Chapter 2
The “training” began seven months earlier.
Small.
Almost charming.
Gareth taught Posy gemstone colors.
Ruby.
Emerald.
Sapphire.
Rosaline thought it was a game.
So did I when I heard about it.
Then Gareth bought craft beads.
Asked Posy to arrange them into patterns.
Flowers.
Stars.
Blackthorn roses.
Still harmless.
Then came timing.
Do it faster.
Do it without mistakes.
Say the color names correctly.
Hold the bracelet politely.
Offer it with both hands.
Smile.
“Why?”
I asked.
Rosaline stared at the ruined beads.
“Because he said collectors love legacy.”
There it was.
Elena Blackthorn had been famous for hosting private jewelry evenings with Rosaline beside her as a child.
Not selling.
Teaching.
History.
Craft.
Taste.
Gareth wanted to recreate the image with Posy.
Three generations.
Elena’s granddaughter.
Elena’s great-granddaughter.
And Gareth standing conveniently beside both.
The husband who “managed” the legacy.
At first Rosaline resisted only the pressure.
She did not understand the destination.
Then Gareth began inviting collectors without asking her.
Small dinners.
Private viewings.
He would bring Posy in with a handmade bracelet.
Guests found it adorable.
Photographs followed.
Stories.
“The Blackthorn eye already lives in another generation.”
Harmless enough.
Then Gareth began speaking for Rosaline.
“She’s overwhelmed.”
“She prefers I handle arrangements.”
“Motherhood has made her nervous around larger events.”
Rosaline corrected him privately.
He apologized.
Then did it again.
When she contradicted him publicly, he squeezed her wrist beneath the table.
First bruise.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her face broke.
“Because every time I almost did, he said you would take Posy away from both of us until the marriage was ‘stable.’”
I stared at Gareth.
He smiled bitterly.
“I never said you would.”
Rosaline looked at him.
“You said my father protects children before wives.”
Silence.
Technically different.
Designed to mean exactly the same thing.
Then Adrian said quietly:
“He told me you approved.”
My eyes moved to him.
“Approved what?”
Adrian swallowed.
“Gareth becoming the public representative for Elena’s collection.”
I looked at my son-in-law.
Now I understood why he had glanced toward the crowd.
May you like
Tonight was not just a jewelry reception.
It was supposed to be his coronation.
