London Dynasty (The Dynasties #1) - Geneva Lee Page 0,62

engagements last week, but it will be important for you to make an appearance soon.”

I read between the lines of what he was saying. Tod would be asking questions soon. I had a responsibility to uphold. I had obligated myself to fill Kerrigan’s shoes, and I couldn’t back out now. Not without losing the ten million pounds I’d been promised and my only chance of finally being free of my past.

“Of course.” I reached for the itinerary he held out for me.

“What is this about going to Surrey?” The entire week revolved around it. There would be no getting out of it.

“The Belmonds are taking the next fortnight at their country home,” he explained. “You are expected to travel with them unless you have business keeping you here.”

I gawked at Giles for a moment. He had to know I was avoiding Spencer and this entire situation, yet, here he was giving me an out. Tod and Iris would be traveling to the countryside. I could go with them and avoid Spencer and his family so long as Tod didn’t invite them to join us. Or I could stay here under the pretense that I wanted to be near my boyfriend, which would please Tod Belmond to no end.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” I said, taking my cue.

“You should speak to Iris,” he advised meaningfully. “She’ll be disappointed, but surely she’ll understand. I assume you need to be near Spencer.”

I nodded. “I’ll talk to her.”

A short while later, I found Iris in the kitchen going over a menu with the cook.

“There you are.” She gave me a big hug. “I was just going over the menu for our holiday. Is there anything you’d like to see on it? I was wondering if Spencer might be joining us at any point. If so, we should plan a special dinner.” She turned, now speaking to the cook.

“Iris, I can’t leave London right now,” I said with as much disappointment as I could muster. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t thinking about the time. I promised Spencer that I would attend several events with him over the next two weeks. He’s been so patient while I dealt with these terrible cramps.”

“Of course,” Iris said sympathetically. Her lips turned down as she patted my arm. “I was looking forward to spending time with you, but it’s obviously more important for you to be here with him. I know you two are enjoying getting to know one another.”

I looked to the ground, hoping it came off as embarrassment. “I know I didn’t come home a few times.”

“It’s none of my business,” Iris said quickly. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and dropped her voice to a whisper. “But I’d love to hear the gossip. It seems like things are really heating up between you two.”

“Between whom?” Tod’s voice boomed through the room.

We startled apart, looking guilty at being caught.

“This is girl talk. Shoo!” She waved him off.

“I just spoke with Giles. What is this about you not coming to the country with us?” Tod asked.

For the first time, I considered this through his eyes. I was a virtual stranger, pretending to be his daughter. Now, I expected to stay behind while he packed up his household staff and his security and went to the country for two weeks. I couldn’t blame him for being suspicious. It was the perfect opportunity for me to gather up whatever I could carry and leave, robbing them blind in the process. Except that despite the number of priceless items in the house, there was no way I could make off with anything that was worth close to what he promised me.

“I just think it’s more important for me to be here with Spencer. He wants to spend time together. We’re getting quite close.”

“Still,” Tod said, cautiously. “I don’t feel good about you being at the house alone.”

“She’s an adult, Tod,” Iris interjected.

“I’ll ask Giles to stick around. He’ll be disappointed, of course. He loves Surrey.”

Suddenly, I understood why Giles had been eager to get me to stay behind. He’d known Tod wouldn’t leave me here alone. I suspected Giles didn’t like Surrey nearly as much as Tod Belmond believed.

“You can’t do that to him,” I said as dramatically as possible. I might as well really sell it.

“If it’s important for you to stay here with Spencer, then you should have a chaperone.”

“I didn’t take you to be such a prude,” Iris said, poking her arm through her husband’s. “Don’t stand in