Buying Him, page 13
‘No,’ he said, his voice far deeper than before. ‘But, er, what I meant was, what if we can’t, you know, have children?’ He wasn’t the most articulate, she surmised, but he had a good point, and she wanted to praise him for asking the right questions.
‘Then I get nothing. But,’ she hastened to add as a dawning horror crept over his face and he made to speak. ‘We’ll have five whole years from our wedding day to try. During that time, I will get a monthly stipend and I will ensure that there is a substantial amount put aside for you from that as a fall-back just in case.’ She gracefully reached for her handbag from beside her feet and searched for her compact and lipstick. When she found them, she glanced towards Cormac who was stared at her, frowning.
‘But if there’s something else you’d like? I mean, whatever I can do to make this easier on you. And James.’
‘I want him in a good school-’
‘I was thinking Highbourne Academy.’ She opened the compact and twisted her lipstick up. ‘Usually, admissions for the new school year are sorted well before now, but I’m sure they’ll be begging for James as soon as they see his scores.’
‘I also want James taken care of. If this doesn’t work out, I want it guaranteed that he’ll have his education provided all the way through university, that he won’t go hungry or cold again, and that he’ll always have a proper roof over his head, even if…’
She paused mid-application of her lipstick, stunned by his words. She had known they weren’t in a good place, but exactly how bad had their situation been? How often had the pair gone without food or heat? The report did say the duo had lived in several addresses over the years, but she hadn’t considered that perhaps they’d been moving down rather than along the property ladder.
‘Even if what?’ she probed, the compact in her hand dropping to her lap forgotten as she realised he’d trailed off. His lips closed shut and his eyes downcast as a frown marred his face. Cormac took a deep breath through his nose, unwilling to meet her gaze.
‘Even if I can’t be with him, even if it means I have to give up parental rights to him, I won’t have him shown he can have everything only to have it snatched away again.’
Victoria didn’t know what to say, or how to react. She couldn’t believe he’d give up his brother just to ensure James had access to things she’d taken for granted over the years. Victoria sat back in her seat and really took in the man at her side.
She’d always considered herself a good person. She knew her position came with privilege and she’d tried to never abuse it, never hold it over someone, to be the face of charities and good causes to encourage others to think about them, donate to them… But she’d never actually thought about the people being benefited by them. People like Cormac, someone who was so good at heart, he’d saved her life and never even thought of the chance of reward, even though he was on the verge of losing everything.
Or people in a more dire situation. She merely showed up at some fancy event, smiled and waved, gave a little prepared speech sent over by the charity that Kirstie would tweak, and then patted herself on the back for helping people as she was chauffeured back to her life of luxury at Renfrew Hall.
‘Cormac,’ she said slowly. ‘Just how bad is your current situation? Say I hadn’t made you this offer; how would you have been coping in a week or a month? Where would you be next year?’
‘I— I had a little bit of luck recently.’ He dropped his gaze from hers and plucked at the fabric of his jeans. ‘My boss heard about my rent arrears and paid them off for me this morning as a thank you for doing my civic duty by rescuing you.’
‘Wow,’ Victoria said, her smile slowly returning. ‘That’s… That’s great! Is that why you didn’t seek me out?’
Cormac shook his head. ‘No, no. I wasn’t expecting it. He just told me last night and sent me the money this morning. I sorted it all out with my landlord just before you arrived.’
‘Oh, I am glad.’
‘But…’ He trailed off and stared at the divider in front of them. Victoria could see he was carefully considering his words.
‘Cormac, you can tell me, there’s no shame in being in whatever position you were in.’
He cast her a disbelieving look, but took a deep breath and said, ‘If he hadn’t given me that money, then in a week I’d have been homeless—my landlord had sent me an eviction notice recently—and if I couldn't find a place within a few days, social services would have removed James. In a month, I’d have been living in my car, and in a year…’ He let out a dry bark of a laugh that held no amusement. ‘I’d have probably been on the streets somewhere, if I wasn’t dead.’
