Found (The Crescent Chronicles #3) Page 6

  I shuddered. “Way to freak me out before I go.”

  He took my hand to help me down from my stool. “I could always go with you…”

  “Oh wait. I just thought of something. I need a Pteron with me, don’t I? Do you think Hailey would mind coming?”

  “I already offered my services.”

  “If you came, and I say ‘if’ loosely, would you promise to give us space? Maybe give us some girl time?”

  “Girl time?” He laughed. “Sure, I’ll hang out with my grandpa.”

  “Wait, he’s still alive?”

  “Yeah…why wouldn’t he be?”

  “No one mentioned him. Helen said we were just going to see Georgina.”

  “That’s because Georgina runs everything. My grandpa just sits back and lets her do what she wants. He’s enjoying retirement.” Levi opened the door, and we walked out to his car.

  “All right, do you want to tell your mom, or should I?”

  He opened my door. “I will. Maybe she’ll spill more than you.”

  “There’s nothing to spill.” I felt guilty lying, but there was no reason to upset him. Besides, I had to find out the truth.

  Chapter Nine

  “What is he doing here?” I pointed at the figure leaning against the side of the car that would be taking us to Georgina’s. I was surprised when Levi told me we had to take a car with a driver, but supposedly his grandmother got mad when the family didn’t act like ‘their position required.’ I gathered using a chauffeur was the appropriate mode of transportation for a royal family.

  “Nice to see you too, Princess.” Jared smirked.

  “He was up for the trip. This way, if Grandpa falls asleep, I still have something to do.”

  “Great.” I moved to open my door, but the driver took care of it for me before I could react. He obviously wasn’t human—but he seemed even faster than a Pteron.

  Since four of us were going, we were taking an SUV with three rows of seats. I moved all the way back, not wanting Helen to have to climb so far.

  Levi slipped in right next to me. He reached over and buckled my seatbelt.

  “Just because we’re in the back seat doesn’t mean you need to buckle me in.”

  He smiled. “I just wanted an excuse to get close.”

  “Because sitting right next to me isn’t close enough?”

  “Nope. Definitely not close enough.” His lips hovered inches from mine.

  “You’re not going to try anything with your mom around, right? I don’t have to remind you of how incredibly inappropriate that would be.”

  “What about in front of my grandma?” He smirked.

  I shoved his arm. “Gross. Behave.”

  I turned to look out the window. I watched as Robert and Helen walked down their front porch. Robert said something and Helen turned to him and smiled. Despite how incredibly different their personalities were, they seemed so in love. I hoped that if Levi and I managed to pull things together and get married, we’d be that happy at their age.

  “What are you thinking about?” Levi leaned over to look out the window with me.

  “Your parents. Getting older. Whether we’ll still be in love.”

  He took my hand in his. “We’ll still be in love.” He said it so simply but it did something to me. I looked into his eyes and there was complete conviction.

  “I hope so.”

  “I’m just glad to hear you talking about us growing old together.”

  “Because you think about it all the time?”

  “Not all the time…but sometimes.”

  “Hi, Allie. Levi.” Helen ducked inside the car.

  I smiled. “Hi, Helen.”

  My jaw about dropped when Robert sat down next to her. What was he doing?

  As if he was reading my mind, he turned in his seat. “Hello, Allie. My schedule opened up, and I decided I’d make the trip to see my parents as well. I was surprised but thrilled that you were anxious to meet my mother.”

  I struggled to come up with a response, but Helen saved me. “Allie understands the importance of getting advice from the women who came before her. I think it’s admirable.”

  The look Robert gave me was a combination of suspicion and ‘I’m going to get you.’ So much for getting on better terms with my future father-in-law. I still couldn’t quite mesh this Robert with the one who got nostalgic about winning over Helen.

  Thankfully, Robert turned back around in his seat. Jared got into the passenger seat, and the driver took off.

  “You okay?” Levi whispered in my ear.

  I nodded. I wasn’t. What if Robert found out what information I was looking for? Whatever I was, I was positive Robert knew. He just didn’t want me to know. That just made it more important I find out. I didn’t have the energy to make conversation while Robert was listening. I went with the simplest solution. I moved Levi’s arm around my shoulder and leaned my head on him, closing my eyes.

  He kissed my forehead. “I guess I tired you out, huh?”

  I mumbled a yes without opening my eyes. I’d spent another night with him—I promised myself I’d stay in my dorm at least a few days the next week.

  Robert laughed. “I take it you two are enjoying the engagement present.”

  Levi stroked my hair. “Of course. It’s perfect.”

  “Good. Allie must really want to see Georgina to give up your first weekend in the new house,” Robert said with obvious sarcasm.

  Levi rested his hand on my shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll still enjoy ourselves this weekend.”

  That was right. I kept thinking we’d have separate rooms, but of course not. In his family’s eyes, we were already married. How in the world was I going to talk to Georgina alone?

  I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. Even the comforting rhythm of Levi’s heartbeat wasn’t enough to relax me. I’d gotten through the week thinking I had a plan, now I was left with nothing. I couldn’t give up. If it were humanly possible, I’d find a way.

