Gifts

Chapter 15 – A Pawn in their Game–1

Alden narrows his eyes at me and looks back at Kent. I’m a little shocked, I admit, that he hasn’t addressed me yet. I stand awkwardly in front of him and Daniel quietly takes my hand, giving it a squeeze of support.

“Is this for real, Lippert?” Alden asks, a threat behind his glare.

Kent nods slowly. “We did a test. It’s a 99% genetic match for paternity. I can show you the paperwork upstairs, and you can have it verified by your own doctors. But, with that kind of proof at hand, Alden.” He spread his hands out, hoping Alden takes him at his word. “Why would I lie?”

Alden nods and returns his gaze to me, staring for a moment. Then, he shocks me again by breathing out a huge breath of air and rubbing a hand down his face. “Damnit, but you look like your mother,” he mutters.

eyes.

My mouth falls open when I see the glimmer of tears in his My heart goes out to him, then. He’s a solid rock of a man, but I can see that deep feelings run beneath.

“Where is she?” he demands.

Surprised, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “She died,” I say, grimacing inwardly at my bluntness. Alden’s face falls minutely. Surely, after all these years, he knew it would be unlikely that she would be alive, but still – he’s upset by the

“When?” he asks.

“Years ago,” I whisper, sorry to be the one to tell him. “I was young – I had just turned six.”

I feel horrible – I had no idea that he cared for her as much as he clearly does. I had assumed she was

what had Fiona called

herself? a goomah. His mistress, or his girlfriend, not someone he really I cared about.

He asks, crossing his arms

car accident,” I say, my voice hardly more than a whisper now. “They said…they said she went

head away, gathering himself together. “And where has

cemetery by our home – in the churchyard. I can take

turns his burning eyes to me. “In a churchyard?” He shakes his head. “He didn’t respect her, then, the man she left me for,” he growls. “To bury her in a churchyard, when she deserves to lay in state, in a mausoleum.”

from pity to anger. How dare he suggest

Daniel holds my hand tighter, in a warning that comes too late –

nothing,” Alden

“He raised me

the words rip from

my eyes going wide. Alden takes a heavy step towards me, intimidation in

says, taking another step. “Did he know about your parentage? Did he know where she came

to deny it, I stay silent, keeping

says, narrowing his eyes at me. “He kept you from me, my daughter,

can’t imagine the kind of things my mother must have gone through. She must have experienced moods that made her decide

B

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Gifts

15 – A Pawn

Game–2

in the place she’d so desperately left. Why did I let myself get so

rings out behind me, cool

him but Kent holds his ground.

unite our families through marriage is holding strong. Your daughter is engaged to my son. I anticipate that the wedding will be swift, in the next few months, if it

low in his throat. “This is a trick,” he says. “How can

he says, giving Alden a

mention, conveniently, of the fact that we broke

look between Daniel and his father, and then over at mine, and suddenly realize that Daniel is in on this. He and his father carefully planned

I want at all, whether or not I want to marry Daniel. Because Daniel, too, is a player in this game, moving me around like the pawn

open my mouth to protest, but Alden interrupts

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