I had to keep my jaw clenched shut. The Carrington family wasn't my primary concern at the moment. Lenor was.

"Sir, I launched the divorce proceedings as soon I proposed to your daughter."

"But you were married to another girl all along and didn't think it was worth sharing the information with me," he snarled.

Yes, I was a jerk, but Bruce Carrington kept missing the point. He'd missed it since the day his daughter was born.

"I should have," I admitted anyway.

"Good." Mr. Carrington absently checked one of his cufflinks. "Now, I want you to go back to Eleanor, apologize profusely, and convince her to take you back."

I blinked, my neck bent slightly forward. The man wanted me back with his daughter? After all I'd done to her? "I'm afraid I can't, sir."

"And why not?" he challenged me.

"Because I can't marry Lenor."

"Why not?" he hammered again.

"Because I won't be getting a divorce."

"And why the hell not?" That was the first time I heard the man swear. "Is it because of that kid of yours?"

"I didn't know about him until his birth mother told me a few days ago. His adoptive parents died and I have to step up."

"There are other options available to you, son."

A waitress came with a fresh pot of coffee. She was cute and Carrington's eyes roamed over her body, her chest and butt in particular. When she moved away, his attention reverted to me.

"You see," Carrington continued, "I'm ready to help you get out of this mess. I can't have Eleanor left on her own right now. I need someone to look after her, someone to keep her on the straight line. She's convinced you're the only one who can do that for her."

"Why more now than before?"

Carrington hesitated. He cleared his throat, rechecked his cufflink, adjusted his tie. Something was up.

"Louise and I are getting a divorce. She's moving to Paris."

The Carringtons were the last couple I'd expected to split up, though not because of their everlasting love... Bruce had a long-time mistress and Louise popped pills like they were gummy bears. But above all, they cared about their image. A divorce wasn't in their DNA.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." I was, not for them, but for Lenor, who'd grown up with a perfect image of her parents. If my news hadn't destroyed her, this would surely be the last straw. Guilt made me shift on my seat. "Still, I can't be who your daughter needs me to be."

"Boy, you can be whoever you want to be. You can be whoever I need you to be."

My foot started tapping on the floor. Not because I was scared-although I should have been-but because I'd never let anyone own me.

"We'll make an offer to that girl you knocked up, an offer she can't refuse. In exchange, she'll give you a divorce and you can give up all parental duties."

As if it were a done deal, Carrington dabbed his napkin over his mouth and set it aside. The need to throw my fist into that face of his made the knuckles of my right hand burn. I rubbed them and let the anger inside me simmer.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. This isn't just about money, you see. I want to be there for my son. I want to give him a chance to know both his parents. I owe it to him and to myself."

"This is all very honorable, but if you do that, you'd end up not having much to give to that son of yours."

My knuckles tingled again. "How so?"

"Well, for a start, I will be withdrawing the job offer I made." No big surprise here. "I also won't be singing your praise on the Hill. And a lot of people-powerful people-listen to what I have to say."

This guy was truly a first-class asshole.

I stared down at the dark surface of the coffee I hadn't touched. Ignoring the damage Bruce Carrington could cause would be a mistake, a huge mistake.

I stood up. He looked at me from under arched eyebrows.

"You do what you have to do, sir. I deserve your anger for lying to your daughter and misleading her. I still care about her, and I'm sorry for hurting her. I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life. However, I won't apologize for wanting to take care of my son."

Carrington came to his feet and his gaze measured me, from head to toe.

"All I'm asking is for you to keep Eleanor on the straight and narrow, to make sure she doesn't turn into her drug-addicted slut of a mother. I don't need another woman to embarrass me, and you're the one my daughter wants."

His logic was sickening. My silence baited him because, when he spoke again, his tone had lost its cutting edge. "If you do that for me, Joshua, I'll back you all the way."

I cringed. "Even if I were still in a position to marry Lenor, I wouldn't do to her what you're asking. Your daughter deserves more than that. Much more."

"I see." Carrington switched from begging to snarling. "It's a big bad world out there, I doubt those high principles of yours will take you very far."

"That's a risk I'm ready to take."

Lenor's father took his seat back. He unfolded The Wall Street Journal as a clear sign I'd been dismissed.

"Good luck, Joshua. You'll need it. I'll be true to my word. I won't be singing your praise."

"You should do as you see fit, sir." I nodded and turned my back on him.

Outside, I welcomed the clean morning air and stared blindly at the Ashmolean Museum opposite the Randolph where I stood. When had life become so damned complicated?

I'd spent the last five years pushing away any memory of Steep Hill. But right now, I wanted nothing more than to be back at Sweet Angel Point, hidden in one of the branches of the cotton tree.

twenty-seven.

Cassie.

As soon as I stepped out of the internet cafe, my heart fluttered in my chest.

My flight home was booked for Saturday. Three days to go and I'd be back in Kansas City. I'd be back to Lucas. That was what Josh had agreed to.

My cell vibrated in the front pocket of my jeans. When I saw the name displayed across the screen, my hand tightened around the device. Call me a coward, but I'd hoped my path wouldn't cross Eleanor's ever again. Yes, there was the fact she'd called me the scum of the earth. But what really hurt was that she was kind of right.

I shook myself. Right now, I could only focus on getting Lucas back. With courage I didn't really feel, I pressed the button and her message appeared.

ELEANOR: MEET ME AT THE RADCLIFFE CAMERA. ASAP. PLEASE.

I didn't want to face Princess Lenor. Not now, not ever. Plain and simple.

But Gran's voice echoed in my head. The whole "face your responsibilities" and "don't chicken out" pep-talks kept my fingers from pressing "Delete."

CASSIE: NOW?.

I'd just agreed to step inside the boxing ring. I rolled on the tips of my balls of my feet, then back on my heels, and again.

