The Secret Society

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

EPOV

Ella's POV

The following evening, when I arrived home from work, well, I say work. I had sat there the whole day contemplating where Evan and I were heading.

Had he really been meeting Lucy because of the affection between Henry and me, or had he been meeting her for a brief fling?

After a long eight hours, I came home and realised it was time to call it a day.

The last five months had taken their toll on me.

On us.

This was the final straw.

As I walked in, I went straight to the bedroom and started packing Evan's clothes.

It was time.

I couldn't have him in my life anymore.

I was twenty-three and he was no longer worth loving.

Once I had packed his clothes, I left them beside the door, waiting for his arrival.

I was hoping he would simply pick them up and go.

I only hoped I was right.

One hour later...

No Evan.

Two hours later...

Still no Evan.

Three hours later...

Had the bastard worked out what I was planning?

Four hours later...

I called him, ready to scream at him, but there was no answer.

Five hours later...

If he was with that woman again, he was a dead man.

Six hours later...

I was at boiling point.

I seriously considered going to Caius and telling him the truth just so Evan would get a good roughing up.

Then I felt guilty thinking about Henry.

I wouldn't want him being hurt because Lucy had been physically punished.

Six hours and twenty-three minutes later, I heard the front door open.

I was ready to punch Evan's face into oblivion.

I ran towards the door just as Evan practically fell through it.

He was covered in more bruises than a wrestler, blood covered almost every part of his face and his clothes were torn to shreds.

"Oh my God, Evan, what the hell happened?"

He looked so fragile and dazed that my heart skipped a beat.

"Ell..."

He could barely speak.

I grabbed his arm and wrapped it around my neck, helping him towards the sofa.

"Evan, please. What happened?"

"Beaten up, Ells. I thought that was fairly obvious."

Then he c****d a smile.

I completely lost it.

I burst out laughing.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

I think it may have been hysteria. I couldn't be entirely sure.

"Were you mugged?"

It was the only question I could think of.

"I think so."

"You think so?"

He definitely had a concussion.

"I was walking home, Ells. Then I was dragged into a car, taken to some warehouse where I was beaten with a crowbar."

I felt sick.

"What did they say?"

"Consider yourself warned. Next time you won't be so lucky."

Evan lowered his head.

"The Society."

That was all I could manage.

They were good.

They obviously watched every single thing we did.

This must have been the first time Lucy and Evan had met outside the Society. I was pretty sure they would have done this to them earlier had they been meeting regularly.

"I would pretty much say so," Evan whined.

And then the next words that came out of my mouth were probably completely wrong.

But I wasn't thinking clearly.

"Yeah, pretty much regretting signing that bloody novel of a contract right about now, aren't you?"

Evan's eyes widened.

Then he burst out laughing.

I joined him a few seconds later.

We spent the evening in A&E, where Evan was diagnosed with three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and an aching body from head to toe.

Wednesday evening, I called Claire to let her know Evan and I would not be attending Thursday evening.

He was still incredibly stiff.

From the tone in Claire's voice, I was pretty sure she knew exactly what had happened.

That irritated me.

Her words of, "You MUST come Saturday then," caught me off guard.

What about offering us one of our sixteen weeks' holiday?

She was a b***h.

"We'll be there," I snapped.

Just out of principle.

And Evan deserved to be in a little pain.

It was less severe than what I had been put through.

---

The Following week

We pulled up to the mansion and the butterflies immediately started kicking in.

I hadn't seen Henry in nearly two weeks and it was killing me.

I needed to see his perfect face.

His dishevelled hair.

Touch his body.

Feel his muscles.

Damn, I just wanted him so badly.

I practically ran up the steps and launched towards him.

Evan took my hand.

Needless to say, I had forgiven him after seeing him beaten to a pulp.

Yes, call me stupid, but I had this horrible little thing called a conscience, and the little bastard was telling me not to finish with him when he had been beaten so badly.

