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.

arms over his barrel

voice hardly more than a whisper now. “They said…they

sharply and then turns his head away, gathering himself together. “And where has she been laid to rest?” Alden

– in the churchyard. I can take you there, if you like,” Isay, my voice gentle.

his emotions snapping from sadness to anger at the flip of a switch. He 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

to anger. How dare he suggest that David was anything but

my hand tighter, in

was nothing,” Alden

“He raised me

the words rip

eyes going wide. Alden takes a heavy step towards me, intimidation in every muscle of his

step. “Did he know about your parentage? Did he know where she

stay silent, keeping my face

me. “He kept you from me, my daughter, not

my mother must have gone through. She must have experienced moods that made her decide to

B

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Gifts

– A Pawn in their

Game–2

place she’d so desperately left. Why did I let myself get so wrapped up in this world? I cower

rings out behind me, cool and

turns angry eyes to him but Kent holds

ring on my hand, “that our agreement, years ago, to unite our families

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

is quick to answer. “We met before, by some miracle,” he says, giving Alden a

the fact that we broke

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

not I want to marry Daniel. Because

my mouth to protest,

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