Dare to be Mine (5 page)

Downstairs, Percy was nearly finished
with his breakfast, not caring that his wife was noticeably absent that
morning. He shook his head in recollection of Elyssa's tasteless exhibition the
previous night. He had no">
CHAPTER desire to ever allow being humiliated again as he had
been on their wedding night.

Whatever had possessed Elyssa to do such
a thing was beyond all comprehension, and not for the first time Percy cursed
himself for choosing such a young bride. Elyssa’s lack of worldly experience
was at the core of his hardness toward her. Of course, the point was now moot,
for Percy harbored little if any feeling for Elyssa other than the comfort of
having someone capable to run his household. He should have remained faithful
to the memory of his dearly departed Mary.

Once Percy Fredrickson decided to close
someone out of his heart it was a permanent thing. And although he did reluctantly
like and admire Elyssa to a certain extent, she had not turned out to be the
soul mate he had hoped for during his declining years of life.

Returning his attention to the
newspaper, Percy didn't notice the quiet entrance of the unwelcome intruder until
he was standing across the table from him.

"I see you still dine alone.
Apparently even your new wife cannot abide to be in the same proximity with
you." At the resentful utterance of the uncomplimentary notion, Percy's
head slowly came up until their eyes met in mutual dislike. Ignoring the
immediate dread that voice prompted, Percy clenched his jaw, determined to keep
the upper hand.

"I distinctly recall you telling me
our paths would never cross again. And as you can plainly see, I am still
breathing."

Pouring himself a glass of juice, the
younger man leisurely took a drink as he looked about the huge dining room for
any changes since his last time there.

"I see nothing ever changes around
here.
Same stuffy decor.
Same bitter
attitude."

"What are you doing here,
Daniel?" Percy demanded.

"I had to see for myself this new
wife of yours. Where is this paragon of virtue I have heard so much
about?"

"Why? What has she to do with
you?" Percy parried, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I want to see the female that is
after my inheritance. I want to know what kind of woman would make you sell my
birthright from beneath me."

"Do you see anyone here?"
Percy evaded. "My wife is out of town as far as you are concerned and that
is all you need to know."

"Then you do not deny that she will
one day inherit my legacy?"

"I admit or deny nothing,"
Percy replied vaguely. "I also find it highly offensive that it was only
the issue of money that brought you back here. I assume you spent all your
money on frivolous living and intend to beg a place to stay."

Daniel slammed the glass down on the
table as he jerked a chair back and took a seat directly across from his
father. Their angry gazes clashing, Daniel finally replied, "I didn't
realize I had need of begging to stay in my own home, whether it
be
for a day or a year."

"You were the one who issued the
long ago threat, not I. You are the one that turned your back on this family.
On the business."

"This
family?"
Daniel scoffed. "This so called
family that consists only of a hardened man called father and a son he loathes
the very sight of? Is that the family I betrayed?"

Although Percy had no close or amorous
feelings towards Elyssa, he did feel
a certain
protectiveness over her. She was his responsibility for the remainder of his
life, was she not? And to willingly subject her to his son's corruptness would
not be in her best interests.

Indeed, Percy had no doubt that Daniel
would subject his naive wife to a biting interrogation regarding Percy's
fortune. It was clear he harbored an intense dislike for Elyssa, yet having
never met her. Elyssa was too unsophisticated to be a worthy match against
Daniel, hence Percy's decision to keep her protected at all costs. He would
have to keep Daniel and Elyssa apart.

Daniel continued, "Do not act as if
all your worldly goods were earned by your own hand. We both know I helped
amass a huge fortune for you during years past. Greystone Manor is my home by
right as you well know. And I will beating furiouslythibe damned if I let some money grubbing little
chit snatch it away because she convinced you to change your will."

"It certainly makes a father proud
to hear his son talk about the profit he stands to make over his death,"
Percy replied mockingly. "Nothing compares to a child's love for his
father."

Eyes narrowing in hostility, Daniel
stood up, bracing his hands on the table. He glared down at Percy as he
struggled to contain his anger. "How dare you throw sarcasm my
way.
I loved you with my entire being and you never once
showed me an ounce of compassion. Never a word of encouragement
nor
any sign of affection. I grew up thinking it was
Mother's death that had made you so unfeeling, or that I had done something
terribly wrong to earn your bitterness. But the fact is
,
you are simply a man incapable of emotion. And no matter what you think of me
now, who I am is because of what you helped mold me into."

Forcing a facade of boredom, Percy
likewise rose from his seat and walked toward the window overlooking the
gardens. Gazing out at its beauty though never really noticing it, Percy calmly
asked, "Why are you here and how long do you plan to stay?"

"I have business in London which I
will attend to in another day or two after I have seen some old acquaintances
here in town. And as I mentioned before, I plan to meet my new
stepmother."

"I told you she is out of
town." Ignoring Daniel's raised eyebrow and look of doubt, Percy lied,
"She is staying with her parents in London. There was a recent death in
her family so she will not be returning anytime soon."

"How unfortunate," Daniel said
without concern. "Well then, perhaps my next visit will see her back in
our home. I shall simply have to practice patience and look forward to meeting
her another time. I will be staying in my old quarters until I depart."

"I will have Cora ready the room
for you," Percy replied, eager to get Daniel out of sight in case Elyssa
came down for breakfast.

"There is no need. I saw her last
night upon my arrival and had her do so. I suppose I shall see you at supper
this evening." Before leaving, Daniel bowed in mockery and uttered,
"Father."

Percy's fi too close for comfort, g">CHAPTER sts tightened in rage as he
watched his son disappear and heard the front door slam with a vengeance. The
scorn in Daniel's voice as he spoke the word
father
left it most
apparent that his son still harbored a deep abhorrence for him.

