Page 26 of The Marriage Deal
Unease filled me at the thought of Levi potentially losing to some collector. "Why would he want to buy something so esoteric?"
"According to rumors," Beth said, "the prince is an Anglophile obsessed with the War of the Roses."
"Great. What we need is more bidders with unlimited funds." At least if the Saudi prince wins the bid, maybe he might grant us access to the documents. I doubt Wyatt would.
The bid rose again to fifteen million. The three men did not budge. The room was silent now, as the amount went up by a million, and each time, Wyatt, Levi, and the private bidder all raised their cards. When it reached twenty million, the Saudi prince pulled out. A collective gasp vibrated in the room when both Wyatt and Levi raised their cards. My tongue was stuck in my throat as I watched Levi raise his hand again when the auctioneer called out twenty-two million.
"Levi," I said in a low voice. "Are you sure?"
"Twenty-three million," the auctioneer called out. "Still, the two gentlemen for twenty-three million. This is getting exciting, folks. Twenty-four million?"
Wyatt raised his card. And so did Levi. "I don't want the fucker touching what's mine ever again," he said in a low voice.Interesting that he thought the collection was already his, but why did I have a suspicion he wasn't referring to that but to something else?
"Twenty-five million?" The crowd gasped when the auctioneer called out the high number. There was a pregnant pause when Wyatt and Levi did not raise their cards. And then Levi raised his. The crowd gasped again. "Twenty-five million on number forty-five. Number thirty-three?" Wyatt shook his head. "Going once. Going twice. Sold!" The auctioneer banged his gavel. "To the gentleman with number forty-five!"
Applause rumbled as everyone clapped for Levi.
"Wow!" Beth was fanning herself with a pamphlet, grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't know it was going to be so… interesting."
"Me neither," I said as I watched the impassive Levi accept the congratulations he was getting from the surrounding people. He didn't seem shaken, like I or Beth were. He looked like he had just purchased a toy and not one of the most expensive medieval collections. Wyatt and Billie were already making their way out.
A couple of journalists were already making their way to us, eyes popping, phones held like microphones as they swarmed toward us. "Come on," Levi said, taking my hand in his. "I don't want to deal with them right now."
I can't believe it. He bought it for twenty-five million pounds, like it was nothing.
11
Levi
I WATCHED AS THE woman I've worked with for years stared in awe at the sword. "Amazing, isn't it?" I took it out of its scabbard and waved it around. It was a fourteenth-century relic from the Hundred Years' War. "An ancestor of mine fought with it in the Crusades. Or so the story goes. I couldn't find anything to corroborate the claim."
She scoffed. "Of course, you would try to find out if it's true."
"I can't help it. I am a historian." I put the sword back into the scabbard.
She held out her hand. "Can I touch it?"
I drew it out again and carefully handed it to her by the jewel-toned hilt. "It does look to be from that period," she said, her fingers running around the chipped pommel. Her eyes were bright with excitement. "Amazing. Can I swing it?"
I stepped back. "By all means."
She assumed the guard stance and swished and swooshed the sword around the bare stone room. After the thrill of making that purchase yesterday, I wanted to spend some time away from the city and brought Elvira to our family home. My mother's family home, to be precise. And since no one was around except the staff, and it was closed to visitors this time of year, the castle was the perfect place to relax.
It didn't take much to convince Elle to come. All I said was there was a castle built in the thirteenth century she could runaround in, and she was in the car ready to go. We arrived in Berkshire, and I gave her a tour of Redwood Hall. Her joy throughout the tour was infectious. Everything fascinated her, pointing out anything she thought was interesting, and I was happy to tell her all about it. It was good to see her this excited, especially after yesterday. If I had known Wyatt would be there, I would have made sure not to bring Elle along. But the last time I did that—that time I barred her from going to a workshop that Billie and Wyatt were attending—she had been mad at me for days.
Near the end of our tour, we entered a large hall where she spotted the sword and knight's armor.
"I didn't know you had a liking for swords."
"Not a liking per se." She swung it again. "But they are interesting. The history that's imbued in them. The battles they've seen. The dark deeds they've committed. Who knows how many men this took out? Or women." She paused, her back to me, swung it again, and then turned to face me and handed it to me. "Fascinating, isn't it? Not just the lives it took, but the number of people who held it."
I nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean."
She scoffed. "Don't act like you don't have a whole-ass sword in your living room, mister."
I took the sword and put it back on its mount. "You must want to see the library," I said. Part of my promise of bringing her here was the library we had. It had some old, rare books that were hard to find even in some university libraries. She flashed a smile that made my heart stop. Every time I thought I was getting used to her presence, Elvira would do something so innocuous but earth-shattering in the world of Levi Hawthorne. I had to stop myself from drawing her to me and kissing her when she handed me that sword. I wanted to do it that day in my living room, and I wanted to do it again, especially now that Iknew how her lips tasted.There was something about seeing her holding an ancient weapon that made me hard.
Why did you kiss me?
