Page 26 of The Demon's Discovery
His gaze raked over me, surprise and interest flaring in his beady black eyes. “The pleasure is mine,” he said, taking Lara’s hand in his and bowing, pressing his mouth to her prominent ring. He turned to me, clearly with the same intent. “You may call me Otto, if you like.”
“Nice to meet you, Lord Feiser,” I managed, insides churning.
I held still through his cringe-inducing performance of kissing my knuckles, then scrubbed the back of my hand against my skirt once he’d finally relinquished it. It felt slimy somehow, nothing at all like when Vassago had done the same thing.
“Please, have a seat.” Henrik gestured to the seats around the table.
Feiser decided that two over from me was his preferred spot. Far enough for propriety and close enough to touch my hand on the table if he wanted. “I apologize for the delay in arriving. I assume everything is still in order, as we agreed?” His stare made me itchy. Out of habit, my eyes kept sliding to the table, and I fought to keep my head up as Lara stared me down, no doubt waiting to catch a mistake in my manners.
“Indeed.” Henrik looked to Lara, who had on her most transparent fake smile. “We’re honored you’ve entrusted us with this and will of course fulfill our agreement.” My stomach twisted when Henrik met my eye, a lopsided smile on his mouth.
“Ah, wonderful.” Feiser turned my way, folding his clammy hands around mine. “I still have some business to set in order, but we’ll have ample time to get to know one another before the wedding.”
I went cold all over. “Wedding?” I wheezed, refusing to accept that they’d done all of this with no discussion or warning.
“Lord Feiser has made a generous bid for your hand, though I must insist we’re getting the better end of things.” Lara smirked.
“It appears you’ve taken adequate care of her these past years. Has she kept her studies up?” Otto asked, a lascivious smile on his mouth.
“Yes, of course. We allow her as much time to practice as her work will allow.” Lara nodded.
“Good, good. I was delayed longer than I hoped, but she’s young enough yet to provide several children, so long as we start right away. Thanks to her training with you, she can obviously keep a tidy house, and she has other pursuits to keep her mind agile. I can’t say nearly as much for several courtesans.” He doled out compliments, but they were not genuine. How could they be? He’d offered to purchase me like livestock. “Not everything is about appearance, Duchess Belette, though I understand why you might be concerned.”
I swallowed the insults, acid coating my tongue. “And if I don’t agree?” My words were sharp, the sting of tears hot in the back of my throat.
“Your agreement is not required,” Henrik said, eyes shifty as he looked away from me.
I stiffened my spine, digging deep for boldness as panic made my heart pound roughly behind my ribs. “Excuse me? What do you mean? You’ve never mentioned anything of the sort before. I’m of age to make my own decisions?—”
“My dear, what he means to say is that while I have long since been promised your hand, there’s no reason we can’t proceed with some semblance of amicability.” He lifted my knuckles to his mouth again, pressing in and leaving my skin dotted with condensation from his exhale. “I’m very happy with our arrangement, and I hope you’ll feel the same. You’re quite”—he scanned me head to toe, leaving me feeling unclean, somehow—“unique, and I’m certainly well-endowed enough to keep you satisfied and able to participate in the lifestyle you are accustomed to.”
Bile rose at his clever wording, and I pulled my trembling fingers away from him, burying them in my lap. Betrayal raced angrily through my veins as I turned my glare from my would-be husband to my employers. The lifestyle I was accustomed to was that of a maid. An unacknowledged almost-daughter who never lived up to expectations.
“We didn’t want to ruin the surprise,” Lara said, chuckling nervously. “That’s why we didn’t mention it before.”
“It’s a good match, Greta. We’re sure you’ll grow to be fond of Otto, and he’s agreed to let you continue your work here while he makes some final preparations to welcome you into his home.”
How generous.The sarcastic thought raced across my mind, but I clenched my teeth to keep it from escaping my mouth. Anger flared hot, lighting up my cheeks and making my chest ache.
“No offense, sir, but I’m sure you understand this is quite shocking.” I schooled my words carefully. “I’ve not been told of these plans. I’m flattered, but not sure I’d be a good match?—”
“On the contrary.” He winked at me, and I swallowed against the sour burn in my throat. “I believe we’re perfectly paired. You’re skilled and used to being protected from the outside world. Besides, I’m not one to back down from a challenge.”
“Challenge?” I repeated, a numb feeling freezing my chest. Disbelief had given way to terror, but I remained rooted in my seat, afraid to move.
“Greta, you know our top priority is, and always has been, to keep you safe.” Lara put on her sweetest tone, but the falseness grated at me. I had wondered more than once, especially in recent months, how many of their rules were actually in place for my safety versus their convenience. Their control. “We knew Mr. Feiser would return to claim your hand, as promised.” She tipped her glass his direction. “Thank the saints I have friends who will humor me, otherwise you might have trialed with some household that would haveactuallyhired you away.” She laughed, the high-pitched noise riding on my frayed nerves.
“Safe,” I repeated, feeling more and more disembodied by the moment. My shoulders had started to burn as well, a fierce ache I wasn’t sure I would be able to ignore for very long.
“Yes, of course. Mr. Feiser is a good match. He’ll take good care of you. Keep you safe.”
They kept saying it, but that didn’t make it true. How long this agreement had been in place also seemed a vital question. Never mind that Lara had admitted to keeping me captive here, that none of the job trials she’d set up were real, that she’d ensured I would fail one way or another and then had the gall to punish me for failing. My thoughts stuttered as I processed all this, my breath loud in my ears and my heart beating too fast.
“I have several affairs I must tend to yet before I remove you to my personal care. I’m satisfied that the Belettes can manage a few more months.”
“And if I don’t want taking care of?” There was a bite to my words, fear and anger coming together as a hot burn in my throat.
Lara made that scratchy tittering laugh again, and the men exchanged an annoyed knowing glance. Feiser chuckled heartily, upending his cup to guzzle the contents, but nobody addressed my question directly. That smarted as well, and my skin heated with a blush that was equal parts shame and anger.
