Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 234: Taking Advice

Chapter 234: Taking Advice

Jerome Brunton’s eyes landed on the tapestry that hung in that gilded parlour room. The high ceiling had beautiful paintings that belonged to the past century and were maintained pretty well. The ceiling to wall drapes were opened, letting in the sunlight and breeze from outside.

The Dowager asked the maid who poured the tea to retreat and Jerome looked at the maid carefully walking out without showing her back to the Dowager and closing the door gently.

"What is your enmity with Belfaguer?" Jerome asked, pushing the teacup away from him. His tone didn’t have the politeness he had till then and his eyes became sharp as a razor as they trained at the Dowager. He is not in the mood to drink tea now. His granddaughter still might be in danger.

" Belfaguer?" the Dowager’s eyes widened and the wrinkles on her face couldn’t conceal the fright she had.

How could she forget the man who made her bury her son, grandson and their wives on the same day?

That madman!

But why is Brunton bringing him up? No...! Is he eyeing my Talia now?

"Yes, Arnold Belfaguer." Jerome didn’t feel pity at the woman older than him by two decades in front of him with her fingers trembling. His tone still was stern and low. He doesn’t shout at people. He doesn’t need to shout at people. They all know how dangerous he is without him shouting.

For many people in the world, Arnold Belfaguer is just a blue blood, whose family made money with mineral mines and diamond mines for many generations. But only he knows the other dangerous part of him - The member of a notorious cabal that makes decisions on behalf of the world.

"Arnold Belfaguer... ," the Dowager sighed. But her eyes weren’t looking at Jerome and she looked out through the window. The branches of the trees at the distance were shaking in the wind and so was her heart. "I don’t know him." She obviously didn’t want to talk to Jerome about him and she lied.

That lunatic thinks that he is the illegitimate son of her husband - King George. For some reason his crazy mother fed him lies that she cheated on her husband with King George and he was the result of that cheating. He believes that he is a Prince and she- the Queen Consort of King George, was the reason King George didn’t acknowledge him.

But his claims weren’t substantiated and even after proof with DNA testing, he still couldn’t understand that his bipolar mother imagined everything and spewed lies and built hatred in the heart of a young boy and made him a lunatic.

And he dared to take the lives of her son and grandson to get back at her even after all the proof.

Even she couldn’t get back at him since he had a nasty cabal’s backing. It’s not like she didn’t know the way to give back to him the same hurt she felt when she buried her family, but there was another reason. She didn’t want to take revenge because taking revenge won’t bring her family back and only will beget more violence with both sides attacking each other to get back. She had to harden her heart and negotiate with the Cabal to leave her great grandkids out of this fight since his beef is with her.

But that guy... He dared to target Talia? When did that happen?

Then it will be war!

"Darn you!" Jerome banged the table and the tea cups made clattered. "I don’t care why he wants you dead. But he does. You better die in a way that appeases him. My granddaughter won’t become the collateral in your feud with him!" Jerome said gritting his teeth and his tone of voice did get a little louder.

"Are you a member of the Union of the Deserted Blood?" The Dowager asked with her eyes unwavering. She had already composed herself and she wasn’t shaking anymore.

For Jerome to know this much about a member of the Cabal to be in contact with him... He should be a member too.

" Not anymore, "Jerome said truthfully. He wasn’t surprised this lady knows of the cabal. It is something only known to people with power and she is one of the powerful people too.

He was a member of that Cabal. They sold themselves to him as someone who cared for the world and so he joined them - to do good. But they were power-hungry control freaks who wanted dominance over everything. Using the abundant money they had, they wanted to play god. It didn’t align with his principles and so he left.

He had a hand in the death of a woman just because she was the wife of the man he hated. He realised how much of a cruel person he is only when he lost his wife. And it haunted him and he decided to not hurt anyone out of anger in the future. He decided to live by his principles.

They weren’t pleased he was willing to leave and they threatened to take his life since he knows their secrets. They had nothing over him to hold over him and so they asked him to bring down the Cooper business as he was the rising power back then and Cooper’s business affected the business of another member of the Cabal.

Jerome knew he was now in a rock and a hard place. He had to break his principle and harm an innocent to keep his principle of not using his power for doing damage to many more.

He was in a dilemma and at that time, Cooper proved himself to be an evil that had to be exterminated. He did what the Cabal asked of him without a single regret and got out of the Cabal himself. The cabal still has nothing on him but he has a lot on them and that’s why they fear him.

And that’s why when he learnt from Arthur that the attack on his granddaughter that happened in the Levitt center in the city, had the hand of Arnold Belfaguer, he contacted the Cabal and they said some story about the Dowager Queen and him.

Did he care about their feelings? No! He only cared for his granddaughter.

