Page 73 of The Last Resort
Matthew’s father is English, and the grandson of a duke. That explains a lot about the way he behaves and talks.
“Right. He did mention his family lives in New York City.”
“You do know they are absolutely loaded. Filthy rich. Pardon my vulgarity. Billionaires.” Rachel instantly tensed.
And here it comes.
“Tell me, does Matthew Royal have a girlfriend, or is he single and available? Y’all probably have lots of things in common. And you don’t have a fiancé any more, sweetheart. No doubt Matthew will have access to a sizeable trust fund with which he could spoil a young lady, if he was so inclined.”
Bingo. Thanks, Mama.
Her mother came from a particular social set in Atlanta where men were rated on a scale of marriageability that gave extra points for wealth and connections. Good looks and decent behavior came next. Honesty and fidelity barely made it onto the bottom of the list.
“I believe he is currently unattached.”
There was no point in lying to her mother. Patricia would have already done her homework and compiled a social dossier on Mister Matthew Royal.
“I’m not pushing you, but it would make things easier for me to join the Florida social set if at least one of my daughters was involved with a family of international standing.”
International standing = stinking rich.
“Dan’s family are good people.”
The Brocks were not exactly poor.
But they aren’tbillionaires.
In her mother’s eye, their bank balances were pleasant enough.
But they aren’t billionaires.
“Yes, I know, and Dan is a sweet man. But he does jump out of helicopters for a living. It’s not exactly the sort of thing a mother can go telling her friends when they ask about the men their daughters are married to, but if you …”
Yes, Mama I am aware that the Royal family is worth billions.
“I’ll try to come and visit as soon as I can. Is Uncle Jonathan taking good care of you?”
Changing the subject was the only way she was going to steer her mother away from pre-emptively announcing Rachel’s engagement to Matthew Royal.
“Yes of course he is. We are off to the Hamptons in the summer. You should come and join us. I’m sure there are some agreeable and eligible men in that part of the country.”
Rachel gritted her teeth. What her mother really meant was that there might be some bachelors who hadn’t heard about her family’s shocking scandal. She didn’t have the heart to explain that there was a thing called the internet and that these days most people in search of love made use of it.
I wonder if Matthew has ever looked me up online.
“Listen, I’ve got to go, Mama. I have a meeting. I’ll talk to you soon.”
She hung up the call. The thought of what Matthew or the Royal family might find if they did google her was a worry, she was doing her best to ignore. But she couldn’t completely erase the past. Her change of name was a legal document, lodged with the courts in Georgia.
At least my name is no longer Davilla on my passport.
If anything did come of this time with Matthew, she would eventually have to tell him who she was and share her family history. She hadn’t done anything wrong. The courts had agreed that her father had been the one to wear all theblame, but his false accusations against her had destroyed much of Rachel’s reputation.
She couldn’t imagine what Matthew would say when he found out. It certainly wouldn’t be anything like,hey, it’s all good, we Royals love mingling with the families of convicted felons.
And who was to say that Matthew didn’t just view their relationship as being a pleasant distraction from the work around the lodge. That when this project was done and dusted, he’d get on his company jet and fly back to New York City, leaving her in his past as just a happy memory.
Rachel raked her fingers through her pale blond hair. She’d long known that getting emotionally attached to Matthew would be a mistake, if not outright dangerous. But since that horse had already bolted, there was no point in trying to close any sort of barn doors.
