CHAPTER 18

Calantha sat on the weathered wooden bench outside Elara's abode, her slender fingers drumming a gentle rhythm on the old wood. She was in a better mood and suspected it had to do with Elara's hospitality. The woman had been nice to her even though she hadn't her a reason to be. She eyed the little house and sighed.

The house held warmth she had never experienced before, even in her lavish mansion with its army of servants. She breathed in the scent of freshly baked bread wafting from inside the house. 

As she pondered on nothing in particular, the last person she wanted to see emerged from the house. She couldn't but notice how he had to bend to avoid hitting on the door frame and then possibly bringing the house down. Her eyes narrowed into slits when she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Hey, wife," He said, his tone dripping with amusement. The blackguard! He knew how much she hated being addressed as his wife. "Enjoying the view?" He asked and then flopped down beside her. She half expected the bench to scream under the man's weight, but it seemed to be stronger than it looked. 

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice stern. So she was visible to him again. After days of giving her a cold shoulder, he was back to act like nothing happened. She shifted to the other end when his shoulder brushed against hers. "You know, I was thinking, since we are in a new town, you should learn some new things–like, I don't know, you actually cooking dinner for once?"

Calantha rolled her eyes, "You wish! Who exactly am I cooking for?"

"Your husband of course." 

"I am sure Duke Harold will have enough servants to attend to the matters of his stomach."

Ryder's smile faltered. "What makes you think your almighty duke would still want to marry you?"

"I already explained the whole thing to him. He promised to wait," 

"You have been going behind my back to meet him?" His face quickly contorted in anger.

Just when she was about to put him in his place, a loud scream interrupted her. A young woman with a wild mane of curly hair came charging toward them, her big brown eyes shining with so much excitement. "Ryder!" The young lady screamed again.

Ryder, equally excited, stood from the bench and met the woman halfway with his arms spread out for a warm embrace. "You are really back! Holy balls, I thought you were bluffing!" The young lady spoke, her voice mirroring the excitement in her eyes. When they separated from the hug, the lady dropped a whopping kiss on his lips. "I have missed you."

Taken aback by the stranger's brazen manner, Calantha's mouth fell slightly open. Who was the woman again? Elara's daughter. A little voice in her head chimed. Yes, that had to be the woman's daughter. 

Ryder was taken aback by the kiss but thought nothing of it. He told himself it had something to do with the fact that they hadn't seen each other since they were teenagers. "Gracious Lord, what has Elara been feeding you? You are looking so good." He held her hand and twirled her around. He let out a playful whistle, causing Gloria to laugh. 

"Oh, don't be like that." She replied, her lips almost touching her ears. The smile was quick to falter when her eyes landed on Calantha. "Oh, I am sorry," She said, her cheeks flushed a deep pink as she detached herself from Ryder's arms. "I didn't know we had a company."

Ryder smiled and said, "Ah, yes. Come, let me introduce you to my wife."

The word wife completely wiped the smile off Gloria's face as they approached Calantha who was observing the cooly. 

"Did you just say, your wife?" Gloria asked.

Ryder's smile broadened as he added, "Yes, my unofficial wife,"

"Unofficial wife?" Gloria repeated, "What does that even mean? Before you say anything, I know the meaning of Unofficial, but in this context? I am not exactly sure."

Ryder chuckled, "Sure, Unofficial here means we are not legally bound together, yet." He explained. Knowing that Calantha was about to object to his explanation, he quickly said, "Dear wife, meet Gloria, She is Elara's daughter and also my very good friend."

Since when did good friends go about kissing each other on the lips? She was tempted to ask but kept thoughts to herself. She allowed the man to continue, "Gloria, meet my wife, Calantha."

Calantha. Since when did she go from Lady Calantha to just Calantha? She glared up at Ryder instead of the new acquaintance. 

Turning to Gloria, he said, "Don't worry, Gloria, she is not as scary as she looks," 

Calantha was tempted to break a few flower vases on the man's head to help instil some manners in him, but she wasn't sure Elara would appreciate that. She turned to Gloria. The older lady had her fair share of beauty from nature. Overly sparkly eyes, pointed nose, full lips, fleshy at the right places, and an attention-worthy hair. Now she knew where Sophia got her looks from. Yes, Gloria was beautiful, but nothing special, Calantha thought to herself.

