Family_Ties_by_Lisa_Gray

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At just after nine-thirty on Monday morning, Evan arrived at the wrought iron gates in the wall surrounding the Carmody estate. Wondering if he and his tired Chevy might well be redirected to the back gate with the other tradesmen and servants, he reached out and pressed the buzzer long and hard. The security camera stopped its sweep of the gate and focused directly on him.

“May I help you, Sir?” came over the speaker.

“Evan Dwyer—here to see Mrs. Carmody.”

A moment of silence passed. Then the voice replied, “Yes, Mr. Dwyer. Please follow the drive up to the front door.”

The gates swung open silently. Evan couldn’t help but shudder as he passed through. Cameras, iron bars, stone walls. This place was a prison. He supposed when you had money, you needed all this crap to keep you feeling safe. Owning nothing worth stealing had always kept him free.

Evan drove slowly along the immaculate drive that skirted what would, anywhere else, qualify for a state park. Casting envious glances at the many inviting hollows, gardens, and shady nooks he passed, he wondered if Danny Carmody knew how lucky he was. Evan snorted. How lucky can the guy really be if he has to resort to blackmail to get a husband? He sighed and pushed down his simmering resentment yet again. He was here to do as he was told, like a good little boy. It would be foolish to alert the Carmodys to his intentions.

Finishing that thought, he rounded the last curve where the full impact of the Carmody mansion commanded his attention. A massive three-story stone building loomed over him, the tall, mullioned windows like darkened eyes. He winced as he got out of the car and studied the house. As an architect he could appreciate older styles, but his own work shied away from such heavy presence. His designs incorporated graceful, welcoming styles with lots of light, curved edges and open spaces. This structure had none of those things.

At Evan’s last visit to the Carmody mansion, he’d been nine years old—the year his father died. He’d never actually been inside—the annual family gatherings were held in the formal gardens behind the house. Guests, especially small boys, were expected to remain outdoors.

He had dreaded each time his mother dropped him off here. The other kids knew instinctively that Evan was an outcast and delighted in bullying him. He never told his mother about the abuse—he just couldn’t spoil it for her. She was so happy Evan’s father wanted contact with their son. Not that Evan saw much evidence of that—the man hardly ever said more than two words to him. After his father’s death, Evan had never been invited here again, thank God.

Until now.

And what an invitation this was.

Evan ascended the steps and was reaching to ring the bell when the door opened. A young woman in a crisp maid’s uniform smiled at him. “Mr. Dwyer, welcome.” She stepped back and ushered him in to the enormous foyer.

Evan glanced around. Gray marble floor. Curving staircase. Huge, round, three-tiered chandelier made of black metal and sleek wood. He smiled at the fleeting image he got of the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz dropping a similar chandelier on the Wicked Witch’s minions. Somehow it seemed appropriate.

“Please follow me. Mrs. Carmody has been waiting for you for some time now.”

Evan glanced at his watch as he fell in step behind her. “I’m actually a little early.”

The maid shook her head and advised him, “With Mrs. Carmody, it’s best to be a lot early. This way, please.”

She led Evan through a series of picture-perfect rooms and paneled hallways to a door at the rear of the house. She knocked and, giving him a small smile of encouragement, slipped away to return to her duties.

Evan heard a woman’s voice call for him to enter. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The far end of the room was bathed in green and blue colored light. Evan stole a quick glance and saw a large stained glass window depicting water lilies. It reminded him of mausoleums he’d toured outside of New Orleans.

Ignoring the lawyer who stood guard, Evan focused on Nessa Carmody, unrivaled queen of the Carmody family and all its holdings. Sitting behind a huge antique walnut desk, the slim, dark-haired woman watched him with sharp eyes. Her body language appeared relaxed, but precise. In Evan’s mind she looked like a spider, patiently waiting for her prey to deliver itself. And here he was.

Carl Reynolds spoke first. “Welcome, Mr. Dwyer. I’d like to present you to Nessa Carmody, your future mother-in-law, if everything goes as expected.”

Evan mentally cringed at that comment, but didn’t let his expression reveal his thoughts. He faced Nessa and nodded. “Ma’am.”

Her laser eyes were studying him intently. She made a motion with her hand towards the chairs in front of her desk. “Gentlemen, please be seated. We have much to discuss.”

