The Forced Wife

Chapter Five

They all entered the large house and found two older women ready to greet them. The eldest stepped forward, ‘welcome my little one, Gabrielle, please call me Grandmother’. She smiled warmly at them both, but Gabrielle felt there was something else behind her smile. She shook the feeling off, don’t be paranoid she thought, this woman has just lost her daughter. 

Daniel held his sisters’ hand now and hid behind her leg, ‘he’s a little shy’ she explained, ‘no I’m not’ came an indigent reply. 

‘This is Anna, she is our housekeeper, you’ve met Timo and the guys already, they will keep you very safe’ she said. She had an accent that Gabrielle struggled to place, her dark hair was starting to grey and it had been pulled back into a low bun and she wore a long black dress, it had been finely made. Anna was slightly younger; she was around thirty with kind eyes that crinkled when she smiled. Both women took in Gabrielle and Daniel. 

The Grandmother spoke again, stepping forward, she extended her hand to Jack, her movements were refined, and Gabrielle half expected her to teach finishing school. ‘You must be the famous Jack we have heard so much about’ she smiled again, but this was `a cold smile. Clearly one of her sons had told her about Jacks hostile attitude, ‘Anna will show you to your rooms.’ 

‘Thank you,’ Gabrielle said, ‘you’ve been so kind’ Grandmother smiled at Gabrielle, and Anna led the guests away.  ‘So this Jack has been a problem?’ she asked her eldest son, ‘not a problem we can’t sort out’ he said confidently. ‘Good, family comes first remember that Lucian. Gabrielle seems a. very pretty girl,’ she watched her sons reactions, Kade interjected, ‘she is indeed’. 

 Lucian offered no response and his face gave nothing away, ‘perhaps when the time comes for us to keep Daniel, we should consider her staying as well.’ Again her son didn’t not reply, ‘Kade and Daniel are getting along well’ was his only response, ignoring his mothers comments towards Gabrielle. 

Lucian needed to get back to work, ‘I have to go, Kade and I have some business to take care of mother, and we want to be home for family dinner’. His mother made a gesture with her hand dismissing them both. 

Timo had helped the other men unload the cars, ‘take their things to their rooms, help Anna, I don’t want her doing all the carrying or Mother will complain’ Kade ordered. When in the car he spoke to Lucian, ‘so that was weird in the restaurant’ he offered. 

Here we go, thought Lucian, he can’t resist talking about everything, ‘what was? The lobster thing, probably some weird power play. Doubt he’s ever eaten lobster in his life the stupid man’ Lucian answered. ‘No, I mean you eye f*****g Gabrielle the whole time, you didn’t even speak to Daniel you were too busy drooling’ he laughed, ‘not that I can blame you, that body man, and those eyes,’ Lucian grunted, ‘she is good looking I’ll give you that.’

‘He looks so much like her,’ Kade said softly, ‘Gabrielle?’ Lucian asked, ‘no Clare, just like her, all soft and sweet. Full of optimism and stuff, I missed that when she left. This time we’ll do it right Luce, we won’t lose him’. 

Lucian thought about his brothers’ words for the rest of the journey, he remembered his father’s reaction, waking to find his daughter had run away. He remembered how angry he had been, Lucian had never been so terrified. He had tried to shield Kade, their mother hadn’t looked surprised. She seemed to have expected her daughter to run. He shivered at the memory, sure Kade was replaying it as well. 

After settling into their room, Gabrielle and Daniel had decided to explore the house and garden a little. Their Grandmother had been fine with Daniels request that he and Gabrielle shared a room, she seemed understanding, and she had taken them around. ‘This here is Kades room’ she said, ‘don’t go in he is like a teenage boy, it’s full of messy clothes and smells like feet’ Daniel giggled and she caught her breathe, he sounded so much like Clare. But she couldn’t think about her daughter, the little girl that used to steal her make up and try and walk in her heels, the girl whose hair she would sit and brush in front of a mirror, or kiss softly as she fell asleep. The baby, she held in her arms, and promised herself she would do anything for, she had failed her as a mother, and tears filled her eyes, she blinked and they rolled down her face.  

Daniel hadn’t noticed, he was busy running about pulling Anna by the hand but Gabrielle had, seeing this she did a gesture that Grandmother would not have expected, she put her hand on the women’s arm, ‘I miss her too’ she said softly. ‘I don’t know why she left and I don’t know why she didn’t tell us about you, I wish had. But you should know something, she was an amazing mum to me and Daniel, and the only person she could have learnt that from was you’. 

Grandmother nodded, she was touched but the girls sweetness, she patted the top of her hand and continued walking, ‘Daniel please don’t run in the house it’s dangerous, you might fall over’ Gabrielle said when they had caught up with him, ‘but where should I run?’ he asked, ‘the garden’ his sister said, ‘but I might fall over there’ he answered cheekily, this made all three women smile. ‘But Daniels, gardens as made for running, jumping, climbing and falling over in’ his Grandmother said. 

‘can you show me the garden then?’ he asked, his big brown eyes meeting hers, her breathe hitched, ‘please’ Gabrielle interjected, ‘honestly your manners today have been something shocking, your poor Grandmother and Anna were think you were raised by wolves!’ 

‘it’s just the excitement if it all miss, what with the flight. Maybe he’d like to see the garden and go for a swim?’ Anna asked, she looked up at Grandmother as she did which Gabrielle noticed, Grandmother looked at Gabrielle, and she nodded, ‘we didn’t bring any swim things though’ she bite her lip, ‘maybe we could go into town and get some? Or he could swim in his pants?’ she asked doubtfully. 

‘No need to worry about that, me and Anna couldn’t resist buying him a few bits and you of course,’ they headed back to Daniel and Gabrielles room, opening one of the draws Anna produced several different swim shorts for Daniel, ‘we weren’t sure what size he or yourself would be miss so we bought a few’ she took out several swimming costumes and bikinis for Gabrielle, there was a huge range of sizes, colours and designs, ‘wow you really are so generous and throughtful,’ Gabrielle stroked them, she could see just from looking at them that they were all expensive, maybe designer she thought to herself.