“You believe it’s fate? That somehow my mother’s spirit willedthis bracelet back into my life through you?”
“Or that the bracelet brought us together with your mother’shelp!” she exclaimed excitedly, loud enough to catch Piers’sattention. “Either way, it is fate and you cannot deny it. It allmakes so much sense to me now! This attraction I felt for you themoment I set eyes on you. It goes beyond having met you as a child.Don’t you understand what this means?”
“Not quite. Only that you’re starting to freak meout!”
“Oh, Crispin, it means your mother was looking out for you allthis time. She didn’t willingly abandon you. She had nochoice.”
Crispin couldonly stare blankly at her. His mind had gone numb, unable to hearor process any more information. All he wanted at that moment wasto be alone. He wanted to leave this place and get away from all hehad just learned. He wanted to go back in time, to never have cometo England. He wanted to return to the House of Goths, to surroundhimself with his friends, to see Becky, to talk to Kell or Dorian.Even with Gwen right in front of him, he had never felt morealone.
“Crispin?”
“I have to get out of here!” Grabbing her by the hand, hehoofed it towards the door.
“Please, stay the night, or at least for dinner,” Piersintercepted them. “We have so much to discuss. You owe it toyourself to hear me out.”
“I have nothing more I need to hear and I have nothing good tosay to you,” Crispin barked.
“Crispin?” Gwen protested, holding her ground. His unusual useof force threw her off and she instinctively yanked her hand free.“What are you doing?” For all of a second, a glint of shame andregret stared back at her.
“You can’t just leave!” Piers insisted. “We’re not doneyet!”
“Silence!” Crispin held his hands up to his ears and shouted,glaring at them both.
“Good Lord…” gasped Piers. “You truly are a Harlow!”
“Fuck off! You know nothing about me. I am Crispin Clover of nofixed address. You can do with that what you will! Now, come withme, Gwen, or get left behind. I no longer give a fuck.” With that,he stormed out the door.
She was aboutto chase after him, when Piers stopped her, blocking her path.“Please, I have to go!” It suddenly dawned on her that in hiscurrent state of mind, Crispin might drive off without her. Whileshe had somehow stifled her anxieties throughout the afternoon inthe wake of Piers’s revelations, her heart now raced with avengeance. All sorts of scenarios clouded her vision. She had toreach Crispin before he might do something crazy.
“Please, just promise to bring him back here tomorrow morning.He’s upset right now and rightly so. But there is a matter ofutmost importance I need to discuss with him.”
“I don’t know if I can promise anything at this point,” Gwensaid with a frown.
“Please, just do your best.” He handed her a card with his nameand phone number.
Placing it inher pocket, she bolted after Crispin, right past Jones and anyoneelse who might be watching.
Chapter 33
Gwen ran asfast as she could, her heart in her throat. She had gotten socaught up in what Piers had said to fully consider Crispin’sfeelings. It must have been an awful blow to learn of his mother’sexperience. She had been so fascinated by the news of the bracelet,so excited to discover that he had originated here, in England, theland of her dreams, in a Manor House of places, that she hadn’tunderstood the reason for his hostile reaction until now. Soblinded by regret, she raced for the parking lot, only to find himwaiting by the car.
“Oh, Crispin!” She flung her arms around him and pressed herface to his chest. She should have never doubted him. He hadn’tleft without her. He hadn’t abandoned her, even though she felt shedeserved it. “I thought you’d left me here.”
With his armslightly around her, he chuckled. “Here I thought you trusted me.”He had almost taken off, but by the time he reached the parkinglot, he had calmed down enough to come to his senses.
“I do trust you,” she said, catching her breath.
“Then why would you think I would have abandoned you?” With hishands on her shoulders, he set her away from him and walked aroundto his car door. Letting himself in, he waited for her to join himbefore driving off.
As Crispindrove, he felt the tension of the last couple of hours finallyleave his system. The more distance between Harlow Manor andhimself, the better, in his opinion. Aware of Gwen’s unease, hereached out and rested a hand on her knee. Again, none of this washer fault, and he shouldn’t have lashed out at her. He couldn’tblame her for her excitement at the prospect that he could comefrom such a place as Harlow Manor. After all, he knew all about herfascination with books like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Thismust be pure magic for her.
What wouldhappen, he wondered, when the magic wore off and reality set in?Would she still want him when she found out he had no desire topursue any form of future or ties with this ungodly place? All hewanted now, was to get through the next couple of days beforegetting the hell out of England and back to Canada, to the House ofGoths, for however long he was welcome, and to forget he ever camehere.
Not havingmuch appetite, they went straight to bed that night. With his heartheavy, he didn’t even protest when Gwen cuddled into him, her armtight around his shoulders, her head on his chest. She must havesensed his desire for quiet since she didn’t utter a word allnight. He hadn’t expected to want her so close after learning somuch. Yet he did. When he had first stormed out of the manor, hewanted nothing more than to be by himself. But by the time hereached the car, he realized he needed her more than ever.
When shestartled in her sleep from a bout of anxiety, as he had come
