Then Havel’s words struck Jozef like a punch to the chest, leaving him stunned, his mouth open and his hands clenched on the arms of his chair. He wanted Shaun more than he’d ever wanted anything.
He loved Shaun.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Shaun spent most of the afternoon avoiding Jozef, which wasn’t a difficult feat considering the size of the Koba mansion and the level of activity going on inside. The engagement party was in two days. Flowers were being brought in and placed in a special refrigerator to keep them fresh. The extra staff Dasha hired for the event were arriving in droves to join the fray. Shaun was amazed at their ability to immediately pick up their tasks and carry on like they’d been there for years. They looked as though they belonged far more than Shaun did.
Shaun trailed after Dasha for a while, who generously tossed a few party planning tidbits Shaun’s way. Dasha already had her mind made up about everything so Shaun’s opinion was often overridden or ignored entirely. It wasn’t out of maliciousness. Dasha knew what she was doing, and she was in her glory doing it. She was like a military general with armies of servants and boatloads of money at her disposal.
“Silver or gold for napkin rings?” Dasha held up two rings, which sparkled their shiny best in the lights of the formal dining room.
“Uh…” Shaun had heard of napkin rings, but she’d never seen one. “Silver?”
Dasha shook her head, her dark, perfectly arranged waves bouncing around her shoulders. “No, I think the gold will be more effective. We have a gold underplate with white china place settings, silver cutlery and silver lined teacups. A little more balance is needed.” She nodded sharply to herself. “Yes, the gold.”
She handed the gold ring to a hovering servant, who hurried away with it to presumably find more. Dasha turned on her heel and walked briskly to a wall lined with rows of windows and French balcony doors. The formal dining room and ballroom faced the gardens, with doors opening out onto the terrace, leading into the plush green paradise.
“I’m not convinced this drapery will do. It is perhaps too heavy for the season.” She fingered the heavy rich brown fabric with silver strands throughout. “I think something lighter, maybe saffron velvet with a sheer gold overlay. We’ll save white for the wedding day. What do you think?”
She turned to look expectantly at Shaun.
Shaun marvelled over how impossibly perfect the older woman looked while orchestrating an engagement party likely to become the event of the season. She wore a pencil skirt suit, with pink frills at the throat and sleeves. Instead of looking overly feminine, the delicate fabric somehow complemented the severity of the suit. Dasha’s dark hair was shot through with honey-coloured highlights and styled to perfection. Shaun wondered if the woman had a professional stylist on her payroll.
The amount of money flowing through the Koba empire was staggering. Being surrounded by that kind of unimaginable wealth was definitely a learning curve for Shaun, who still lived out of boxes three years after moving into a cute and modern condo townhouse situated between the hospital and her family home.
“Shaun, are you with me, dear?” Dasha said impatiently, snapping her manicured fingers.
Shaun blinked and looked up, trying to force her lips into a smile. “Sorry, I was daydreaming about Montréal.”
Dasha’s face reflected sympathy and she rejoined Shaun, leaving the problem of the drapery for a few minutes. She put her arm around Shaun and gave her a squeeze. It was an awkward perfume-filled half-hug, but Shaun was grateful for the sentiment.
“It’s only natural that you should be thinking about your homeland at such a time. You’re far from home during this very significant event in your life. Your friends and family aren’t here to support you and you probably feel at sea with all this.” Dasha smiled warmly at Shaun. “I hope you know you can come to me about anything. I’ve been a source of great comfort for my daughters and Jozef in their times of need. I can be the same to you.”
Shaun stared at Dasha in bewilderment. Was she delusional or was this her attempt at comfort? It was like Shaun had never been kidnapped and forced into their lives against her will. A significant part of her wanted to start shrieking like a banshee at the strange unfair turn her life had taken. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she was their captive and no amount of golden plates and opulent parties was going to change that.
Then she caught the hard glitter to Dasha’s eyes. She was standing next to Shaun, her body carefully arranged in a picture of beauty and poise, but Shaun sensed the shark under the manicured exterior. Dasha would always say and do the correct thing, but her thoughts were carefully guarded.
Instead of shouting that she’d been kidnapped and of course she missed her friends, family and home, and no it had nothing to do with the upcoming sham of an engagement party, Shaun forced a smile and said, “Thank you, I really appreciate all that you’re doing.”
There was no point in alienating the people living under the Koba umbrella. She needed them if she was ever going to get back to her real life. They’d made sure escape was impossible and most likely dangerous. Shaun’s best play was to appeal to their human side. The family’s interactions with each other proved that they had finer emotions, even if they were cold and calculating toward the outside world. If they were prepared to embrace Shaun as part of their family, maybe she could eventually appeal to them to send her home.
It was long shot, but it was all she had at this point.
Dasha seemed to accept Shaun’s response, her face creasing into genuine happiness. “I just know you’re going to make an excellent part of the family.” She gave Shaun a quick hug. “Now, back to the drapery.”
Shaun would rather give stitches to an injured grizzly bear than try to choose drapery with Dasha. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve had a long day. I’d like to go back to Jozef’s… to our suite.”
“Of course.” Dasha’s face took on a look of concern that Shaun was becoming quickly acquainted with. The woman was a master of her emotions, arranging them for whatever was most appropriate in the moment. “I’ll have a tea setting sent up for you. You just need a little snack and some caffeine, and you’ll feel fine.”
Shaun smiled wanly, backing toward the dining room entrance. “Thank you, you’re probably right.”
Shaun turned and left, relieved to be out of Dasha’s energetic presence. Shaun couldn’t pin down the other woman’s motives. Sometimes she seemed sweet and understanding and other times she was the hardened matriarch of a mafia dynasty. Was she both? Neither? The entire family made Shaun feel like she was standing on quicksand, shifting around and trying to find where she belonged.
She stopped walking when she realized she had no idea where she was going. She didn’t want to see Jozef, which meant their suite was out of the question. She smiled in amusement when she realized Jozef was about to get an unexpected tea setting. She thought about the garden, but there was little to do out there other than contemplate her strange new Alice in Wonderland life. Besides, she didn’t want to run into Krystoff.
She was standing in the hallway undecided, when the decision was taken from her hands. Saskia came rushing down the hall toward her, her pace so fast that Shaun took a step back, thinking the younger woman was about to walk right into her. Instead, Saskia took her arm and tugged.