Page 18 of Secret Dynasty

“I’ll arrange for the car to take you to Westminster in plenty of time to arrive according to the Byrd’s schedule,” Giles said. “Will you be needing anything else?”

“That will be it.” I turned and dropped the diaries behind a pillow on the couch before waving Iris into the room. I couldn’t avoid her forever. Not while we lived under the same roof, but I didn’t need to share everything with her either. The trust we’d had — the friendship we had begun to form — was ruined. I would never look at her the same way again.

Iris surveyed me head-to-toe she came into the room as if checking to make sure I had all my limbs. She was dressed in black, an unusual choice for her. Usually, she wore creams and golds that set off the rich luster of her dark skin. But she was even more striking in black. The silk pantsuit moved like an extension of her. I couldn’t help but stare.

No wonder she didn’t wear black often. She’d probably cause traffic accidents.

“Getting ready for the funeral?” she asked as Giles took his leave.

I managed to turn my attention from her and regain my detached composure. “I suppose.”

She hesitated for a moment, obviously sensing the same tension stretching between us that I felt. “I came to see how you were doing. I thought you might be more comfortable talking if we were alone.”

“Why would I be more comfortable?” I asked coldly.

My words had the effect of a slap in the face. Iris took a step back before collecting herself and regaining her footing. “You have every right reason to be upset with me. Honestly, I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“By lying to me?” I asked her. “By helping Tod with this whole sham?”

“You have to understand. We were desperate,” she rushed to explain. “I see now that—”

“I don’t really care,” I stopped her before she could run through all her excuses. None of them mattered to me. None of them excused what she had done. The Belmonds only cared about their selfish arrangements and personal desires. “Isn’t the important thing that I’m here now?”

Her shoulders sagged, and, for a moment, I thought she was disappointed. Then, relief washed over her face. “All we’ve ever wanted was for you to be back home.”

“So you can marry me off to a total stranger? Geez, thanks,” I said flatly.

“If you are having second thoughts about Spencer—” Iris began.

“That’s not what this is about,” I cut her off again. “And it doesn’t matter. I have everything in order, so If you don’t mind, I need to get ready for the funeral.”

“Of course.” Defeat replaced her relief. “If you need to talk, I’m here.”

I knew she was extending an olive branch. She wanted to make peace. Part of me knew that she was telling the truth. She believed Tod. She was acting in my best interest in his warped version of the situation. But she had lied. She had stood by and let Tod build a cage around me and she had said nothing. She wasn’t my friend. She never could be now.

“Noted.” Then I turned my back on her. Just like she’d done to me.

Chapter Ten

There was security and then there was Royal family in attendance security. This was the latter. I hadn’t known what to expect when Giles escorted me into the rear entrance of Westminster Abbey. The service was over an hour away and few attendees had arrived. No one arrived early to funerals. Who would want to? Despite the lack of guests, there were several security officers asking questions, giving pat-downs, and doing other generally intimidating things. Of course, security officers seemed like a strange term for the collection of people assembled to secure the location. I waited for a tall, broad-shouldered black man to finish speaking with an older couple dressed in funeral clothes. After he dismissed them, he nodded to an older man before turning to speak quietly with a beautiful Indian woman. They were all gorgeous. Even the older man had a distinguished air about him. They looked more like they belonged in movies instead of feeling people up on their way to a funeral. When the two officers were finished talking, the woman smirked and my eyes widened when she looked over at me with interest.

Giles stepped forward. “Miss Kerrigan Belmond, Spencer Byrd’s fiancé.”

I waited, unsure what to do.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Giles said, “I must return to Willoughby Place to see everything is running smoothly.”

“Hey, Kerrigan,” the black man said, waving me over with a friendly smile like we were old friends. “We just have a few questions for you. No big deal. In fact, isn’t she the one…”

“The one what?” his partner asked.

“Didn’t Edward say something about somebody’s fiancé?”

She arched a perfect brow. “When did you talk to Edward?”

He bit his lip, his handsome face contorting with guilt.

“He’s coming,” he told her. “I was supposed to keep it on the lowdown. But he mentioned something about somebody’s fiancé.”