Page 71 of Honeythorn
“Yes there is—the accountant’s and your and Ingrid’s and Orson’s testimony. Do you think that accountant is loyal to Jack, the vermin? No. They will help—that’s why you were quick enough to keep them. Husband—you can do this. We can do this.”
Raphael looked dazed, but there was a little more colour in his cheeks. Part of Milan wanted to give him some tea and have him recover, but he knew that leaving Raphael with an idle mind would be counterproductive.
Raphael nodded and got up. Milan’s chest swelled with pride, and he gave Raphael a kiss on the cheek before sitting down to scribble three concise but informative notes. He grabbed the addresses from Raphael and went downstairs to have them taken to town to the quick-messenger there along with enough money to cover the cost.
“Give this note to the constable yourself,” Milan ordered, knowing that would be the fastest route, as the address was well known. The accountant and solicitor also lived in the village, so Milan saw no reason why the three of them couldn’t be at the manor by tonight at the latest.
That done, Milan returned upstairs to the study, where he found Raphael staring blankly at a few stacks of paper. Milan placed his hand on Raphael’s arm, turning him gently so they were looking at each other. He cupped Raphael’s face, stroking his thumbs across high cheekbones.
“Do you doubt me?” Milan asked.
Raphael’s eyes focused, looking at Milan.
“Do you think I would allow that worm to ever touch you, or anything that is yours, ever again? I will rip apart the whole continent before I let that happen, Raphael. Do you hear me? You are not alone anymore. Jack has no power over you. This is a tactic of fear.”
Raphael closed his eyes, dropping his head down so that their foreheads pressed together. “You don’t know what he’s like.”
“No, but you do. And you know me. Who would win in a fight?”
Raphael laughed slightly. “You.”
“Exactly. He has no grounds. If he did, he would have asked for this when you divorced. This is a desperate move, and we will reveal it as such.”
Raphael nodded, looking more lively.
“Now, how about we take a walk to clear our heads. We’ll look at these papers after, and wait for the rest of our team to arrive.”
Raphael nodded again, looking like he would agree to any of Milan’s suggestions if only to stay away from his own mind. “All right.”
Milan smiled. “And if that scoundrel tries to take a step towards you, Lima and Pax will be on him before he can blink. They can smell a rat a mile away.”
Raphael laughed again. “All right.” He paused, looking at Milan intently. “Thank you.”
Milan shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I am your bonded, Raphael. I will protect you with my dying breath.”
“Let’s not let it come to that.”
“Oh, please. That pathetic little man won’t even wind me.”
“Of course not.” Raphael chuckled.
“All right. Let’s go.”
*****
It was only grim faces after Milan and Raphael had explained, with as much detail as the latter could stand, what the situation during his marriage had been, and what Jack was demanding now. The constable, Missus Lint; the accountant, Mister Gale; and the solicitor, Miss Claude, had read the letter that Jack had sent Raphael.
“This Jack fellow is stipulating that he is to stay here at the manor whilst this is being resolved,” Miss Claude said.
Milan could not contain his temper as Raphael’s face drained of blood—he banged his fist on the table. “Absolutely not.” He turned to the constable. “I assure you, Missus Lint, if that man so much as steps beyond the tree line, I will shoot him myself.”
“Well—we don’t want that,” she replied. “I’ll do what I can.”
Miss Claude placed the letter on the table. “He has no grounds on which to demand that. Even if hewasowed half of the estate, he has not won the suit yet, and therefore would be trespassing if he were to enter without permission.”
“There you go,” Missus Lint said. “No need for any shooting. You can send us a message if he appears.”
“I’m not promising anything,” Milan grumbled, smiling slightly at Raphael when he squeezed his hand. “We are all in agreement, then. Jack will not be tolerated on the estate. His suit is preposterous, but it will be solved with minimal interaction from Raphael. He can answer any questions and provide documents, but there is no need to interact with Jack.”
