Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

AURORA

I looked over my shoulder for the thousandth time as I made my way to Trafalgar Square. I couldn't see anyone, but just in case, I deliberately swerved in and out of the crowds of Londoners and tourists. Casting yet another glance around me, I headed up the grand stone staircase that led to the National Gallery.

I made my way to the room that held Delarouche's The Execution of Lady Jane Grey . I scanned the room. Eleanor wasn't here yet. I sat on the padded bench in front of the massive painting and put my earbuds in. As I listened to Paloma Faith's 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This,' I tapped the deep bass rhythm on my thigh while staring at the painting.

Poor Lady Jane, she looked so scared and helpless as she reached blindly for the chopping block. She was wearing a beautiful pearl silk dress. Its painted folds seemed to shimmer in the dim light. It looked like a wedding dress. As I listened to the somnolent tune, I thought of the symbolism and parallels in my own life. Her innocence, her blindfold, the wedding dress, and her inevitable downfall and death.

I shivered and rubbed my upper arms.

Just then, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I cried out in surprise as I pulled the earbuds out of my ears.

A nearby security guard gave me a nasty glare. I mouthed I'm sorry , before turning to hug Eleanor.

"Jesus Christ, you're jumpy!" she exclaimed as she took a seat on the bench next to me.

I frowned. "You would be too if you'd had the morning I did."

"So what the hell happened last night? I showed up and some dour-faced butler turned me away. He refused to let me even speak to you."

I winced. "I'm really sorry about that."

She placed a concerned hand on my knee. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

I hadn't given Eleanor any details, only begged her to come and get me.

I bit my lip, unsure where to begin or even how much I wanted to tell her. Once again, I searched my surroundings. It wasn't like Roman had forbidden me to leave the house. He had just warned me not to leave him. There was nothing wrong with me wanting to go to a museum and visit with my closest friend since childhood. So then why did I feel like I was breaking one of his unwritten rules?

I squirmed in my seat, still feeling the sting from his punishment earlier.

It was a harsh warning.

"Roman proposed to me."

Eleanor cried out and wrapped her arms around my neck. She rocked us back and forth, saying, "Oh, my God, congratulations. Holy shit! You're going to be a duchess!"

The security guard cleared his throat and glared even more fiercely at us. I grabbed Eleanor's hand and led her out of the gallery. We walked the halls of the museum as I tried to explain. "For starters, he's not actually a duke. That's his brother, Richard. The media just calls him the Bastard Duke. Second, there's nothing to congratulate me for."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

I bit my lip again. "I said no."

"You said what ?"

"I said no."

"Are you crazy?"

"There are a thousand reasons why marrying Roman would be a terrible idea."

"Yeah, and I can think of a couple billion reasons why it's a great idea."

"You can't honestly think I'd marry a man just for his money?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It was good enough for both of our mothers." She then gasped. She hugged me from the side. "Oh, God, I'm an asshole. I forgot. I'm so sorry."

I waved aside her apology. I was hardly broken up over my mother's death. I couldn't fault Eleanor for not being more sensitive.

We found another bench in a deserted smaller gallery. Under the disapproving glares of long-dead aristocrats, we continued our conversation in harsh tones.

Eleanor leaned in. "It's not like you'd be marrying him only for his money. There's also his big cock."

My cheeks burned. "I told you about that in confidence."

She smirked. "Yeah, and I'm confident that if that gorgeous piece of super rich man meat had asked me to marry him, I'd be down on my knees sucking his big cock in gratitude."

I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible."

Eleanor adjusted her seat and turned to face me more directly. "Okay, all kidding aside. Let's look at the facts." She ticked off her fingers one at a time. "Fact, he stood up for you against your ghoulish stepfather. Fact, he rescued you from possible near-death after you got sick staying in that dreadful apartment. Fact, he's paying for you to have one-on-one tutoring by some of the best musicians in the world. Fact, he showers you in gifts and attention and gives you anything you want. What am I missing here?"

