Severed Roots by James January

Author:James, January
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

Rupert

I only released her hand so we could both step out of the car. The second she was at my side, I reached out for her again.

She glanced up at me and I saw the trepidation behind her eyes. “You’re safe now,” I assured her. “And you’re mine, no matter what anyone says.”

The doorman dropped his gaze to the floor as he held open the door. He was employed by my father after all and wouldn’t want to bear witness to me – a newly-wed – blatantly cheating on my wife. But he didn’t know my plans and I didn’t have to explain myself either.

Vivian kept pace with me through the dark, silent corridors, but as my thumb brushed her wrist, I felt her pulse racing. It was too dark for her to see a reassuring smile so I squeezed her hand. We turned a corner towards the south tower, then footsteps from another direction froze us both.

“Hector.”

My brother’s face was solemn and loaded with warning. “You have a visitor.”

I frowned. “What, now? It’s three a.m.”

Hector lowered his voice. “She insisted. And…” he sighed, “as your wife, she has every right.”

My heart thundered to my feet. “Elspeth is here?”

Hector nodded.

“What the fuck? She wasn’t supposed to come back for another week. I hoped to have this mess cleared up before she returned.”

“Someone tipped her off,” Hector said, glancing apologetically at Vivian. “She knows you’re not alone.”

Vivian shrank back and tried to pull her hand from mine but I gripped it harder.

“Great.” I closed my eyes. “I was always going to tell her the truth but I didn’t want to do it this way. What have you told her?”

“Nothing,” Hector said in a loud whisper. “But there are only so many times I can say ‘no comment’ without sounding like a total lying arsehole.”

“Fair point.” I squeezed Vivian’s hand again. “Come on. Let’s do this.”

I walked into the morning room with Vivian close behind me. The wall sconces were lit but the light was still dim enough that I found it hard to locate Elspeth in the room.

My gaze landed on her just in time. She flew at us from a corner, her fists lashing out and angry tears staining her cheeks. I pushed Vivian behind me, taking the brunt of Elspeth’s force. For a slight woman she could pack a punch when she wanted to.

Hector shot behind and pulled her back.

“Elspeth, stop,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low – I didn’t want to wake the entire household. “Let me explain, please.”

“You promised me!” she screeched. “I’ve given you everything, Rupert. I’ve dedicated myself to this marriage – this life – and this is how you repay me? How dare you!”

She lunged at me again, breaking free of Hector’s grasp. I caught her arms and held her just far enough away while she glared over my shoulder.

“And you!” she said, focusing intently on Vivian, “you promised you would never come back. I got you off this island. I helped you.

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