Until Forever (Complete)

Chapter Twenty Eight

The young woman with the full mass of black locks and silver eyes, remained silent on the dinner table. She avoided any kind of contact with Chloe and if Chloe's senses were right, then she avoided contact with Frederick as well.

Chloe noticed the silent war between her son and his new bride and while she didn't exactly care, she knew her son's future depended on his marriage to her. And unfortunately for Chloe, her own future depended on her son's marriage to the strange woman as well.

Chloe had practically been forced to leave her home in Birmingham and travel to London. It was either that or starving to death. She had run out of money quicker than she even knew was possible and with the number of balls she had been required to attend, most of her money was spent buying dresses. In the past, ball gowns would have done very little to put a dent on her finances but thanks to Frederick, they were officially bankrupt and were left at the mercy of Gary.

After several minutes of waiting, Gary finally made his way into the dining room leaning heavily on the arm of a young man she hadn't seen before.

For a second, Chloe's gaze was fixed on the young man. Her eyes ran the length of him and a small smile creased her lips at how handsome he was. He was most likely Gary's servant but he had the features of a man that no sane woman could ignore. In that second, Chloe immediately knew she was attracted to him.

When was the last time a man shared her bed? She mused. Although she had had many affairs during her marriage to Edward, especially during the many months of his illness, it had been many years since she had been with a younger man. 

Her gaze shifted back to Gary who settled on his seat with what appeared to her to be much difficulty. She studied Gary. For three days she had been in his estate and he had missed many meals with his family. She could almost count on one hand how many times she got to see him.

A frown settled on her face as she continued her observation of the old man who was seated at the far end of the table from her. He seemed older, much older than his sixty five years. Old and weak... Perhaps even sick! Her eyelids widened. Gary was sick! Joy welled up in her heart as she began to see it; plain as day, Gary's sickness was written clearly on him. Pale skin, tired eyes, difficulty in walking, the way he handled his spoon...

A smile settled on Chloe's face as she refocused her gaze on her dinner. Gary wasn't just sick, he was most likely dying.

After dinner that evening, Chloe grabbed Frederick by the arm and pulled him out of the front door, ignoring his protests as she led him into the night.

“Mother!” He grumbled. “Would you at least tell me what the problem is?”

Chloe didn't turn to acknowledge Frederick until she was certain they were a safe distance from the house. Halting in her tracks and pulling him to a halt with her, she turned to him, unable to hide her smile.

“Your grandfather,” She beamed. “He's sick.”

Frederick had a confused frown on his face. “I have lived with grandfather for over a month and I am certain that no physician has come to see to him.”

“Then he's hiding his illness.” Chloe mused on it for a few seconds. There two explanations for Gary's decision to keep his illness a secret; it was an illness that would lead to death, or he hoped that Frederick and Chloe wouldn't find out. Chloe sighed. It could be any of the two reasons and she didn't think she had the time to find out which. She was already bankrupt and was in dire need of money. “Your grandfather will die and leave you with everything.” She finally said, nodding her head.

“Grandfather seems fine, Mother. The old man seems almost immune to death.” Frederick sounded frustrated.

“Perhaps. Yet, I will ensure his death.”