Page 22 of Love and Lies

“Oh? So what do you say, then?” Lincoln’s chin jutted higher, and he ran a hand through his dark hair.

“I don’t know, maybe that you can’t live without them? That your entire being lights up when you look at them, that it rips your heart in two when you’re apart? That you can’t believe you met someone who completes you in a way you never dreamed of? That’s what you say about the person you’re engaged to. Not: She’s really nice. Nice might as well be I hate her guts.”

Lincoln folded his arms, and all at once his expression hardened. “Oh right, sure. Is that because Valerie said those things about Adam? Because we all know where that got her.” He snorted. “Strangely enough, you didn’t have a problem with her getting engaged, and she was only twenty-one.”

“Yes, but she loved Adam. Do you love Paige?” I’d only seen my brother and Paige together for an hour, but they gave the impression of being business partners rather than a couple. Apart from Paige’s raptures about doing up their apartment together, of course, which was clearly the most important thing in the world.

“We complement each other very well,” Lincoln said with a curt nod. “Our families have been friends for a long time; she’s about to graduate from Sarah Lawrence; we’re both interested in art and history—” He broke off when he realized none of this was going to convince me. “I know you have big ideas about The One, Len. But it doesn’t work like that in real life, certainly not in our circle. You don’t think they’re going to let you marry whoever you like, do you?”

“You bet I will,” I said, noting the surprise in my brother’s eyes. I kept forgetting that we hadn’t seen each other much in the last few years, and he didn’t really have any clue who I was now—how Valerie’s death, and England, had changed me. Before, I’d been the good little girl, sometimes a little defiant, but ultimately convinced that my parents knew what was best for me. Things were different now. It wouldn’t be a smart move to reveal this new side of me to my brother, though. “At any rate, I’d never marry someone I only thought was nice.”

“Well, maybe if I do, then you won’t have to.” Lincoln cast a glance at the door, as though making sure our parents couldn’t hear him. “After everything that happened with Valerie, this is the best thing—the only thing—we can do for the family.”

“What do you mean by that?” I stared at him. “You’re marrying that Martha Stewart 2.0 to make Mom and Dad happy? Has our standing dropped so low?”

“That depends.” He pressed his lips together. “They wouldn’t want me to tell you this, but Valerie’s death and the circumstances surrounding it stirred up a load of stuff, and it hasn’t really smoothed over with time.”

“Because of the Coldwells and their lies,” I spluttered furiously.

“It’s not just that.” Lincoln shook his head. “Valerie’s lifestyle, and her stubbornness, were already a sore point. There was a lot of talk about her and Adam, and people’s faith in us suffered after they died—even more so after some difficult projects recently. We’re not untouchable anymore, Len. People are watching us closely to see if we’re still the same Westons everyone knows and trusts.”

I was silent for a moment while I processed all this. Of course I knew most people in New York City considered Valerie’s death a scandal, but I didn’t know that our family was being forced to eat humble pie as a result of it.

In the end I said quietly, “I had no idea people saw us that way.”

“Well, now you know—and maybe now you get why this wedding is so important.” Lincoln gave me a serious look. “The Irvine family has a clean reputation, and Paige is like the Virgin Mary of the Upper East Side. Once we’re married, it’ll be a signal that we still stand for the same values as before. It’s important for the business as well as the family.”

I got it. But still, it made me sad. “I’d rather you didn’t have to sacrifice yourself.”

“It’s really not that bad,” he said with a smile. “Paige and I get along. Plenty of happy marriages have started out worse.”

Yeah, in the nineteenth century, maybe.

“And plenty of unhappy marriages started out better, too,” I countered. No matter what Lincoln said, it really didn’t look to me like the beginning of a great love story.

“Why is it so important to you, anyway?” my brother asked. “You never showed interest in any of my relationships before.”

Or anything else about me was the part he didn’t say out loud. Valerie and I had had such a close bond that our big brother was often the third wheel. Now, though, it was just the two of us, and I wanted our relationship to be different.

“Yeah, but you didn’t want to marry any of those girls.” I took a deep breath and finally flashed him a smile. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll happily invent a dark past for Paige. A stripper, or an arms dealer, perhaps? No one will be talking about us Westons anymore then.”

Lincoln laughed. “I’ll get back to you on that one.” He looked down at the dessert, which was ready to go, and grabbed a spoon, dipping into one of the bowls. “This looks delicious, Mary.”

The cook slapped him on the hand and pointed to the door. “Get yourselves back into the dining room, you two, or there’ll be no dessert.”

My brother obliged, and Mary signaled to the housemaid to take the tray through, before disappearing into the pantry.

I lingered a moment longer, trying to process what Lincoln had said. Even though he’d denied it, I knew the Coldwells were to blame for everything. So when I had proof that they were in the wrong, not only would I be clearing Valerie’s name, but it might also mean my brother would have a happier future.

Armed with this extra motivation, I left the kitchen and went back to the dining room. I sat down and gave Paige a friendly smile before congratulating them on their engagement and expressing my happiness that she would soon be part of the family.

My parents rewarded my efforts with an appreciative nod, but instead of pride like before, I felt an unpleasant tightness in my stomach. If they only accepted me when I behaved the way they wanted… how was I ever going to be able to make my own decisions?

10 Helena

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Malia sounded extremely doubtful.

“Of course.” I switched my phone from one hand to the other. “Anything that leads me closer to the truth is a good idea.”