Page 35 of Beneath the Flames
After meeting them at the door, Celestia escorted Brie to the study in eerie silence. Rapping lightly on the door, she said quietly, “Brianna Davis is here.”
Brie trembled when she heard Marquis Gray command, “Come in, Mrs. Davis, and shut the door.”
Turning to Sir, Brie forced a brave smile and put her hand on the doorknob. Celestia looked at her with concern but said nothing.
Goosebumps rose on Brie’s skin as she entered the room and then quickly closed the door behind her. Keeping her head bowed, she moved to the chair that Marquis indicated and sat down beside him.
She was thankful for the fire burning in the fireplace. It helped stave off the chill that hung in the room.
“Mrs. Davis.”
Brie could barely bring herself to meet Marquis Gray’s gaze. But she dutifully lifted her eyes and braved staring into those penetrating eyes.
She gasped the moment their eyes met. She saw a darkness in them that she had never seen before, and she instinctively glanced away, her heart suddenly racing.
Startled by her reaction, Marquis assured her, “There is no reason to fear me, pearl.”
Hearing his reassuring voice tugged at her heart, but she was still afraid to meet his gaze again.
“What are you frightened of?”
“You seem different, Asher,” she murmured.
Marquis Gray lifted her chin with his finger, forcingher to look at him. “You are right. What happened has changed me.”
Brie gazed into his eyes, her heart aching when she saw the pain in them.
“It is not what you think, Brianna.”
She looked at him questioningly. She suddenly realized she’d been holding her breath as she waited for him to explain.
His brow furrowed, lines of anguish cutting across his face when he confided, “I now live with the guilt. It is something I have never suffered before.” His frown deepened. “I am plagued with overwhelming guilt because of what I failed to do.”
Brie was startled by his answer. “Whatyoufailed to do?”
Anguish filled his eyes when he told her “I was the one who introduced you to Holloway.”
“You had no idea, Marquis Gray. No one with any decency could imagine the things he was capable of.”
Marquis shook his head. “I find it ironic that in my zeal to protect you as a student, I was quick to condemn Thane as Headmaster. Yet, I guided you into the hands of a monster.”
“No one knew…” she whispered, her voice sounding strangled with her fear and self-condemnation. “If I had known the depths of his depravity, I would have fought tooth and nail to get Mary away from him instead of trying to advance my career by working with the devil.”
“That is not your burden to bear, Brianna,” he insisted. “It is mine.”
He hesitated before continuing. “Having time to think on it, I’ve come to understand how exceptionally cunning and calculated Holloway was. It caught me off guard because I am normally a perceptive person. When I first met the man when we were younger, in the years before he became a huge mogul in Hollywood, I respected him for his vision and intelligence. Although we were never friends, I admired his obvious talent, and I supported him in the BDSM community.”
He frowned, “I realize now that he became corrupted by his unprecedented success in Hollywood and, once he went down that path, I believe he purposely avoided all direct contact with me, knowing I would perceive the changes in him.”
Marquis looked at Brie, his eyes flashing with anger. “I became a pawn. It was due to my favorable impression of him that I actively sought Holloway out to work with you and, in doing so, I allowed him to ensnare both you and Mary.”
Snorting in disgust, he added, “For years, Holloway insisted on contacting me through hurried phone calls or by text. He used his hectic film schedule as an excuse not to meet with me in person. I never once questioned it…”
Brie’s jaw dropped when she realized she had never seen Marquis speak directly to the man—except for the night of the award ceremony.
Remembering the terrified look on Holloway’s face after Marquis had insisted he leave, then whispered in his ear. Brie asked Marquis the question she’d wanted to ask ever since that night. “What did you say to Holloway thenight of the award ceremony, Asher? I have never forgotten the way his face drained of all color.”
Marquis met her gaze, his eyes glowing with rage. “I was angered by his treatment of Miss Wilson that night and the utter disrespect he’d shown you…”