He didn’t want Arthur to be associated with those people in any form and that’s why he kept him from investigating further when he got the little clue. He won’t be telling him about the Cabal for the same reason too.

Those people won’t dare to lay hands on his granddaughter as long as he is alive. But he is sick and what happens if he dies? If that guy’s anger is on this lady, she should be accommodating that guy and quell his anger by any means.

Mary Ann cannot get hurt. Arthur too.

The Dowager Queen’s dark eyes swirled with lot of emotions looking at the man in front of her. If he was a member, did he agree on my son’s execution, to keep his granddaughter away from me? Was he a person to go that far?

"Did you have anything to do with my son’s -"

"No!" Jerome interjected and his heart skipped a beat by what that lady insinuated. "I had to bring down the Cooper business before I left the Cabal and it was two decades ago!" Jerome shook his head.

To kill a father and mother with their son and his wife in a plane crash... And that too to keep his granddaughter away from them... He is not a heartless monster!

He was offended by what the Dowager thought of him. But looking at the clouded eyes of the Dowager he realised something. He buried his daughter and that tore his heart to shreds and it took a lot for him to recover. In that sadness he even hurt his granddaughter. But this woman, she buried her son and her grandson on the same day.

The toll it would have took on her! It is amazing... The strength she must have, to withstand such devastating situation...

She is admirable!

But... The cabal had a hand in the death of her son and grandson?

Wow!

Now Jerome felt bad for asking this lady to die. He is not someone who loses his bearing that easily, but since it concerned his granddaughter, he didn’t think it through.

And Arnold... You killed her son and grandson and still wanted my granddaughter’s life too? I’ll take care of you!

"I settled it. They won’t bother with Mary Ann or anyone around her." Jerome said with an assuring smile. "Even they aren’t strong enough to wage war against me and you at the same time." Jerome’s eyes had a dangerous glint.

He might have mellowed a bit with age and give concession to many of his enemies, but his granddaughter is his baseline. And if she considers the Rosandale royals as her family, he’d stand up for them too. He didn’t retain his position at the top by being graceful to everyone at all times.

The Dowager nodded and said nothing else. She is not someone who feared death. If her death would appease that guy, she’d gladly do it to protect her great grandchildren.

But like all humans, she was greedy. She had seen her fifth generation with Louis’ children and yet she still wanted more. She wanted to see Talia’s children.

She wanted to see Lambert happily married and to see his children.

She is greedy. And she will hold on to her life to fulfil her wish.

Jerome talked with the Dowager for a while and left only after she is not in a sad state of mind. He was pissed at first but then knowing that she lost her family to the cabal, he felt bad for her.

When he retired to the cottage, he smiled as he watched his granddaughter opening the gifts he brought for her. Most of them were jewellery. He didn’t know what to buy since he didn’t know her preferences and so be bought quite a lot. There should be one or two she likes among the thirty pieces he bought.

"Isn’t this grandma’s layered diamond necklace?" Talia asked opening one box. It had diamonds of various shapes and many big chunky diamonds.

Talia wasn’t a big fan of chunky jewellery and more of a fan of sleek jewellery. But she didn’t hate chunky jewellery. In fact for certain dinners and parties, she would require to wear chunky jewellery.

And this is a favourite one of her grandmother. She didn’t know why her grandfather brought it to her now. She accepted it anyway. Its not like her grandfather can wear them.

"You bought me a lot," she pouted and stuffed her mouth with the double chocolate cake sent from the kitchen of Oakley castle. It gave her nostalgia as she remembered sneaking into the kitchen and stealing the cake they kept in the freezer to set, right before dinner.

Guess the chef is still the same... As expected of grandpa...

After talking with her grandfather for a while, Talia was asked to return to her place although she wanted to stay with her grandfather.

"Whenever I don’t have engagements, I will have meals with you, grandpa," Talia said after advising her grandfather to take good care of his health.

She should say... Louis wasn’t stingy with his arrangements for her grandpa’s place. She took a look and his cottage had a mini hospital setup in there and a doctor on-site. She was pleased.

"Sweet child..." her Grandpa patted her head, "Split your company between your great grandmother and me. She’d want to spend time with you too," he said with his trademark smile in his face.

"But I don’t want to disturb her. She prefers to be alone and doesn’t like guests," Talia spoke what she thought. That was the impression everyone had of the Dowager. The austere lady who followed protocols and doesn’t like over affectionate and over passionate people. She’s like a tiger living in her territory and doesn’t like to be disturbed.

"You’re not a guest," her Grandpa patted her back. "At her age, she would like to have her grandchildren around her. Take it from me - an old man... She’d love it," he spoke gently.

"You’re not old!"

Talia pouted and fell silent. She never thought of her great grandma as just an old lady, but always as the Dowager Queen. But her Grandpa does make sense.