The carriage wheels crunched on gravel as Seraphina and Caelan arrived at D'Lorien estate. The familiar stone walls should have been comforting, but today they felt like a fortress under siege.
"Marcus requested this meeting specifically," Seraphina said as they walked toward the main entrance. "He seemed urgent about discussing something in person."
"Could be good news about the mining operation," Caelan replied, though his voice carried doubt. "Or something's gone wrong and he needs immediate consultation."
They entered the receiving room where afternoon light streamed through tall windows. Maps and documents had been cleared away hours ago, leaving only the essential furniture for what might be their last private conversation with an ally.
"If he's been charmed, what are our options?" Seraphina asked.
"Limited. We assess, we adapt, we survive." Caelan checked the room's sight lines out of habit. "If Evelyne has him completely, we cut ties and rebuild the network without Branthorne resources."
"That sets us back months."
"Better than..." Caelan paused, checking the window again. "Better than exposure, anyway."
Seraphina nodded, though the thought of losing Marcus felt like losing a limb. The mining. The charities. The fragile independence she'd built as Phinia Ashara... all of it depended on partnerships that suddenly felt breakable.
A knock interrupted their planning. Yona entered with quick efficiency.
"A carriage approaches, my lady. I'll receive the guests and escort them here."
"Thank you, Yona."
After she left, Seraphina and Caelan continued their assessment planning. They had maybe ten minutes before Marcus arrived for what might be their last private conversation with a trusted ally.
"Whatever happens, we stay calm," she said. "We evaluate. We don't assume the worst until we have proof."
"Agreed. But we prepare for the worst."
Outside, Yona approached the carriage with her usual professional demeanor. The carriage door opened and Marcus stepped down, his movements precise and controlled.
Yona moved forward to greet him properly. "Lord Branthorne, welcome to D'Lorien estate."
But instead of responding to her greeting, Marcus turned back toward the carriage. His posture shifted into something more careful, more protective. He extended his hand upward with the practiced gallantry of a man assisting someone precious.
A gloved hand appeared, followed by familiar auburn blonde hair and the elegant lines of a woman in traveling dress.
Evelyne.
Yona's professional mask never slipped, but she felt her shoulders stiffen slightly. The momentary pause before she managed, "Lady Evelyne. What an unexpected pleasure."
"The pleasure is mine," Evelyne replied, her voice carrying across the courtyard with perfect clarity. "Lord Branthorne was kind enough to invite me along for this important discussion."
Marcus's hand lingered on Evelyne's elbow as he guided her toward the entrance. The gesture looked natural, protective, intimate. Like a man ensuring his lady's comfort rather than a business associate showing basic courtesy.
Yona's mind raced through emergency protocols while maintaining diplomatic composure. This changed everything. Someone needed to warn Caelan immediately.
Footsteps approached in the hallway outside the receiving room door. Multiple sets, moving at Yona's measured pace.
"My lady," Yona said, her voice perfectly level despite the crisis she'd managed outside. "Lord Branthorne and Lady Evelyne to see you."
Seraphina turned with practiced grace, her smile warm but not effusive. "What a lovely surprise. Please, come in."
Marcus entered first, and immediately Seraphina noticed the change. His usual easy confidence had hardened into something more distant. When he looked at her, his expression held polite respect rather than the warmth she'd grown accustomed to during their business meetings.
"Duchess," he said with a formal bow. "Thank you for receiving us on short notice."
"Us," she noted carefully. "I wasn't expecting such distinguished company."
Evelyne swept in behind him, her arm sliding naturally through Marcus's with possessive familiarity. She moved with stage-perfect grace, the faintest trace of jasmine following her like a weapon. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion, cousin. When Marcus mentioned he was visiting to discuss his charitable contributions, I simply had to come along."
"Of course. Any time." Seraphina gestured toward the seating area. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
As they settled into chairs, Seraphina maintained her hostess role while cataloguing every detail. Marcus chose the chair closest to Evelyne rather than positioning himself strategically. When Evelyne's hand brushed his arm during conversation, he didn't pull away. His responses to her comments carried genuine warmth.
Something fundamental had changed in his loyalties.
In the servants' quarters, Jorin finally allowed himself to breathe.
That had been too close. Far too close.
He'd been positioned at the kitchen window when Liora appeared in his peripheral vision. Her hand signals were sharp, urgent. Threat. Unknown guest. Emergency protocols.
