Page 90 of One Eye Open (The BlackWater)

Maddie wandered through the house, not wanting to return to Cole’s rooms, not wanting to be found by anyone either.

She climbed a set of stairs and then walked along a corridor opening a door and slipping inside. The room was the gallery she realised, with a portrait of every direct descendant of Cole’s going back to god knows when. She stood looking at them, at their faces and frowned. This was his life, his world, his future. No doubt soon he’d have a painting put up alongside these with his stern face looking down, echoing all the others beside him.

She turned staring out the double height window onto the landscape below. His mother was right, Cole did have a legacy to maintain. In London it was easy to forget it, to pretend that none of this existed but coming here, seeing it made it real.

She sighed thinking back to his confession, his words from only the day before. Was she mad? Was she selfish in staying with him, in being with him? Sure she cared for him, probably in truth more than she’d care for anyone else in her life. But was it love? What did love even feel like? She gulped. She wanted more than ever to just be able to say the words. To mean them.

Maybe he was the one who was crazy she thought and then she laughed because the one word you would not use to describe Cole Black was crazy.

She needed a coffee she thought, and a strong one at that. She walked back out of the room, back down the stairs hoping that she wouldn’t bump into anyone.

And then she walked into the kitchen and froze. Constance was there, rifling through the cupboards, clearly looking for something.

“Where has that god damn maid put it?” She muttered before turning seeing Maddie.

“What are you looking for?” Maddie asked.

“The cafetière. I want to make a coffee.” Constance stated sighing slightly.

“I can do it. I was going to make one anyway.” Maddie said and Constance nodded stepping aside and sitting down at the table.

“Thank you.” She replied when Maddie placed a steaming mug in front of her and taking a much needed sip of her own.

“How many people have you killed?” Constance asked and Maddie frowned slightly at the bluntness of the question. God she was just like Cole.

“I don’t know.” Maddie replied. “I haven’t kept count.”

“You killed people for BlackWater.” Constance stated.

“Yes and before that. I was in the army. That was my job.”

“To kill?” Constance asked.

Maddie shrugged. “I was Black Ops. It was in the job description.”

“So you’re an assassin then? A trained killer.” Constance said not as a question, more as a statement.

“Not exactly.” Maddie replied narrowing her eyes. She’d never thought of herself as that. She killed when she needed to, when necessity called for it.

“And yet you killed for my son. You didn’t hesitate, those were Cole’s words.”

“That man would have put a bullet in Cole’s head. There wasn’t time to hesitate.”

“I see.” Constance replied before taking a drink of her coffee.

“Do you love him?” Constance asked.

“Constance.” Hugo said walking in and giving her a look. “It’s not your place…”

“Yes it is. Cole is my son. My only son. I have every right to know if the girl he is with actually loves him or whether there is something else she has her eyes on.”

“I’m not interested in his money. I don’t care about his background, who his family is, any of it.” Maddie stated. She wasn’t a gold digger and she’d be damned if another god damn person insinuated it, she thought.

“You should care. Cole has a legacy, an obligation, to this family, to this house, to his name.” Constance replied and Maddie saw it then, the flicker of sadness on her face. Maybe that’s why she was still sitting there, she thought, still engaging in this conversation, because Cole’s mum was sick, was dying, and part of her wanted to give an explanation, a reassurance that she wasn’t out to screw her son over.

“I’m sure he knows that.” Maddie stated calmly.

“Do you want children?” She asked and Maddie balked at the question, god this woman really cut to the chase. She’d assumed Cole would be like his dad but now she could see it, he got his directness right from the maternal line.

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