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Chapter 35
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Upon 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.
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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."
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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
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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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The terrace buzzed with activity and quickly Craig and Athena were split apart by various interested parties asking about work. Both struggled to give truly enthusiastic responses as their hearts were inextricably tied to persons within Fairfax Manor now. Both felt their eyes drawn against their will to their soul mates across the room. Lily was working and busily carrying drinks in her prim black dress whilst Felix stubbornly remained facing the grounds and not the crowd. As the sun started going down people started to move into the ballroom to enjoy food, card games and dancing. Craig stayed back and enjoyed the sunset setting over the lake. He wished he had Lily by his side. He also wondered what she would look like in one-off those beautiful evening gowns, with that fiery red hair and blue eyes she would turn every single head. She was a true natural beauty. Lost in his thou
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The band had struck up into a waltz in the ballroom, the deep bass notes of the cellos reverberated throughout. Craig held Lily’s hand tightly as they quickly wove their way unseen through the corridors to the library. The ballroom was located on the other side of the manor, its views did not look out onto the lake but instead the paddocks and surrounding valleys. In the late dusk only a dying fire illuminated the room. Craig led Lily in by the hand and then shut the door after them. Taking a deep breath he launched into the best explanation he could give. “Octavia Lupton and I, last year, had an affair,” he began, pacing the room like a trapped animal. His boots echoed loudly on the floor, adding to the sense of darkness. “I did not pursue her, though I found her attractive, she actively encouraged me and we had several months of rendezvous and intimacy. I u
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The ballroom was bustling with activity. Elegant women in dazzling gowns milled around the ballroom, their jewels and hair pins sparkling in the evening light. The wooden card tables filled a corner of the ballroom and were full of Oliver's friends laughing, joking and sipping claret. Milo stood watching the gambling action, leaning against an ornate statue, almost as if he knew of nothing else to do with himself. His dark brown eyes followed the highs and lows excitedly despite the low stakes. Milo was under his own pressures, by lining up Oliver to furnish the Gilded Falcon’s pockets he was now due to produce the goods. If Oliver did something foolish such as kill himself the club would be the losers. It was a balancing act of pressure, threat, and reassurance that he enjoyed walking. The thought that Oliver was on a knife edge towards ruin made his eyes gleam in a similarly cruel light.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
