Chapter 18: The Rose Garden Trap

 Emerence “Wren” Ashford

My fingertips pressed against my bare collarbone where the silver chain should have rested. The empty space felt colder than the damp autumn morning settling over the Cotswolds.

The encryption key to my entire life,the only thing standing between Julian and the complete liquidation of my trust was somewhere in the dark, twisting labyrinth of the servant passages.

“Wren.”

Julian squeezed his hand around my upper arm. His grip was a tight vise disguised as a supportive husband’s embrace.

He pulled me onto the gravel terrace of Ashford Manor, his breath carrying the faint scent of dark espresso and expensive mints.

“Smile, darling,” he spoke in a low tense, perfectly polished smile. “We have company.”

Down in the sunken Victorian rose garden, three men in tailored charcoal suits stood talking with Lyra.

Dr. Montgomery and his associates the local medical board evaluators whose signatures Julian desperately needed to finalize my permanent mental incompetency filing before the Ashford Heritage Gala.

Lyra was playing her part perfectly. Dressed in a pastel cardigan, she wore an expression of tragic devotion as she gestured toward the terrace.

“She has good days and bad days,” I heard her say. “We just try to give her fresh air when the episodes move backwards.”

Beside me, Julian’s grip tightened. His fingers dug into my arm hard enough to leave bruises through the thick cashmere of my cream sweater.

“You behave yourself down there, or I swear to God, Wren, I’ll have Montgomery sign the commitment papers before lunch.”

I kept my chin lowered, my lower lip trembling in a delicate display of confusion.

Inside, my blood was boiling.

Every strategic instinct screamed at me to tear Julian’s throat out.

We descended the stone steps into the garden.

The scent of rain-soaked earth, dying roses, and damp boxwood filled my lungs.

“Ah, Julian,” Dr. Montgomery said, turning with a sympathetic smile. “And Mrs. Vance. It’s good to see you outdoors.”

I shrank against Julian’s side, letting my knees wobble slightly. I became the broken bird they all expected to see.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Kaelen came out  from beneath the stone archway.

He wore a long wool trench coat over his dark suit, his broad shoulders forming an imposing silhouette against the ancient gray stone.

His silver-gray eyes met mine for a fraction of a second.

Cold. Professional.

But beneath that controlled expression was a dark intensity that made my pulse jump.

“She’s been particularly delicate this morning, Doctor,” Julian lied smoothly, sliding an arm around my waist. His thumb pressed possessively into my hip. “The new medication Dr. Vane prescribed seems to be settling her, but she remains… deeply unpredictable.”

“A tragic case,” Montgomery murmured as he wrote something in his leather ledger. “The loss of cognitive focus after such a brilliant young career…”

I needed to give them a convincing performance.

If I appeared too coherent, Julian would panic and accelerate his backup plan before I could find out who had stolen my locket.

But if I acted too insane, Montgomery might sign the commitment orders right there on the damp gravel.

I had to find the precise line between fragile and hysterical.

A pale monarch butterfly fluttered from a fading crimson rose, drifting lazily through the cold air toward my face.

Now.

I gasped.

A raw, strangled sound tore from my throat.

I stumbled backward out of Julian’s grip, my heel catching on the gravel as I threw my hands over my head.

“Get it away!” I shrieked, letting my voice crack with calculated panic.

I dropped to my knees on the damp path, my silk-lined trousers soaking through as I shook my head violently.

“Julian! It’s crawling on me! The shadows make them stop!”

“Wren, control yourself!” Julian spoke suddenly and sharply under his breath.

His face flushed crimson as he shot an angry glance at the horrified medical board members.

Lyra covered her mouth and took a dramatic step backward into the rose bushes.

“You see?” Julian said quickly, turning to Montgomery. “The sudden sensory overloads! She loses all perception of reality!”

I continued trembling, my hands pressed against my chest as I forced my breathing to become shallow and erratic.

“Step back, Julian.”

Kaelen’s voice cut through the garden like a sharpened blade.

He didn’t rush.

He approached me with steady, deliberate strides, his tall frame blocking the evaluators’ view of my face.

Then he knelt beside me in the damp mud, completely unconcerned about ruining his tailored trousers.

“Mrs. Vance,” Kaelen said.

His voice dropped into a low, calming tone.

“Look at me, Wren.”

I raised my head, letting fake tears fill my sapphire eyes.

But when our eyes met, something changed.

The air between us seemed to thicken, charged with a heat that had nothing to do with the performance.

Kaelen gently lowered my trembling hands between us. His fingers slipped between mine, his thumb pressing against the sensitive center of my palm.

The contact was magnetic.

A quiet reassurance that sent warmth through my skin.

“Breathe,” he murmured.

His thumb moved to the underside of my wrist, resting directly over my racing pulse.

To everyone watching, his touch was clinical.

To me, it felt like a slow, deliberate caress.

“It’s just a leaf caught in the wind. You’re safe.”

His eyes remained locked on mine.

“I have you.”

My breath caught.

This time,it was rough.

His thumb moved along my wrist, brushing beneath the edge of my sleeve and against the bare skin of my forearm.

I suddenly trembled, and my eyes moved shut for a second.

“Her heart rate is stabilizing,” Kaelen announced calmly to Montgomery without breaking eye contact with me.

“Under proper neurological grounding techniques, her acute anxiety episodes can be managed without permanent institutionalization.”

Montgomery nodded slowly, clearly impressed.

“Remarkable response, Dr. Vane. Your control over her symptoms is exceptional.”

Julian’s jaw tightened.

I heard his teeth grind.

His eyes moved between Kaelen and me, jealousy darkening his expression.

He hated that Kaelen could calm me with a touch while his own hands only made me suddenly move.

Kaelen slowly stood and wrapped a hand around my arm to help me up.

His touch remained still as he pulled me to my feet, his body brushing against mine for one fleeting, intoxicating moment.

“Take her inside, Julian,” he said coldly, stepping back and restoring his impenetrable mask. “She needs rest.”

Julian grabbed my wrist roughly and pulled me away.

“Thank you, Doctor. We’ll take it from here.”

As he dragged me toward the manor terrace, my heart was still pounding from the lingering heat of Kaelen’s touch.

But when we passed the low stone archway leading toward the east wing, something red caught my attention in the shadows.

Lyra.

She stood near the servant entrance, her head tilted slightly.

A cruel, smug smile stretched across her soft face.

Then she lifted one hand to her neck.

Her fingers casually twirled a thin silver chain hanging beneath her pastel cardigan.

My breath stopped.

Dangling from the chain was my locket.

She didn’t just have the key to my fortune.

She knew exactly what she had taken.

Lyra turned her head slightly.

Then she winked at me.

Before I could react, she stepped backward into the dark hallway.

The heavy oak door clicked shut behind her.