Tristan's Loins (22 page)

Rhiannon's features softened to think Tristan
had sent divine intervention to save her in the form of her Fairy
Godmother. Selene muttered under her breath and typed in the
necessary tools for Rhiannon's escape. She saved the document and
when she went back to the screensaver, Rhiannon was tying the rope
to the bed rail.

"Tell Tristan that I’m sorrowful of how we
have begun," Rhiannon began softly and looked aggrieved. "I’m
better off with him, but I did not see it."

"He knows, now quickly, you must go," Selene
said with urgency. "Tell Gideon those are Tristan's orders. Get to
Raven's Keep and assemble the men for Stephen's advance. He will be
there by summer's end."

Rhiannon changed into the boys clothing
Selene provided her and tied up her hair and shoved a cap over her
head, covering her bright hair. Selene watched the girl shimmy
outside the window. She lowered herself down the castle wall. She
was impressed the girl had the pluck to do it. Thinking of her
options made her grimace. If given a choice to tumble to the rocks
below or marry Tristan's uncle, she could imagine what the girl
would choose.

Rhiannon must have made it to the ground.
Selene sighed and sat back in her chair. It was the least she could
do is help things along now. Pain filled her gaze to know Tristan
had given up on his heroine too soon. It appeared the girl did
indeed care for him.

Laura Benson called to inform her the court
date had been moved up. Selene hung up and looked out on the beach
where Tristan played with Daisy. The last week had been heavenly.
The days were spent in leisure, the nights with unequalled passion.
To think of him leaving hurt worse than the errand that took her
back to Grand Blanc that week.

Her court date was at noon on Thursday.
Tristan would no doubt wish to accompany her. She debated leaving
him at the cottage, but she had to meet with a realtor too. Darcy
found her someone and the woman was ambitious in her quest to find
her a new home.

In one week, it would be Memorial weekend.
The beach community would be bursting with visitors from down
state. She had seen all the preparations being made in town for the
holiday. A pang of sadness assailed her, thinking of how she had
spent every holiday here with her parents. Her Dad sent her an
email from China. He was there, seeing the sights and leaving a
trail of her Mother's ashes from one end of the Great Wall to the
other. Selene thought of her parent's love for one another and
sighed. As much as she wished for that, it was to be denied her.
Tristan had a life to live in her novel.

Speaking of which, she had been helping him
out by laying the foundation for his return. Rhiannon now longed
for him in a way he would be pleased to know about. Her heart hurt
to think of the two of them living happily ever after, but it was
long overdue.

Golden eyes clung to his image as he ran in
cut-off jean shorts down the beach, Daisy at his side. He had more
than reminded her of what was missing in her life this last month.
She swallowed hard to avoid what else she knew to be true.

As incomprehensible as it seemed, she was
late. She bought a pregnancy test at the pharmacy the day before.
It was positive. The thought of having the baby alone did not upset
her as she thought it would. It was a comfort to know she would
have a piece of Tristan when he was gone and that all of this had
been real.

She could not tell him about the baby or he
would refuse to go back. The ring would be removed from her story
so he could never return. Selene knew it was necessary to close
that doorway between her imaginary world and this one. To leave it
in the story was a great risk should the ring fall into another's
hands. Tristan agreed with her on that much.

They fought over the matter of his leaving.
He was stubborn and determined to convince her his staying was
possible. She wanted to believe him, but a part of her knew better.
No, Tristan belonged in the world she had created. It suffered in
his absence. Gideon was holding his forces for him at Raven's
Keep.

Stephen had arrived at de Vigny's lands to
find Rhiannon gone. He withdrew to gather his forces. The siege
upon Raven's Keep was planned the second week of August. Tristan
would have to go back.

The ride back to Grand Blanc was a quiet one.
Tristan was moody and conversation was limited. They arrived at the
courthouse downtown twenty minutes early. Laura waited for them in
the hallway outside the courtroom.

