Defying Destiny (48 page)

turned twenty-one last November.”

“Damn it!” she yelled and then cringed

at Mr. Oxford. “I apologize for my

vulgarity.”

“Completely

understandable,”

he

murmured. “Believe me, I have expressed

more than a few vulgarities in regards to

your aunt.”

Maralee was surprised to see hatred

behind the man’s gaze.

Mr. Oxford continued, “Begging your

pardon, miss, but she is the vilest person

I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing.

It is not my place to stick my nose into

your family matters, but she used the

money she stole from you to buy property

in the area. She then rents it out to the

previous owners for absurd amounts of

money and if they refuse or are unable to

pay they wind up mysteriously dead—the

infallible targets of Wolf attacks on the

night of the full moon.”

“Wolf attacks?”

“Some say she has some sort of

agreement with them. An alliance of

sorts.”

“This is unbelievable,” Maralee cried.

She was trembling so hard that she feared

she would disintegrate.

Mr. Oxford rose to his feet and

hobbled over to a pitcher of water on a

side table. He filled a glass and brought it

to her. She took a sip and lowered her

hand, staring off into space.

“What am I going to do?” she

whispered.

Mr. Oxford placed a comforting hand

on her shoulder and gave it a gentle

squeeze. “I’m sorry I had to be the bearer

of bad tidings. Your father was such a

great man. I see much of his fine character

in you.”

She appreciated his complement but

was too distressed to acknowledge it. She

sat there, a thousand thoughts twisting

chaotically through her mind. “The money

is gone, but the property still belongs to

me, doesn’t it?”

“For now,” Mr. Oxford agreed. “The

bank will need repaying however, and it

is your only asset.”

Maralee stood up abruptly, startling

Mr. Oxford. She set the glass on his desk

before confronting him. “Do you mean you

plan to take the Decatur estates from me as

a repayment of those loans?” Hysterical,

she seized the old man by both arms.

“Don’t tell me that you would put me in

such an impossible position!”

Mr. Oxford couldn’t meet her eyes. “I

have an obligation to my business. We

cannot operate if we ignore outstanding

debts for too long. The legal actions have

already been filed. The property will be

auctioned off to the highest bidder, who

will undoubtedly be your aunt. She never

deposits her rent receipts. She must have

cash somewhere.”

“I can’t believe this. I stand to lose

everything,” she said, releasing the aged

banker and gripping the back of a chair to

keep herself on her feet.

“The loans are due in six weeks,” he

said. “If you can somehow pay them off in

that time frame, then…”

Maralee looked up at him. “Six

weeks?” she echoed. “That’s not enough

time for me to come up with half a million

in gold!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Decatur,” he said

sincerely. “I wish that there was

something more I could do for you.

Perhaps you can persuade your aunt…”

Maralee was silent for several tense

moments as she stared into nothingness.

“I’ll get your money, Mr. Oxford. I don’t

know how, but I cannot let her take my

family home from me. It is all I have left

of them.”

Why had she stayed away for so long?

She had trusted her aunt. Memories in that

house had haunted her, but now that she

stood to lose it, she knew it was an

important part of her.

“Thank you for your time,” she said

and let herself out of his office.

She was in a daze as she mounted the

rented horse. The trip to the front gates of

the Decatur estates on the outskirts of

town made her heart ache. The scenery

seemed the same and yet it was much

different somehow. The idea of losing it

made it more precious and vivid.

“I’ve been a fool,” she muttered to

herself. “Believing that people were

inherently good, that it was my duty to

protect them, that I could make a

difference, that I could save both my

people and Nash’s simply by loving him

enough. I can’t even save myself.”

At the end of the graveled lane, the

Decatur’s wrought iron gates stood closed

and locked. In all of her experiences,

they’d always stood wide open in

welcome. Something as simple as this

threatened to melt her resolve. Perhaps

she should just give up. Her entire life

seemed to be one enormous, hopeless

mistake.

“I can’t give up yet,” she said with

conviction, “for once, I’m going to do

something just for me. I’m going to take

my home back if it’s the last thing I do.”

The main house was just visible from

her vantage outside the gates. The front

doors opened and someone stepped

outside. No matter who it was, she knew

they could not lawfully keep her out of her

own home, and it was hers for at least

another six weeks.

“Hello!” she called loudly. “Send

someone to unlock the gates.”

The person paused and turned in her

direction. The figure started towards her

and as he drew nearer, Maralee

recognized the family butler.

“Mr.

Trayburn, it’s Maralee. I’ve

come home.”

“Miss Decatur?” he called uncertainly,

his typically tall and proud visage seemed

tired and frail. “Is that really you?”

“Yes, it’s me.” She extended her arms

through the bars of the gates. “I’m finally

home.”

Trayburn’s eyes were sparkling with

tears as he hugged her through the bars.

“Oh child, I thought we’d never see you

again.”