ELEANOR: C U THERE.

The Radcliffe Camera wasn't far from the Turf, where I was due for the afternoon shift in an hour. I took in an enormous breath-twice-and launched myself toward the place that would soon turn into a murder scene. Eleanor might be that blow-dry-perfect doll, but no doubt that a hit from one of her stilettos would pierce right through my skull.

I shivered. Still, I hurried. I wanted to be done with the drama. When I arrived at the Radcliffe Camera, I didn't pay attention to it. It was massive, ancient, but I only had Lucas's cute face in my head, his dimples, the wicked sparkles in his eyes. My fingers gripped the bars of the metal railing, which circled the camera. Three more days...

"Thanks for coming."

I turned my head sideways to where Eleanor was standing. She wore one of those trench coats, the ones I saw in fashion magazines on models who looked so much like this girl Josh loved. Her hair wasn't as professionally wavy as normal. The skin under her eyes was darker than usual. Why could she not look like an ugly, nasty bitch? For sure, that would make my life much easier.

"I wanted to meet on neutral ground," she said.

I nodded, but there was nowhere really neutral in Oxford for me. Even if Eleanor carried the same passport as I, the world was her oyster.

"Josh must-it's better if-" she stumbled. "I mean, we both have nothing to gain if..."

"I won't tell anything to Josh, if that's what you want."

"Thanks."

Silence hung between us. I put up the collar of my leather jacket as clouds now stood between the sun and me. Eleanor didn't seem to pay attention to anything around us, not the screaming toddler passing by in its stroller, not even me.

"I think you're a calculating bitch and I've never hated anyone like I hate you." That was just her opening line. "However, unless I've been completely fooled, I believe you care deeply about Josh. How much you truly care for the child, I don't know, but Josh... yes, he means a lot to you."

"I care first for Lucas. He's my priority." Her eyes rested on me for the first time. I stared back at her because I couldn't leave any doubt in her mind. "But I'm sorry for the hurt I caused you and for screwing up Josh's life."

Something changed in Eleanor's expression. She switched to full-on business-woman mode.

"That's why I have a deal for you."

She leaned her back against the iron railing and buried her hands in the pockets of her coat. Whatever she had in mind, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it.

But I owed it to her. "Fire away."

"You see, Cassandra, I have money, quite a lot of it. It's piling up in a trust fund and I've now reached the age when I can do whatever I want with it. Nobody needs to know."

"I don't want your money, Eleanor. It's not why I came here. I didn't even know about you until I saw Josh at the party."

Her lip curled. "I give you the benefit of the doubt. You might not have known how much money Josh was about to marry. But, now you do, you should do the best with it."

I'd kept my feet planted on the ground since her arrival. But I had to back away then. What she suggested made me feel like rubbing my skin with detergent.

"You can't buy me." Her lip curled further as if she knew very well that she could. "I'm here for Lucas because he needs his parents. That's the only reason I've come all the way to England."

"What Lucas needs is someone to look after him, someone with means, someone with social standing. I can provide you with all of that. I'm ready to part with a portion of my trust fund to set you up back in Kansas. I'm talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here, not the minimum wage. Enough to buy you a lovely house, picket fence and all, enough to enroll you in a college, if that's what you want, and pay for your education."

If I gave up on Josh? On Lucas? On both? My toes curled up in my boots. I swear I could have jumped the Ice Queen and clawed my nails into that pale, smooth skin of hers.

"I want my child back. Nothing more, nothing less," I growled.

"I can help with that. The money will allow you to live comfortably for many years without having to work, while getting an education and care for Lucas. I'm also ready to convince my father to use his connections and give you the social backing you need for sole custody. Again, I'm not talking small-town celebrities here, but state senators and governors."

The offer was impressive, and I bet she could deliver on it.

"What do you want in exchange?"

She crossed her legs at ankle level. Even leaning back as she was then, she could stare down at me.

"You give Josh a divorce. You free him of any parental responsibilities. You get out of our lives for good and never, never mention this little agreement of ours to him."

I wanted to keep staring back at her, but her words knocked me down. I let my gaze get lost in the space around me, the Camera, the square and the students walking around. I shouldn't give a second thought to what she was offering. I should turn my back on her and forget we ever had this conversation. But I couldn't. I could get custody on my own. I could have a nice, steady life with Lucas, get an education to provide for him later on.

And Josh could have the high-life he'd worked his ass off for.

He didn't even have to know about it.

I must have been an open book, because Eleanor pushed her point home. Her voice was now shaking.

"You did the right thing for Josh once. Do it again. He's worked so hard to be where he is. He has the world in the palm of his hand. Don't take his dreams away from him."

Her words... her words, they shook me. They were almost the same as those Jack MacBride had used that day. The day when Gran had collapsed and I'd rushed her to the hospital, the day the doctors warned us the path ahead would be long and hard. MacBride had said I was stealing Josh's dreams, smashing them. I'd told him I wasn't. I'd told him it was what Josh wanted, that I was what Josh wanted. Then he'd shown me the admission letter, and he'd broken me.

I wasn't going to choose Josh over Lucas. I wouldn't lie to Josh anymore either. I'd been down that road before. It hadn't exactly turned into a great success.

Eleanor had to understand.

"I can't do that. I'm sorry. I know you love Josh and that underneath that tough act of yours, you just want to save what you have with him. But I can't do it."

Tears pooled in Eleanor's eyes. "Why not?"

"Because Lucas needs to know who his parents are. He needs to know he has a mom and a dad. We'll never be the perfect family, but it's better than him always wondering who his dad is."

I didn't know my father's name, what he looked like or what his voice sounded like. I didn't want the same for Lucas. I couldn't take his dad away from him again. This wasn't my choice to make.