Both men sat.

“I assume your presence here means you agree to the marriage and all its terms. Am I correct?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s right.” Evan hoped they couldn’t hear his heartbeat pounding louder and louder as he sat there lying his ass off, pretending to be calm.

“Excellent. I’ve asked Carl to be here in case you had any legal questions regarding the prenuptial agreement. I must confess, I’m surprised you didn’t bring your own legal counsel, but I assume you had adequate time to discuss the matter with your attorney. So, is there any portion of the agreement that we can clarify for you?” She slid a copy of the pre-nup across the desk to him.

Evan bit his tongue to stop from asking the obvious—what the hell gave her the right to do this to him. Instead he carefully pushed the document back towards the center of the desk and met her eyes. “No, Mrs. Carmody. I understand the provisions. I don’t have any questions.”

Despite Agent Jablonski’s orders to ferret out information, Evan just couldn’t prolong this meeting. He was no spy. His stomach was twisting. His nerves were stretched tight. If he didn’t get the hell out of here, he might just vomit all over her gleaming, antique desk.

Nessa actually looked almost flustered for a moment. Leaning forward, she spoke in a low voice. “You are about to enter into a marriage to a stranger to unite two families, one of which denied your existence for most of your life, and you have no questions?” She fixed her gaze on him.

Evan squirmed under the intense inspection and tried to catch his breath. The air was stale, and the dark furniture and dark carpet leached the light and life from the room. He had to end this.

So, dredging up his last reserves of aplomb, he answered as calmly as he could manage. “I believe the important questions should be reserved for my fiancé. No offense intended, ma’am.”

Expecting to be blasted for his impertinence, the even tone of her response surprised him.

“Evan, I don’t know you, but you seem like a decent man. And the information I have says you are honest, career-minded, a man who takes responsibility seriously. In short, someone I would likely choose for my son.” Her voice softened, taking on an almost pleading tone. “Evan, I want happiness for my son. And I hope he can find it with you. Please know I will do whatever I can to help.” She paused for a few moments, seemingly shoring up her control.

Evan was shocked speechless—it seemed the spider queen had a heart after all.

Then she leaned forward, and in a harsh voice that brooked no misunderstanding, said, “But you also need to know, if you hurt my son, nothing will save you from me.”

And a deadly bite.

“Mrs. Carmody, I have no intention of hurting your son. But this will be a marriage between Danny and me. It’s really up to us to make this work.”

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking I will have no influence over my son’s dealings with you. This is not just between you and Danny. When this marriage is finalized, the Dwyer family will be bonded irrevocably to ours. That’s the whole purpose, and it would be wise to remember that.”

Evan was silent. His opinions on the Dwyers were best not aired.

Nessa apparently took his silence as agreement. In a business-like tone, she continued, “Well, if there are no questions, let us finish this. Carl?”

The lawyer rose and arranged the pages of the prenuptial agreement in front of him.

Evan was proud his hand hardly shook as he signed and initialed all the pages where the lawyer indicated.

When he was done, Carl Reynolds and Nessa both signed as witnesses.

The lawyer gathered the papers into his briefcase. “Thank you, Mr. Dwyer. I’ll have a copy sent to you.”

“Carl, would you please let Danny know we’re ready for him? I’ll send Evan out into the fountain garden so they can have a bit of privacy.”

Reynolds nodded to his employer and left the room.

“Well, Evan, I’m pleased that’s settled. I think you must now be anxious to meet my son. If you go through the French doors behind you and follow the path to your left, you’ll come upon a fountain and a bench. We’ll send Danny to you there.”

Evan stood. Courtesy demanded he thank her, but the words stuck in his throat. “Yes, Mrs. Carmody,” was all he could manage. Evan exited through the French doors. Shutting them carefully behind him, he inhaled sharply and took several relieved breaths of fresh air. He was shaking as he followed the path to the fountain, fighting the urge to keep walking—no, running—until he was free of the estate.

The garden itself was lovely—filled with dozens of white tulips and purple hyacinths. Evan sat on the stone bench and, closing his eyes, inhaled deeply of the heady fragrance. Forcing his breathing into a calm, controlled rhythm, he turned his face towards the warmth of the sun and waited for his fiancé to arrive.