Her attorney's eyes widened to see Tristan at
her side, her expression pleased and a bit envious as she saw the
huge, handsome Englishman who stood with her.

"It's good to see you, Selene," she said, but
her eyes were glued to Tristan. "Who is your friend?"

"Laura Benson, this is Tristan de Montfort, a
friend," she introduced the pair. She smiled as Tristan kissed Ms.
Benson's hand, charming the woman right to the tips of her Minola
pumps.

Her attorney acted like a teenager and
giggled and Selene smiled as Tristan worked his magic on the woman.
She saw Jim and Ginny arrive and stiffened. Ginny wore a chic black
suit and sent her a triumphant look, her hand possessive on Jim's
elbow as they stepped off the elevator.

Jim did not look happy at all. Her husband's
hazel eyes took in the sight of her with Tristan and seemed angry.
Selene should have found some victory in his obvious regret to push
for this, but right now, she wanted her freedom. Russell Wentz
stepped out of the courtroom and waved to her before he took Jim
aside.

"Is that the weakling you were married to and
his strumpet?" Tristan asked disdainfully as he checked out Jim and
Ginny.

Selene chuckled at his words. "Yes, that
would be them. Be nice, let's just get through this thing and we
can go to lunch."

"He does not look like a man I would picture
you with, Selene."

"Big wonder were here today," Selene joked
lightly and frowned up at him. "I was a different person when I
married him, Tristan."

She knew it did not bode well when Jim
approached her, leaving Ginny standing with a pouting look. He
looked up at Tristan and back to his wife. His hazel eyes were
filled with regret.

"Selene, can we talk?" he asked, keeping a
careful eye upon Tristan.

Selene saw Tristan stiffen with displeasure
but she saw no reason to deny Jim. "Sure, we can talk. Tristan,
I'll be right back. “There were benches in the hallway around the
corner. She stopped at one and sat down, looking up at Jim
expectantly.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently, not
wanting to leave Tristan alone for long.

"I'm sorry about your mother, Selene." They
spoke for several minutes about that. "Who's the Neanderthal?"

"I'm not going to discuss that with you, Jim.
What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Jim cleared his throat and looked
uncomfortable, his expression filled with regret. "I thought this
was what I wanted, Selene. I got up this morning and began to think
about our life together. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Selene stared at Jim in amazement. "What I
want? Jim, you’re the one who filed! You moved me out of my home
and let your girlfriend move in. I think this whole decision was
yours."

"Selene, I realize I've been an idiot," he
began and she made a disgusted noise. "No wait! I know how this
sounds, but I have a change of heart. I spoke to Russell to delay
this hearing. Let's wait and see if we can get through this."

"What about Ginny? Does she know about this
change of heart?" Selene said in disgust.

Jim rolled his eyes. "She was too busy
finding just the right power suit to wear today. She doesn't
matter, Selene. I realized that. I don't know how I could have
thrown our life together away on her. I was going through something
I did not understand."

"It's too late, Jim." Selene wanted nothing
more than to return to Tristan's side. "You pushed this and you got
what you wanted. Now you change your mind and everything is just
supposed to go back the way it was? It doesn't work that way. I
don't work that way."

"Selene, please, let's just walk out of here
and forget about this," he said and Selene was struck by his
arrogance thinking it was just that easy. He did not consider the
two people that waited for them around the corner at all. Again, he
thought only of himself.

"Jim, I wanted to hear those words for six
months, hoping you would come to your senses. Now, I think this is
the best thing that could have happened to both of us. We want
different things. We always did. I wanted kids. You got me a dog. I
wanted to write, you got me a subscription to a book club. Don't
you see? We aren't right for one another. We never were. No, I’m
going ahead with the divorce. I'm glad to see you realize what
Ginny is all about, but it's too late for us." Selene folded her
hands in her lap and looked resolved.