  ***

  The Laurent country house, or at least that’s what they called it, was only a few hours away from New Orleans, but it might as well have been a different world. The drive up to the house took us through a spectacular alley of oaks. My eyes were glued to the window, and I appreciated how slow the driver was going so I could enjoy the view. And that was just the driveway. Surrounded by acres of land, the mansion could have come straight out of Gone with the Wind. The houses in the city were gorgeous, but the setting added even more to this one.

  “Impressive, huh?” Jared gave me a hand to help me down from the car even though I didn’t need it. I glanced around to see the reason for the unnecessary gesture and discovered it instantly. Levi was already embracing a striking woman. She was tall, with a head full of silvery gray hair. Noticing me, she pulled away from Levi.

  “And this must be your Allie.”

  Clearly I wasn’t going to correct the matriarch of the Laurent family for calling me Levi’s like he owned me or something. I was going to just have to let it go.

  “Hi, Mrs. Laurent. It’s wonderful to meet you.” I held out a hand.

  She accepted the handshake, and she definitely didn’t correct my formal greeting. “Pleasure.” She turned to Levi. “I understand why you chose her. I’m sure she keeps you very entertained.”

  What? Had Levi’s grandmother just hinted about our sex life?

  “Justin, would you mind helping the driver with their bags?” She moved her hands flippantly at Jared.

  I struggled to keep down a snicker as Jared nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Levi shook his head. “Grandma, you know his name is Jared.”

  She retied a light pink sweater around her shoulders. “I can’t be bothered to know the name of every Pteron in New Orleans.”

  If Jared was annoyed by the treatment, he didn’t show it. He grabbed the bags the driver couldn’t manage.

  “Allie, Helen, why don’t we go inside and let the men do what men
do.” She linked one of her arms with mine and the other with Helen’s. This woman was something else.

  I glanced over my shoulder to catch Levi’s eye. He grinned at me and shrugged.

  Georgina led us through the entry way and all the way to the back of the house. We stepped down into a sunroom.

  “Sangrias for everyone,” Georgina said to a male servant I didn’t notice until I was already seated in a high back chair positioned to look outside. Georgina was seated next to me, with Helen on her other side. Evidently she liked to be in the middle.

  No one said anything until we each had a drink. “Thank you,” I said quietly as the guy who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me turned to leave.

  He gave me a terse smile before leaving the sunroom and closing the doors behind him. I’m sure it wasn’t fun to work for Georgina.

  “Are you keeping my grandson satisfied?”

  I coughed as the first sip of my sangria went down the wrong tube. That had been happening with increasing frequency lately.

  “Georgina, I don’t think that’s an appropriate question—” Helen started.

  Georgina interrupted. “Nonsense, the girl can answer.”

  I recovered enough to take another sip. I was going to need it. “I think so.”

  “You’re done playing with him, then? You’re done treating the future king as though he’s nothing more than a boy?” Her voice was hard, rough, and icy all at once.

  I wanted to disappear. She knew? “Levi and I have had our differences, but I never treated him—”

  “Don’t waste your breath. I know exactly what you did. I’d blame it on your age, but I was younger than you when I met Harold.”

  I needed to be respectful, to nod my head. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you need someone’s help. But I couldn’t. “Did Harold trick you too?”

  She turned to me with a steely expression. “No. He didn’t. I would never have gone to bed with a man unless I knew it was for life.”

  I got chills. “Excuse me? Are you implying I am somehow to blame because I chose to sleep with him?”

  “I’m not implying anything. I’m saying it.”

  “Well, I’m saying you’re wrong. What Levi did to me was horrible. I’ve forgiven him, I love him, but that doesn’t change what he did. My reaction was normal, perfectly normal.”

  “I don’t care what happened before. You’re going to make my grandson happy, and you’re going to be a proper queen.” She folded her hands in her lap.

  Helen put a hand on her mother-in-law’s arm. “Georgina, there’s no reason to be upset. That’s exactly why we’re here, isn’t it, Allie?”

  “Yes. Now that Levi and I have moved past our personal problems, I’m ready to learn more about my responsibilities.”

  Georgina let out a dramatic sigh. “Finally, a rational thought.”

  I bit my tongue to keep my mouth shut.

  “You have good posture, and you hold yourself well. Who taught you that?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s a simple question. Girls of your generation do not carry themselves that way unless they’ve been taught.”

  “My mother.”

  “Is she from an esteemed family?”

  “No, but she was a model.”

  “Oh, I see. Your father is the one with the money, then?”

  “I don’t see how my family’s finances have anything to do with my role as queen?”

  “Everything about you does. Being Queen of The Society isn’t merely a job. It’s not a line for your resume as you young people seem to say these days. Being queen is a role, a life, one that you will keep until your own son and his mate are ready to take over.” She sipped her drink. I decided to hold my tongue, I assumed there was more. “Your childhood family background, their secrets, their mistakes can hurt our family—your new family.”

