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Chapter 32
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2024-10-29 19:42:56While Oliver was away again Craig fully intended to talk to Athena. He was aware they only had two short weeks left at Fairfax Manor but despite his best intentions, Lily had stolen her way into his heart.
After their first kiss by the bench, he found himself hurrying through the morning to see her for lunch. He started surreptitiously taking flower cuttings and other sweet gestures which the men pretended not to notice. Lily gave him gifts of pies and baked goods which were just as joyously received.
Lily had made it very clear that although she adored Craig she did not want an affair or anything outside of marriage. Craig respected her wishes and so kisses and close embraces remained their level. Craig found it increasingly hard to resist asking her to visit his lodge, especially as he knew she might say yes. Just once, t
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It was now Saturday, a week before the party and time was passing agonisingly slow for Lily. She spent yet another day completing her chores, bored without Sophie’s company. Craig had not been able to see her since his soaking and a day without seeing his dashing smile and tumbling blonde locks made her heartache. Fiona, one of the scullery maids had agreed to handle the dinner preparations for Baron Felix tonight. He was unlikely to notice a change in servant but even so, she was nervous. Lily enjoyed her job and had never done anything to risk it, until today. As the clock slowly wound its way around to dusk Lily tingled with excitement, she knew Craig would be in his lodge alone. He kept to himself once the working day was completed. The atmosphere of the manor hous
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 34
As Lily stepped into the lodge a shiver of goosebumps trailed up her arms and spine. Everything screamed Craig. The front door opened straight into the parlour sitting room. His heavy working coats were slung over a chair, designs and drawings scattered over a heavy wooden table. The fire was down to embers surrounded by a sturdy black fireplace. There was no art on the wall but some hunting paintings and brasses. There was a small kitchen, with an untouched oven that made Lily's heart ache. He had not been eating regularly at all, no wonder he had been wolfing down her pies. She cursed herself for not enquiring more as to his loss of weight. Her hand trailed softly along the rugged wooden workspace leading to an empty pantry. She dare not explore beyond the parlour room and kitchen as beyond another door lay his bedroom. I
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Upon waking in her bed Athena was left as confused as she was before. Her body ached from the joy of his touch but she wanted more. Had he carried herself here, how long had he let her lay in his arms. The almighty question reigning over all the others remained, did he have any emotional attachment to her yet? His deep brown eyes had followed her into her dreams, the tiniest adjustment changed his expression from cold to adoring but it never stayed fixed. She lay in silence for over an hour as the options swirled before her eyes like competing dance partners . Clapping her hands together she got out of bed with a purpose. Chewing on her breakfast as though preparing for war she unnerved Lily with her silent demeanour. She was determined not to faint today.
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 36
Lady Louisa had no idea of Athena's arrival but welcomed her with open arms. After a silent gallop through the countryside, they had arrived at Lord McDonald's residence, Burniston Hall before lunch. Soon they were seated in a light airy parlour that looked out onto the kitchen garden. The scent of fresh herbs flooded the space and helped soothe Athena's anxiety. The tall, stately figure of Lady Louisa was softened by her kindly face and greying hair. She fussed over Craig and Athena as though they were her children and couldn't welcome them enough. Piling them high with sandwiches, cakes and tea she kept the conversation as bright as possible. "Now I am sorry the proposal with Lord Trimble did not work out but I have some ideas for some lovely contacts I have in London."
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 37
The final few days of party preparation for the Saturday at Fairfax Manor counted down relatively calmly. Felix eventually cornered Craig in the foyer of the manor, forcing a brief conversation to confirm Athena's location. Craig had answered politely and the Baron had merely given a brisk nod and returned to his study seemingly unperturbed. It was now Thursday and the manor was awaiting the return of Craig later that evening in the carriage. Every room was freshened and prepped ready for dozens of guests and well over a hundred guests to the party. Temporary stables and staff had been brought in, giving a sense of organised chaos that Felix sought to escape by riding off on Achilles every day for long periods. Meanwhile down in London Oliver had found himself rising and falling over the previous like a tide. He fough
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 38
Oliver sat in his chair still waiting for Lady Daphne Stockwell. Checking his pocket-watch he noticed she was running late but dismissed this as the actions of a lady of fashion. The gold and jewelled bracelet was ready in the pocket of his jacket to give to her. Hopefully, her agreeing to meet privately was a sign of her serious interest in him, it was certainly a step up from the public outings amongst mutual friends. He noted sadly it had not even been twelve hours since he had been thrown out of the Gilded Falcon drunk and enraged. He vaguely remembered being restrained by Milo at one point as he was tossed out of the back entrance into a cobbled gutter. Every penny to his name was lost. Everything and more. The bracelet he had in his pocket he probably could not afford now. His hotel bill would likely default too.
