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The Answer (2)
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Alexander sipped his bourbon and stared out the window. The view from the second story of his townhome gave him a bird's eye view of his front door. He waited patiently for movement. Waiting for the messenger that would decide his fate.
He placed his glass down and opened his cigar case. He pulled one out and lit it, eyes never leaving the street in front of him. He took a long pull of the cigar, letting the spicy smoke hang in his lungs, and waited for the slight burn he wanted to feel. He released his breath, smoke cascading around him.
He needed to plan his next move. If Edwina said no, he needed a backup plan. He refused to give up. He would have her, no matter how long it took.
But what was the best course of action…
Even if she refused him, Claiborne planned to continue working with the King regardless. His threats were just empty words meant to goad his prey into his arms.
His original plan had always been to help Edwina. Make her reali
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Not much changed after Edwina sent her reply to Claiborne. For two weeks, she continued to work without any interruption, never hearing a word from Claiborne. The rumors about her and Claiborne died down, and her life was peaceful once again. Almost as if she hadn’t made a deal with the devil.Thackeray hid from Edwina for as long as he could manage. For three days the Crown Prince dodged and escaped Lily’s hunt. Until on the morning of the fourth day, Lily dragged the man by the collar and threw him in front of Edwina’s desk.It was a sight that the King would have found very amusing, but would appall the other court officials and nobles. The Crown Prince on his knees, his head bowed to Edwina as she loomed above him. Claiborne had informed Thackeray about his intentions with Edwina. By informing, Claiborne apparently slammed Thackeray up against a wall and warned him not to renege on their deal.Thackeray sputtered out all of his excuses and
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In one week, Edwina Knight would become Edwina Claiborne, a duchess. This fact didn’t seem real to Eddie as she poured over and reviewed court documents for the upcoming week. She had been trying to forget all about her upcoming nuptials by immersing herself in work. She could tell Remi was dead tired trying to keep up with her frantic pace, and she had no inclinations of slowing down. A knock on the door had her setting down a particularly wordy document about tax levies on businesses. “Come in,” Edwina called. Her interest was piqued. Edwina didn’t get many visitors to her office and she knew that both Thackeray and Lily were busy today. She was curious who her mystery caller could be. The door opened and a woman Eddie had never seen before entered the room. She was a very tidy woman. Her brown hair was styled into a pristine bun with no loose ends hanging about. Her nails were filed and clean, her makeup un-smeared. She wasn’t a gorgeous woman, but Eddie w
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The carriage wobbled and clattered as it traveled over the capital’s cobblestone streets. Edwina swayed along with the gentle rhythm but Mrs. Mercy was still as she sat stiffly in the seat across from her.This was one of the King’s private carriages. Edwina didn’t know how Mrs. Mercy had obtained this carriage. All she knew was that the guards carried her away from her office like a prisoner, only to throw her in one of the King’s ritzy carriages and slam the door shut behind her.Edwina didn’t have a carriage of her own, and if she needed to travel by carriage she would usually rent one. Mrs. Mercy would be appalled if she knew about Edwina’s use of rentals. Imagining Mrs. Mercy in a rented carriage almost made Edwina smile.They traveled in silence for approximately half an hour. The silent carriage ride gave Edwina time to collect her thoughts. She was getting married to Claiborne in a week. She didn't have a dress, she di
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The concierge recovered from his brief strangulation rather quickly. He escorted Edwina and Mrs. Mercy through the lobby of the hotel and up to the royal suite. He prattled on and on about the history of the hotel and how the King had personally ordered this suite for Edwina. How they had canceled several reservations just to accommodate her! He hoped Edwina would be a frequent visitor since she was the soon-to-be Duchess Claiborne. When he opened the door to the royal suite, Edwina struggled to contain her laughter. Ostentatious, gaudy, and garish, the room was filled with deep reds, golds, and purples. The molding on the walls had gold lame accents, the heavy red velvet drapes were tied back with strings of jewels and the four-poster bed was drowning in purple. Purple sheets, purple pillowcases, purple comforter. The room was intense. The concierge let himself out, but not before Edwina caught a glimpse of Mrs. Mercy slipping the man a hefty tip. “Is this r
