How to Rattle an Undead Couple - Hailey Edwards Page 0,6
years he spent as Potentate of Atlanta, but he was often adorably clueless when it came to his mother.
Now that he was married, she was inventing reasons to call him or invite him to visit her. Alone. Had she impacted my ability to do my job, it would be one thing, but she hadn’t. I suspected her antics stemmed from fear he no longer needed her. As long as she didn’t escalate after the baby was born, I could let it go on a bit longer.
Before I formed a plan on how to handle this latest crisis, I had to be certain. “Only you and the maid know?”
This news couldn’t break, not now, not when things had barely gotten back to normal in Savannah after my grandfather almost sent the city up in flames. The driver was smart to keep a lid on this, but we had more damage control ahead of us.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Can she be trusted to keep her silence?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right.” I made a quick decision. “Here’s what you’re going to do.”
The tension left his shoulders, and he sagged with relief. “Anything, ma’am.”
“First, you’re going to tell me your name.”
“Marco Bartoli.”
“Nice to officially meet you, Marco.”
Linus joined us on the porch, his eyes as dark as midnight, and I knew Cletus had let him listen in. “The wards were breached?”
“No, sir.” Marco paled further. “They never so much as flickered, which is why I didn’t worry at first.”
A tiny shake of Linus’s head told me to proceed, that he had no more questions at this juncture.
“Here’s what you’re going to do, Marco. Get the Grande Dame’s gifts out of the car and bring them into the house. You will attend the shower as her proxy. When the moment is right, you will announce she had urgent business that called her away from the city, that she sends her love and apologies, and present her gifts to Linus and me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Remember,” I urged the driver. “You must act as if everything is fine.”
With a bow, he rose and left to follow my orders. “Yes, ma’am.”
A line formed between Linus’s brows, the sole outward indication of his distress he allowed on his face.
“Two hours,” I reminded him. “Neely will tell our guests I need a nap, and we’ll begin our investigation.”
Two hours was a long time to know someone you loved might be in danger and not lift a finger to help, but the house was filling with sharks, and this news would chum the waters if it broke.
“Thank you.” He took my hand, and his fingers were ice cold. “She’s difficult at times but…”
“…she’s your mother,” I finished for him, kissing his knuckles, “and she loves you more than anything.”
The Grande Dame and I were known for our tepid relationship. Linus and I…were not. Our PDA bordered on scandalous by Society standards. Her missing my shower could be spun as a fit of pique. Him absent a major family event would fuel gossip for months. Both of them MIA?
Guests would seize on that morsel, and gossip would flourish. She had publicly confessed to an ailment, a heart condition, to convince the Society that Maud had died naturally of a hereditary condition and not as the victim of a gruesome crime, and the lie had yet to bite her on the butt.
Handled the wrong way, her absence might sharpen the jaws of public opinion, predators scenting weakness, until they snapped shut on her. The weak did not survive the Society, let alone lead it. We couldn’t afford to miss a single performance cue in front of this audience.
As much as it pained him, Linus had no choice but to fall in line. He would smile for the photos, play the role of doting husband, and pretend nothing was wrong. Tonight, he would wear one of his masks to protect his bruised heart, and I wouldn’t say a word. Heck, I would fit the familiar contours to his face if he needed help smoothing the rough edges.
“We’ll find her.” I scooted to the edge of the swing. “I promise.”
Linus helped me to my feet and brought me into the circle of his arms. Fingers linked at his spine, I held him as close as my belly allowed until his wooden posture softened against me, and his hand found my stomach.
“They’ll pay for this,” he murmured in my ear. “For targeting our family.”
“Yes,” I said, kissing the hard line of his clenched jaw. “They will.”
Even if I had to wrestle on a