He smiled that special smile. “You won’t be able to keep me away. ”
He leaned to her, his lips touching hers, the restraint he used evident in the tense lines of his face and the darkening of his eyes.
“Soon,” she whispered, pulling back before hurrying from the car.
She had an appointment to make, and she was more than eager to finish it and to begin the life she prayed was waiting for her.
Chapter Nineteen
She faced him, her father, Senator Daniel Madison in the offices of Caruthers, Brickley and Morton, the Estate lawyers who had handled the Briar Cliff Trust from the beginning. Actually, it had been Caruthers senior who had first put together the original Trust. It was his great grandson, Caruthers IV who now faced her from the head of the antique cherry wood conference table.
Across from her sat her father and Attorney Brickley. Morton sat at the other end with a stenographer off to her side.
“Let me get this straight, Ms. Madison, you are rescinding all claim to Briar Cliff, effective immediately?” Brian Caruthers asked her sternly. “This isn’t a decision to make lightly, young lady. This is centuries of preservation we’re talking about. A heritage anyone can be proud of. ”
“Proud of?” She flicked the lawyer a glance before returning her gaze to her father’s silent face. “I’ve endured a physical exam every three months to prove my eligibility to hold Briar Cliff. My life, my every move is under scrutiny. I have no pride in Briar Cliff. ” There, she had said it.
She watched her father’s eyes widen marginally before they narrowed in censure.
“She has obviously broken the conditions and doesn’t want to admit it,” he finally snapped.
Kimberly smiled sadly. Somehow, she had known that would be his first defense. She reached into the briefcase she carried with her and pulled free the doctor’s report.
“I saw Dr. Morgan first thing this morning,” she said softly. “Here are the results of those tests. ”
She slid the paper across the table. She knew what it said. The hymen was still intact.
He slid the paper to the lawyer next to him.
“What are you up to?” he growled, his hazel eyes accusing, censorious. “A year ago you sneered in my face and swore I’d never live a night in ‘your’ home, as you called it. ”
Kimberly drew in a deep breath as she watched the man who should have been there for her graduation and wasn’t. Who should have cared the first time she was wounded during an assignment, but hadn’t. The man who should have shared in her joys and her fears, yet he never had.
“I wish I had been given the chance to love you,” she whispered then, ignoring the shock on his face. “I wish the Estate hadn’t stood between us, and that your own morality and beliefs hadn’t eroded what could have been, Father. I wish I could have been the daughter you needed, instead of the tool for revenge that you and Mother turned me into. ”
He paled. She watched his swarthy expression blanch and shook her head wearily.
“The Trust ends in five years, Ms. Madison,” Caruthers reminded her. “Whatever has fueled this decision can surely wait that long. ”
Make Jared wait? She didn’t have the patience.
“I have a life to plan,” she said firmly. “Briar Cliff won’t be a part of it, because after tonight, I’ll never pass another of those asinine exams. ” She flicked her fingers towards the report. “Five years is too long to wait to tell him I love him. ”
“No!” Her father’s hand smacked imperatively against the pristine polish of the table, the crack resounding around the room as Kimberly flinched at the fury of the sound. “I won’t allow you to make such a foolish decision. It’s Jared, isn’t it?” He sneered the name, his eyes piercing her with his anger. “The little bastard has somehow corrupted you…”
“Enough. ” Kimberly stood to her feet, pushing her chair back as she faced her father with her own growing anger. “You have it, Father. All of it. Content yourself with that. ”
“I won’t let you whore yourself to him and his friends,” he snapped, coming to his feet as well. “Do you think I don’t know he belongs to that depraved club?” he spat out. “That I’m unaware of his practices, his lifestyle. Are you insane, girl?”
She lifted her chin, staring back at him with a strength she had never known she possessed. His rages had always terrified her; his harsh words had never failed to rip through her heart. Now, she felt only sorrow, only pity that it had come to this.
“No, I finally found my sanity,” she said softly. “You can have the papers mailed to me, Mr. Caruthers,” she informed the lawyer. “My time here is finished. ” She turned back to her father, allowing her regret, a lifetime’s worth, to fill her face and her voice. “Goodbye, Father. ”
She moved away from the table, heading for the door, for freedom. She could feel her heart lifting, her soul becoming lighter with each step.
“Kimberly. ” Her father’s voice stopped her as she opened the door, imperative, demanding.
She turned back to him slowly, seeing so many things she had missed before. Her father had aged in the last six years. He was only fifty, but he looked much older, more bitter than she remembered.