Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) (32 page)

“We could do anything we dreamed of with this
kind of power.”

 

“Provided we don’t betray Richard,” Colin reminded
his wife.

“Why would we want to? He has never lied to us
and you certainly can’t complain about our lifestyle.
It was
because of his generosity we have all of this,” she said. It
was true. Richard was very generous with the Cavanaugh’s.
He made them rich enough to live in a luxurious home just
outside London.

“He cost us our daughter. Did she mean nothing to
you?” Colin asked furiously.

“There is still time for more children. With the book
of Marcus, we can have immortality.
Do you realize what
that means?”

“What I want more than anything is to live in
peace.” He got up and walked to his workshop.

Claudia was left thinking of the endless possibilities
the book would
bring.
Colin
would
have to
get over
Shannon. She wasn’t his daughter any longer.

When
Richard
left
London
he
returned
to
the
Devereaux home in Paris.
The whole house was asleep
except for Desiree; who appeared to be waiting up for him.

“I knew you would return tonight,” she smiled.
“Shall we go to bed together?” Richard guided her up the
stairs.
He
would
speak to
Natalie
and
Meredith in the
morning.

Chapter 32

After Aidan’s meeting with Jeziel
, he stopped at
Aura’s room. When he knocked on the door, she didn’t
answer. The light was already off and he couldn’t hear any
sounds.
They must have already gone to sleep.
He wanted
to speak with her about Jeziel, but he would have to wait
until morning.

Richard woke up early the next morning.
As he
looked at Desiree, he realized how much he loved her.
He
would speak to Meredith this morning about submitting a
petition
to
annulled.
months.
Even his father would have to admit that he could
be dead.

If
Desiree
could
be granted
an annulment,
they
would be free to marry.
her to marry Caspian.
He damned his mother for pushing

Desiree was in love with him.
Richard wanted a son and he was sure Desiree would oblige
him. He got up and started to get dressed, being careful not
to wake her.

He needed Natalie to be ready, so they
wouldn’t
keep Claudia and her husband waiting.
When he was
dressed, he leaned over to kiss her gently on the cheek
before leaving. “Soon my love, we will be together soon,”
he whispered, and then he walked quietly out of the room.
the
Council, to have his brother’s marriage
No one had seen or heard from Caspian, in

When he went downstairs, he found Meredith and
Natalie already dressed and waiting for him.

“I trust you slept well last night?” Meredith smiled.
“I did,and yourself Mother?”

“I had several nightmares about them finding you
guilty after the trial.”

 

Richard laughed.“I can assure you that is highly
unlikely. You should use your time more wisely.”
“How can I relax,
when the Guild
is trying to
murder both of you?”

“I told you it will never happen. You need to start
trusting me.
The Guild may be powerful, but I have some
powerful friends myself,” Richard said, as he poured himself
a cup of tea.

“When do we have to leave?” Natalie asked.

Richard looked at the clock on the wall.
“We will be
going in the next thirty minutes, so I suggest you take care of
any personal businessbefore then. We will not be late!”

“Are we going to stay in London?”

“No
- London is only a stop off.
When we have
concluded our business we will be going back to New York.
I’ll be making arrangements for you to stay at the Godwin
Academy, with Yvonne and Yvette Devereaux.
You may
still be able to gather some information there.
You will be
introduced as their cousin Monica, on their mother’s side.
She is the same age and they have never met. In the event
the Guild decides to question them, they won’t be able to
offer any damaging information.”

“Who else is going to be there?”

 

“I have it on good authority Will and Joshua will be
returning there this morning.”

 

“How could you know that?”

 

“Just because I’m not there, doesn’t mean I don’t
have eyes and ears in Aeden.”

 

“Did you find out anything else?”
“I understand they are still planning to hold my trial
tomorrow,” Richard laughed.

 

“I thought they were going to wait for a week? You
aren’t still considering going there,are you?”

“I see no reason to stay away. If I don’t go
, my fate
will be sealed. By showing up, I might have an opportunity
to sway the Council my way. I need to make them believe, I
was acting in the best interest of the children of Utopia.”