Through the glass, he'd watched the carriage scene unfold. Marcus emerging first, then turning to assist someone unexpected. When Evelyne stepped down with that possessive familiarity, Jorin's blood had gone cold.
Liora's second signal came immediately. Warn Caelan. Now.
The sprint through servants' corridors had felt endless, though it lasted maybe thirty seconds. Bursting into the receiving room to find Seraphina and Caelan still positioned for their planning meeting, completely unaware that hostile company was approaching their door.
"Emergency. Lady Evelyne's here with Marcus," he'd managed between breaths.
Caelan's face had gone white, but his training kicked in immediately. The exit through the side door happened just as footsteps stopped outside the main entrance. Maybe five seconds to spare. Maybe less.
If Liora hadn't been positioned for threat assessment, if she'd been even a minute slower with the warning, if Caelan had hesitated for even a heartbeat, their entire operation could have been exposed by a single unlucky moment.
"I'm curious about this sudden interest in charitable work, Evelyne," Seraphina said as Yona served refreshments. "It's not typically your area of focus."
"Oh, but it should be, shouldn't it?" Evelyne's smile carried warmth. "After all, charity is such noble work. When Marcus mentioned his generous plans, I simply had to learn more about your remarkable projects."
Marcus shifted in his chair, his attention focused entirely on Evelyne as she spoke. When she glanced at him, he offered an encouraging nod.
"Actually, that's why I wanted to speak with you today, Duchess," Marcus said. His voice held polite distance rather than the warmth she'd grown accustomed to during their business meetings. "I've decided to make a substantial commitment to your orphanage project. Fifty thousand gold pieces."
The number hit Seraphina like a physical blow. Fifty thousand. More than most noble houses spent in a year. More than she'd dared hope for in her wildest projections.
"Marcus, that's..." she struggled to find words. "Are you certain? That's an enormous amount."
His tone rang strange, practiced somehow, but the warmth she'd trusted was gone. She pushed the thought aside... this wasn't the time to second-guess her instincts.
"Of course I'm certain." His voice carried an edge of arrogance she'd never heard before. "The mining operations have been extraordinarily profitable. As the third richest man in the realm, expectations follow me everywhere."
Third richest. He said it with casual pride, as if the ranking provided personal satisfaction.
"Such generosity will certainly enhance Branthorne Company's reputation," he continued with calculated precision. "Public giving shows success. Responsibility." He paused with self-satisfied certainty. "The publicity benefits alone justify the investment."
Investment. As if helping orphaned children was merely a business transaction designed to improve his social standing.
Evelyne smiled with satisfied warmth. "How wonderfully strategic. I do admire a man who understands how charity can serve multiple purposes."
"Efficiency in all things," Marcus replied, and when he looked at Evelyne, his expression softened noticeably.
"The announcement will be made at next week's charity gala," Marcus continued. "Such a substantial commitment deserves proper public recognition. I trust that's acceptable timing?"
"Perfect timing," Seraphina agreed, though she dreaded the spotlight such an enormous donation would bring.
"Wonderful." Evelyne rose from her chair with graceful finality. "We should let you return to your other obligations, cousin. I'm sure you have many demands on your time."
Marcus stood as well, offering his arm to Evelyne with automatic courtesy. "Thank you for your time, Duchess. I look forward to our continued business relationship."
As they moved toward the door, Evelyne paused and turned back with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"You know, Seraphina, I've always admired your remarkable adaptability. Such a rare gift in someone so young." Her voice carried something sharp beneath the honeyed surface. "Though I do wonder sometimes if even you know which face is the real one."
They left together, Marcus's hand solicitous at Evelyne's back as they walked toward the door. Through the window, Seraphina watched them return to the carriage with the same intimate coordination they'd displayed upon arrival.
Marcus helped Evelyne into the carriage with careful attention, his posture protective and engaged. When the carriage pulled away, Seraphina caught a glimpse of them through the window, heads bent together in private conversation.
She stood alone in the receiving room, afternoon shadows lengthening across the floor, and tried to process what had just happened.
Her nails dug crescents into the armrest. Marcus was lost. Whether through magical compulsion or seduction, Evelyne had taken him. The donation wasn't generosity... it was a declaration.
And Evelyne's parting words suggested she knew about the double life.
The game had just become infinitely more dangerous.