Love Me True (Love Me Book 2)

Chapter 21

Faye had been back at work for a week and she still only saw Silas in passing, and he paid her no more attention then he paid the other nurses. She didn't know if fate was on her side or not since he hadn't been on duty or assigned to any of her patients for the past week.

She had watched him present his cold and polite demeanor to everyone from afar, and she was having a hard time re-adjusting. She had seen his tender and playful side, she knew him to be funny, warm, sensitive, and gentle, and she didn't want to let go of that image.

Now that she was away from the hospital for a few days without a job to keep her busy and her mind occupied, she had decided she was going to do a deep cleaning of her house. It would also keep her from worrying about her date later that night. She couldn't clean up her thoughts, but she could clean up her house.

She had slowly worked her way through the kitchen and dinning room, and now she was in the living room. It was a room that was hardly ever used so it needed some serious dusting.

She was wearing one of her father's old dress shirts over her t-shirt and jeans, sitting high on a step stool when the doorbell rang. She paused and waited to see if they would ring again. Often it was a sales call and they would go away. When it rang a second time she jumped down from the stool and walked towards it, looking through the side lights to see a very beautiful woman looking up at the house.

Faye slowly opened the door with a tentative smile. "May I help you?"

"It took you long enough! Yes, I'm looking for Baron Silas DeGraff. Does he live here?" she asked in a cold voice with a heavy accent.

"Yes," Faye said and was instantly pushed aside as the woman entered the house, taking her time looking around as she did.

Faye slowly closed the door behind her, watching her assess everything her eyes scanned. She was a beautiful woman, and Faye would place her in her early forties. Her hair was white blond and wound into a tight chignon at the back of her head. Her tailored suit was ice blue just like her eyes, and she wore very expensive shoes that had a matching handbag.

"My luggage is in the taxi; see to that?" she waved behind her.

"No," Faye said calmly, watching the woman turn and look at her, her eyes narrowing. This was a woman who was not used to be told no.

"Please," the woman said through gritted teeth, and Faye had the thought that it took her a lot to say that one word.

"Who are you?" Faye asked.

"I'm Baroness DeGraff, and I would appreciate it if you would do your job and get my luggage."

This was Silas's ex-wife? If she was his ex why was she referring to herself as baroness? Surely, she lost the title when they got divorced or did one get to keep the title as part of the divorce settlement.

"No, I will go unlock the gate for you to place your luggage downstairs, but you will have to see you it yourself, or have the driver see to it for you."

Faye walked to the back of the house, grabbed her keys off the counter and headed downstairs to unlock the gate. She banged on Silas's door as she passed, but he didn't answer so she guessed he wasn't there. When she opened the gate, the driver was waiting with a long-suffering look as he ignored Baroness DeGraff on the steps. He placed the two very large suitcases in the courtyard and then turned and got in his car without saying a word.

He was obviously not a fan of the Baroness either.

Faye locked everything back up and returned to the top floor, finding the Baroness running her finger across the furniture as she did. "You're not a very good maid," she said rubbing the dust between her fingers. "We'll have to see about that."

Faye bit back her anger at the comment. Did she look like a maid? She looked down at herself and had to concede that she probably did. "I think perhaps I should call Dr. DeGraff and let him know you have arrived." The only problem was that she didn't have his number. She would have to text Chloe.

She walked to the kitchen for her phone and had just sent the text, simply asking for his number when the Baroness joined her. "I would like some coffee please, then you can show me around the house." Having given her orders, she turned and left the kitchen.

Thankfully, Chole responded immediately and didn't ask any questions. Perhaps she thought it was a landlord-tenant problem. Faye was surprised that she hadn't needed his number before now.

She dialed it and he answered on the third ring with a curt greeting.

"Dr. DeGraff, this is Faye." She felt more comfortable calling him Dr. DeGraff.

She was greeted with silence as he waited for her to continue.

"There is a Baroness DeGraff here at the house asking to see you."

"I'll be there shortly," he said and then the line went dead.

Faye was disappointed by the short conversation, but not surprised by it. She made the coffee and joined the Baroness in the living room where she was leafing through a magazine.

"Finally," she said as she leaned forward and took the cup of coffee she was offered. Faye had broken out her mother's old china. Somehow, she didn't think the Baroness would go for a cracked coffee mug.

The Baroness sipped her coffee while Faye continued to clean, hoping that Silas arrived sooner rather than later.

"I would like to see the house now," she insisted, as she sat her cup down on the table in front of her.

"I think we should wait for Dr. DeGraff," Faye said softly. There was no way she would be defending herself to this woman so the less she said the better.

"Fine," the woman said swinging her foot as she watched Faye continue to work around the room.

When the doorbell rang, Faye walked over to it with relief. The woman was overwhelming. When she saw Silas as she opened the door she wanted to suddenly burst into tears so she looked away quickly.

"Come in, she's in the living room," she said softly.

He strode past her and stopped in the doorway of the living room, saying something in Dutch, and there was no mistaking the ice in his voice as he greeted her.

She responded, her voice going up a few octaves, but Silas was unimpressed by her response. She continued for a moment before she came to a halt looking at Faye with disdain. "And this woman, you call her a maid. She wouldn't even bring my luggage in or show me the house!" she said in English so Faye would know what was being said about her.

Faye suppressed her anger that the Baroness thought she was a maid and a bad one at that.

"Miss Brantley is not a maid, and why should she show you the house when it is hers?" he asked, his voice dripping ice.

"This is your house, this is your address," the Baroness insisted.

"I rent the downstairs apartment," he clarified before switching back to Dutch. After a few moments, while he talked and the Baroness turned a little pale, he turned toward Faye.

"I am sorry for any inconvenience Miss Brantley. I will take Ms. DeGraff to a hotel and we will not bother you again." He stood aside and waited for the Baroness to join him.

There was a distinct chill between them, and she guessed it was not the reunion that the Baroness had hoped for if her sour look was anything to go by.

Faye nodded silently and watched as he held the door open for her and let her proceed him through it. As he reached back to close it his eyes caught Faye where she stood alone and small looking in the hallway.

His eyes met hers in an unguarded moment and she could tell he was just as unhappy as she was, but was it because they were apart or because his wife had come to visit, she couldn't tell. She gave him a tentative smile, but he didn't return it as he nodded and closed the door.

Faye moved back to the living room and sat heavily on the couch wondering what had just happened and why. It seemed very peculiar that Silas's ex-wife had suddenly shown up in Savannah.