Chapter Seven
Shelby
When I got back into the car after stowing my bag in the trunk, Dirk was just ending a call. And from the frown pulling at his features, he didn't seem too happy about the conversation. I didn't want to pry by asking, so I simply nodded when he curtly asked if I was ready to head home. I'm going to my new home. It was surreal, the thought that I wouldn't be returning to the only place I'd ever lived. I was too busy keeping myself calm to bother with the tension in the vehicle, and I doubted Dirk would appreciate me poking at him right then anyway. So instead, I settled back and pretended to sleep, hoping I'd actually get a bit of a nap.
* * *
"Shelby, darling, we're here." I had, in fact, fallen asleep, so it was with gritty eyes and a fierce yawn that I caught my first glimpse of the house.
That's not a house. It's a fucking mansion. Bet there's a whole wing where they hide the bodies of unruly peasants.
Really? That's all you've got?I snarked back at the jibe, shutting her up for a bit. Hopefully, anyway. Taking in the mansion, I gulped at the sheer size of the building waiting at the top of the paved, tree-lined drive. The grounds surrounding it were meticulous, the topiary pruned just so. There was even an honest-to-goodness fountain in the circular drive, with a naked cherub spouting the water from its mouth. Where the pavement ended, the shallow steps began. I couldn't be sure, but I thought they might be marble with their pale, veined appearance that matched the columns holding up the overhang. There was probably a pretentious name for the obviously fancy porch, but I didn't know it.
The extravagance continued throughout the face of the center portion and onto the twin wings that stood to either side like sentinels. The windows felt like eyes watching and lording over the mansion's surroundings, and even the tiled roof was as opulent as the rest. While I was busy trying to catch flies with my gaping mouth, Dirk cruised up to the shiny steps, barely parking before the carved wooden door opened to reveal a man with slicked-back hair, just graying at the temples, dressed in a severe black and white suit.
I was taken aback when he came up to my door and opened it with a bow. "Miss Tamblin, welcome to Rittenhouse Manor." The man held out a pale hand, and after a questioning glance back at Dirk, I put my own in it and allowed him to help me from the car.
"Thank you, Mister—?" I waited for him to answer, but Dirk had come around by then and clapped the man on the shoulder with a shout of laughter.
"Gerald! Shelby, just call him Gerald or Jerry. FYI, he knows everything, so bribe him well to keep your secrets."
Gerald scoffed with mock outrage, but it quickly turned into a grin. "I don't tell tales, Miss, but I do know quite a few things, part of the job description. Master Dirk likes to tease an old man, but please, call me Jerry." I surmised that he must hold the position of a butler, but I wasn't sure if that was what it was called anymore and didn't want to chance offending him by asking.
I felt a bit out of the loop with their teasing, but I expected it would be that way for a while until I became accustomed to the dynamics of the household. "Pleased to meet you, Jerry," I offered with a shy grin. "Dirk, could you open the trunk, please? I need to get my bag." Yet again, Jerry stepped up to assist.
"No need, miss. I'll take it up to your room while you get acquainted with the house and staff. Sir," Jerry addressed Dirk, "your father and brother will be in residence this evening, and Nina has already arrived." I swore there was a sneer in the last part regarding the woman, but as his back was to me, I couldn't tell for sure, and Dirk didn't seem fazed. I must have imagined it.
Barely been here five minutes and already going batshit.
It's been a stressful day, and I'm not Mama! The beginning of the old-ass argument that I'd end up crazy like my mother was interrupted by a solidly built man in slacks and a button-up. The stark white of the shirt set off his dark skin, and when he slipped the sunglasses off, his vivid green eyes captured my brown ones. I could have fallen half in lust with the man on the spot, had he not curled his lip in a knowing smirk until it widened into a full-on grin that exposed straight white teeth. But the expression didn't match the malice that abruptly appeared in his gaze. It startled me badly enough that I took a step back into an unsuspecting Jerry who had been crossing behind me.
