"Mother, why did you not insist, we cannot allow Caden to just do as he wishes and marry that unsuitable girl." Faye did not wait for them to get out of the car and into the house before she started complaining.
Callie waited until she had gotten inside and settled on a chair and sent the maid away to get refreshments before she addressed Faye. "You are well aware that that will solve nothing, on the contrary it will disturb your brother and I am not ready to deal with one of his fits."
"So we are just going to let him do whatever he wants?" A disgruntled Faye asked.
"Of course not, it is bad enough that she has besmirched our name in this way, I will simply get every justice of peace, anyone who can officiate a marriage to reject them if they ever come." Callie's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You know how much Caden hates to travel so when he can't find someone to wed them he will be unable to leave the city. He will have no other choice than to get bored with trying to get married to her." She said confidently and Faye smiled at her mother's quick thinking.
Faye was relieved that that disaster of a marriage had been averted, all she would have to do now would be to steer her mother in the direction of a woman that she could control then everything would fall in place.
*****
"Mr Knox is here to see Ms Addison." The maid said after she knocked the door of the study and poked her head through.
Elijah felt his throat suddenly dry up. He had been waiting for this moment for the entire week, Nova still cried and he had to constantly keep checking on her so that she would not hurt herself.
It not been easy at all and it felt like they were hounded by sleazy paparazzi who kept calling and trying to take pictures or bribe the staff. They had had to stay indoors and he could not wait till this was done and hopefully when he returned the engagement ring to Caden they could end this chapter and move on with their lives.
"Do not tell Nova, I will deal with him shortly." He said and pulled open his drawer and removed the jewelry box Caden had left with him the previous time he had been here.
He walked down the stairs and went into the sat room where Caden stood waiting, at his appearance Caden looked displeased and it angered Elijah. The members of the Knox family seemed determined to see Nova in pain but he would be damned if he let that happen.
"Is Nova not in? I realize that I have been absent but I apologize, apparently my mother has suddenly deemed Nova unworthy of being her daughter in-law." Caden said crisply and Elijah began to stutter in anger.
"Sso you you had to come tell her ho how unworthy she is of your family well you can just…"
"… why would I do that?" A perplexed Caden cut in, stopping Elijah mid rant and he eyed Caden contemplatively.
"So you are not here to call off the engagement?" Elijah asked doubtfully.
"No, I made a commitment to her and my father says that you should never give your word and go back on it." Caden said.
"But the newspapers say that the engagement has been called off." Elijah said hesitantly.
"Again, my mother deems her unworthy but I am to be her husband so the marriage will still hold."
"I see…" Elijah said and pulled out the jewelry box from his pocket and handed it to Caden.
"…Why don't you give this to her yourself when she comes down? Give me a minute." He went out of the room and left Caden alone before running up the stairs all the way to the top where he burst into the room and startling Nova who dropped the paint brush she had been holding.
"What is wrong?" She asked with panic as she went to her father who held his chest and was unable to talk due to his breathlessness.
After a couple of minutes he was able to straighten up and tell her. "You aunt Julia is here to see you and she wants to show you something so why don't you hurry up and go downstairs." He wanted to tell her to change her clothes but she would be suspicious and he wanted this to be a surprise for her.
"She probably wants to show me another news headline or maybe she has found someone who is willing to marry me." She said wryly and bent down to pick up the brush she had dropped.
"Could she just leave it and then I will see it later?" She asked.
"Oh no, you have to go right now." Elijah said and plucked her brush out of her fingers and wheeled her down the door and down the stairs while she wondered what was so important that she had to see.
When they got downstairs he pushed her through the door and she saw the most unexpected thing in front of her, Caden on his knees holding open the jewelry box with the engagement ring he had bought her.
She felt all the ire and humiliation she had been feeling all week and she yelled.
"What exactly are you doing with that?"
He scrambled up and looked despondently at her like a little boy who had just been chastised.
"I told the jeweler that the stone did not match your eyes, I knew you would not want it."
"What? What are you on about? Why are you kneeling and offering me a ring?" Nova asked.
"Well, I did some research and apparently that is the best way a man shall offer a ring to his betrothed." He said and Nova stared at him as if he was crazy.
He wanted desperately to make a good impression on her, he read somewhere that it was romantic to kneel and present a ring to a woman, he hoped his gesture made her like him better. All this would be easier if he could simply tell her about the codicil's terms, damn that clause.
"But your mother does not want us to be married." Nova said and looked around in confusion deciding that someone must be playing pranks on her.
"Indeed, she says that you are not appropriate, would you believe that she has had every Justice of Peace turn down my request for a wedding license? We might just have to fly and I absolutely hate it." He said as if he was discussing the flavor of tea he would like.