Fallen Embers (35 page)
Chapter Twenty-One
The long night was finally melting into morning as Conrad walked alone on the grounds of his estate, trying to regain some measure of peace. His mind was consumed with thoughts of the past and he was not unduly surprised when his wandering feet led him to the rose garden.
It was here he had brought Desert Rose on the night they'd met. Tonight, with her photograph fresh in his mind, with another heart-wrenching loss staring him in the face, with her daughter's well-being his paramount concern, it was no wonder he'd ended up here. How very predictable he was becoming.
Armand had not taken the news as badly as he'd feared, and Julie had barely been surprised at all. She was very like her mother in that wayâalways one step ahead of him. He wondered if he'd ever get used to it.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the fragrance of the blossoms, allowing memories of happier days to fill his mind and soothe his soul. It was not that first night he chose to recall, but another night, later in that same yearâ¦
“I don't think your cousin likes me very much,” Desert Rose murmured as they sat together on one of the iron benches that graced the garden.
Conrad had been nuzzling at her neck, but at her words, he stopped. He raised his head to eye her curiously, certain he'd misheard what she said. “I'm sorry, my dear, did you say myâ¦cousin?”
Desert Rose's lips compressed. “That's what Armand said she was. Isn't she?”
“Ah.” Understanding dawned. “You're referring to Georgia. Of course.” He'd had no idea, when he assigned Armand the task of protecting Desert Rose, how very perilous the job would become. He was going to have to do something especially nice for the boy, to thank him for his handling of the Georgia situation. “Ours is such a distant connection. At times I quite forget that we're related.”
A small frown creased her forehead. “I know it's none of my business, but you're notâ¦I mean, you two aren'tâ¦?”
“Lovers?” Conrad suggested, enjoying the blush that painted her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. It was a sight he never tired of. “No, little one, we are not.” They had been once, but that was so very long ago it no longer felt like a lie to deny it.
“She's very pretty.”
“Indeed. She is, in fact, quite beautiful.”
Desert Rose ducked her head. “I guess, now that she's here, I should maybe find somewhere else to stay. You'll probably want to spend time with her.”
“Look at me,” he said as he lifted her chin. “Georgia is very dear to me. She has known me better and for longer than anyone alive. But tonight there is only one woman I want to be with. And that is you.”
“Grandfather? May I talk to you?” Julie's voice cut through Conrad's reverie, bringing his mind back to the present.
He smiled at her use of the familiar endearment. She was so dear to him, so like her mother and yet, so uniquely herself. “Of course, my dear. I'm sure you must still have a lot of questions. What is it you would like to know?”
“Do you think Christian is right about me? Could Iâ¦could
my blood
, be used to save herâto save them? Is that even possible?”
“Possible?” Conrad sighed. “Many things are possible. Indeed, ever since you and your brother came into my life, I am loath to say that anything is
not
possible. But, this⦠Unfortunately, there's no way to know, no way to be certain.”
“Unless we try it.”
Conrad stared at her in surprise. “Julie⦔
Julie smiled; it was a small smile, and it looked sad and forced. “You can't tell me you don't
want
to save her. I saw your face when you talked aboutâ¦about⦔
“Ending her life?”
Julie nodded. “So isn't it at least worth talking about?”
“I'm not so sure it is.”
“Grandfather! You can't mean that.”
“Come and sit down,” Conrad said. He led her over to the same wrought-iron bench he'd once shared with her mother. The thought gave him pause. Was it really the same bench? Or had it been replaced since thenâby Armand perhaps, or maybe Damianâby someone acting behind the scenes to keep Conrad's life running smoothly, without his even being aware of it? It begged the question of how much more was being kept from him.
What other secrets might his family still be hiding? How many of them were deadly? How many were capable of ripping his family apart, of ripping his heart apart? And which would be worseâfinally learning the truth, or never finding out at all? But those were questions that would keep for another day.
Once they were seated, Conrad took Julie's hand in his. “Things are not always as simple as they might first appear. It's not that I don't wish to save Georgia, I do, of course. I owe her my life. Taking hers seems a very poor way of repaying that debt.”
“So what's the problem then?”
“I did not say it was a problem. Not exactly. But neither is it as straightforward as you seem to think. Only consider what's at stakeâyour life, your health, the anonymity that has always protected you and your brother, and without which you would both be exposed to even more danger. Do I risk losing you to save someone else?” He shook his head. “Your mother would not have approved. And Damian certainly will not. Or Marc. Or even Armand. None of them will ever forgive me were anything to happen to you. Indeed, I would never forgive myself!”
He glanced away, blinking back the unfamiliar sting of tears, startled by how very much he wished things could be different. “No, child. Georgia knew this day would come. Under different circumstances, I believe she would have been the first to remind me that sacrifices are sometimes necessary. The fact that she does not wish to dieâno more than I wish to be the one who must kill herâis immaterial.”
Julie tugged at his hand until he turned his head to once again meet her gaze. “But why do either of us have to die? I can't believe that was part of Christian's plan. There must be a way to save both of usâisn't there?”
“I don't know.” Conrad shook his head, bitterness welling up within him. “I have no idea what is possible in this situationâand thus is my obsession with silence and with secrets revealed for the folly it is. Had any of this been discovered sooner, perhaps a way might have been found. But now, I fear time is against us.”
“That's funny.” Unexpectedly, a smile curled Julie's lips. “Because, all this week, I've been thinking that time was on our side.”
Conrad shrugged. “I wish that it were so. But Georgia's condition is grave, and Christian's optimism may well be unwarranted. More study is needed, more planning, more proof, more experimentation. Without any of that, without adequate preparationâ¦I fear the risk is too great.”
“Why don't we let me worry about that?” Julie gave his hand a little squeeze. “After all, it's my life we're talking about. In the meantime, will you tell me about her, explain why she's so important to you?”
“Of course,” Conrad said with a sigh. He settled himself more comfortably, wrapping an arm around Julie's shoulders, smiling when she rested her head against him, just as she used to do when she was just a little girl. “I will tell you whatever you wish to know.”
He could hear the smile in Julie's voice as she said, “That's good to hear. For now, let's start with Georgia. Tell me how the two of you met.”
About the Author
Originally a Jersey girl, P.G. Forte now resides on the extreme left coast where she writes rule-bending, genre-blending romance and paranormal stories.
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Fallen Embers
Copyright © 2015 by P.G. Forte
ISBN: 978-1-61922-635-7
Edited by Tera Cuskaden
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: April 2015