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The rattling carriage containing a dozing Oliver and ever-watching Milo pulled down the driveway. "We're here," Milo announced drily. Oliver snorted himself awake and quickly smoothed down his hair and suit. "I believe that is your brother waiting for you at the top of the steps." Felix wore a grey jacket and waistcoat, his expression was as severe as usual. The only bright spot was that the grounds of the manor did look stunning. With over a hundred guests now confirmed this was going to be the biggest party in decades at Fairfax Manor. When he first arranged for Athena to come back in the spring he had envisioned turning the old place
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A floor down from the Luptons suite, Oliver was bracing himself to knock upon Athena's door. Below him the sound of guests arriving and the band in the ballroom warming up added to his hurry to address her. "Athena, may I have a quick word?" He called out as he sharply rapped on her wooden door. He heard the lock turning and a slight opening revealed Athena's wide-eyed face of surprise. "Good evening Oliver, happy birthday for today," she whispered nervously. "I have a quick matter to talk to you about. May I come in quickly, assuming you are dressed of course?" "I am, come in," she replied cagily and opened the door fully to him. He was briefly struck by her appearance, finally he saw the beauty beh
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“You don’t think there is enough there to make with work with Octavia then?” “There isn’t, but to turn back now would condemn us both.” “What changed?” “You did. I saw how happy you were in the hotel the other week and I realised I am never going to experience love like that. My life is a sham. Octavia is a sham.” “Is there a chance that in time love will grow or are you fundamentally different people? For my part I thought you two would prove a good match in time,” Felix offered in consolation, trying not to provoke Oliver into anger but eager to learn the truth.” Oliver sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling, his dark eyes glittering with the threat of tears. “I treat her poorly on our engagement meeting. Bit too rough with her if I am to confess and it has ruined any…possibility of future relations.” “Have you apologised?” “No.” “That might be all it takes. When there is no apology, the heart hardens. But it ca
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The wedding day finally arrived. A riot of colouring flowers greeted guests as they arrived at Hadden Hall, once again admiring Athena and Craig’s garden redesign. Re-treading the same driveway she had left less than a year earlier Athena was stunned at the transformation of her life. Prickly, quiet, and somewhat lonely, now metamorphized into a kaleidoscope of joy from which she saw no end in sight. With her husband, still a foreign word upon her tongue to describe the man she gazed at so adoringly across the room, she had found herself. His touch, gentle and rough caresses had unlocked parts of her soul that she hadn’t even realised were hidden. Every night they came together in an exploration of varying power, teases, and softness. She was surprised to find how much she enjoyed overseeing Felix’s pleasure, how readily he submitted to being tantalised by her. Her body, no longer a practical skeleton design to move earth and plant flowers could be a device for both
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 66
The evenings darkness had enclosed London's streets as Oliver travelled towards his destiny with ever increasing anger. Bouncing along the cobbles his mind tortured him with all his errors. The loss of Lady Daphne as a potential love, his upcoming marriage to a woman be did not love. Overarching all of these was a wild jealousy of Felix and Athena. Their easy way with each other and the transformation in Felix was unbelievable. Finally carriage pulled up around the corner. Oliver threw some gold coins at the carriageman, requesting he wait outside. As he walked towards the casino his resolve melted away. Stood outside the nondescript building he was baffled as to why the place had held such a hold over him. Why had this standard columned building haunted his dreams and pulled at his sanity. He knew inside was a bar, a ledger with his fat credit line ready to play and a bar stocked with enough alcohol to drown out the misery. This time winning money wouldn't s
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 65