“That may be easier said than done.
Surely they will
introduce these unfortunate events concerning Natalie,”
Meredith said.

“One has nothing to do with the other. They will
not address Natalie’s charges during my examination. I can
assure you, I have the means to disappear if it looks like
things are not going my way. I’m going to ask you and
Desiree to appear there with me. We can ask the Committee
to annul her marriage to Caspian on the same day.”

“I have been giving some thought about that. Since
your brother has had no contact with anyone in months, I
believe
we
could
construct
an
argument
to
have
him
declared
legally
dead.
I can
make the
petition
to
the
Committee myself.
It would be a greater benefit to us.
Desiree would then be entitled to the inheritance left to your
brother, by Henry’s father. Don’t you agree?” Meredith
asked.

“Do you believe the Commissionwill listen to us?”
Natalie said.

“If Desiree testifies, they will have no choice.
Surely she has the right to have children.
Considering the
marriage
was
never
consummated,
they
would
be
hard
pressed to deny her request.”

“What does Desiree think about this?”
“Actually it was my idea,” Desiree said, as she
joined then at the table. “I am in complete agreement with
your mother.
There is something else I need to tell you.”
She gazedlovingly at Richard. “We’re going to have a
baby.”

‘What?”
The
porcelain
cup
almost
fell
from
Meredith’s hand. “Why didn’t you take precautions?” She
glared at Richard.

Richard moved to sit next to Desiree. “When is the
baby due?”

 

“We’re having a son; in another six weeks or so,”
she gushed.

The pregnancies of angel-bloods only lasted three
months and were said to be painless. Most of the changes to
their bodies happened rapidly in the last month.

Richard looked more closely at Desiree.
Her long
blonde curls fell to her waist.
The loose fitting frock she
was wearing, hardly disguised the considerable weight she
had gained. He had been so preoccupied with everything
else; he never thought to consider it.

“All the more reason I need to sub
mit the petition to
the Council. Then you will both be free to marry each other;
hopefully before the child is born,” Meredith said.

“Well it would certainly help our cause
, if they
heard her petition first.
Can you have the paperwork ready
before my trial tomorrow?”

“The paperwork is finished. I wanted to speak with
you before submitting it.”

“I see no reason to delay the petition. Perhaps you
should return to Utopia today and meet with Henry to
discuss this.”

“I don’t need to meet with him.
I can submit the
request without his approval,” Meredith scoffed.

“You’re asking them to declare the Governor’s son
dead. Don’t you think it would benefit us to at least give him
a heads up?”

Meredith
reluctantly
agreed.
She
desperately
wanted a grandson. If Desiree gave Richard a son, at least
she would have some influence in the way he was raised.
“It’s the day before New Year’s Eve. That doesn’t give us
much time. Promise me you will keep Natalie safe.”

“I can assure you, she will not be anywhere near
Aura.”

 

He looked at his daughter.“Are you ready?”

“Yes Father, let’s get this over with.” Richard
kissed Desiree goodbye.
He was thrilled with the news that
he was having a son.

Chapter 33
Aura and the little ones woke up early the next day.
They
continued their conversation from the previous night.

“Aidan will want to accompany us to New York.
We should wait for him to bring up Jeziel's visit before we
say anything.”

“Yeah - we don't want him telling her about our
plan,” Tracy said.

 

“We don't even have a plan yet,” Bren giggled.

 

“Mommy's got a plan, don't you Mommy?”

“Indeed I do.
I was thinking about it last night. We
can talk about it more when we return.
I don't want to ruin
the surprise.”

“Why does Aidan have to go with us?” Alannah
asked Bren.“We're going shopping for dresses.”

 

“He can carry the packages. Are we going to see
Anastasia?” Bren asked her sister.

 

“We'll go to see her first.”

 

“Anastasia makes most of our fancy dresses,” Tracy
said.

“She's quite amazing,” Aura said.
“After we get the
dresses, we'll have time to stop at the Godwin Academy.
Then, we can havelunch before we come home.”

“Do you think we could go ice skating in Central
Park?” Bren asked.

 

“I've never been ice skating Mommy,” Alannah
said.

“Let's see how much time we have.”
They all
dressed quickly and hurried downstairs, so Aura could start
breakfast.

