Anna was gone by the time I returned to my room, but Cress was still in bed lightly snoring. She was absolutely terrible at getting up in the mornings. I knew if I didn’t try to wake her there was a chance she’d snooze her alarm past breakfast, so I went over and gave her a nudge.
“Cress,” I whispered, gently shaking her arm. “You have to get up.”
“No,” she groaned into her pillow. She was generally a pretty positive person, but only after her morning coffee.
“We’ve got to go to breakfast soon,” I said. “And I need to jump in the shower.”
“But it’s so warm and cozy in here.” Her voice was muffled by her pillow. “Please tell me it’s hot outside.”
“It’s hot outside.”
“Really?” She sounded surprised, and one of her eyes finally opened to glance up at me.
“No, not really.”
Her eye scrunched shut again. “You’re supposed to lie about the weather until I’m out of bed.”
“I’ll remember for next time.”
She groaned but finally started to push herself upright.
Happy to see she seemed awake, I made my way into the bathroom and jumped in the shower. I was sweaty and gross from my run, and I worried about the fact Noah had just been so close to me when I looked like this. I threw my head under the cascading water and ran my hands through my hair trying to wash away any further thoughts of him.
Again, I’d failed to get any explanation out of him. I wasn’t sure if understanding the feud between our families would change anything, but I felt like I had a right to some answers. My life had been upended. My heart broken. Telling me the reason why seemed the least Noah could do.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Cress was thankfully still awake.
“Something came for you while you were in the shower,” she said, nodding at my bed.
I looked where she was indicating and found a small package waiting there for me. “What is it?”
“Beats me.” She shrugged and walked past me into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I slowly approached the box, completely uncertain what could be inside or who it could be from. It was small and square, and the packaging was simple and white, giving no clue what it contained. I hoped it wasn’t some sort of apology gift from Noah. If it was, it might be about to get thrown from the window.
There was a short note on top of the box that read: “I believe you will find this useful. Matthew.”
Although it wasn’t from Noah, my confusion didn’t ease. My father was sending me gifts now? After everything he’d revealed on the weekend, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. A week ago, I might have felt the urge to throw his gift out the window too, but now I wasn’t so sure.
I slowly opened the lid on the box and gasped when I saw a set of car keys inside. He bought me a car. A car? What on earth was he thinking? Cars were expensive, and given the Mercedes logo on the keyring, I had to assume this one was no exception. I knew it was probably pocket change to my father, but I didn’t want to accept something so lavish from him.
I immediately took my phone out and did the one thing I thought I’d never voluntarily do: I called Matthew.
His butler, Caldwell, answered after several rings. “LaFleur residence.” He sounded like even more of a pompous ass on the phone. The guy really needed to loosen up a little.
“Hey, Caldwell, it’s Isobel. Isobel Grace. Uh, is my father around?” I wasn’t sure why I sounded so awkward. It was probably because I’d never called this number before. I still couldn’t believe I was actively seeking my father out.
“Hello, Miss Isobel. I’ll see if he’s available to talk. One moment, please.”
The line went quiet as I was put on hold. A jittery kind of nervousness pulsed through my veins, and I paced back and forth in my room as I waited for him to answer. I barely knew my father, and I didn’t know the first thing about how to have a conversation with the guy—especially when we had so much more to talk about than just the new car.
Just as I was starting to think about hanging up, my father’s voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Isobel, this is a nice surprise.” Matthew sounded genuinely happy I’d called, but I wasn’t planning for pleasant small talk.
“You bought me a car?”
“Ah, it finally came,” he replied. “It was supposed to be with you on your first day at school, but there was a delay. I’m glad it arrived.”
He’d obviously missed the unimpressed tone to my voice. “You shouldn’t have done that. I don’t want you buying me expensive things.”
“But you don’t have a driver at school, so it’s necessary to have you own form of transportation.” He responded calmly, as though it was the most normal thing in the world
“We clearly have different definitions of what constitutes a necessity,” I said. “I have friends who can drive me around. I really don’t need one.”
“I understand,” he said. “The vehicle is bought and paid for now though, and it’s in your name. It’s up to you what you do with the car, but I would feel comfortable knowing you have it if you ever need it.”
I let out a sigh. I had a feeling there was no way I was going to win this fight with Matthew. “It really is too much,” I murmured.
“It’s not even a fraction of the things I’d give you if you’d let me,” he said. “I know I can’t make up for lost time with expensive gifts, but it makes me feel slightly less useless if I can help provide for you now. Especially when I can see a need of yours I can fulfill.”
