Court of Flowers (Sutherland Book 1)

VII | The Grimes

A long silence filled the study. "Why?"

West let out an exasperated sigh. How many more questions did this woman have? "Why what?" he snapped, brows fused with impatience. His jaw tightened when she moistened her lips to ask, "Why do you wish to find her? What do you intend to do with her?"

His eyes lingered on her lips long after she asked her question. Then he blinked and snapped back to reality.

He had enough. He uncrossed his legs and came to full height. "That is not your concern, my lady," he nearly growled, biting out the last two words with enough sarcasm. "Your task is to find my sister in whatever way you know how. You have access to Belcourt and I expect that you can find her with ease."

She shook her head. What did that smile mean? It was as if she knew better. "I will do my best."

"No," West strongly insisted. "You deliver. That is what I expect from you. It should not be too hard."

When she looked at him with a knowing smile pasted on her lips, he wondered if it would indeed be that easy for her. But it was just Belcourt. It was just a bloody orphanage. "You have not set foot into Belcourt, have you?"

"I do not need to, now that I have you," was his cold response.

"You are now a gentleman of Belcourt—a flower—and with that comes rare privileges."

"I know what privileges come with the bloody title I bought from that place."

"Then you know you can have entrance into the Court of Flowers."

He let out a small scoff of incredulity. "What? A bloody drawing room full of women and other gentlemen? Doing what?"

She laughed pathetically and West frowned. "A drawing room! Is that what you imagine the Court of Flowers is?"

"I care not which part of the orphanage it is, only that it is the only part of Belcourt I can enter and nowhere else. That is proof enough that coming to the place is useless and a waste of time. I shall not risk walking into a bloody classroom filled with orphans in search of a woman. If you expect me to mingle with the other gentlemen and women, expected to be disappointed. You may be used to it for Belcourt is your home, but know that witnessing licentious activities with children merely a few doors away is not acceptable to some."

She laughed some more. Shaking her head, she managed, "I ought to drag you to Belcourt one of these days, sir."

"That is unnecessary—"

"Oh, it is," she said, this time turning very serious. Her eyes held his intently. "Because it seems that you have so many opinions of Belcourt and I wish for you to sift through them on your own by seeing the place for yourself." She stiffly stood. "So that you may realize the great amount of task you require me to fulfill. And so that you do not appear ignorant in front of those who have actually been to the place." She stared at him up and down. "It is a pity, really, that for someone with such high standing in society, you lack basic knowledge of Belcourt, a place you obviously personally abhor."

He scoffed. "What more is there to know about Belcourt? It is an orphanage with a few other specialties."

Her smile froze and something crossed her eyes. She blinked before West could decipher what it was. "You mean to find your sister and rescue her from such a place."

That was partly correct. "Yes."

"You abhor the idea of her turning into a Belle."

Good God, yes.

"But—"

"What?" he asked when she did not finish her statement.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I was just about to say something that would merely cause another long argument." She took a long breath and sighed. "Very well, I shall make certain that I deliver."