Hildebrand isn’t bothered.
“Welcome, boy. Welcome to the class of Sovereign Sons.”
As the men clap and stand, I hear sounds of “at least he died happy.” And “fucking your cousin? What the fuck?” And “Well, cousin or not, I’d fuck her too. Look at her.”
But it takes all I have to drag myself up to standing. I feel Zeke’s hand on my shoulder as I try to process what I’ve just heard. As I try to understand how that woman managed this. All the while she stares only at me, a victor’s smile wide on her face. Because if this is true, then she certainly is the victor.
But I’ll be damned if I take it at face value.
I’ll be looking into the boy’s paternity myself. And into the circumstances surrounding Carlton Bishop’s death. This is all just too perfectly put together. Too perfectly timed. And I don’t buy it. Not one word of it.
32
Jericho
“Where is the DNA report?” I ask Hildebrand. Zeke, the councilor, Julia and I are in his private office not twenty minutes after the announcement.
“Everything is in order, Mr. St. James,” Hildebrand says. I bet he’s secretly pleased by this development. The St. James’s are not natural born Sovereign Sons. This development secures the Bishop’s inheritance and effectively nullifies any right mine and Isabelle’s child may have to it.
If it’s true.
And that’s a big fucking if.
“With all due respect, Councilor, I’d like to study it myself.” I glance to Julia who is watching me from a few feet away. She has her arms folded across her chest and looks like the cat who swallowed the fucking canary.
Hildebrand settles himself into his seat. “I understand your concern, but I can assure you—”
I slam my fist onto his desk. “I don’t give a fuck what you assure. I don’t buy it. Carlton Bishop has been unable to produce an heir with four wives. Four! You’re telling me he fucked his cousin and magically impregnated her?”
“Brother,” Zeke lays a hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off.
Hildebrand leans back in his seat but it’s not out of fear of me. “Stand down, Mr. St. James or I’ll have you taken to a cell to cool off.”
“Jericho,” Zeke says close to my ear. “Calm down.”
I suck in a tight breath and glance to Julia who is watching in that calculated way, her features completely under her control, face giving nothing away.
“I’d like to see the report,” I tell Hildebrand. “And run my own tests to corroborate this happy news.” There is nothing happy in my tone.
“Do you think we haven’t done that?” he asks. “Investigated Ms. Bishop’s claim?”
“Doesn’t hurt to have a second opinion, does it? If only to confirm there was no contamination.” That last part I say with a glance to Julia.
Hildebrand studies me, glances to Julia, then turns back to me. “Ms. Bishop came to me in strictest confidence with what sounded to me at first an impossible tale,” he starts. I wonder if she sucked his wrinkled old dick to get him to even hear her out. “This was several weeks ago and without Carlton Bishop’s knowledge. Their affair, as you can imagine, would be…frowned upon. Cousin or not, he was a married man after all.”
“In the midst of divorcing his wife,” Julia adds.
“Married none the less and we’ll still be discussing that sin, Ms. Bishop. I advise you to keep quiet.” He turns back to me. “Of course, for the sake of transparency, I’ll have the reports and samples sent to a lab you name, Mr. St. James. I don’t anticipate you’ll find anything other than what we did. When you don’t, I’ll of course expect you to apologize to Ms. Bishop for your behavior at this unfortunate time for her family.”
Julia snorts.
“By the way, I hear your wife is pregnant. Congratulations.”
It takes all I have and my brother’s hand on my shoulder to not tell him to fuck off.
“Of course, I hope you will show grace as you accept that the Bishop boy displaces your as of yet unborn child in the line to inherit the Bishop estate in whole.”
“If it’s true,” I add, my mind working on how I’ll get fresh samples to the lab.
“I need to get back to my son,” Julia says, stepping forward. “I’m sure he has questions about his father’s sudden absence from his life.”
“Understandable. I’ll be in touch once arrangements have been made for the service,” Hildebrand tells her.
“Thank you for your help, Councilor, and your discretion. It has been a tumultuous few years, but I am glad, with Carlton gone, that I came to you when I did.”
“Convenient timing,” I mutter.
“St. James,” Hildebrand warns.
“No, it’s all right,” Julia Bishop says and turns to me. “I understand how disappointing such an announcement must be to one who bought his place into the upper echelon of The Society. I’m sure he hoped to climb the ladder using my family as rungs to be stepped upon.” Her lips turn down into a sneer at the end.
“Perhaps you can learn from Ms. Bishop and muster some grace,” Hildebrand says, standing. “Julia, my driver will take you and the boy home.”
“Thank you, Councilor,” she says and now I’m sure there was some dick sucking involved here.
She shifts her gaze to me. “Mr. St. James. I do hope you’ll allow my cousin to attend her half-brother’s funeral.”
“Don’t you dare,” I start but she cuts me off.
“Surely you wouldn’t deny her that in her own time of need.”
I take a step toward her. “This is not over.”
“Isn’t it?”
33
Isabelle
I don’t see Jericho until late that night. He and Zeke walk into the house after ten o’clock and they both look like shit. Like they’ve been through an ordeal.
“Where have you been?” I ask. I’ve been waiting for them.
Zeke pours them each a whiskey and they stand at the mantle by the large fireplace.
“What’s happened?”
Zeke looks at me, then turns to his brother. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jericho nods to him, swallows half his tumbler of whiskey and shifts his gaze to me. He leans one arm on the mantle.
“What is it?” I ask, going to him, all but forgetting about what I thought I saw in the woods.
He takes a deep breath in, exhales and drains his glass. After setting it down on the mantle he steps toward me. “Carlton Bishop is dead.”
It takes me a minute. I hear the words almost slowly, give a shake of my head and shift my gaze to the fire, then back up to him.
“What did you say?”
“Bishop’s dead. Had a heart attack while fucking one of the courtesans at the Cat House. Allegedly.”
“I’m sorry. Can you back up a minute?”
“Fuck.” He pushes his hand into his hair, looking away for a long moment before returning his attention to me. “IVI went into lockdown this afternoon. It will remain that way until morning. I assume the Cat House will remain closed for now.”