Charles Darois was standing a few feet past security. Security was basically one sleepy guard who sometimes checked through bags but mostly yawned and drank coffee. She would have to have a talk with him because he obviously didn’t recognize a dangerous man when he saw one.
Rene had told her that Charles would show up. She hadn’t imagined it would be this soon.
“My husband would prefer I didn’t talk to you, so unless this is about parish business, I have to decline this meeting. And honestly, even if it is about parish business, you should make an appointment. I’ve had a long day and I would like to finish up and get home.”
“Yes, I heard my cousin got you stuck on the bayou overnight.” He looked her up and down as though taking an inventory. “You’re lucky he didn’t get you killed. He can be reckless.”
She was sure he would bring that up as often as he could. It would be a lie, but that wouldn’t matter. Charles was running a campaign, and he wouldn’t mind slinging some mud. “Rene is the least reckless man I know. I was the one who insisted on going out to see the butterflies. He was the one who managed to find a safe place for us to ride out the storm.”
“Well, he’s been reckless with the business lately, and don’t think I won’t point that out to my great-aunt when she comes to town,” Charles countered. “We’ve lost two big contracts. He might look a lot like his daddy, but he doesn’t have the killer instinct.”
Was Charles poking her to see if she would take the bait and tell him something Rene wouldn’t want him to know? Did he think she would be such an easy opponent? “I don’t know a lot about the business. You’ll have to take that up with Rene. I believe he’s at his office.”
He’d texted that he had a surprise for her.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if he jumped on her the minute she walked in the house. He seemed perfectly happy with the step they’d taken in their relationship. She’d worried a man as reserved as Rene would be less than affectionate in public, but he’d held her hand in front of his mom, and when Armie had picked her up, he’d made a big show out of kissing her and telling Armie to take care of her.
It turned out her husband was a bit of a cuddle bunny.
“But I would rather talk to you,” Charles replied with a smooth smile. “Whatever Rene promised you, he won’t be able to make it happen. You know that, right?”
He was starting to irritate her. Getting her hair “did” always calmed her down, and this fool was harshing her beauty buzz. “He promised to love, honor, and cherish me. That was all. So far he’s doing a fine job.”
Charles’s green eyes narrowed. “No one believes this is a real marriage. My aunt won’t, either. I know she thinks your momma walks on water and all, but I can make her see the truth. I’ve thought about it for a solid week now, and I can tear down this plot of Rene’s, but I’ll be honest, I feel guilty about you being collateral damage.”
She sent him her best “sure you do” stare. She used it in this building a lot.
He held up a hand. “I mean it. I wish Rene hadn’t dragged you in. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t have.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” she replied. “And I’m pretty tough. I don’t think of myself as anyone’s collateral damage.”
A brow cocked over his eyes. “Maybe you haven’t given your situation enough consideration. I’m surprised because you always were a critical thinker. Have you asked yourself how a quickie marriage and an even quicker divorce is going to affect your political career?”
She faced him down, happy she’d taken the time to change back into her heels. She’d been in boots and jeans when she’d gone out to the islands with the sheriff. Armie had helped her check on the families who lived in the vulnerable places. He’d also waited on the dock while she’d switched the bids at the cabin. “Somehow I don’t think it will have much of an effect. Getting a divorce isn’t a scandal these days, though my husband and I are doing quite well. News of our imminent divorce is entirely unfounded.”
“Only because you don’t understand how Rene is using you,” Charles shot back. “I’m sure he put it in romantic terms. He probably told you he’s cared about you for a long time, and that all of this is nothing more than an excuse to get what he wanted all along.”
He was watching her closely, looking for any crack. Luckily she’d developed a thick skin or he might have seen how close he’d gotten to the truth. Of course, just because Charles said it didn’t make it less meaningful. He was seeking to twist something that was good between her and Rene.
“I’ll keep my private relationships private.”
“But I would bet anything I’m right.” Charles obviously wasn’t about to back down. “Rene likes anyone close to him to be a hundred percent loyal, and he’ll do or say anything to get that loyalty. He’s exactly like his father. When Ross Darois needed money to keep his place in the family, he married it. It’s the only reason he would ever have married Cricket Talbot.”
Anger rose hard and fast. “I think you should leave Rene’s mother out of this.”
“I wish I could, but Ross did to Cricket what Rene did to you. He used her for her money. He never loved her. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant with Rene, he would have left her the minute his position was secure. They had a prenup, you know, except it wasn’t the same as the one you have with Rene.”
“How would you know?”
“When you married Rene, you got stock. He had to prove that the stock was secure in the case of a divorce. He had to show the family his prenup. I’m the legal adviser to much of the family, so I read it.”
Rene hadn’t mentioned that to her. She’d signed it, knowing all the logical reasons for Rene to protect himself, but knowing Charles had read it gave her a queasy feeling. It was nothing more than a legal document, but it seemed awfully personal in that moment.
“Like you, Cricket had a clause where Ross got no money from her if they didn’t stay married for a certain number of years. Ross got her pregnant and that was how he trapped her,” Charles said.
“I hardly think she was trapped.”
“Have you asked her? Ross and Cricket married within a few weeks of meeting each other. Ask old Louis if he thought he would lose his girl when all he was trying to do was help a friend out.”
“And how would you know all of this?”
“Because my mother slept with Ross for years,” he said between clenched teeth. “Because she was the one Ross truly loved. She married my father when it became clear Ross wasn’t going to do right by her.”