Am I ready for this new role? I suppose I am… must be, having done such a poor job of it up until now, anyway. And what of Liane? So, this is the woman who I will entrust with my legacy, I thought to myself. Was she up to the chore?
Liane was looking at me with a question on her face, and I realized that I’d been deeply introspective and had shut her out. “I’m sorry, I’ve had a lot to process the last few days, and my mind wants to wander.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “I understand. Perhaps more than you could possibly realize. Yes, there’s been a lot that’s happened lately in my life as well. This engagement to your son came about fairly quickly.”
That was when I believed I understood. “Are you trying to hold on to a rich catch?” I asked, feeling my voice morph into the superior and very bitchy one of my mother. I hated myself for it.
Her reaction was unexpected. “I can understand why you would believe that. I would too, I suppose, if I were in your shoes. The poor daughter of a vicar happens to meet the heir to a great fortune, except he’s on the outs with them. So, she insists that he patch things up, make sure he’s in the will, so to speak. That is how it would appear from the outside. It’s very hard to explain, Mrs. LaViere—”
“Call me Auggie.” I never could stand being called Mrs. LaViere. There were too many of them ahead of me, and I wanted my own name.
“Thank you, Auggie. As I was saying, I won’t insult you by singing my own praises. Those you will discover and think through on your own. I had a feeling maybe you’d feel that way, and it’s one of the reasons I’m here. I’ve not spoken to Hawk about this, but I insist on signing a pre-nuptial that will protect him and his money. I’m not marrying him for money, I can assure you. If all you want from life is money, it’s the easiest thing to get.”
Her words struck me hard in their logic. She was absolutely right. The LaViere family had been driven by money, generation after generation, and at what price? They had enough to eat, a bed to sleep in and you could only sit in one chair at a time. Their problem was they had too much money and not enough soul to handle it. But then, there I was, generalizing once again. I was blaming the LaViere bloodline for things that ran in my own veins just as strong.
“What you and Hawk do is up to the both of you, Liane.” I was beginning to like this young thing. She was nothing like me, and I found that intriguing. If anything, she was better organized in her life than I was, and I had to admire that. She wasn’t working with the label system I had always used: name, family, social standing, money, and eligibility.
“I know you’re not used to having people with my background around you,” she was saying, and it was almost as if she could read my mind. “Let’s just say, my family has chosen a quiet non-existence over prominence, and that has worked very well for us.”
“You’re making me out to be a snob, Liane.”
“Not at all, Auggie. I just wanted you to know that I understand the difference in our backgrounds and that I intend to do everything in my power to make your son a good wife. I won’t be offended if you don’t want to include me in your social gatherings — just so long as Hawk is. He belongs with his family and someday, perhaps, we’ll have our own. But until then, he needs your acceptance and inclusion. He feels very rejected.”
I was quiet and then whispered, “I know. I felt it. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just happened and spiraled out of control. I love him very much.”
Liane patted my hand. “I know you do, but he needs to feel it too, and you need to be less conflicted about it. You love him and are scared of him. You want him but are afraid of him. You feel guilt and shame, which overshadows the love. He bought that place next door so he could be close, but it was like looking through the bakery window.”
“What changed his mind? Why did he finally come to us?” I asked.
“You might say I made it a condition.” She smiled. “Not that he wouldn’t have on his own, but it might have taken a long time. By then his brother and sister may have been at a college or on their own, and he’d never get the chance to experience family again.”
I nodded, seeing her logic. “Thank you, Liane. You’re not even in the family yet, and you’ve already done a great deal to heal some wounds. You’re welcomed to be one of us, although you may not think that’s such a treat!” I smirked at my joke.
“I will be happy to be a part of your family, and I welcome you into mine, as well. Although it’s only my dad and me.”
“Your mother?”
“She’s gone now. Cancer.”
“No siblings?”
“Just me.”
“Your dad?”
“He’s a vicar, well, you would call him a minister, of a small church downtown. It’s his life, and I believe he sometimes feels as though he’s still in England. It’s a quaint building, and he lives in the vicarage behind. He tends to his flock, and they keep him on.”
“And you?”
“Me? Well, I got my degree and took care of my mother until she passed. I volunteer at the YMCA on the west end. That’s where Hawk and I first met. I’m also a zoologist and work at the Louisville Zoo.”
“Really? That’s fascinating. So, you like animals?”
Liane nodded. “Animals, fish, birds, plants — all of it. It’s been said that I have a way with living creatures.”
I grinned and nodded. “I think they’re right.” I found myself really glad that Liane was joining the family. I hugged her before she left. Soon, I was feeling much better and had rejoined the living by going down to the barn.
Worth
I saw Auggie headed toward the barns and it made me feel much better. I’d seen Liane leaving as I drove in and waved at her, even though to me she was pretty much still a total stranger.
Following Auggie, I caught up to her at the horse therapy pool. She was trying to lead a new boarder into the water and it wasn’t being very cooperative. I frowned. She shouldn’t be doing that. I motioned to one of the hands to take over, and Auggie looked surprised, then angry as she handed over the reins.
“What’s the matter? Think I don’t have it anymore?” she asked me as she approached, her mouth set in a thin line. “Think you can just order someone else to do my job in my barn?”
Shit. I’d fucked up again.
“I know you can do anything you want to do, but you’ve been out of the rhythm for a bit. Let Lily do her job. You’re only the boss now.”
“Only? Really? So I should go eat bon bons like a good little wife and not do any of the things I love?” Auggie’s temper flashed, and I stepped back a bit.
“Auggie…” I warned with a low growl. “That’s not what I meant. You’re letting this whole thing get to you. C’mon up to the house with me and let’s talk.”
“I’ll be up when I’m ready.”
While this raised my brows, I could tell little more was going to be accomplished here without riling her further, so I turned around and went up to the house. Eventually, Auggie showed up, and I was waiting for her on the patio.
“What’s going on?” I asked.