  “My dad’s in business.”

  “Yes, I know. He purchased the Crescent City Hotel, but that doesn’t tell me where the money comes from.”

  “It was his father’s business first. He built it from the ground up.”

  “Where is your grandfather from?”

  “He was born in New York. That whole side of my family has lived there since they came over from London in the 1800s.” For once, my nerdy need to know everything about my family history was coming in handy.

  “And your mother’s family?”

  “She’s more mixed. I think—”

  Georgina didn’t let me finish. “Is any of her family Russian?”

  “Yes. My great grandmother was from some small town. I think it’s called Penza.”

  “Penza, really?” Her eyes widened.

  “I’m guessing you’ve heard of it?”

  “I have a friend from there, that’s all.” She stiffened. “Have you given any thought to what your goals will be during your reign?”

  “My goals?” Currently my only goal was to get Jess away from my insane ex-boyfriend and the rest of the Blackwells.

  “Yes. I worked to get women more actively involved in The Society.”

  “But no—” I stopped just in time. I was about to say no women were actively involved. The leadership was completely male dominated.

  Georgina glared at me. “What were you about to say?”

  “But no one told me I needed a platform or anything.”

  “I’m telling you now. Helen has been working on education—what do you plan to do?”

  “Inter-family relations.” I wasn’t sure what I was getting at, but I worked it out as I spoke. “So many of the problems we have now could have been avoided if the major Pteron families spoke more.”

  “And you’ve reached that conclusion based on what evidence?”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard about my high school boyfriend?”

  “Yes, unfortunately.” She scowled.

  “If the Blackwells and Laurents had open lines of communication, we could just tell them to back off because I already belong to Levi.” I wanted to cringe, but I pretended I was talking about my heart. That did belong to him.

  “I hope you aren’t planning to open those lines of communication yourself.”

  I gripped the arm of my chair. “Of course not. That’s for the king to do.”

  Georgina smiled for the first time. “That’s right. So your part would be to reach out to the women of the other families.”

  “Exactly, and maybe get the kids together. If they grow up friendly…”

  “I like it.” Helen spoke for the first time in a while. “It fits you, and I know you’ll do a fantastic job with it.”

  “We’ll see.” Georgina leaned back in her chair.

  “Have the major families always fought?” The more I thought about it, the more obvious the root of the problem seemed.

  When Georgina didn’t respond, Helen did. “No. We used to get along fine. Things fell apart about twenty years ago.”

  “Oh…that recently?”

  Georgina abruptly changed the subject. “Helen, have you organized the trip yet?”

  “The trip?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

  “To Paris. You need clothing that suits your position.”

  “What’s wrong with my clothes?” I looked down at my jeans and sweater. And even so, why go to Paris?

  She ignored my question. “You also need to see the family estate while you’re in France. You need to see our history.” She turned to Helen. “On second thought, don’t worry about planning the trip. I’ll take her myself.”

  My stomach dropped. A trip to Europe with this woman sounded horrible.

  Helen shifted in her seat. “Either way, it will have to wait until after the ball.”

  “Of course. I assume you’ve had her dress started?”

  “It’s almost done.” Helen smiled.

  “You aren’t doing it yourself.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I am.” She held up her chin. I could tell it took some e
ffort for Helen to stand up to Georgina. I understood completely. Georgina was intense.

  “Playing around is fine, but not when it comes to her dress for this occasion. You can save that one for another time. I’ll have my seamstress measure her this afternoon.”

  “No.” I refused to hold my tongue this time. “I love the dress Helen made me. It’s perfect, and Levi’s going to love me in it.”

  I thought Georgina was going to snap at me, but I could have sworn I saw a look of actual respect cross her face. “If you’re sure it will please him.”

  “It will.”

  “I’m glad to see you understand the importance of his opinion.”

  I nodded.

  “As lovely as this chat has been, I’m going to lie down before dinner. Allie, why don’t you have Levi show you the grounds? I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

  Without any other warning, she got up and left. I turned to Helen. “Wow.”

  “Wow is right.”

  Chapter Ten

  “How’d it go?” Levi waited for me with arms wide open as I stumbled out of the sunroom. I say stumbled because I was still somewhat shocked by the whole experience.

  “Hold me.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I had a hunch that might be your response. Do you want to be held here…or?”

  “Georgina told me to have you show me the grounds.”

  He got a funny look on his face. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

  “This isn’t a trap, right?”

  “A trap? Would I ever trap you?” He grinned. “Don’t answer that.”

  I laughed. It was a testament to how much had changed that I was able to laugh at that statement. “Give me two minutes.”

  He must have caught me glancing around and figured out what I was looking for. “The bathroom is the third door down that hallway.”

  “Thanks.”

  I used the bathroom but lingered a moment longer to look at my reflection in the mirror. I looked different. Maybe it had been awhile since I’d really looked at myself, but I appeared older, more worn. I wondered if Levi noticed the difference. I definitely felt different—especially with how tired I’d been. Add in the headaches, and it had been a rough few weeks physically.