Page 35 of Dagger’s Shield

Every word of it was true. The engagement was the only lie.

“I cannot wait to sit in my garden in May and see you marry him.” She cupped my cheek. “And that means we have a wedding to plan.”

Later, while she rested, I called her doctor’s office and booked the first appointment they had, which was on the Monday after Christmas.

When that was taken care of, I walked across the courtyard to the winery.

The office was at the far end of the building, past the tasting room. The door was propped open, and Rémy sat behind the desk.

“Tell me you’ve come to rescue me,” he said.

“From what?”

“The co-op wants the books closed before January. Every year, they ask for it earlier. Soon, they will want it in August.”

I moved a stack of catalogs off the chair across from the desk and sat down.

“I came to ask you for a favor, and I’d like you to hear all of it before you answer.”

He turned to face me. “That is never a good beginning.”

“While I’m home, I want to learn more about the business.”

“Which part of it?”

“All of it.”

He didn’t laugh, which I appreciated more than he could have known. “Of course.”

“Thank you. I know Papa made it difficult for you by putting you in charge of what is, in essence, my inheritance. I’ve never held that against you.”

“I know you haven’t.”

“Merci, Rémy.”

“De rien, cousine.”

We both stood, and he kissed the top of my head the way he had since I was fourteen.

“We’ll start tomorrow, then?” I asked.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

When my mother woke, she asked Marthe to find me, and we spent the rest of the afternoon making plans for a wedding that would never happen. The guilt of what I was doing made my heart hurt.

By the time I dressed for dinner, my emotions were raw and I doubted I’d ever have a wedding of my own. Planning one that wasn’t real was exhausting enough. I would never have the energy for the real thing.

Dagger was buttoning his cuffs when I came in.

“How was your afternoon?” I asked.

“Rémy talked for six hours straight. How was yours?”

“We planned a wedding all afternoon. Flowers, linens, whether I’ll wear white or ivory.”

“Did you leave anything for me to do?”

“You will stand at the end of the aisle and be on time.”