Page 79 of Tainted Saints
“Let’s make you even more beautiful than you are,” Bruna beams, ushering me to a high chair that someone must have put in here whilst I was showering.
They set to work, and in an hour, after much laughter and chatter that has lightened my soul, I’m ready. Looking into the mirror, I can safely say that they have done an excellent job. My hair falls in soft waves around my shoulders, pinned back on one side with a pearl clasp that matches my necklace perfectly. My face is understated, but with a perfect flick at the corners of my eyes that I can never quite manage on my own, and my signature red lip completes the look until I feel like I’ve stepped out of the nineteen-forties.
“Thank you, it’s perfect.” I sigh, turning to hug them again.
“It helps to have such a pretty canvas to start with,” Bruna compliments me, and I can feel the blush staining my cheeks. “Now go and wow all those stuffy people!”
“Bruna!” Jenna exclaims, looking around but giggling anyway. I join in, and for just a moment, I know what it would have been like to have somewhat of a normal life, with friends to laugh with.
“Time to go, Miss. The guests are arriving,” Rosie says from the doorway, giving me a look that feels too close to sympathy. It wouldn’t surprise me if she knew about my corrections, but my throat goes tight at the thought of my punishments being common knowledge. Her eyes dart to the necklace, and a small smile tilts her lips upwards as I walk towards the door. “They just arrived,” she whispers when I reach her, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
I know who they are, my Saints. I can no longer deny that they are mine, just as I am theirs, and that kernel of hope flares brightly inside me. Maybe once I’m eighteen I can truly be with them, no more hiding or sneaking around.
We make our way down the stairs and towards the large drawing room that is bright with sunlight filtering in from the French doors that lead to the garden. There are already several people milling about, and I spot my guys immediately, their eyes tracing every step I take as I enter the room.
It’s like the world around me disappears, the only thing that exists is them, each dressed in a suit that makes them explosively hot. None are wearing ties, and I love that small rebellion, not to mention the peek at inked-up skin that their slightly open shirts give. I have to bite my lip when I spot Forest wearing his cowboy boots, and when I look back up, his face is full of smiles.
“Aspen, dear.” My mother’s voice breaks the spell, and I see Forest’s brows dip before I turn away. “Come and say hello to Albert.”
I swallow hard as bile rushes up my throat and I turn to see Albert fucking Pennington the Third standing next to the Ambassador and another man who I assume is his father. Albert looks handsome, in that boy next door kind of way, and when he glances over to see me coming his way, he gives me a wide, feline grin.
“You look beautiful, Aspen,” he says, placing his hand on my waist and leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Shame about the stench of dog that clings to you, but no worry, we’ll soon have that taken care of.” My jaw clenches, my body strung tight, and I swear I hear growls somewhere behind me. “Let me introduce you to my father.”
I give him a tight smile, hating the feel of his hand at the small of my back as he guides me to where his father is standing next to the Ambassador. I’d try to wiggle out of his touch, but all eyes are on us and I daren’t risk the Ambassador suspecting my dislike of Albert.
“Well, so here she is. The beautiful English rose my son keeps talking about,” the man exclaims. He’s like an older version of his son, handsome but with a definite coldness just like the Ambassador, and I have to suppress a shiver that runs down my spine. “And what a beautiful couple. I’m so glad our families will be aligned.”
My brows furrow, not quite understanding his words.
“I suppose now is as good a time as any to make the announcement, Albie,” the Ambassador says with a rueful chuckle. “Everybody, we have some wonderful news, and it’s not just that there is a new king on the throne of England.” Chuckles ring out around the room but they all sound sinister to my ears, my pulse almost drowning them out as I break out into a sweat. “Although we’ve only been here a short while, it seems that our daughter, Aspen, has found someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with.” My eyes dart to the Saints, all of whom have matching furrowed brows and clenched jaws. “And, indulgent father that I am, I can’t deny my little girl the happiness she desires.” He turns to me, a look of love and joy on his face that stops my heart because it’s such a convincing lie. He doesn’t give a shit about my happiness, only my obedience. “I’d like to announce her engagement to Albert Pennington the Third. A toast to the happy couple.”
Blood rushes in my ears, my gaze locked on his cold eyes that dare me to defy him in front of all these people. I’m barely breathing, the edges of the room swimming, but then I’m wrapped in my mother’s arms, again something that never happens, and the spell the Ambassador had me under is broken, the room rushing back in.
“Smile, dear,” she hisses in my ear, and my lips respond even as my heart shatters, my soul screaming that the men I want to be tied to are standing across the room. As if they are my north, my eyes find them over my mother’s shoulder to see Forest deathly pale, his sparkling green eyes dull and his fists clenched. Blaine looks thunderous, his nostrils flared and shoulders tense as he stands frozen, like if he moves even a muscle he’ll explode. My gaze then finds Lan, his dark eyes narrowed not on me, but on Albert who is next to me, his hand being pumped enthusiastically by the Ambassador. His neck is corded, his fists clenching and unclenching as his eyes swing to the Ambassador.
“Welcome to the family, daughter-in-law,” Albert’s father says, taking the place of my mother and pressing a wet kiss to my cheek. “I can’t wait for you to join us.”
Bile fills my throat, my smile wavering as I have to swallow it down or risk throwing up all over him. I guess there wouldn’t be much, not having been allowed breakfast this morning has left my stomach empty and aching.
I lose sight of my Saints as more people come to congratulate me, Albert slipping the most gaudy diamond ring on my finger to a round of applause. The rest of the party passes in a blur, one that I’m mostly silent for. After all, my opinion means nothing at this point, so why bother speaking at all. Plus, I’m not sure I could talk past the lump that fills my throat, which only grows every time I get a glimpse of one of the Saints. I feel their eyes on me the entire time, the comforting weight of their gazes never leaving me alone.
I stroke the pearls at my throat more than once, allowing it to bring me some relief from the situation that I’m in. I should have known, my triumph last night was never going to last. I just thought that I had more time. More time to work on a way out.
“So, when’s the big day?” a voice asks, breaking me out of my pity party.
“Well, it seems that these two can’t wait to get hitched.” The Ambassador chuckles, the sound slithering over my skin like a snake trying to find the perfect place to choke me. “So next Sunday is the plan. It’ll be an intimate affair, just close friends and family…”
The rest of his words are lost to me as I stumble a little even though I haven’t moved. A strong grip steadies my elbow, the scent of lavender and leather almost undoing the mask that slammed down into place the moment the announcement was made.
“Careful, Duchess,” Lan whispers in my ear from behind, the warmth of his body so close that I can feel it along my back. “I’ve got you.”
It takes a gargantuan effort not to sag back into him or burst into tears, and for the first time, I’m grateful for the Ambassador’s training. The touch is gone as fast as it came, and when the Ambassador’s eyes find mine, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Lan is gone, even if my soul screams and rages at a world that would take him away from me.
I’m exhausted by the time the party ends, and can barely hold my smile in place as the guests leave, Albert’s parents hugging me and his mother gushing about the plans she and my mother have for our nuptials.
I’m just about to head to my room, needing the sanctuary to finally drop the mask and break down, when the Ambassador calls to me.
“In my office, Aspen,” he commands in a tone that sends shivers down my spine.