Oliver had regained his old swagger as he zipped around London with Octavia in the final week before the wedding. There were balls to attend, gentlemens clubs to smoke cigars in, too many functions to name. He was surprised just how well Octavias scheme had worked. As soon as the announcement hit the formal papers, not just the gossip rags all the invitations came flooding in. Hidden Hall was going to be overrun with the nations best, brights and richest young lights with him at the centre. He had left Octavia back at the hotel with her sour faced mother after an early dinner. She had seen through the match but prudently kept her mouth shut. Annoyingly Octvaia remained reverted to some kind of virgin state since their encounter at the bridge. Late at night, after several claret glasses he did occasionally replay that moment
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 64
At Fairfax Manor life had continued steadily, it had been almost three months since they got married, two months since Athena and Felix’s shock marriage and the summer was now at an end. Craig was busy ensuring the manor was fully prepared for winter winds and storms, checking supplies for the skeleton staff that manned the manor in Felix’s absence. He was also responsible for ensuring standards did not slip alongside Mrs Clarke. Thankfully the small teams of people on site were all dedicated to preserving the great hall and all rejoiced in seeing the owner happy again.Athena wrote frequent letters to both Lily and Craig separately, each one dealing with matters of business, finance and matters of the heart to the other. With Craig’s tuition Lily had become adept at reading and writing, improving from a basic knowledge to literate in just a few short months. Sophie was no
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He spent a few more minutes wandering back up to where the horses were, his mind racing with a strange mix of fear and excitement. Weaving his way back through the glade path he heard the noise of the waterfall once more.“Felix…” came a sultry, low call that made him almost trip over the overhanging tree roots. The temperature dropped noticeably once out of the midday sun, the cool shady air was delicious. He realised he was sweating and damp from his searching after her. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. In the small lagoon, the water at waist height, wearing nothing but a small smile stood Athena, her curling, chocolate-brown hair completely free and hanging down past her rib cage. Her eyes sparkled with victorious happiness as she registered the surprise on his face.“Athena…what are you…&r
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The following weeks in Naples seemed to pass by in a dizzying blur of tours, palaces, churches, and sightseeing. Athena drew almost every day, delighting in the colours and shape of the architecture whilst Felix happily studied the engineering behind the buildings. They could spend entire afternoons quietly in each other’s presence, each happily absorbed in their own pursuits with the occasional glance and smile towards the other. Every so often whilst Athena was at her easel, he would softly approach, tuck away a stray hair and kiss her bare neck causing a shudder of pleasure to rush through her. She did not know that it was taking all his self-possession not to grab her and pull her to him greedily as he did as soon as they were alone. The way her green eyes sparkled and surveyed the world around her captivated him, she was a G
The Baron's Cold Proposal Chapter 61
Deep in one of the groves of the Haddon Hall estate, Oliver paced in an agitated state. The days since Octavia’s letter had dragged and he was eager to know her grand plan. He was also keen to be intimate with her, certain she would want to be, given that she had no qualms at his party. He had a weakness for pale blue eyes as Claudette and Sophie could attest but Octavia’s were unique. The iciness to them never seemed to fade, even in the throes of passion she appeared to be calculating her next move like a boa constrictor whereas he was a man of pure instinct. The fact those instincts had almost left him bankrupt and homeless he did not consider flaws in his character. Finally a gentle pattering of feet amongst the fall leaves alerted him to her presence. She was wearing a fine, lace covered day dress of cornflower blue, her cle
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The hotel was the grandest money could buy. A royal suite had been arranged and every other room on the floor too to ensure absolute privacy. Felix wanted to avoid snooping guests or waiting staff and paid handsomely to avoid being troubled. They arrived via a back entrance, the day had only just passed midday and Athena realised she was faint with hunger. Felix recognised her pale look and immediately requested one of the other suites he booked be prepared for dining. Feeling like a boat caught up the crest of a wave she watched all of these events as a bemused onlooker. In only five minutes she had been exposed to the true grandeur of Felixs wealth. Just in the suites he had spent more money than Athena had ever earned with her contract. The yacht he had charted was eye-wateringly expensive and now she was part of tha
