New York, Summer, 1921 . Your new neighbor across the lake is the mysterious bachelor , Dutch. His reputation for excess and extravagant parties precede him in the prohibition era. But after an invitation to one of his soirees, you discover your...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"So, he bought that property to be near you?" Harrison asked.
You told him everything. It couldn't wait until morning. After the dinner plates were cleared, Richard retired for a night cap. He came back from the hospital in an insufferable mood. His arm was in a sling and he complained throughout dinner that he couldn't even feed himself. You appeased him the best you could until he finally excused himself to drink the pain and bruised ego away.
"I know this is a lot to process," you said, placing a hand over his. Poor dear seemed so bewildered by the truth. He just sat there as if in a stupor, trying to make sense of all of it.
You took a sip of your cocktail and he stood up to walk over to the window that faced the lake. Tom's mansion loomed in the distance.
"And you want to be with him, as you were?" he asked quietly.
"I love him, Harrison. I never stopped. We lost so much time. Please help me. Help us," you walked over to him and leaned your head on his shoulder.
"Of course I'll help you, Vi. I should have helped sooner," he glanced down at the finger bruises on your arm. "I'm sorry I was so blind." he said sadly.
You smiled and gave his arm a little shake. "It was not yours to fight. I know he frightens you too. He has no boundaries, Harrison. Who's to say what he's capable of?"
He just looked at you silently.
"You can come with us," you suggested.
"To the orchard?" he asked.
"No, to England. Thousands of miles away from that man's reach."
"I can't go back to England, Vi. I have a job here and...," he trailed off and started to blush.
"And Maribel," you finished. He gave you a crooked smile.
"You can't tell her about Tom, Harrison. Her and Richard have a past. We don't know where her loyalties lie."
Harrison nodded but you could tell he didn't like the idea. He managed a brave smile for you.
"My loyalty will always be with you, Vi," he said.
"VIOLET!" Richard suddenly roared from upstairs. You closed your eyes slowly and exhaled. Just one more night, you thought. Survive one more night, then you and Tom can be free from this madness.
"I should go see what he wants," you said with a pat on Harrison's arm.
You turned to the stairs and he grabbed you.
"Not without me," he said with a frown. His jaw was set and eyes gleamed with an icy fire. You knew then that you made the right decision in telling him.
When you opened the door to Richard's study, he was sitting in his desk chair with his rifle dangling precariously in his lap. An empty scotch glass rested next to him. He stroked the gun like a pet and gave you a drunken grin.
"I can't load it with one arm," he slurred with a giggle. His eyes had that foggy sheen to them when he drank.
"Why do you need to load it anyway?" you asked with a frown and snatched it from his lap. Harrison stood by the door like a sentinel, waiting to intervene if anything should happen. You wondered what he would even do. Your cousin was not fit for a fight. He knew numbers and statistics, certainly not hand to hand combat.
"Skeet shooting with clients," he said as he stood up from the chair. He swayed a bit and gripped the desk to steady himself.
"Hey, maybe your Dutch will want to join me," he said with a snarky sniff. You didn't like his use of "your" and you didn't like the sound of any of this. He was supposed to be in the city tomorrow. He told you earlier that week. He can't be here. That's part of the plan.
Your mind started racing in a panic. How would you get away now? You couldn't possibly extend this any longer. You couldn't bear it. The more time you spent with Tom just made the need that much greater. Your heart broke with every goodbye from your lips. You always feared it would be the last and he would disappear once more.
You eyed the gun closely.
"You managed to get a few slugs in," you said with a playful smirk, doing your best to keep his mood in check. He was having one of his childish drunks.
He shrugged and sat down with a hard thud on the chair.
"Damn," he muttered with a wince, holding his arm. You looked down at the rifle again, loaded and cradled in your hands like a newborn baby. Your heart suddenly collapsed at the thought. So much was stolen from you. So many precious memories wasted with an animal. So many nights wondering what if he stayed. So many tears shed for a life that was supposed to be.
You raised the gun and pointed it at Richard.
All it would take was one squeeze and your nightmare would be over. You would finally be able to live the life you dreamed. You blinked away the tears that gathered in your eyes.
"Vi!" Harrison said in shock. He came to your side. "Vi," he said again in a calmer voice. His hand rested on your arm.
Richard looked at you and burst out laughing.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he exclaimed mockingly. He tried to raise his hands but was met with pain and went back to wincing and cursing. He was pathetic and lame.
You sneered at him and lowered the gun.
"You're not worth the bullet," you whispered then laid the gun in the chair next to you. Harrison breathed a sigh of relief.
You marched out of the room and closed the door behind you. Harrison was by your side still. Sweet cousin.
"I have to get to Tom, " you choked on your words then began to sob. Every emotion seemed to fight for control inside of you. You felt yourself unravelling with terrible ease.
The doorbell rang then, startling you out of your fit. Harrison frowned with interest, looking down the hall.
"Who could that be at this hour?" you asked in a tired tone.
You came down the stairs as your butler was approaching you. He was followed by three strange men, all finely dressed with severely slicked back hair. The one in the middle seemed to have purpose while the two that flanked him looked around the foyer with bored looks upon their faces.
"They insisted on coming inside," you butler said apologetically. He looked at you nervously, clearly intimidated by their presence.
"Acquaintances of Mr. Osborn. They say they're early."
You frowned and looked past Alfred to the strange men. The middle one spoke.
"My apologies, madam. We weren't due in from San Francisco until tomorrow, but as luck would have it, we were able to catch an earlier train," he spoke with an unfamiliar accent. His smile was sly like a snake.
You eyed him, unsettled by his demeanor. He had an air of importance about him and he seemed already far too comfortable in your home.
"Where are my manners," he chuckled with a simper and extended his hand.