"Careful, miss," he cautioned as he steadied me. When I turned my head over my shoulder, his mouth was turned down, with a troubled wrinkle on his forehead. "Don't cross that one, Miss Shelby," Jerry whispered. "Just best to stay out of his way."
Confused, I stepped away from Jerry, noticing that Dirk and the new man were having a hushed conversation a few yards away. Jerry was already entering the big house as I approached the men, and the big guy's attention immediately zeroed in on me, prompting Dirk to turn and hold out a hand in invitation.
"Darling, this is my bodyguard, Milo. He'll be around most of the time. I have to admit I've been playing a bit of hooky where he's concerned while we were courting." Tucked under his arm, I was able to pick up the muttered, "Another thing Father disapproves of."
I couldn't bring myself to hold out my hand, not wanting the behemoth to touch more than he already had with his cruel gaze, so I tipped my head in greeting with a demure, "Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise, ma'am." He tipped an imaginary hat in response, a smirk just teasing the corner of his lips.
Why is Dirk not noticing the way he's looking at me? Surely he could see what I did.
He still lives at the family estate. Betcha he can't wipe his own ass without Daddy's permission. And you, you ninny, were not on the approved list of activities. Use your brain, dumbass!
And how would you know? You're always bringing me down! Can't you just let me be? For once? Let me be free and stop tormenting me!
Surprisingly, it shut her up, but both men appeared to have noticed my spacing out, giving me varying looks of confusion and expectancy. I must have missed something. "Pardon? I'm still a bit struck by Dirk's idea of a house," I deflected to Milo while giving my fiancé a teasing side-eye. Awkward, maybe, but better than the truth, that I was arguing with myself.
"I was just asking Milo here if he knew who was to be assigned as your guard." At my frown, he elaborated. "You're marrying into a wealthy and influential family, Shelby. Can't have someone nabbing you off the street after a pedicure and sending ransom demands." My mouth guppied at the reasoning. It was sound, but callous as fuck. My glare preceded the scathing comment that burned in my throat, but Dirk doused it before it could escape. "I need you to be safe, darling. I can't contemplate you being taken from me." My anger deflated as I snuggled back into his side, completely ignoring Milo. The man unnerved me, and I'd decided to pretend he wasn't watching our every move.
Until he opened his mouth and forced me to at least hear him. "If you'd like to get a quick tour in, there's time, but your father will be arriving shortly. Or maybe just head straight to your suite so the lady can freshen up?" His tone and pointed stare indicated the latter would be his personal choice.
For the second time in as many minutes, I was pissed, and left with my mouth hanging open, catching flies. The slick barbarian was in for a rude awakening if he thought he could treat me like he'd stepped in a cow patty. Granted, he was dressed better than I was, but I was in no way dirty!
My tongue stayed firmly behind my teeth even though I leveled Milo with a scowl as Dirk took the initiative to lead me in. And then my anger dried up, replaced with awe. We were in what appeared to be a piece of art. Or maybe a museum. Marble was everywhere, and it paired well with the chandelier hanging above the honest-to-goodness staircase that sat center stage like it was straight from a fairytale. At each of the two floors above, balconies disappeared into walls, the wallpaper so rich I could see the texture from where I stood in stupefied silence.
"It's something, isn't it? I have to admit, I do get a kick out of seeing guests' expressions the first time they come in. It's like Scarlett O'Hara and Victorian lace had a love child, but somehow, it suits." The posh voice belonged to a thick woman with dusky skin and just a hint of a tilt to her eyes. But that could have been from the overly dramatic cat-eye makeup, or even the slicked-back, black hair in a severe bun. The woman beamed at us as she came forward with her hands out and heels tapping sharply on the floor. Her mouth was slightly too wide, her chin a tad too square to be more than passably attractive. "Master Dirk, it's lovely to see you again, and congratulations on your engagement." When she reached us, it was apparent all of her attention was for Dirk.