Sommersgate House (Ghosts and Reincarnation #2)(42)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“Yes sir,” Carter replied brightly.

Douglas turned his attention to Julia.

“I’d like a word.” It was phrased as a request but certainly wasn’t one.

She felt her stomach flip at the fury that still lay in his eyes. She didn’t know if this stomach flip was fear or something else because in this mood he was both enormously frightening and perversely magnetic.

“Um… I’m making cookies,” she ventured hesitantly.

“This won’t take long.” He turned to leave and Julia instantly decided it best not to fan the flames of that temper. She threw the spoon in the bowl and wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist then tore at its strings to take it off.

She tossed it on the table while indicating Ruby. “Carter, do you mind?”

“Don’t worry, lass, I’ll watch her,” Carter assured her.

Julia smiled at Carter and tousled Ruby’s hair before she hurried after Douglas and saw he was headed to the study. After last night, and the time before, she didn’t have a lot of good memories of conversations with Douglas in the study so she called after him.

“Could we…?” At her voice, he halted abruptly and turned to her, raising a haughty brow. “Not the study,” she said, her voice timid and she cursed herself. Though, she had to admit, he was scaring her. What he had to be angry about (she, surely, was the one who should be angry after what she’d heard Monique say earlier), she didn’t know but at that moment, she didn’t want to find out.

“Fine,” he clipped, changed his direction and walked back through the dining room, passing her, and he turned right at the door at the end of the room.

Toward her rooms.

“Wait…” she called but he kept going. She thought, hoped, that he intended to go to the chapel instead but he turned right again, pushing open the door to her room and she heard a frightened chirp from Veronika.

“Leave us,” he commanded brusquely and, as Julia turned into her own room, she saw Veronika, her face a mask of fear, hurry out.

At witnessing Veronika’s expression, Julia’s own fear was subsiding, giving way to anger.

“What on earth?” she snapped when she entered her room and closed the door with a slam.

“It has come to my attention that I’ll be having guests at Thanksgiving,” he announced, looking about her room.

He picked up a framed photo from the writing desk that showed Julia with some friends at Margarita Mayhem Night. He gave it a hard glance and then put it down. She watched him do this and saw his movements were rough with rage.

“Yes,” Julia replied, jutting up her chin and steeling herself for a forthcoming tirade, “I’m an American and those kids are half-American and we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving. Don’t worry, I’ll buy and prepare the food, and serve it, so you won’t feel a hiccup in the strict Sommersgate regimen.”

“In future,” he stated smoothly, “I would like for you to inform me of these things in plenty of time for me to rearrange my schedule so that I can be free to attend.”

Her mouth dropped open again and then she snapped it shut.

“Of course,” she whispered, surprised. That was the last thing she expected to hear.

“Charlotte informs me you have the opportunity of an unpaid consultancy,” he went on.

She looked at him warily. He was angry about something, what, she didn’t know. However, all the things he said belied his apparent wrath.

“Yes,” Julia agreed carefully, drawing out the word longer than necessary.

“Take it,” he ordered. “Veronika can use the extra money. I’ll increase her pay to cover any added duties.”

Julia clenched her teeth together in an effort not to allow her jaw to go slack again.

She watched him as he turned, surprised he knew any personal information about any of his staff much less an underling like Veronika. He walked across to the mantel and picked up another photo. This was of her and Gavin when they were children; she had her arms wrapped around Gavin’s neck and her leg thrown over his lap. He stared at it a moment and then set it down, his face impassive.

“I heard what your mother said,” Julia told him, summoning up all her courage to confront him. His head came up and he looked at her, his face betraying nothing.

“I know you did.”

“If you want me to go, I’ll go. I’ll be happy to go. I just want to take the kids with me. All you have to do is sign over custody –”

“No,” he said flatly and Julia tensed.

“Douglas, I know neither you nor your mother have any interest in the children and both my mother and I will be able to give them a happy, healthy upbringing in Indiana. We can somehow circumvent the will that says they have to be raised at Sommersgate.”

“I said, no.”

It was her turn to shake with fury.

“Why?” Julia asked on a cry. “Why when you obviously don’t care? When you’re more interested in games than your nieces and nephew? When your mother can’t stand the sight of me?”

“Because it’s what Tamsin wanted,” Douglas answered.

“Tamsin wouldn’t have wanted this!” Julia retorted angrily.

For some reason, he smiled. It wasn’t a grin but an all-out, white-flash of teeth against tanned, handsome face smile. Just as quickly as a snap, his fury was gone and he was smiling at her. It was unnerving and it only proved to heighten of her own temper.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” she demanded hotly.

She thought he’d refuse but instead he said, “Yes, Julia, I’d very much like to tell you what’s going on.”

But then he said no more.

And she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to say at all.

She stared at him and he stared back.

“Well?” she snapped, sick to death of his staring contests and curious beyond what she knew was healthy.

“This is what’s going on,” he stated and started back across the room toward her.

When he was halfway to her, she put her hand up. “I… I’d like you to stay where you are,” she stammered and he slowed his determined gait but he did not stop.

“I told Monique that she could either live with you cordially or move out.”

This was so shocking, Julia gasped. He kept moving toward her but she no longer cared.

“You did?” she asked in disbelief.

He didn’t affirm but moved relentlessly forward and didn’t stop until her still raised arm with its upturned hand hit the hard wall of his chest.