We walked into the room.

I tried not to look directly at Henry.

But my eyes betrayed me.

They locked onto his perfect face.

Henry looked directly into my eyes for the briefest moment before looking away.

His face looked stern.

Hard.

What had I done wrong?

I shook the unnerving feeling away.

I would pick the keys with the spike and we would talk and sort everything out.

No problem.

Claire did the sweep and my name was pulled out first.

A quick feeling of excitement washed through me.

Hell yes.

I was getting Henry Delacy.

I put my hand into the bowl, digging deep for the spike.

There was no spike.

My eyes shot up towards Henry, who couldn't look me in the eyes.

His face was turned away.

I knew that face.

I knew his face to a T.

I looked back down, shaking my head slightly.

He didn't want me.

He didn't want me.

I picked the keys from the bowl and held them up without looking.

I didn't want to know who I was going with.

I was just going to walk into the room, close my eyes, do what was needed and walk out.

I suddenly felt broken.

"Henry and Ella, Room Three."

Oh.

This was not going to be awkward at all.

We both looked at each other quickly and headed towards the room.

Neither of us moved quickly.

We were both silent.

Henry opened the door and let me walk in first.

He didn't look at me.

His eyes remained firmly on the floor.

After closing the door, I walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Henry," I whispered.

There was no reply.

"Henry."

I called a little louder.

Still nothing.

I stood up and walked towards the window, looking out over the huge grounds surrounding the mansion.

I crossed my arms, completely unsure what to do.

Then I suddenly felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my upper body.

Henry pulled me closer to his chest and rested his head against my shoulder.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Ella. I'm so sorry."

He whispered the words into my ear.

He was crying silently.

And in that moment, I realised he had fallen just as hard as I had.

"There is nothing to be sorry for."

"I have so much to be sorry for, Ella."

His arms tightened around me.

"Sorry for trying to ignore you. Sorry for attempting not to be with you this evening. Sorry for getting Lucy into this stupid society. Sorry for not loving Lucy like I should. Sorry for falling in love with you..."

He paused.

"...and sorry for wanting you more than any man has a right to."

I stood completely motionless.

He just said he loved me.

I let that sink in.

He actually just said he had fallen in love with me.

"Ella, I don't know what to do."

Henry pulled me tighter against his chest.

"I tried to ignore you this evening, but it crushed me. We cannot be together. We cannot run away together. All we have is this one night a week and some weeks we won't even have that."

He breathed in the scent of my hair.

"I cannot bear the thought of another man touching you."

I knew exactly what he meant.

The thought of any other woman touching his body sent goose bumps across mine.

"We need to find a way out," I called while placing my forehead against his strong arms.

"I've tried for two years, Ella. Two long years. I don't know what I can do."

"Your father is one of the most influential men in the country. Can he not do something?"

"I cannot involve my father in this whole affair, Ella. He would be so ashamed. And what could he do, really?"

"GET YOU OUT!"

I shouted.

Henry sighed.

"Ella, virtually everyone who comes here has more money than God. I'm fairly certain buying yourself out isn't possible. Take a look at the mansion around you. Caius doesn't need the money."

Fair point.

Henry turned me around and crushed his lips against mine.

His lips were salty from his tears and I traced my tongue along them, tasting him.

"I love you," I breathed.

Henry picked me up and lowered us both onto the bed, his hands pulling me closer.

For the first time, we made love slowly.

Touching.

Kissing.

Every movement was meaningful.

Every look was filled with awe.

Every smile was genuine.

We had both fallen completely and hopelessly in love.

While holding his face between my hands, I stared into his eyes and realised that this man...

This was the man for me.

I loved him.

I loved him.

I really, really loved him.

"I really love you," I whispered, pulling his lips back towards mine.

When we finally came down from our high, we lay together in each other's arms.

"You need an accountant, right?" I asked.

"I have an accountant."

