doing God knows what. Wesley was in tears thinking that you would leave him for Joshua.”

“Fucking bullshit!” I scream at the top of my lungs, making the other passengers turn and stare at me. Josh grabs my phone, knowing I will soon lose complete control of my anger and say things I’ll regret.

“Guin, breathe. I’m going to talk to Ed. We’ll sort this out.” Putting the phone on speaker, he casually says, “Hey, Ed.”

“Joshua. Listen, you seem to be the only one who can talk sense into my daughter. Can you please–”

“Okay, Ed, I’m going to interrupt you. I’m sorry. Guin might be fuming in anger currently, but she is being reasonable. I can vouch that she broke up with Wes, and it wasn’t a friendly parting. Guin was in bad shape emotionally. I know she wanted to tell you but she didn’t know how. This is a conversation the two of you needed to have weeks ago. I urge you to listen when she is ready to speak with you. Both of us will be on the first available flight to England. Goodbye, Ed.”

Josh hangs up before Ed can respond, slipping my phone into my purse and pulling me into a hug. I immediately begin to sob into his shoulder. Uncle Aldon is in the hospital, my father thinks I am engaged to Wesley, my wedding is already announced and planned, and I might be falling in love with my best friend.

I was a hot mess of anxiety once we get home from our short week in NYC. Josh tried everything he could to calm me down, including sex. Lots and lots of sex. We had to be much quieter with Leo staying in the house, but the sex helped relieve most of the anger and anxious tension I felt inside.

Now that I am flying back home to uncertainty, the ball is back, heavy in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Josh gives me axanax before take-off in hopes that I can calm down enough to sleep a few hours. Once we get to our seats on the plane, I put in my headphones and listen to my music on Spotify until I fall into oblivion. Eight hours later, I wake up as we land in London, feeling somewhat relaxed.

But when we exit the plane, I feel like I am going to vomit, so I run to the closest bathroom. I know it is just nerves and emotions screwing with my body. Once I get my breath back, I splash a bit of cold water on my face and march out to find Josh and Leo. They are sitting on a bench with our carry-on luggage scattered around them, a look of concern painted on both their faces.

I do my best to reassure them that I am okay. Josh grabs my hand, pulling me down to sit on his lap as he surrounds me with his arms. I feel so much love radiating from his soul. I curl into him, not wanting to be anywhere else. Letting his love consume me.

Leo stands up, mumbling something about getting the car and hurries away to give Josh and me some privacy. We sit this way in silence for a while. Josh’s arms feel like home, but I need to start moving. I jump off his lap, throwing my hands out to help him up from the bench.

We make our way to the baggage carousel to grab our luggage and then meet Leo outside with the car. The ride up to Carlisle is less stressful. Josh hooks up his phone to the car’s Bluetooth, playing all my favorite songs. We sing karaoke-style at the amusement of Leo, who rarely ever smiles. He even joins in on a few songs. Leois probably doing this only to keep my spirits up, but I don’t mind. It works.

As we get closer to Carlisle, I tell Leo I want to visit the hospital first. I am unsure if I want to return to Eden Manor though. And I know Uncle Aldon would be so pleased to see me. That’s all I need to think about at the moment.

Ed had texted me before the flight, not wanting to speak on the phone, to update me that Uncle Al was doing much better and might get released in a couple of days. I am glad to hear he is doing better, but I don’t want to return to Eden Manor if I’m not ready. Uncle Aldon would most likely be released to my father’s care, which means I would have to see Ed and other unfriendly faces when I visit him there.

I enter the hospital on my own, wanting to have a moment alone with my great uncle. As I approach his room, I spot Ed standing in the hallway, speaking to a doctor. I sneak into my uncle’s room, not wanting to deal with my father immediately. Aldon is propped up on his bed, reading the day’s newspaper. When he hears my steps, he looks up, a bright smile exploding on his face.

“Hi, Uncle Al!” I run over to the side of the bed and pull him into a gentle hug. “Don’t you scare me like that again.”

“I apologize, Ginny. My heart decided to do its own thing. I had no say in the matter.”

I am glad his sense of humor is intact. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner. Ed didn’t tell me until a couple days ago, and it took some time to settle everything with the contractor I hiredto renovate old Victoria.” That’s what my mom used to call our home, especially when Uncle Al was over. He would always give a hearty chuckle at the name.

“What are these big plans of yours?”

“I’ve had the idea of turning the house into a bed and breakfast for years. It was sitting there, getting dusty. I knew I wasn’t going to live there full-time, so I wanted to make use of it somehow. The renovations are mainly cosmetic, updating the kitchen and bathrooms and adding another full bath upstairs. It’s very exciting. And it was so wonderful being back there, even for such a short time.”

“You call six weeks a short time? I feel like you have been gone an eternity.” Uncle Aldon peers over my shoulder, a cautious look on his face. In a voice as soft as a whisper, he asks me if I am serious about Wesley. “He does not seem the right fit for you, Ginny. He is stuck up, pretentious, and, well, rude. Why Edmund does not see this side of him is beyond me.”

I glance at the door, hoping my father is no longer standing out in the hallway. I can’t hear his voice and I don’t see the shadow of a lingering body. “I broke up with Wesley before I left for America. I thought I made this clear to Ed in a letter I left him, but now I see that I should have waited to leave until speaking to him. I just don’t understand why Wesley would set up this farce. Unless he truly means to take the earldom from me.”

“Is that what Wesley said to you?” Uncle Aldon grasps my hand, squeezing tightly.

I nod in response. “After I told Wesley I didn’t want to be with him, he got so angry.”

“Edmund does not know of this breakup still?”

“I told him about it over the phone after he said he planned my wedding. Do you happen to know the date?”

“Two weeks from today.”

“What!” I yell in shock. “What the actual fuck! Sorry, Uncle Al.” Breathing deeply, I regain my emotions. “I know I should have told Ed what happened weeks ago. But how could he possibly think that I am engaged and want to get married so quickly?”

“Edmund thought that maybe you had gotten pregnant.” My eyes bulge out of my face, a loud laugh escaping my mouth. “Ginny, I know you have been put in an awkward situation. Keep yourself together when you speak to your father. He will understand. Edmund is not like my brother. He will not force you to marry someone you do not love.”

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