A few minutes later, Myra came in with Mahlyssa
and Shannon.
Rita and Jessica were right behind them;
followed by the rest of the family.

As Aura put breakfast on the dining room table,
they were all talking excitedly about their shopping trip to
New York.

“Is Matthew coming to the weddings too?” Willow
asked.

 

“I don't see why not, he's part of the family,” Rita
said.

Willow loved spending time with Matthew.
He
was
her
best
friend.
Since
the
Godwin
Academy
was
located in New York, she would have another chance to visit
him.

“Let's finish our breakfast. Papa has the plane
fueled and ready,” Aura said.

 

She looked at Aidan, who was visibly anxious.
“We're flying again on the metal bird?” he asked.

Rita and Jessica couldn't contain their laughter. “It's
called an airplane. Don't worry, I'll make a hole in the cabin
if we get into trouble,” Rita chuckled.

“There are other means of transportation.
I don't
know why we have to use the airplane at all.”

 

“It's the fastest way to get there,” Bren said.
Aidan wasn’t prepared for Alannah’s flippant
response.“Yeah it's not like we can spread our wings.”

 

“Where is your faith Aidan?” Aura asked.

“Maybe he left his faith in Heaven,” Alannah said.
Though some of them took it as a joke, Aura knew that
Alannah was being serious.

“Well it seems it is official now,” Aidan replied,
unable to hide the sarcasm in his tone.

 

“What's ficial?” Mia asked.

“My daughter has enrolled in Smart Ass University
and I have no doubt under the tutelage of Bren and Tracy,
she will graduate with honors.” Aidan meant it as a joke, but
Alannah never cracked a smile.

“At least Aidan didn't leave his sense of humor in
Heaven,” Willow laughed.

As they were finishing breakfast, there was a knock
on the front door. Mia scurried from the table to see who it
was. She returned with Dareus and Aureus.

Aura greeted them both with a smile. “We were just
having breakfast.Would you like to join us?”

 

Dareus was gracious. “That would be appreciated.
I'm afraid we haven't yet mastered the art of cooking.”

 

“Have a seat. There's still plenty of food.”

The
twins
took
a
seat
near
Bren,
Tracy
and
Alannah. “We know you're planning a visit to New York,
but we'd like to invite you to go horseback riding later this
week,” Dareus said.

“What day do you want us to come?” Bren asked.
“Any day is fine.
We're settled into the house
now,” Aureus said.

 

“Would it be alright if we brought some apples with
us?” Bren asked.

Dareus smiled. “I'm sure the horses would
appreciate that.” He looked at all of the food on the table.
“Do you always make a big breakfast?” he asked Aura.

“We have a big family and I enjoy cooking.”

“We are indebted to you for your kindness.
Perhaps we can repay the favor some other time,” Dareus
smiled.

“There's no need.
You're family.
You're welcome
here whenever you like.”

 

“And you and the little ones are welcome to visit us
anytime as well,” Dareus said.

“Don't you think we should finish?
We don't want
to be late.” Aidan didn't like having the twin brothers
around. He didn't like how friendly Aura was with them.

Aura looked at the clock.
“He's right. Papa has the
plane ready to go and we don't want to delay our trip. I hate
to be so rude, but we do have a schedule today.
You're
welcome to stay with Iris.The three of you can catch up.”

“Isn't she going shopping with you?” Dareus asked.

“No
I have too many clothes already,” Iris said.
“Don't bother cleaning up Aura. I can take care of the dishes
while you're gone.”

Aura looked at the twins. “We'll see you at the
wedding then?”

 

“We are looking forward to it,” Dareus smiled.

The weather had turned cold again over night, so
Aura bundled up the little ones. She didn't allow Aidan to
help.
She hoped the rest of the family wouldn't comment
about her coldness towards him. Even Alannah was keeping
her distance.

Of course the others didn't see what happened the
night
before.
Aura
was
thankful
they
didn't
have
that
discussion during breakfast.
She didn't know how the girls
would have responded to his defense of Jeziel.
Better to
leave that conversation for another time.
There would be
another time, she was sure of it.