And then, with no other choice, I gripped silk and crystals and beads in my fingers and flew after him.
Chapter Seven
We’re Away
Maxine
I caught up with him because my skirt wasn’t tight this time, and the situation meant I was okay with running, something I had to do because his legs were so long and they swiftly ate up ground with his stalking, thus I had no choice.
He entered the drawing room with me on his heels, announcing, “As mad as it is, you were right, Father. She has a twin.”
Edgar’s gaze sliced to me.
But they…
Already suspected?
Oh my God.
This was a disaster.
“And her mother didn’t commit suicide,” Loren continued, words that made me stop in my tracks. “She’s still alive.”
“Make one more move to that door, Derryman, I won’t call Loren off this time,” Ansley warned.
I looked back at Dad-not-Dad, who was now stopped in his tracks on his way to the door.
He appeared both flipped out and fit to be tied.
But…
My mom from this world killed herself?
“I don’t know what he’s been up to or why,” Loren went on. “But the Maxine you met at the sanitorium is now being held captive, along with her mother, so this Maxine would be forced to return from Fleuridia and marry me.”
“You met my daughter?” Edgar asked Ansley, sounding horrified, so horrified, in those three words, he gave it all away.
I knew this with the glance Ansley shot at him before he spoke. “You were delaying,” the duke returned easily. “I’m not a man to be put off. I set some investigators on it. Found your daughter. Discovered the story of her horse accident and subsequent head injury. But we had a lovely few visits, as she is that. Although frozen in time at the age of six when she was hurt, she’s most lovely.”
Horse accident.
At six.
Head injury.
Okay, that explained a few things.
I wondered if Mom had figured that out yet.
“Is she Maxine?” Ansley asked Edgar, then nodded to me. “Or is this Maxine?”
Edgar pushed his nose in the air and stated, “You cannot hold me here. I’ll be away in the now. And you,” he sniped at me, “can be trapped here and live to your dying breath with your regret.”
He then made a move to leave.
This didn’t work out too well for him because, within about five seconds, his ass was in a chair and Loren was looming over it, glowering down at him.
I witnessed it, and except for seeing moves like that in movies, I’d never seen anything like it.
It…was…awesome.
“Do you wish to suffer the indignity of being tied to it?” he asked Dad-not-Dad in the kind of tone you’d ask someone if they wanted another glass of champagne.
Okay, not awesome.
Bad…freaking…ass.
“This isn’t to be borne!” Edgar shouted in return.
“You will speak when spoken to,” Ansley proclaimed and then said, “Ah, Eaton, again, so sorry, but we’re having a busy night. First, a cold compress for the countess. Second, please detain all of the count’s staff. If you must be creative in that endeavor, do so.”
Eaton, who weirdly seemed no stranger to such an order, assumed a look of contented excitement.
“Not Idina. She isn’t involved in this,” I put in. “She was only hired right before our trip.”
“Have a care with the maid,” Ansley agreed. “And last…” He turned his head to his son. “Loren?”
“Maitland,” Loren grunted.
An unusual but attractive smile spread on Ansley’s lips before he said, “And send for Maitland, urgently.”
Who was Maitland?
Eaton took off.
“Ummmm…” I hummed.
“Now, dear, are you Maxine, or are you named something else?” Ansley inquired of me.
Okay, things were happening fast here, and I had to think fast as they happened.
But it didn’t seem to sound crazy to them that I had a twin, though I was sensing they didn’t know about the parallel world, but Ansley had even met her. Also, they weren’t surprised Mom was around, though that was strange considering the mom of this world took her own life.
However, maybe…just maybe…
“Satrine,” I declared, giving them the name Mom nearly gave me. “My name is Satrine. I’m Maxine’s my twin sister.” I turned to Ansley. “And we need to find Mother and Maxine. It’s not nice, where he’s holding them, and he took Maxie out of her hospital, and she needs to go back as soon as possible.”
“Oh, my dear,” Ansley murmured sadly. “You’ve been enduring such a trial.”
I so totally had.
But there was no time to feel sorry for myself.
“I would like to go back to the city now, please.”
Ansley tetched and stated, “Of course. In a day, or two, we shall return—”
“No, really, now. Just, um, if you could, please get someone to bring a carriage around and Idina and I—”
Ansley’s brows flew together. “You don’t mean to go back to Newton on your own.”
Newton.
Newton was the name of that city.
Remember, Maxine, I mentally noted. Pay attention, listen, learn, and you might be able to pull this off.