I pursed my lips as I spread my fingers and ticked off my own points. "Fact, I'm still not convinced he wasn't somehow involved in my stepfather's embezzlement and my almost being arrested for his and my mother's murder. Fact, he stole my entire inheritance, which is why I was stuck in that dreadful hole of an apartment. Fact, he's only paying for tutors after burning all my bridges for attending university in France. Fact, I don't give a damn about all his gifts. I want his?—"

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "Cock?"

"Love!"

She shrugged again. "It's overrated. Love fades. Money lasts."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

"Well, who's to say he doesn't love you? He proposed, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but he didn't say he loved me."

"So? Don't you watch movies or read romance novels? Men suck at saying I love you. It's like a whole thing with them."

"What if he doesn't love me?"

She waved her hand in my direction. "Who couldn't love you? You're adorable and hot as fuck."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. Do you have any idea the type of woman Roman Winterbourne has dated? Stunning models, princesses. I think there was even a female royal fighter pilot in there somewhere in his twenties. He never proposed to any of them, did he?"

Holy shit. She had a point.

"You don't think I'm too young to get married? Or that he's too old for me?"

It was Eleanor's turn to roll her eyes. "You can't be serious. You know what the boys our age are like. You can't honestly prefer one of them to an intelligent, sophisticated gentleman who knows the proper fork to use at dinner and doesn't belch the alphabet to impress you."

I gave her a playful slap on the upper arm. "Stop making sense."

She draped her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder. "What are besties for?"

"Still, you don't know what he can be like. He's very… controlling and domineering and seriously possessive."

"That's just because it's still new. He'll mellow out."

I laughed so hard I snorted. Just the very idea of Roman mellowing out was hilariously ludicrous. That was like saying the sun would dim or a tornado was just a little breeze.

"I know you are making sense, but I just don't think I could go through with it. Part of me wants to say yes, but a way bigger, more rational part of me wants to run for the hills."

"Then run."

I stared at Eleanor. She continued, "I think you'd be making a mistake, but this is your life, not mine. If you want to run, then run. I'll help you escape. I have money."

I shook my head. "I already took money from you. I can't take more."

"You can and you will. I'll just tell my parents I need a new car or something stupid for them to buy my affection once again."

I shook my head again. "No. I'll just pawn one of the diamond necklaces Roman gave me."

She rolled her eyes and pushed out her lips to mimic the selfie duck lip photos. "Oh… you'll just pawn one of the diamond necklaces he gave you, dahhhrrrlling."

I gave her a small shove. "Stop. Okay, I know how that sounded."

"In all seriousness, what's the plan? Are you staying or leaving?"

I played with one earbud on my lap. "I haven't decided, but I want to keep my options open."

She nodded. "Smart. Pawn the necklace and hide the cash. If you decide it's too much and you want to get away, text me a code word and I'll drive over to get you. We won't make the same mistake as last night. I'll wait for you by the bridge at the end of the lane, near that copse of trees, so I'll be hidden from the house."

My eyes widened. "You're good at this."

"It's my hidden talent. If only a man wanted to chase me so I could put it to good use!"

"Trust me, it's overrated. So what is our code word?"

She thought for a minute. "Diamonds."

I laughed. "You're an ass."

We got up and strolled around the museum. After grabbing lattes at a nearby café, we hugged and parted. The knot in my stomach loosened. Talking with Eleanor had helped. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do, but at least I had options.

If I wanted to leave Roman, I could.

As I walked down the street to the nearest tube station, I turned suddenly and searched the crowd. I saw nothing suspicious, so I turned back and kept walking. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed. Suddenly, I felt less sure of myself. I shook the feeling off.

This was silly.

If I wanted to leave Roman, I would leave. It was as simple as that. All his threats were probably just empty warnings, anyway. It wasn't like he was a cold-blooded monster capable of being unspeakably vicious to me just because he didn't get his way.