Gloria's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but for an instant, Calantha glimpsed something else—a flash of anger, quickly concealed. "Nice to meet you Calantha," Gloria said, her smile a little too bright.

"Nice making acquaintance with you, Gloria," Calantha replied only because she thought it would be rude to ignore the daughter of their host. Elara had been nothing but nice to her since their arrival.

Gloria turned to Ryder and asked"Oh, have you seen my daughter, Sophia?"

"Oh, yes! The little squirt is just like her mother!" 

"You bet," Gloria threw her head back and laughed as she led them into the house. 

On their departure, Calantha relaxed, content to sit back, observe and enjoy the warm sunshine on her face. Once in a while, her mind would drift to Ryder and Gloria. She couldn't help but wonder if they were more than friends. 

Later that night, Ryder and Gloria sat outside as the silence lingered. Ryder cleared his throat, effectively drawing Gloria's attention to himself. "Gloria, I am sure you know why I am here."

"Yes, I do. Mother already briefed me on the reason for your visit."

"How is she doing?"

She flashed him a smile, "She is alive, Ryder."

"What do you mean by she is alive?"

"It means she is doing great. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I began working there the moment I heard you sent her back to your father."

"Thank you for that, I owe you a lot for that sacrifice."

"Sure, you do. Don't be surprised when I ask for your life in return." She joked,

The corners of his lips tilted upwards. "I would be waiting," I want to meet her and convince her to come with me."

Gloria's smile faltered, "About that, I don't think this is the right time for that."

"Are you worried that I would show up at the front door of the mansion?" He chuckled, "You have nothing to worry about because I don't plan on setting foot where I am not welcomed."

"That is not the case, Ryder." She turned to face him, "She barely talks about you."

"Okay, that is because she knows I am not welcome there."

"No, that was what I thought as well, but on several occasions I have tried to talk about you with her, but she always ended up changing the topic and the day I finally called her out, it ended in a serious argument that almost cost our friendship."

"Did she say the reason why?" Ryder's brows mirrored her frown

"Which part of she doesn't talk about you don't you get, Ryder?" She asked before adding, "But one time, she mentioned something about you abandoning her,"

"Abandon her? I never abandoned her. I would never do that to her. What I did was for her best interest."

"I know, Ryder, but she doesn't know that. Your sister thinks you abandoned her." She looked away from him, not knowing how he would take the next information. "I think it's important you know that she and you-know-who have gotten quite close these past years."

"She wouldn't dare! He is an enemy!" He declared.

"Ryder, she doesn't know that! He was there for her when she was wallowing in the thought that her only family abandoned her." 

"Eleanor would be a fool to think the man is a friend!" He barked at no one in particular.

"Don't say that, he offered her a shoulder to cry on when she needed one." 

"I shouldn't have sent her there. I am sure they have their claws on her."

"Indeed. She is always seeking their validation." She took a deep breath, "I read the papers, I know about what happened and why you sent her here."

"Gloria, I had no choice." He whispered defeatedly. "I thought she would be better here."

She wrapped her arms around him, offering comfort, "I know, I know. If you play your cards right, I am sure everything would be fine."

Ryder nodded and said, "I hope so." He returned her gesture, wrapping his arms around her, "Did the town talk about the incident?" 

Realising what he was asking, she smiled, "I only managed to read about it when I was ordered to deliver your father's meal in his study room. I saw the paper on the table. I was expecting the news to be all over the town, but nobody spoke about it. When I asked, I found out that it was your father's doing. He managed to pull some strings stopping the news from spreading."

"I am sure he was embarrassed like hell." His lips tilted upwards. "For once, I am happy that something like that happened. I bet he almost had a stroke while reading the papers."

Gloria opened her mouth to say something but kept her thoughts to herself. It wouldn't help if she started making wrong assumptions about his father. It could be that the old man was just pretending. "How do you intend on meeting your sister?"

"The festival. I know she usually loves festivals and wouldn't miss them for anything. Christ's toes, I hope I am still right about that. Have they managed to talk her out of that too?"

"No way in hell. She is still very much in love with the festival."

"Good, now all I need is a good plan." He smiled down at her.