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The Meeting (2)
Claiborne was smiling, his eyes glittering with amusement. Edwina glared back, attempting to give him her most withering look. A look that she had used on the King on more than one occasion with success. Claiborne seemed immune and gave her a nod of recognition.
He looked completely composed and at home across from the King. Dressed in all black, he cut an intimidating figure. His black suit jacket and dress shirt stretched across his chest, accentuating his surprisingly muscular form. His blond hair was slicked back today, giving him a harsher appearance. Lithe and dangerous, he sat with perfect posture, his legs crossed.
His black dress shoes shined with polish. A beautiful diamond broach in the shape of a snowflake was pinned to his lapel and leaning against the couch next to him, a beautifully black walking cane.
He was a study of contrasts, especially in the light and airy Blue Room. His pale skin and blonde hair seemed to match the room perfectly, but h
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King Wingate chuckled. Edwina dropped her quill in astonishment. “Are you just going to let him talk to you like that, Your Majesty?” Edwina squealed. “There’s no reason to be so upset, Edwina,” The King patted her gently on the shoulder, “I think he was embarrassed.” “Embarrassed? Alexander Claiborne? Are you feeling alright, Your Majesty?” Edwina’s voice pitch escalated with each question. She jumped up from the settee, “Maybe I should call the doctor.” “Calm down, Edwina!” The King laughed, “I’m quite alright.” But Edwina ignored her King and dashed out into the hallway. She pointed at the guard closest to her and commanded, “Call the Royal Doctor immediately.” Before she heard their response, she stomped down the hallway, hurrying after Claiborne. She had unfinished business with the villain. He tricked the King. He lied to her and the others. He tricked them and got them to promise him some outrageous deal for help that was alread
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Edwina watched him leave, her face red with fury. How dare he threaten her like this! How dare he dangle the future of the kingdom in front of her like she was a pet in need of a treat! She wouldn’t let him coerce her into this sham marriage. Why did he want to marry her anyway? She was a commoner. Sure, she was a glorified secretary for the King, a position that held a lot of influence, but she had no dowry, no title to claim. She was merely Edwina Knight. She bit her thumbnail, still staring at the empty corridor Claiborne had occupied moments before. What was his endgame? Was he after political influence? Was there something she had stored away in her historian records that he needed? Her eyebrows furrowed in consternation. She turned abruptly and strode back toward the Blue Room. She didn’t know Claiborne well enough to make any sort of judgment about his character or his plans. The King was close with Claiborne. He would be able to shed some light on his
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Lily was waiting in her office when Edwina finished her work with the King. Edwina dismissed Remi hours before. She was a striking figure, dressed in a men’s riding outfit. Her cream shirt and chocolate brown pants striking in contrast. The outfit accentuated her slim waist and ample bosom. Her dark hair was striking against the red sunset filtering through the window. Lily was beautiful, intelligent, and graceful. The type of woman Claiborne should be attempting to woo. Not dowdy plain Edwina. She pictured them together, Claiborne’s blond hair and Lily’s dark locks painting a beautiful picture. They would look perfect together. Elegance personified. But she wouldn’t wish Claiborne on her worst enemy. He had a dark heart and a vicious reputation. His proposition made no sense. Why request her when he could have Lily? Lily was a Duchess! She had money, influence, beauty… There was something Edwina was missing. Lily turned a smile lighting up he
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Alexander 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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