Page 44 of Now & Forever
Chapter 11
Gwen
She emerged from the back of the cab with bile in her throat and a bad feeling in her stomach. As soon as the door snapped shut behind her, the cab driver pulled away from Merange Manor, as if the staff would come running out to chase them with the fires of fury burning at their heels.
To be fair, that’s how Gwen felt when she looked up at the imposing mansion looming beneath gray storm clouds.I should have worn a thicker sweater.But when Gwen was summoned to Merange Manor at the last minute, she threw on the first sensible outfit she could find. The Meranges would either be pleased with her blazer and slacks or they could rot.
Hell, they could rot anyway!
Gwen was under strict instruction to not inform James of this meeting until told otherwise. That command had come from Ophelia, who insinuated she wanted to plan a surprise for her son and required Gwen’s expert opinion.I heard Albert in the background, telling her what to say.Ophelia’s tone also hadn’t inspired much confidence. One of those days, Gwen would have a long,longconversation with Ophelia about her options in her marriage. She often wondered if it were possible to oust Albert from his family home and take it over with James. Ophelia could stay, but the puppet master needed togo.
Whatever was going on here, it probably wasn’t good. But, okay… Gwen would agree to not tell her partner until she had good reason, if that’s what it took to get to the bottom of this.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Mitchell,” the head butler greeted at the doorway. He gestured for Gwen to enter the grand foyer, but his body language broadcasted that she wasnotto wander. Or at least she assumed that’s what it meant when she saw one of the maids standing before a closed door. “Mr. Merange is awaiting you in the study.”
“The study, huh?” Wasn’t that the door the young lady guarded? Interesting. Gwen hadn’t spent much time in Mr. Merange’s study. Why would she? She only came to this house when she had to, and Albert wasn’t the type to take his daughters-in-law on a tour of his more private places. (Otherwise, they would have even bigger problems.)
“May I take your jacket?”
“No need. It’s quite chilly in here.” Gwen tightened the strap of her purse over her chest and showed herself to the study. The butler gritted his teeth to see her act so informally in a house that was not hers.I can only imagine what he’s overheard his boss say about me.How could the help formulate their own opinions of Gwen when she rarely came around and had suchwinningsupporters in the Merange family?
The maid stepped out of the way, hand clasping the doorknob. “Will you require any refreshment, Ms. Mitchell?” Her tone implied that Gwen didnotneed any refreshments. At all.
“No, thank you.” Gwen’s knuckles whitened against her purse. “Although I have one question for you before you open that door.”
The maid cocked her head. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Will I seeonlyMr. Merange in his study? Or does he have another guest here today?”
“Afraid I don’t follow, ma’am.”
Gwen dropped her friendly façade. None of these people were onherside. They never had been from the moment their boss insinuated she was a nuisance to only be tolerated until his only child had his fill of her and moved on to better pastures. For all Gwen knew, he told his staff that she killed kittens in her spare time. Kicked over sand castles. Dumped buckets of spiders in the middle of playgrounds. All while cackling gleefully, of course. “You know exactly what I mean.”
The maid sniffed. “Mr. Merange has another guest. That’s all I’ll say.”
The fact she saidguestinstead of correcting Gwen’s assumptions that Ophelia was not on the other side of the door told Gwen everything that she needed to know. “Thank you. Let me get this over with, please.”
“Go on!” came Albert’s voice from the other side of the door. “Let her in!”
Two seconds later, the door opened, and Gwen was far from surprised.
There sat Albert behind his stalwart desk made of priceless woods that were both earthy in their illusions and masculine in theirdelusions.He was every bit the kind of patriarch every new money woman hated to encounter on her ascent to the top of the social food chain. The light hair of his graying scalp reminded Gwen that he had been on Earth decades longer than her feeble mind could comprehend. He knew things. Hadseenthings. Couldn’t she see the lines of wisdom etching his face? Who wassheto tell him that she knew better than he did? She was an outsider. An imposter. She may have been with James for several years by now, but she knew that her time was up, didn’t she?
Was that everything she figured outbeforeseeing Sarah Welsh sitting in one of the chairs before Albert’s desk? Almost.
“Oh, wonderful.” Gwen wasn’t shocked that the maid shut the door behind her. Locked in a room with Sarah Welsh and Albert Merange? Had Gwen died and gone straight to hell? “Two of my favorite people.”
“Rather disappointed you’re already forgoing cordiality, Ms. Mitchell.” Albert motioned to the empty chair next to his mistress of however many damned years. “At least do it for our guest.”
“I thought I was the guest, Albert.” Gwen plopped into the chair. While on her way to her partner’s family home, she bolstered herself up to be as polite and well-mannered as possible in front of the man who made her life hell. Once she saw Sarah and their intentions to gang up on her, though? All bets were off. Gwen might as well be herself and air out her frustrations with these two people who barely hadanythingto do with her.
She had a feeling that was about to change, again.
“Besides,” she said to the man cringing at the informal use of his first name, “I insist that you call me Gwen. Rather odd that I’ve been with your son for so long and you still call me Ms. Mitchell, isn’t it? Almost like we have all this distance between us.”
Albert’s teeth ground into oblivion. Sarah hid a scoff of amusement behind her curling knuckles. Together, they looked like the gatekeepers to Gwen’s nightmares.
“Gwenyth,” Albert said. “How’s that?”
