Celestine Vale had served as chairwoman of the Greyhaven Development Council for nearly twenty years. She funded schools, restored public gardens, and appeared in photographs beside presidents.
“Celestine Vale is seventy years old.”
“So is poison.”
“What do you expect me to do?”
“Stand beside me. Watch who watches you.”
“That’s all?”
“No.”
He reached into the folder and removed a small velvet box.
Inside was a ring.
A black diamond rested in a setting shaped like two wings.
Mara stared at it.
“You said lover.”
“The story has evolved.”
“Into what?”
“My fiancée.”
Mara closed the box.
“No.”
“The photograph from the diner is already spreading.”
“Then tell people you kissed the wrong waitress.”
“If I appear careless, our enemies will assume you were an accident. Accidents are disposable. A fiancée must be studied before she is removed.”
“That is the worst reassurance you’ve given me so far.”
“I can provide several more.”
She handed the box back.
“I’m not wearing that.”
Lucian opened it again and removed the ring.
“Give me your hand.”
“No.”
“Mara.”
“Lucian.”
They stared at one another.
He exhaled quietly.
“Would you prefer to put it on yourself?”
“Yes.”
She took the ring.
The metal was cold.
It fit perfectly.
Her eyes narrowed.
“How did you know my size?”
“I asked Sofia.”
“Sofia didn’t know my ring size.”
“She estimated.”
“Liar.”
“Selectively accurate.”
Mara looked down at the black stone.
“What happens after seven days?”
“The people threatening you will be unable to continue.”
“Because you’ll kill them?”
His silence answered.
Mara removed the ring.
“No.”
Lucian’s expression hardened.
“No what?”
“No killing anyone because of me.”
“You do not control how I respond to threats.”
“And you do not control whether I help you.”
For a long moment, the distance between them felt charged.
Then Lucian took the ring and placed it on the desk.
“I will not kill anyone unless there is no other way to keep you alive.”
“That sounds like a promise written by a lawyer.”
“It is the best promise I can make.”
Mara considered him.
“Seven days.”
“Seven.”
“You tell me the truth when I ask.”
“When possible.”
“That isn’t good enough.”
“It is all I have.”
She picked up the ring again.
“One lie I can prove, and I leave.”
Lucian’s gaze moved from the ring to her face.
“You may not like what truth costs.”
“I already know what lies cost.”
She pushed the ring onto her finger.
CHAPTER TWO
Ashcroft Hall stood on a cliff above the harbor, all white columns and arched windows illuminated against the night.
Greyhaven’s wealth had gathered inside.
Mara entered on Lucian’s arm wearing the midnight-blue gown Sofia had selected.
Conversations changed when they appeared.
Mara felt the shift travel across the ballroom.
Lucian Rook had arrived with a woman no one recognized.
A woman wearing his family ring.
Camera shutters sounded.
Mara kept smiling.
“People are staring,” she whispered.
“They are recalculating.”
“What?”
“Their plans.”
“Do rich people ever simply attend a party?”
“No.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
A reporter approached.
“Mr. Rook, can you introduce your guest?”
Lucian placed a hand at Mara’s waist.
“My fiancée, Mara Bell.”
The word seemed to silence the nearest half of the room.
The reporter looked delighted.
“How long have you been together?”
Mara smiled.
“Long enough for him to know better than to answer first.”
Laughter followed.
Lucian glanced at her.
“Four months,” he said.
“Where did you meet?”
“At a diner.”
Mara lifted an eyebrow.
“He complained about the coffee.”
“I did not.”
“You looked judgmental.”
“I always look judgmental.”
The reporter laughed again.
Within minutes, Mara understood why Lucian wanted her beside him.
People revealed more when distracted.
Some looked surprised.
Some looked amused.
Three looked afraid.
One was Judge Alden Shaw, a narrow man with silver glasses.
The second was Harbor Commissioner Marcus Dane.
The third was Celestine Vale.
Celestine approached them after the orchestra began playing.
She wore a dark green gown and a brooch shaped like a compass rose.
Her white hair was swept elegantly from her face. Her smile was warm enough for campaign posters.
“Lucian,” she said. “You have been keeping secrets.”
“I learned from the city’s finest teachers.”
Her eyes moved to Mara.
“And you must be the young woman who changed his opinion of marriage.”
“Mara Bell.”
Celestine took Mara’s hand.
Her grip was cool and surprisingly strong.
“Bell,” she repeated. “A coastal name.”
“My mother worked for the harbor authority.”
“So many people did in those years.”
Celestine’s gaze settled on the black diamond.
“Silas chose that ring himself.”