Their unexpected encounter left Percy
more shaken than he would have liked to admit. It had been years since he had
last laid eyes on his son. Time had obviously hardened Daniel over the years.
It shone in his eyes and in his stance. He was a bitter man, and Percy could
envision his son turning out to be his very likeness in the future. A half
smile formed about his lips and Percy scoffed inwardly at the fact that Daniel
was becoming the thing he most hated, and couldn't even see it himself.

On the other hand, Percy felt a twinge
of unease, for Daniel was certainly much more imposing and self-assured than
he'd been years ago. Daniel made a striking figure, for he had grown taller in
stature and more muscular in build. He had taken his mother's dark hair and
eyes and Percy's heart skipped a beat at the thought of his sweet Mary. She had
been the one person in this miserable world that had understood and loved him.

Determined to keep Elyssa from Daniel’s
clutches, Percy sought an idea to get his wife away until after his son left.
Perhaps send her to visit her family. They were only an hour's ride away and
surely Elyssa would jump at the chance to spend time with her parents and
siblings.

________________________

"I have no desire to see my
parents," Elyssa replied stubbornly as Percy stood nervously within her
chambers, watching curiously at the undignified figure Elyssa presented. He
couldn't recall ever seeing her without her hair done up prettily, or without a
lovely gown on. Still, her beauty could not be denied, even with her hair
pulled back unceremoniously, her drab dress looking that of a servant's. Even a
streak of dirt was smudged across her cheek. Still, in all her simplicity,
Elyssa was a delectable creature and it galled Percy anew to know that after
his eventual death she would most likely grace the arm of many a rich, handsome
gentleman. The thought made him more than a little angry and bitter.

"I am not asking, but insisting
that you leave Greystone for a few days." escaped her lips and
toward ">CHAPTER

Exasperated at his curt tone of voice,
Elyssa blew a strand of hair from over her eyes and stood, hands on hips.
Irritated at Percy for being the cause of her falling into another man's arms,
a stubbornness
uncharacteristic of Elyssa came to head and
she replied, "You may insist all you want, but I will not be bullied into
leaving my home to visit the family that has not once concerned themselves with
my welfare these five months past."

Elyssa was surprised at herself, for never
had she dared show disrespect to anyone, whether they were her elder or not.
She was brought up to be a refined young lady, to appear the typical dim-witted
female
that men
so loved to trophy about on their arm.
She had always allowed that front, though truth be known, she'd read every book
in her father's library over the years besides having been tutored, and was
actually quite a learned and bright young woman.

She’d had enough though. Having been
merely a catalyst to her parents' newly financial success, only to become a
virtual prisoner in a loveless marriage was finally taking its toll on Elyssa.
What had she to gain by remaining quiet and meek any longer? Percy's attitude
that she must obey him without question rankled at her last nerve and Elyssa
determined to stand her ground.

Shocked at her daring, Percy reluctantly
admired Elyssa's bravado, for very few had ever dared stand up to him so
adamantly. Likewise, it amused him a bit to see the mild mannered chit finally
show a bit of pluck, not unlike his Mary. It was one of the things he'd loved
most about her.

A rare look of admiration flashed across
Percy's features, which was not lost on Elyssa, and she was pleased to hear his
acquiescence.
"As you wish, Elyssa.
I would
encourage you, however, to refrain from appearing downstairs for the next few
days. If you insist on staying here, it will be necessary to keep away from my
business associates." At Elyssa's dubious look, he continued, "There
is a potentially dangerous man staying here briefly although I cannot go into
any detail. I have no desire to try protecting you from his mean-spiritedness.
Do I make myself clear?"

"Quite," Elyssa bit out.
"I am to make myself scarce, staying in my room as if I were an unruly
child being punished."

"See it as you wish," Percy
replied tolerantly, "I only seek to maintain your peace of mind during
this man's stay and the only way to do so is to keep you out of sight. I
appreciate your cooperation." too close for comfort, g">CHAPTER

The door closed soundly behind Percy and
Elyssa suppressed a scream of frustration. He was of course talking about last
night's stranger. So the man was to be here only a couple of days. Under the
same roof, she mused, and a shiver crept up Elyssa's spine. She doubted that
the man was at all a danger to her life, but that Percy merely wanted to keep
her away from an obviously philandering, very attractive rival for her
attentions.

If Percy were jealous, why then would he
not compromise just a bit when it came to their becoming closer, physically
speaking? Perhaps it was a sign that she might be able to break through Percy's
hardened heart after all, though the thought gave little comfort.

After spending another hour polishing
the tea set, Elyssa was pleased to see the shine that verily glowed from her
tedious efforts. The set had not looked so new in years and Elyssa doubted that
her mother would have bestowed the gift upon her had it appeared so valuable at
the time.

Gazing longingly out her window, Elyssa desired
to be outside on such a beautiful afternoon. Gracefully blowing leaves gave
sign of a gentle breeze and Elyssa longed to feel the coolness of it against
her face. To hell with Percy's orders! She was a grown woman and would not be
shut up in her room for days on end simply to please her husband's ridiculous
directives.

In all fairness, she would not parade
through the main downstairs, but instead chose to take the servants' stairway
and out the back door. Within moments Elyssa was alone outside, twirling about
in utter glorious freedom as she headed toward one of her favorite spots on the
estate. It was a good half mile from the mansion, and was in fact a potentially
dangerous spot.
The Cliffs of Greystone.
It had been
the site of a castle built by one of Percy's ancestors, long since destroyed
and barely any sign that it had ever existed. The castle’s designer had built
it too close to the edge of the cliffs overlooking the steep drop to the ocean
below.