Chapter 193: Wedding Morning

"You think there is something wrong too?" Marianne asked.

"I think you’ve given me enough information that I’d rather check than assume. Everything you just told me is strange," Adrian went on, "but I want you to understand something. It doesn’t affect the case itself." He closed the notepad halfway. "It only means we may have lost a witness."

"What does that mean?"

"Mr Heathcliffe added Mrs Whitmore to the list of witnesses we may need to speak on your behalf."

"Oh."

"Given what you’ve told me, I’m not comfortable relying on her until we understand exactly what’s going on."

That stung. Once upon a time Marianne would never have imagined a world where Diana’s word couldn’t be trusted.

Life really did have a cruel sense of humour.

"Oh. Oh, okay then," Marianne said quietly as she gathered herself. "Thank you. And would you extend my thanks to my son-in-law?"

"I will."

The conversation became more practical after that.

Adrian explained what would happen next, what the application process might look like and the possibility that things could move slowly even if everything was filed correctly. He warned her not to let impatience force her into decisions without consulting him first and reminded her that reopening a case was not the same as walking out the front gate the following morning.

Marianne listened carefully. She didn’t mind the details.

By the time Adrian finished, Marianne felt steadier.

Adrian gathered his papers, placed them back into his file and stood. He seemed to reconsider leaving without saying something, and when he finally spoke, it came out with a bit of warmth. "Mrs Bennett, your daughter is in great hands."

"I know." Marianne smiled. "What worries me is that I may have made the worst decision when it came to how she grew up."

There was so much regret packed into that one sentence that he couldn’t simply brush past it.

He had been given very specific instructions where Marianne Bennett was concerned. "Mr Heathcliffe warned me not to ask why you sabotaged your own defence but I’m not stupid, Mrs Bennett. I know there were things you could have said back then that might have helped you, and instead you seemed determined to make your own position worse."

"And after meeting you..." Adrian tilted his head slightly. "It isn’t difficult to figure out that it had something to do with protecting someone. There is only one person you’ve shown any real interest in protecting since I sat down here," he added. "Your daughter."

"Yes."

"I’ll see you as soon as I get a trial date."

Marianne inhaled deeply and nodded. "I’ll be waiting."

"I suspected as much." Adrian smiled. "Try not to sign anything mysterious while I’m gone."

"I do know how to behave myself."

"Unfortunately, I’ve read your file."

Marianne gasped theatrically. "Now you’re just being rude."

Adrian found himself smiling again as he gathered the rest of his things.

Marianne Bennett was surprisingly easy to like. He could understand now where Naomi got at least some of her personality from. There was a warmth beneath Marianne’s caution.

Dorian had failed to mention that part.

Then again, Dorian failed to mention most things that involved actual human emotion.

Adrian said his goodbyes and left the prison.

Once he was outside, he took out his phone and typed a brief summary of everything Marianne had told him about Diana’s visit.

He sent it to Dorian’s burner.

Hopefully, he checked it sometime soon.

*****

Dorian dressed that morning like a man preparing to attend an execution.

Ginny’s wedding had finally arrived.

He should have been happy. He was happy.

Technically.

He adjusted his cuffs in front of the mirror, then stared at his reflection for a moment.

Ginny was getting married.

His baby sister.

Which meant both of his sisters were no longer going to be Heathcliffes, at least not by name.

He exhaled and straightened his jacket.

Everyone had always seen him as the unfeeling Heathcliffe. The stone-faced lawyer. To be fair, some of that reputation had been earned.

But his girls were different.

They always had been.

Lexie and Ginny could annoy the living hell out of him, and he would still burn the world down for either of them without needing to think about it first.

His mother was firmly included in that category too.

And now, so was his wife.

Dorian’s gaze shifted toward the bathroom.

Naomi had invaded his life by accident and then proceeded to rearrange the entire damn thing until he could barely remember why he had ever enjoyed living without her.

He glanced at himself once more before slipping a hand into his pocket. His fingers closed around the small case of rings tucked safely inside.

Dorian looked toward the closed bathroom door again. He stepped closer, rested one hand on the handle and opened the door just enough to look inside, patting his pocket one more time to reassure himself that the case was exactly where he had left it. "Naomi?"

"I’m almost done. Is the stylist here?" Naomi called from the shower, her voice carrying over the sound of running water.

Dorian leaned farther into the bathroom doorway. "You called a stylist? I thought you were just wearing your uniform?"

"Oh no."

The water shut off.

A moment later, Naomi pushed the shower door open.

"I wear that as Chef Bennett, not Mrs Heathcliffe."

He stepped farther into the bathroom, picked up one of the large towels and held it out for her. "I’m confused."

Naomi took it from him and wrapped it around herself. "I’m coming with you."

The smile that spread across it was so wide that Naomi almost laughed before he even said anything.

"You decided to tell me last minute, huh?"

She smiled up at him. "It was worth it. Love the look on your face right now."

He was trying and failing to regain his usual expression of dignified indifference.

It didn’t work.

He looked really pleased as he stepped closer and rested his hands at her waist. "You’re actually coming to the service?"