He released her and she looked up at

him, surprised by how much he’d aged

since she’d last seen him. “Unlock the

gates.”

Trayburn glanced over his shoulder

towards the main house. When he looked

back at Maralee, the concern in his brown

eyes was unmistakable. “Go back to

wherever you’ve come from, miss,” he

said. “I won’t tell anyone you were here.”

He started to walk away, but she

caught him by the sleeve. “I know what

has been going on,” she said. “Aunt Bailey

has taken all of my money and I stand to

lose everything. I’m not giving up though. I

mean to take back what is rightfully mine.”

Trayburn turned and looked at her. His

smile was weak, but genuine. “You are

just like your father, do you know that?”

“Open the gates, Trayburn.”

He shook his head. “Leave Dubwar,

Maralee. It’s for the best.”

“Damn it, Trayburn,” she said

savagely, “open this gate right now or you

can consider yourself fired!”

He chuckled, and ran a knuckle down

her nose. “Just like your father.”

She stamped her foot angrily. “Are you

going to open these gates or do I have to

get really ugly?”

He chuckled again, not intimidated by

her threats in the least. “I’ve missed you,

kid,” he said, reaching into the pocket of

his jacket. He pulled out a ring of keys and

held it out to her through the bars. “Let’s

just say I misplaced these somewhere.”

She took the ring from him and he

headed back to the house, an amused little

smile on his thin lips.

Maralee was confused by Trayburn’s

behavior. Perhaps her aunt had given him

orders not to allow her inside the gates, or

maybe there was some other reason why

he was trying to keep her away. In any

case, she didn’t plan on standing outside

the gates gawking at his retreating back.

She began to search the ring of keys for

those that might open the gate. After

several failed attempts, the lock clicked

open. She swung both gates wide and

secured them open with the pegs that fit in

holes in the ground. These gates would

stay open for as long as she remained

here. She remembered Nash telling her

she was obstinate the first night they’d

met. She wondered what he would think of

her now. Determined not to lose herself in

memories of Nash, she remounted her

horse and directed him towards the

stables behind the main house.

At first, things looked as they had

always looked at the manor, but as she

rounded the end of the building, she pulled

her horse to a stop in utter amazement. It

seemed her aunt had been making some

improvements to the property in her

absence. A formal garden replaced the

small vegetable patch her mother had

tended. It stretched onward as far as she

could see. Meandering paths connected

bushes, trellises, benches and fountains.

She had never seen a more extensive

garden in all of her life. It must have cost

a fortune.
Her
fortune.

While the garden was beautiful and

pleasing to the eye, she knew that she

could have put the money spent there to

much better use. Her father would have

been absolutely appalled. The forest,

which had once come within yards of their

house, had been cleared away for a wide

pasture. Dozens of sleek, highbred horses

grazed there. The stables had once been

modest quarters for half a dozen sturdy

and practical animals. Now, it had been

replaced by a brand new building at least

five times larger than the previous

structure.

Maralee dismounted and led the horse

towards the new stables. She didn’t know

if the stable master would be the one of

her memory, but surely, she could find

someone willing to return the horse to the

livery in Dubwar. Inside the stable, she

spotted a young man pitching hay in one of

the stalls and made her way towards him.

“Excuse me,” she said.

He gasped and turned to look at her.

His eyes opened wide with astonishment

and he tossed the pitchfork aside before

racing towards her. Maralee squeaked in

surprise when the young man picked her

up off the ground and spun her around in

ecstatic greeting.

“Miss Decatur!” he said. “You’re

home!”

“Oh,” she gasped. “Yes, I am. Would

you mind setting me down now?”

He complied without hesitation and

she looked up at him questioningly. He

had pale blond hair and blue eyes, a

strong jaw and a wide face, and though he

was staring at her with unmistakable

familiarity, she had no idea who he was.

“You don’t remember me?” he said,

chuckling merrily. “I guess those kisses

made more of an impression on me than I

made on you.”

She searched her memory. “Billy?”

she asked incredulously. “Mr. Trayburn’s

grandson?” The last time she had seen

William Trayburn he had been sixteen

years old. He had watched her from

whatever tree or bush he happened to be

hiding in. She had thought he was quite a

nuisance at the time. She wasn’t sure how

she’d ended up kissing him good-bye

when she’d left to rid the world of

Wolves.

“So you do remember me,” he said,

taking her hand and pumping it up and

down. “We didn’t think we’d ever see you

again.”

“I’m here to stay.”

Billy’s face fell. “Then you haven’t

heard.”

“If you’re talking about Aunt Bailey

gaining possession of the manor, then yes,

I’ve heard. I’m not going to let that happen

though.”

Billy’s face lit up with another smile.

“That’s our Maralee!” he said and

grabbed her for another unwarranted hug.

She struggled out of his grasp, but he

didn’t seem to care that she was

unreceptive to his attention. “Is this your

horse?” he asked, looking at the animal

she had brought into the stables.

She glanced at the drab brown horse