Victoria swallowed. She didn’t doubt the truth in his words. When she spoke, her words were but a whisper.
‘Then I’m glad I made this choice, despite those against it.’
‘Me too, princess.’
This time, she didn’t correct him. Instead, she reached out and put her hand over his fidgeting fingers. He held on so hard, like a drowning man struggling to cling to life, Victoria thought as they raced through the streets towards their future.
She’d ensure he never had to step foot in water again, never mind keep his head above it.
‘The solicitor we’re about to meet, Mr Daven, is supposedly the best in the country,’ Victoria began as soon as the lift doors slid shut and they began their quick ascent up into the heart of Avalone’s tallest building, The Heights. ‘I say supposedly because he was my father’s solicitor but has never served the Crown.’
Of course, because her grandfather would snag all the best lawyers and doctors and whatnots for his own use, Cormac figured. Although, it wouldn’t have surprised him for someone like Patrick Snape to bag the best and brightest for himself either. After all, rich people were all the same, title or not.
‘Daven will know that this isn’t a marriage for love, so we don’t need to pretend to be romantic.’ That was a bit of a relief, Cormac realised. It was one thing thinking of the mechanics of what they’d need to do, and another thinking of the emotional aspect. 'Of course, it’s a different matter to the rest of the world.’
‘The world?’ he repeated.
She gazed up at him, her caramel eyes softening as she caught his confused expression.
‘Well…’ She sounded a little hesitant, as if she knew she was about to drop a bomb on him. But what’s one more? his brain mocked. ‘Even though I’m not a major member of the Royal Family, I am going to be the first of the King’s grandchildren to get married. It will cause a bit of a storm here and, I imagine, around the world. As such, the King will surely be advised to make it a big deal which means he will make it into a big deal.’
‘Wait,’ Cormac interrupted. ‘Is he going to be there?’
‘Who? The King? Well, yes.’
Cormac’s mind stuttered at that. He, Cormac Blake, a lowly, soon-to-be-unemployed ex-stripper was going to meet the King of Avalone? It sounded completely ridiculous. A tale in a silly romance novel—or a B-rated movie—not real life.
‘If I wasn’t the eldest of the royal grandchildren, I’d have got away with him not attending—his decision, of course. But as the one who always had to be the first to marry, he was always going to feature in the day. No matter my wishes. My sisters, of course, will be much luckier in that regard.’
‘I have to meet the King.’ His voice was barely a whisper. ‘Shit.’
Victoria made to speak when the lift came to a stop and a ping sounded to say they had reached their destination. ‘We’ll talk about it later, just’—she pulled a grimace—‘don’t speak unless you have to and, please, think carefully about your choice of words. I have no idea who Daven reports to or where his loyalties lie.’
‘Okay.’ She must have heard the deflation in his voice, as she offered him a hint of a reassuring smile before her face changed again, smoothing out all emotion, her chin lifting ever so slightly as she pulled her shoulders back and stepped off the lift as the doors slid completely open. If Cormac hadn’t seen her at her most vulnerable last week when confusion, fear, anger, bravery, and determination had raced through her, he’d have thought her a cold, heartless wretch. If he hadn’t heard her plead—almost begging—with him that afternoon, he’d have assumed she thought herself above everyone with the way she held herself.
The couple—and that was a strange thought—walked the few paces towards the large ornate doors that were so intricately carved Cormac figured they probably cost more than his whole block of flats.
A man at the side of the doors stepped forward when Victoria stopped before them, and pushed the doors open before standing aside to let them through. Cormac noticed she didn’t even acknowledge the doorman and wondered if she’d be like that every time they were in public. A sinking feeling within the pit of his stomach formed at such a thought.
The guy was probably no better off than Cormac was. He’d been a bellboy when James was just a baby, and lifting the heavy bags was a good workout for him when he couldn’t afford the gym any longer. The doormen at the hotels he’d worked at had lived in tiny apartments, often alone after losing their spouses. It was a job they did thinking they’d meet people and not be so lonely any longer. People like Victoria—or at least the way she was acting—only seemed to exacerbate the loneliness with their high and mighty attitudes.