I knew he was trying. That he wanted to build a relationship between us. Material things really didn’t matter to me, but the fact he’d got me a car because he thought I might need it did make me feel slightly less annoyed. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I could barely drive. He clearly had no idea I’d refused to get behind the wheel of any car since I’d crashed my mom’s one day after getting my license. I’d almost hit a dog that had darted across the road, and I swerved into a fire hydrant. By some miracle, I hadn’t been hurt, but my mom’s car never looked quite the same, and I’d completely lost all confidence in driving. Matthew’s car was probably going to sit in the parking lot all year, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Well, thank you for thinking of me,” I said. “It was unnecessary but very kind.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied.
I drew in a breath as I tried to gather the courage I needed for the next part of our conversation. I still had so many questions about why Noah’s grandfather had reacted the way he did at the ball. What had happened between our families? I didn’t think I was going to get the answers I needed from Noah, so Matthew was my only hope of getting any closure.
“There was something else I wanted to ask you,” I said. “About Noah Hastings. You and his grandfather wanted us to end our relationship. You said that we could never work. What happened with you and the Hastings family?”
The other end of the line went silent, and I wondered if the call had somehow dropped out. “Matthew?”
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just trying to gather my thoughts.”
He went quiet again.
“And?”
“This isn’t an easy conversation,” he said. “Our family shares a troubled past with the Hastings. They are terrible people.”
“Funny, that’s what Noah said about your family.”
Matthew let out a long sigh. “We’re not without our flaws. But there are some things that can’t be looked past.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I can tell you. But it’s complicated. This is a conversation best had in person.”
“Oh.” My shoulders slumped in response. “Well, will you be back in town anytime soon?” His text this morning had indicated he wouldn’t, but I hoped he’d relent and give me the explanation I wanted when he realized how long I’d have to wait.
“Not for a while,” he said. “I’ve got a busy time with work at the moment, and I’m going to be in New York for the next couple of weeks.”
I let out a sigh. “Surely you can tell me something?”
He went quiet for a moment, taking his time as he considered his response. “Only that the more distance you have from that family the better. They’re dangerous, and I don’t want you getting caught up with them.”
“Dangerous how?”
“Just… Dangerous. I promise I’ll explain in more detail as soon as I can.”
“But I know Noah’s not like that.”
Matthew slowly exhaled, and I could tell he didn’t agree with me.
“He’s not,” I insisted.
“I’d still like you to keep your distance,” my father said. His voice was calm, but I felt like he was holding back. Maybe if he wasn’t wary of my feelings, he would have given a more damning response. I got the impression he was struggling to stop himself from ordering me to never even look at Noah ever again. Matthew clearly had a very poor opinion of him.
A part of me wanted to argue with him. To try to convince him Noah wasn’t anything like his grandfather. But what would be the point? Noah had made it clear he was done with me.
“Well, that won’t be hard,” I said. “He did what his grandfather asked and broke up with me.”
“I’m sorry you’re hurting,” Matthew replied. “But I think once we’ve had a proper talk you’ll understand why it has to be this way.”
That proper talk was weeks away. Did he really expect me to sit here clueless for all that time? There had to be another way I could get the answers I needed. Clearly it wasn’t going to happen on this phone call right now.
“Have you thought any more about the other things we talked about on Saturday night?” Matthew asked.
He must have been talking about the revelations he’d made as we’d danced at the ball. About how he’d never known I existed and how he wanted to build a relationship with me.
“A little,” I admitted.
“Do you have any questions?” I could have sworn he sounded nervous.
“Not that I can think of right now, but we can talk some more about it all when you’re back in town.” If I was being honest, there were too many questions rolling around inside my head; I didn’t know where to start. He was probably right about it being easier in person.
“I’d like that,” he replied.
It felt strange to talk to Matthew like this. When I’d first met him, all he’d done was order me about. He still spoke with the same formality and rigidness, but I could clearly see he was making an effort to connect with me. Even though he hadn’t told me what I needed to know, it still felt like we were communicating better. Mom had told me to give him a chance. Perhaps I needed to listen to her advice and give him the benefit of the doubt.
Cress emerged from the bathroom, and I knew I needed to bring the conversation to an end. “Well, I should probably go and get ready for school.”
“Yes, and I have work to get back to.” He paused. “Isobel?”
“Yeah?”
“Feel free to call at any time.”
As I hung up the phone, I felt an unusual warm feeling in my chest. I hadn’t totally hated that conversation with my father. He was always going to be far too posh for my liking, and I doubted he was ever going to be the kind of dad I went to whenever I needed a heart-to-heart, but despite the fact I was still in the dark about so much, it felt something like progress.