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Edwina fidgeted nervously as handmaids busied around her. She tried to stay as still as possible so the makeup artist could complete her work, but while her eyes were wide waiting for mascara, one maid was pulling her corset tight, while another was placing ornaments in her hair and yet another was attempting to tighten the strap of her shoe. One day I’m going to laugh about this, Edwina thought to herself. But according to Mrs. Mercy, there was no time for laughter this brisk morning. Everything was going wrong. Mrs. Mercy’s carriage wheel had broken on her way to Edwina’s hotel room that morning. Which meant Edwina slept in late, which meant Edwina was late to the venue, which meant that there just simply wasn’t enough time! The morning was so frantic that Edwina didn’t have time to breathe, let alone contemplate her impending marriage. She was pushed and pulled from place to place until finally, she was shoved behind a door and told she would walk down the aisle m
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Claiborne was furious. He started the day fresh as a primrose and smiling ear to ear. He was excited about the wedding and finally getting his hands on the one thing he had ever desired, Edwina Knight. He practically skipped to the chapel. Even the sycophantic nobles, waylaying him as he entered the cathedral could not ruin his mood. He had meticulously planned every detail of the wedding from the guest list to the types and colors of the flowers decorating the cathedral. He let Mrs. Mercy take a lot of the credit, to keep his reputation intact. There was no need for anyone other than his fiance to know how head over heels he was. His debtors and political adversaries needed to see him as the ruthless politician he was. The wedding was supposed to start early in the morning, but Mrs. Mercy informed him that the bride’s preparations were running behind. Claiborne tried to not let the delay ruin his mood. When the musicians needed more time because a violinist’
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The reception was a short and tedious affair. It was small, but somehow nobles Edwina had never met before were able to crash the party. They surrounded her and introduced themselves, attempting to appeal to Edwina in any way they could. She was quickly overwhelmed by their attentions, and couldn’t find a way to get to her own mother. Claiborne seemed to have just as little patience as her, and after only thirty minutes he drug her away and stuffed her in a carriage. They rode in separate carriages. Once they had arrived at Claiborne’s estate, her new husband disappeared. He muttered something about last-minute business and left her alone with Mercy and her devilish companions. They wasted no time whisking Eddie off to another bath, where she was once again poked, tweezed and pruned. At this point, Eddie gave up on even trying to lift a finger. The maids would just get angrier and make everything hurt more. They placed a satin nightgown over her head and toss
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Eddie readied for bed, but remained awake. She left a lamp on and pulled out a book, snuggled under the blankets she waited until Alex returned. The door opened just after midnight, and her husband snuck into the room. “You’re still awake? You should be asleep by now,” “I wanted to wait for you,” “Is something wrong?” “No, you look tired. What kept you?” “A client at the casino wanted to meet with me, and I couldn’t refuse. I made sure he wouldn’t hold me up again.” Alex’s eyes darkened. Eddie shuddered, her mind pondering all the ways the Duke of Ice could prove a point. Alex sauntered to the bathroom, and in less than fifteen minutes he returned. His hair was still wet, a towel wrapped around his hips. Water sluiced down his muscles and Eddie watched him, her gaze turning heated. Alex grinned mischievously and crossed the bedroom quickly. He drew her lips in for a kiss. Eddie closed her eyes, savoring the tast
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(1 month later)"Well that was certainly exciting,” Lily took a sip of her tea. She looked stunning today, wearing her signature purple. Her dark hair was braided to the side of her head, with small flowers and crystals decorating the braid. Her makeup was perfect, her long lashes enhanced with mascara, and her complexion warm with a hint of blush.“I can’t thank you enough Lily. If it weren’t for you I don’t know what would have happened,” Eddie grabbed her friend’s hand. This was their first visit since Eddie’s kidnapping, and she was overjoyed to see her friend.The past month with Alex had been equal parts happy and frustrating. She loved Alex’s endless attention, but his overprotectiveness had reached new levels. Even though she was able to get out of bed a week after her attack, he refused to allow her to leave the bedroom for an extra week. He wanted to forbid visitors for two months, but Eddi
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After a moment's pause, she asked “What happened to him?”She needed to know. Eddie didn’t want to think of Johannes after this and if she didn’t know what happened to him, she might spend her entire life glancing over her shoulder. Worried that he could be there, waiting to pounce and kidnap her again.Eddie didn’t want this incident to stay with her. She already knew she would flinch at men now, afraid that they might hit or harm her. She’d never had that fear before, but she would conquer it.Alex placed her hand back down on the comfort and retrieved another glass of water for her, “Alistair took him back to Arendel with him. It’s up to their King and Alistair to deal with him now.”“Alistair is their Crown Prince right? How do you know him?” She asked. Alex handed her the glass of water and waited for her to take a sip. Once she’d taken a few gulps he answered her question.
