The Agreement

Chapter 8

"Are we really leaving?" Luke asked as they headed back to their cars.

"No," Owen said adjusting his tie. "She is there."

"But the butler and the guy—" Brandon started to say.

"Are covering for her," Owen interrupted. "She was on the stairs listening."

"She was?" Victor asked confused. "I didn't see any signs of her."

"The shadows were moving," Owen explained. "Barely but they were, and they weren't consistent with drapes or curtains. She was leaning against the wall just out of sight listening. I suspect she is going to stay up the upper floors until she thinks we are gone and then try to take off again."

"So what are we going to do? Keep following her around the world?" Kota asked. "First England, then Africa, and now Ireland. Where do you think she will go next?"

"There is no telling," Victor said, "Her parents had property everywhere, but we couldn't find anything on if they left anything to her. Since they denied giving her the inheritance, she was supposed to get it's safe to say she won't be at those places, but I don't know. Now that they have passed, she may have bought them under aliases like she did with this place. If Corey hadn't tapped the house phone, we never would have known to come here."

"Did she have any more properties or businesses under this name?" Nathan asked.

"Cara Kelly?" Corey asked then shook his head, "Nope, I haven't found anything else in that name but I'm going to keep looking."

"There's movement on the second floor," Axel said watching the castle.

"It's her," Owen said cleaning his glasses. "Now the question is what are we going to do about it?"

"I have no idea," Victor sighed. "I just want to get to know her and let her know that we are nothing like the public likes to think. We are nothing like the media portrays us to be."

"What if we give her the space she thinks she wants?" Silas asked. "What if we back off but send her letters explaining that we aren't what she thinks? I mean she has said that we have different lifestyles than her so she believes what she has seen in the media. We can try and send letters explaining that we aren't really like that then back off from her and the public more than we have been trying."

"Well we really haven't been trying if you think about it," Marc pointed out.

"Exactly," Silas nodded, "But what if we really do try now that we have a reason to? What if we show her we can have her kind of lifestyle, that it is the kind of life we really do want? Maybe if we show her then she will possibly reach out?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Axel nodded in agreement. "I say let's try." They nodded and drove off.

"They have done it again Elizabeth," Esme groaned a month later when she saw the money deposited into her account. "They sent more money. How is that possible? I notified all the banks to not accept any money from any of them and yet they still have found a way to send money. I can't send it back either, no matter how much I try." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I guess I have no option but to send it over to the donations and medical funds for the various sanctuaries."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, My Lady," Elizabeth asked as she sat the tumbler of tea down beside Esme's laptop. "And you still haven't heard from any of them?"

"Nope, nothing," Esme sighed in confusion. "First, they try and hound me then they disappear. They are a confusing lot for sure."

"Maybe they finally got the hint that you only want a marriage of convenience," Elizabeth shrugged. "Or maybe they are giving you space and waiting to see if you will reach out to them."

"Well, they better not hold their breath for that to happen," Esme chuckled. "Is there anything that needs to be done today?"

"No, My Lady," Elizabeth shook her head.

"Great, I think I will go take a walk in the gardens for a little bit, it's such a nice day outside today," Esme stood smiling then everything went black.

Esme opened her eyes and groaned as her body screamed in pain and the brightness made her head throb in sync with her heartbeat. She closed her eyes then heard footsteps. "There you go, that should help," Elizabeth spoke softly. Opening her eyes again she saw that the lights were dimmed and she was in the hospital. Elizabeth helped her slowly sit up and she frowned when she saw her fourteen husbands surrounding the room with looks of concern in their eyes.

"Shit" Esme croaked then whimpered.

"I'm sorry My Lady, but I had to notify them since they are technically your next of kin. You had another seizure and passed out."