Chapter 166

Gwendolyn was already waiting by the door. Her voice shot out before I even hit the last step. ‘Mirabelle! Come in, come in. It’s freezing out here.’ Technically, she was my mother-in-law. Kind of. I didn’t like her much, but she hadn’t done anything outrageous yet, and I wasn’t about to start a war over guesswork. Plus, she was probably still traumatised from how much she spent the last time we met. ‘I’d cleaned Ashton’s old room for you to stay the night.’ She beamed at me. I gave her a vague smile and mumbled something noncommittal while pretending I hadn’t heard. The staff had strung up a few lights in the sitting room. There were balloons, cake boxes stacked on the sideboard, and a faint smell of polish and vanilla. Once everything was set, I texted Ashton: [I’m at the Laurent estate. Come for dinner tonight.] He called before I even put the phone down. ‘Where are you?’ His voice was low, tight. I could hear the drag of his breathing like he was trying not to snap. ‘Gwendolyn invi