Would she expect him to act the same way?
She’d said they had a lot of work to do on him…
‘Lady Snape,’ a woman behind a desk, as ornate as the doors, said with a false warmth in her voice as she dipped her body slightly when Victoria approached her. Cormac resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the display. ‘Mr Daven said to show you through immediately. Please, this way.’
They were led in silence down several corridors by the well-dressed receptionist before stopping outside of another set of double doors. These didn’t have the intricate artwork of the entrance, but Cormac could still see they were solid wood, very heavy, and extremely expensive. He’d bet his left testicle they cost more than his rent for a year. Easily.
The woman knocked and without waiting for an answer, pushed open one of the heavy doors and ushered them inside.
‘The Lady Snape and her… guest, sir,’ the receptionist announced, her eyes sliding to Cormac as she emphasised the word guest as if waiting for him to correct her.
‘Thank you, Roxanne. That will be all.’ An old man struggled to his feet from behind a desk so large, Cormac reckoned at least ten people could fit around it. What the hell did someone do with a desk so big? The guy didn’t even have a computer monitor on it!
‘My lady.’ The old solicitor dipped his head to acknowledge Victoria’s status as she moved towards him and took a seat without waiting to be asked. Cormac, however, stood patiently, waiting to be acknowledged but it never came.
‘Cormac, darling, come, join me.’ Victoria patted the chair next to her as Mr Daven eased his elderly body back into his chair. Cormac wondered how old the man was—surely someone of his age should be retired by now?
‘And who are you, boy?’ the man snarled, glaring at Cormac over the rim of his glasses.
‘You will address my fiancé with the same courtesy as you afford me,’ Victoria snapped. The man’s eyes slid from Cormac to the woman at his side, and Cormac saw the twitch in Daven’s jaw as he bit back whatever words he really wanted to say to the woman before him.
Instead, he muttered, ‘My apologies, ma’am.’
‘Not to me, to him.’
The solicitor smiled, a twisted, reluctant thing before he turned to Cormac and offered him the smallest of nods he could get away with.
‘We’re playing the royal in full today, are we?’ the solicitor asked as he sat back in his chair and assessed the pair, but his tiny eyes finally landed on Victoria. ‘Far different from the last time we met.’
‘The last time we met, I was in mourning.’
‘Yes, and I have to say, you’ve recovered remarkably well and rather quickly.’
‘Hey!’ Cormac interrupted the man. ‘Some people aren’t able to take the time they need to mourn their losses properly. So, don’t you-’ Victoria’s hand reached out to him, gently grasping at his forearm. He looked from the elegant, well-manicured hand up a slender arm, to Victoria’s kind and gentle face. Her eyes spoke of understanding and gratitude at his comment, but her fingers flexing gently against his arm reminded him of where they were. He took a breath and sat back in his seat.
‘Apologies,’ he muttered, feeling the heat in his cheeks. They only burned hotter knowing he was going bright red. The other man continued to stare at him, and Cormac desperately tried not to squirm in his seat and failed.
‘As I said, Cormac is my fiancé. I’m here to announce our intention to marry and complete the required paperwork to officially declare it.’ She said it so matter-of-factly, it was almost as if it had always been the case. To give Mr Daven his due, he barely reacted. If his milky blue eyes hadn’t briefly flickered to Cormac, Cormac would have wondered if the man had heard her at all.
‘I haven’t seen him in the papers,’ the solicitor said.
‘You’ve been keeping track of me.’ It wasn’t a question.
‘I’ve kept abreast of your situation, yes,’ Mr Daven agreed as he picked up a pen in his hand, avoiding her gaze.
‘And my sisters?’
The man twirled the gold pen between his fingers and licked his shrivelled, dried lips, before answering. ‘I am aware of certain things.’
