Page 45 of The Beach Hut on Plum Island
Estelle looked up, her expression one of feigned surprise that didn’t reach the smugness in her eyes. “Oh, Harriet, darling,” she cooed, waving her hand so the ring caught the light with a malicious sparkle. “You, of all people, should know by now that I can get anywhere I please.” She wiggled her fingers, admiring the ring. “I wanted to try on this charming antique ring.” She looked at Harriet, goading her. “It suits me, don’t you think?”
The casual disdain in Estelle’s tone was like a spark fueling Harriet’s growing anger.
“That ring does not belong to you,” Harriet said through gritted teeth, wondering if what they said about dissolving bodies in a bath of acid was true. “Take it off. Now. Or this time, it won’t be just your nose I break.”
“Always resorting to threats of violence, Harriet.” Estelle tutted. “I have no idea what my brother sees in you.”
“Cousin!” Harriet corrected her. “Leon is your cousin,notyour brother. You love telling the world in order to make yourself feel like a duchess.”
“You know that Leo is like a brother to me,” Estelle said, raising her chin haughtily.
“Shouldn’t you be trying to bailLeonout of jail?“ Harriet enquired, looking around the room for something to knock Estelle out with if the woman didn’t give the ring back.I can knock her on the head and then call hotel security to say she broke in.“He did try and kidnap Finn last night, or are you going to pretend you weren’t in on that plan?”
She took a few steps closer to the sofa.
“I warnedLeo,“ Estelle told Harriet, “not to interfere and to wait for Titus, but no, he thought he’d kidnap Finn and then scare him into breaking things off with you.”
“Seriously?” Harriet gaped at Estelle and the absurd reason for Leon trying to kidnap Finn. “Leon was going to try and scare Finn off?” She snorted. “If you expect me to believe that, then you’ve probably forgotten that I’m not as dumb as you and yourcousin.”
“Whatever!” Estelle fobbed off the conversation and steered it back to the ring. “You know, a few years ago, I wanted nothing more than to have Finn Shaw’s ring on my finger.”
“Was that before or after the restraining order he took out on you to leave him and his family alone?” Harriet knew sheshouldn’t rile the hyper-sensitive woman while she still had Finn’s ring. But Estelle had a way of grating on Harriet’s nerves that just brought the worst out in her.
“That was just a little misunderstanding,” Estelle assured Harriet. “I was trying tohelpFinn as his wife was cheating on him with a man who was trying to steal his company.”
“And you wanted to be right there to ensure he had your shoulder to lean on when he found out,” Harriet guessed.
”Iwasthere when he found out,“ Estelle told Harriet. “And trust me, even without the restraining order, I wouldn’t have wanted to go near Finn after that.” She glanced at the ring on her finger. “Or at least not until he’d calmed down.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Harriet felt a cold shiver slide down her spine.
“Just that I know quite a few dirty not so little secrets about Finn Shaw that I’m sure now that his clean poster boy image has been restored, wouldn’t want to get out into the world.” Estelle gave Harriet a smug smile. “I also know your secrets, Harriet.” She drew a breath in and fiddled with the ring on her finger, starting to slide it off. “So here’s the deal…”
“I don’t make deals,” Harriet told her. “Especially not with the likes of you.”
Estelle slid the ring off her finger and stood holding it between her fingers. “I think you’re going to want to take this one.” She bent and put the ring on the coffee table, picked up her purse, and looped it over her forearm as she faced Harriet. “I have a whole lot of information at my fingertips that I’m itching to release to the press about Finn and you.”
“Well then, why haven’t you?” Harriet shrugged. “I don’t care what you release to the press about me. My secret’s about to be shouted out to America anyway now that my uncle is arriving.” She tilted her head. “So you have nothing to sell to me that I want to buy. So please leave.”
“While you might think you have nothing to hide, Harriet, Finn does.” Estelle’s smug smile spread across her lips, which were coated with a very lovely shade of red. “And thanks to your brother, I know just who to release everything I have about him to.”
Harriet sighed, walked over to the coffee table, and retrieved the ring, slipping it back onto her finger. “Estelle, Finn and I don’t have secrets, and I doubt there’s nothing you can do to him that the press hasn’t already done or dug up.” She walked to her door and pulled it open. “Now, please leave. And if you have a shred of dignity, you’ll leave Plum Island with yourcousinwhen the FBI haul him off to federal prison for attempting to kidnap the fiancé of a princess.”
“Then Leon gets what he deserves.” Estelle shrugged coldly. “I warned him to do things my way, but he didn’t listen.” She walked toward Harriet. “See what happens to people who don’t listen to me?” she warned as she stepped past Harriet and stood in the doorway. “Unless you want the same to happen to Finn, I think you should take my deal, which I’m still willing to offer you.”
“And what deal is that?” Harriet asked as warning bells started ringing in her ears.Did Estelle just threaten to have Finn put in prison?“You want me to break off my engagement with Finn and marry your cousin?”
“Oh, heavens no!” Estelle shuddered. “Harriet, while you and I have never gotten along…” Her words trailed off, and she raised her chin. “Or really liked each other, I wouldn’t do that to you. In fact, the only reason I came withLeoon this trip was tostopyou from marrying him.“ Her mouth lifted in a half smile. “You being engaged to Finn was the best news I’d gotten since Gray announced his intentions to ask Trinity to marry him. I was free from that fiasco.”
The warning bells got louder, escalating into alarm bells in Harriet’s head.What is she up to?“What do you mean?”
“Oh, Harriet, you really don’t keep up with the times in our circles, do you?” Estelle raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Leon’s mother is about to cut him off, just like she’s done to his father. Gloria Gladstone is about to divorce her husband and strip him and their son of their titles.”
“What?” Harriet spluttered and gaped at Estelle.
“That’s why Gloria is on her way here,” Estelle informed Harriet. “And as you know, Gloria has been like a mother to me. In fact, I call her mother, and if everything goes according to plan, I’ll be Duchess Gladstone.”
Harriet knew she was sounding like a stuck record as she repeated, “What?”
