Page 52

Daphne had studied me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "You've been working a lot lately. More than usual, I mean."
"The Morrison case is demanding."
"Mmm." She'd found her book—some romance novel with an embarrassingly explicit cover—and headed toward the door. But she'd paused at the threshold, turning back with a smile that seemed almost knowing. "By the way, have you seen Lili this morning? I wanted to discuss the charity luncheon with her."
"I believe she mentioned going for a walk."
"In her dressing gown? How odd. I could have sworn I saw her coming from the direction of the rose garden just now. But perhaps I was mistaken." Her smile was sharp as crystal. "After all, what would she be doing in the gardens so early? Unless she was meeting someone."
My blood had gone cold. "I wouldn't know what she's wearing."
"Of course not." Daphne's smile had widened. "It's funny," she mused, still lingering in the doorway. "Lili mentioned she's been having trouble sleeping lately. Restless nights, you know. I suggested she try chamomile tea, but she said she'd found other ways to tire herself out." Her eyes glittered with mischief. "Exercise, perhaps."
After she'd left, Lili had emerged from behind the curtains looking shaken. "She knows something."
"She suspects. There's a difference."
"Edward, maybe we should—"
"No." I'd pulled her into my arms, needing the reassurance of her warmth against me. "We're careful. We're discreet. And soon this will all be over."
The ease with which I'd lied to my own sister left a bitter taste in my mouth.
When had I become someone who could deceive family without hesitation?
When had protecting Lili begun to require sacrificing pieces of my own integrity?
But even as I'd said the words, I'd wondered if I was being naively optimistic. The transition was moving forward on schedule, my retention proposal was still under review by the Home Office, and the pressure of maintaining our secret was beginning to show strain around the edges of our carefully constructed normalcy.
Now, as I sat in my study reviewing the latest modifications to Lili's employment terms, I heard familiar footsteps approaching.
The same night, James knocked once before entering—a courtesy that had eroded over the years of our friendship.
"Working late again?" he asked, settling into his usual chair.
"The Morrison case—"
"Is resolved. Has been for two days." James leaned forward, his expression serious. "Edward, I know you think I don't notice things, but I've been watching you for weeks. The secret phone calls, the modified schedule, the way you've been treating this Gardens & Home acquisition like it's the most important case of your career."
I kept my expression neutral, though my pulse had begun to race. "It's a significant transaction."
"It's routine corporate acquisition. The sort of thing you could handle in your sleep." James stood, moving to the window that overlooked the estate grounds. "Which makes me wonder why you've been so invested in the outcome. And why you've been spending so much time ensuring the continued employment of one particular American television host?"
The words hit like a punch. I'd been so careful, so discreet in my negotiations. But James had always been skilled at reading between the lines of legal documents.
"I don't know what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything. I'm stating facts." He turned back to face me, and there was something like sympathy in his expression. "The question is whether you're going to trust me with the truth, or whether I'm going to have to figure it out on my own."
Before I could respond, he'd moved to my desk, his attention caught by the acquisition files I'd left open. His eyes scanned the documents with the practiced efficiency of someone trained to spot anomalies.
"Addition terms," he read aloud, picking up the folder marked with red ink. "Employment guarantees, position transfers, media division expansion." He looked up at me with dawning understanding. "Edward, what exactly have you done?"
The moment stretched between us, heavy with implications that could destroy everything I'd worked to protect.
In his hands, James held the evidence of every accommodation I'd negotiated, every string I'd pulled, every professional risk I'd taken to ensure Lili's future.
His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Edward, this isn't just professional courtesy. This is a man in love making very expensive mistakes to protect someone."