Bought By The Billionaire novel Chapter 33

Later:

“Can I ask you something Master? Richard?”

He looks at me. I only ever call him ‘Richard’ when we are in company. In private, between us, he is always ‘Master’.

“One of those questions eh?” he says. “Go on then. But I’m not promising an answer.”

“Why didn’t you marry Adele? She’s so beautiful, and obviously more experienced with life. Why did you ask me and not her?”

He looks away, clearly taking the time to choose his words. “She is beautiful, yes, and you’re right. In some ways, she is more obviously ‘wifely’ material for me, but there was something about her that, as I came to know her well, it…. well, it repelled me. There is a coldness about her. Beautiful; yes, she is, but beautiful like a statue. You are so much more alive than she. There were other things too.

“Such as?”

“Well, for a start, she was too obviously after the money.”

“What makes you think I’m not interested in the money?”

He laughs. “You’d be foolish to not be at least a bit interested in the money, wouldn’t you? And you are anything but foolish. Adele, when it comes down to it, is not all that bright. She is more worldly than you, less naïve, but not nearly so intelligent. Then too, she tried to make herself dependent on me. You have never done that.”

“I’m living with you.”

“Yes, but it was at my invitation.” He pauses. “Insistence actually, with the danger to you from Mack Kane until we track him down. Adele tried to simply move in. I arrived one day to find that she’d arrived, with her clothes and goods, and taken over one of the rooms. I didn’t allow it and she took the huff and left.”

My Master comes to sit beside me, taking my hand in his. “Besides, you are working on your studies. Working hard to make yourself independent. You want to be your own woman, not a just satellite to me.”

I shrug. “You don’t actually know if I am working hard at it.”

He laughs. “Actually, I do, because I checked with your tutors.” I glance at him startled. My Master has been checking up on me? He continues “I have high confidence that you will do well in your exams. Now and later. You need to do that.”

Still holding my hand, but looking down, not meeting my eyes. “The fact is Elizabeth that, while having you here is something of a dream for me, I am older than you. Quite a bit older. When it comes down to it, I can spend the rest of my life with you, but you can’t spend the rest of your life with me. When the time comes, I want you to be alright. Not just because you have a pile of money in the bank, although I intend that you do have a pile of money in the bank, but I want you also, to have the knowledge, the experience and training, in how to handle the money. How to look after the business. How to deal with the people around you. That way, I know that whatever happens to me in later years, you will have a good life.”

This talk of my Master being so much older than me is beginning to upset me. We should be celebrating today. My Master suddenly seems to realise that he is sounding gloomy and, almost visibly, shakes himself out of it. Kissing my fingers, he says “Do you like it? The ring I mean?”

The gold gleams warm at me, the diamond bright. My ring. Given to me by my Master.

“Oh, yes, it’s beautiful. How could I not like it? Can I…. can I wear it in public? I mean, do you want people to know?”

He beams at me. “Yes, of course I do. I’m proud of you. I want to tell the whole world about us. We’ll announce it at the dinner tomorrow evening with the Thorntons. How’s that? We’ll all celebrate together.”

“That would be lovely.”

The following morning, since my Master wants to celebrate, to announce our engagement publicly, although I have a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes, I want something new, something really special. How often in a girl’s life does she get to announce her engagement?

Time to go shopping.

“If you’re going,” he says “Take Ross with you.”