Jim looked miserable and sat beside her on
the bench. "Selene, I can change. I have learned so much about
myself these last months. I think if you come home, we should try
for kids. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Selene looked at her husband in amazement. He
just did not get it at all. She stood and looked at him with a
sympathetic look. "Jim, it's over. Believe it or not, I think there
is someone out there for both of us, be we aren't right
together."

She left him sitting there and returned to
Tristan's side. He looked like he wanted to beat Jim within an inch
of his life as he came around the corner and went to stand with his
girlfriend. Ginny looked furious when he returned to her.

"What did the weakling want? “Tristan
demanded as he looked down at her, his dark blue eyes filled with
possessive jealousy.

"He just wanted to tell me how bad he felt
about my mother." Selene decided it wouldn't be a good idea to
share Jim's desire to reconcile with her lover.

Tristan said nothing and sent Jim a hard look
that sent her husband and his girlfriend to wait inside the
courtroom. He looked down at her with an inscrutable
expression.

"Let us get through this, Selene. The longer
we stay here, the more I wish to thrash the man for hurting
you."

Selene nodded and they joined her attorney in
the courtroom. They did not have long to wait. She and Jim
reaffirmed their desire to dissolve their marriage. Her husband
looked aggrieved as he sent her a long look during the proceeding.
She ignored him. The judge rapped the gavel and it was done. Laura
gave her papers to sign and they left the courtroom.

Tristan sat in the car reading. He had
gobbled up everything he could find at the beach house. She had to
make two trips to the library in town to satisfy him. She was
satisfied he now read at least a tenth grade level. He seemed eager
to gain more knowledge as he went. She was pleased she could send
him back to his world with the tools to go nose to nose with any of
the nobles who he would come across.

They did not speak on the way to the
realtor's office. He sat in the realtor's office with her while she
outlined what she wanted in a house. Tess Hargrove beamed at her,
looking delighted to make a sale. She had the very property she
described available. They left he office to go look at it and she
could tell Tristan was disturbed.

"What is it? You have been quiet all day?"
she asked as they followed the realtor's smart little coupe through
the gates of King's Pointe, an upscale gated community.

Blue eyes regarded her intensely. "Why do you
wish to buy this house when you have the house that is your
Father's? What need do you have for it?"

Selene regarded him patiently. "Tristan, I
know this is hard for you to understand, but I have a life here in
Grand Blanc. I have friends and a job. Whatever happens, I don't
plan to leave here. My Dad left the estate to a foundation when he
passes anyway. It's too big for me to consider living there anyway.
He left me the beach house. Why do you ask?"

"In my world, such an inheritance would be
desirable. I inherited Raven's Keep through my mother's father. It
is a huge fortress and has been in our family for centuries. I do
not understand you, Selene."

"I have all I need here, Tristan," she said
quietly as they pulled up to the two-story house on Queen's Way. "I
never considered what my Father would leave me when he is gone. I
know I inherit quite a bit of money, but it is my hope I have my
Father around for many more years."

They got out of the car and Selene was
immediately drawn to the house. It was a two-story cape cod style
house, beige with burgundy shutters. It boasted four spacious
bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge three-car garage, and a fenced in
backyard for Daisy. They followed Tess inside, and Selene was
pleased to see the repossessed house was in good condition. The
foyer was gleaming parquet and the carpeting was in good shape.
Tess showed them around and Selene had to admit it was more house
than what she needed, but when Tess showed her the office room she
was sold on it. The minute she stepped into the room, she could see
herself writing here, or grading papers. It was priced to sell at
eighty thousand, a fraction of what it was once worth. The
appliances were gone, but she reasoned she could afford to replace
them.

Tristan was out back checking out the deck
and yard. Tess stood at the granite counters at the island that
separated the huge kitchen from the dining area. She had the house
papers with her and pointed out the oak cabinets and the laundry
room attached.

"This house won't sit for long," Tess was
saying. "I have two more appointments this week to see it. Everyone
is moving out of Flint now. The housing crash makes a neighborhood
like this doable for many lower income families. Do you and your
husband have children yet?"