Henry looked at me in confusion.

"But I'm sure you could do with another accountant once a week."

A wicked smile spread across my face.

"My sister could certainly use an accountant for her shop. The one she has now just won't do."

"Barclay and Co. rent us out."

My grin was so wide it was starting to hurt.

Henry kissed me with such passion I almost forgot how to breathe.

"I'll get onto that tomorrow morning."

"Is it possible they could find out?"

"It's more than a possibility."

He shrugged.

"But I'm willing to give it a try. What's the worst they can do?"

Evan flashed through my mind.

"Beat us with a crowbar."

Henry stopped.

His expression changed immediately.

"Ella..."

"There is something I need to tell you."

I didn't want to do it.

But he had a right to know.

"Tuesday evening, I saw Lucy and Evan out together."

Henry simply nodded.

"So that's why she was beaten."

He whispered the words.

"Evan was badly hurt. Broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder. He was a mess, Henry."

I swallowed.

"Am I really worth the risk?"

Henry's face softened.

Then he smiled.

That smile nearly finished me.

"More than worth the risk."

He brushed his fingers gently across my cheek.

"I can deal with a few broken bones. I can deal with a punched face."

He looked directly into my eyes.

"What I cannot deal with is seeing you once a week."

My heart melted.

"Wait."

Henry suddenly looked confused.

"Why were they together?"

"Apparently to discuss mine and your...attraction for one another."

Henry burst out laughing.

Not a little chuckle.

He was genuinely laughing.

"It's not that funny, Henry."

"Ella, seriously. They actually risked being seen together to discuss me and you?"

He shook his head, still laughing.

"Come on, Ells, think about it. All the times they get together at the Society. All the times they steal glances at each other. While the whole time we couldn't care less because..."

He grinned.

"...we're doing exactly the same thing."

"Not at all."

"Kind of ironic, though, don't you think?"

"Henry, why do you find this so amusing?"

"Because I have this feeling everything is going to work out perfectly for us."

He kissed my forehead.

"Let's leave the accounting thing for the moment, love."

"I have a plan."

"Come on. We best make a move."

Henry suddenly seemed ridiculously happy.

What the hell had gotten into him?

And why was the love of my life moving away from me when we still had a good ten minutes?

"Ella, come on," he called a little more firmly. "Make a move, love."

I stood up and quickly got dressed.

I was rather annoyed that he still wouldn't tell me what his little plan was.

Henry opened the door and walked ahead.

We entered the dining room where Lucy and Evan were sitting.

Surprisingly, that didn't shock me in the slightest.

"You're looking well, Lucy," I smiled.

I was already in a bad mood.

I might as well make sure she joined me.

"Well, thank you, Ella. You're looking rather...refreshed yourself."

She smiled.

"Seems a certain conversation was actually worth the punishment."

She was referring to the conversation I had overheard between her and Evan.

She had completely misunderstood the annoyance on my face.

And that little comment had just taken me from being in a bad mood to a very dangerous one.

I needed a comeback.

"Seems certain punishments were a little severe."

I smiled sweetly.

"Maybe getting hit on the head a little too hard makes people start speaking complete nonsense."

Evan sat there cringing.

Henry was half listening while pretending he wasn't listening at all.

Lucy's eyes bore into mine.

Fantastic.

I'd put her in a mood.

"Come on, Evan. Let's get going."

I called happily.

Evan leaned in and kissed me right there in front of Henry.

Normally, I would have pulled away.

But Lucy was there.

And I loved watching her squirm.

And since Henry had annoyed me by refusing to tell me what his little plan was, I wanted to hurt him just a little.

So I let Evan kiss me.

Once he released me, he took my hand and turned towards Henry.

"Goodbye, Henry."

That was more than unusual.

I shook the thought out of my head.

I wanted to get home.

There were far too many things going through my mind.

And one thing was certain...

Whatever Henry's plan was, something was about to change.