Cormac wondered what those things where. He hadn’t really thought about how Victoria’s sisters were all in the same situation; were any of them involved with anyone? Would they be able to avoid having to go through what Victoria was having to do to secure her fortune? Although, with Victoria being the eldest, he assumed they’d have a lot more time than she’d been given.
‘I see,’ Victoria said, crossing her legs as she shifted in her seat and pressed her red painted lips together. Cormac could see she was debating saying something more, but it was a momentary thing, and, as if it made no difference to her what the man knew about her sisters, she proceeded with going through the legalities.
‘While I don’t have a legal mind, Mr Daven, I have read through the terms and conditions of the will repeatedly and at no point does it say that I must marry someone that I love.’
Her words seemed to intrigue the solicitor, who leaned forward, arms resting on the desk and his pen stilling in his hand. ‘I don’t think those words were used, no,’ he agreed.
‘As far as I understand it, the long and short of it is that I need to marry before I reach thirty-five and that said husband must sire a child with me, through natural means within five years of that marriage.’
‘Yes.’
‘Then Mr Blake here, has agreed to be my husband and to have children with me, if we’re so blessed.’
‘Has he now?’ Mr Daven finally turned his gaze on Cormac.
‘Um, yeah,’ Cormac said, nodding his head.
‘Now, regarding the Trust side of things.’ Victoria ploughed on, not allowing the solicitor a chance to grill him or question the matter, for which Cormac was grateful. He had no idea how she was coming off as so relaxed about the whole thing; he just wanted to jump up and start shouting that this was madness, complete and utter madness! But listening to the two of them discussing the issue, it appeared completely normal; was this how things were done in their world? Were marriages still gateways to bigger fortunes and securing family names? Why the hell was he getting on board this train to crazy town?
‘I have agreed to pay Cormac twenty percent of my inheritance in return for marrying me and siring a child with me.’
God, she made it sound so much like a transaction. Not that it was anything but, really. It didn’t matter if he found her attractive—incredibly so—or if his hands itched to touch her, or that he was desperate to know what her kiss would taste like; this was all strictly business.
Still, it hurt to be discussed as if he were a stallion for sale. Prized or not.
‘That’s incredibly generous of you,’ the solicitor said, finally putting the pen down and sitting up straight. He looked ten years younger the moment it became all business. Cormac admired that passion for something before the man turned his penetrating eyes on him, and he suddenly felt ten years old again, being called in front of the headmaster.
Cormac shifted in his seat guiltily. Did the solicitor know the deal he’d made with O’Malley? There had been no witnesses to hear their discussion. They’d only seen the two talking. And nothing was written down…
The older man narrowed his already tiny eyes at Cormac. ‘Perhaps there’s a little room for negotiation?’
Cormac had to stop himself from sighing with relief. He was focused on the money and to be fair, with the amount she’d told him he’d be worth after their marriage, Cormac knew she could have got him for less. Twenty-five million crowns! He’d almost fainted, hearing such a figure. He’d have done it for half the amount. Hell, she could have offered him a million slivers, and he’d have done it. As long as James was taken care of, that was all that mattered.
‘No, there is no negotiation,’ Victoria said firmly, before he could even open his mouth. ‘That is what I offered as I feel that it is a fair price for Cormac to relinquish what could be up to five of the best years of his life. He’s also having to give a part of himself to me, and, if I didn’t think you’d have me put through the courts questioning my sanity, I’d have offered him fifty!’
‘Million or percent?’ Cormac asked, half joking, half serious. Victoria turned and he could see she was trying to bite back a smirk, knowing full well what he was doing.
‘Percent,’ she told him.
He whistled. ‘That’s a whole lot of crowns.’
‘As is twenty-five million,’ Mr Daven reminded them. His face was scrunched into a frown as he stared at Cormac across the desk.
‘Quite.’ Victoria agreed. ‘Now, I need some paperwork drawing up that is very clear and easy to understand and can’t be disputed in court. It clearly needs to state that Cormac and I are to marry and as long as I inherit my share of my father’s estate, Cormac gets twenty percent of it.’
