Heir of the Hamptons: A Fake Marriage Romance by Erika Rhys

Author:Erika Rhys [Rhys, Erika]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

21

RONAN

After saying our farewells to Alfred and Evelyn, I led Ava out of the kitchen and toward the back staircase, the route that gave us the best chance of dodging Veronica and disappearing back into the party without anyone knowing we had ever left. I didn’t want Ava to suffer Veronica’s displeasure on my account.

“That was harder than I expected,” I whispered to Ava as we entered the stairwell. “Lying to Alfred and Evelyn feels so wrong.”

“I feel terrible about it, too,” Ava said quietly. “They were so kind and welcoming. Are you sure we can’t tell them the truth?”

I shook my head. “I can’t dump more stress on them when they’re already putting in extra hours due to this party, and then our wedding. Since his heart attack, Alfred’s supposed to be taking it easier, but he never does. It’s not in his nature.”

“What about after the wedding, when things settle down? Couldn’t we tell them the truth then?”

“Some secrets are better kept. I don’t think I could bear to face their disappointment in me for lying to them—they think I’m better than that. But I can’t take the lie back now—what’s done is done.”

We exited the stairwell, emerged on the second floor, and walked down the hallway that led to the front of the house. As we approached the entrance to the oceanside room and the party, Veronica emerged from the crowd with my half brother, Aiden, who I hadn’t seen since Christmas. Aiden was wearing one of the fashion-forward suits that he favored these days, which, to my eye, made him look like a pretty-boy fop. Not that Aiden had given a shit about my opinion since passing his eleventh birthday or so, when he’d sussed out how his mother felt about me and learned to use it to his advantage.

Veronica marched toward us with a grim expression on her face, with Aiden trailing behind her.

“Thanks for nothing,” she said in a low voice, her lips tight with anger. “What’s your excuse for abandoning your engagement party to slum around the kitchens?”

I met her gaze and, out of consideration for the nearby guests, kept my voice quiet. “You know perfectly well that I always make time to see the Mortons.”

“Everyone’s aware of your attachment to our butler and housekeeper,” Aiden said. “But couldn’t you have waited to go downstairs until the party was over? The Andressons wanted to meet you and Ava, and we couldn’t find you. You put Mother in an embarrassing position. Your behavior was disrespectful and rude.”

“Thank you, Aiden,” Veronica said, glaring at me. “Ronan, don’t waste your breath with explanations, because there’s no excuse for your inconsideration. When are you going to grow up and take your social responsibilities seriously?”

Before I could respond, Ava faced my stepmother, ignoring Aiden altogether. “Now isn’t the time for this,” she said quietly. “Instead of arguing about responsibilities, we should be seeing to them. Ronan and I are back now, and we’d be delighted to meet the Andressons—or anyone else you’d like us to meet.

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