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She blinked at him in surprise. Eddie had no idea that Alex had any ties to the royal family of Arendel.She glanced up at Alex, his face serious, “Where was she, Alistair?”“A room in the basement, from the looks of it she’d been tied up there.”Alex’s grip on her arm tightened. She refused to look at him, her mind still reeling. She faintly heard Alex and Alistair discussing her, but her mind tuned them out as she took a look at her surroundings.She was in a seedy bar. The bar had been completely turned over. Broken plates, chairs, and tables littered the floor. In the center of the bar, several men were tied up, including Johannes.Eddie flinched when her eyes landed on him. She didn’t want him to have any more power over her, but the bruises and pain she felt were too fresh. Alex felt her flinch and he squeezed her gently, his arms still wrapped around her.“What happened?” she asked
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He kept her there for days. She had no true idea how long she was there, no indicator of time other than his visits, each one more cruel and violent than the last. Johannes had gotten a taste of brutality and he reveled in it, finding new ways to taunt her and punish her.She never saw him leave, always fainted before he made his way out the door. Her legs and arms were bruised and battered, she was sure her face was a rainbow of color.She was grateful his hands never turned sexual. The thought of that brute’s hands made her want to retch.He left her on her side on the floor, during this time, but the last beating she received he’d propped her up, her chair finally back in an upright position. She smiled before her consciousness faded.The room was dark and she was alone when she woke up again. When she struggled the chair jostled a little. It was less stable than before. The left chair’s leg felt loose. She pulled against the chair le
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Eddie’s consciousness returned suddenly. She gasped and her eyes popped open. Without thinking she began to struggle until she fell on the ground, knocking her head and disorienting her once again.She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She looked around but saw nothing. She was in a dark room, with no light.She was seated in a chair, her legs tied to the chair legs, her hands tied behind the back. Splinters rubbed into her arms.She tried to let her eyes adjust, keeping them open even in the pitch darkness. Eventually, thanks to the light peeking around the door she was able to make out her surroundings.She was locked in a storeroom of some sort. Barrels of what she assumed were alcohol were stacked high up around her. A leaking drip-drip sounded in the corner of the room.She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. It could have been hours or even days. The light from the door gave her no indication of time. It c
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“Tell me about it,” Claiborne took another swig of his drink, “I mean how could I lose to that piece of garbage. I gave her everything she could ever want.” Lily felt no sympathy for Claiborne’s pity party. The sight was absolutely revolting. It did confirm Claiborne’s feelings, however. He must really love Eddie. If Claiborne found this letter, it could only mean one thing. Eddie did meet with Johannes and that bastard must have done something to her. Why would Eddie meet with him? The why wasn't it important right now. Lily knew in her gut that Johannes had done something to her friend. They needed to find out what happened to her. Maybe she needed to go to Thackery for help? Thackeray wasn’t the most subtle person. He never even knew about Eddie’s relationship with Johannes. Eddie was always afraid he would blab. This incident couldn’t reach society’s ears. A married woman disappearing from her husband’s estate and a suspicious letter. Even
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Lily was welcomed into the manor by a sober-looking butler. He opened the door but did not gesture for her to come inside.“Welcome, Duchess,” the butler bowed, “How can I help you today?”“Where is he?” she asked, pushing past him to enter the manor. She handed her hat and gloves to a maid who appeared at her side. The butler cast a searing look at the maid. He clearly didn’t expect Lily to stay.“He’s not taking any visitors currently, my lady,” the butler scrambled to intercept her as she made her way deeper into the manor.“I don’t care,” Lily shoved past him, and further into the estate, “He will see me.”The butler and maid hesitated, worried about getting scolded, fired, or in some sort of trouble with their master. Lily sniffed. If they were fired she’d compensate them accordingly. There were bigger things at stake than their jobs right now.
