Knots (Club Imperial Book 4) by Katherine Rhodes Page A

carefully to me, Frances Michele. Very carefully. It has already been arranged that if you should refuse this contract, your house is going to go into foreclosure. Your car will be repossessed. Your pretty little job at the library will disappear.”
    “Why are you doing this, Charles?” Cece felt sick, helpless.
    He turned so Marjorie couldn’t see his words. “Mother thinks this is because you need to be married. But your mother owes an enormous gambling debt to the Wainwrights. They have already threatened father, and they will take all of the Robbe family fortune unless you agree to marry their son. You...or Hannah.” He turned and looked at Hannah sitting there. “It doesn’t matter to them who their son marries. But we both know that you love Hannah a little too much to let that happen.”
    Cece snapped her head to look at her brother. “Paul? Paul Wainwright?”
    “That’s correct. And they will take everything if it’s not you or Hannah. That means your father, mother and sister will all end up homeless, penniless and destitute.  And we’re not going to let that happen, are we?”
    “But Paul… Paul is…”
    “Is what, my dear sister?”
    “He’s…”
    “Known for his proclivities? His wandering hands? Wandering eyes? Cruelty in bed to those who join him there?” Paul nodded. “All of the above, my dear sister.”
    “You would put Hannah in that position? You would let Paul handle someone as small and frail as our little sister?”
    He turned and looked right in the eye. “No. You would.”
    “You fucking asshole.” Cece felt the walls of a prison slide into place around her. Paul was known to be merciless, sometimes out and out abusive to his bedroom partners. She could handle it; she doubted there would ever be a night in bed for them after the honeymoon—
    Shit. She let out a breath. She’d already made up her mind. Hannah couldn’t survive his purported cruelty. She wouldn’t be able to—she had always been the weak, fragile, quiet girl that Chas had made her, and the illness had caused her to be. “What about Marjorie’s gambling?”
    “She will not incur any further debts, once you sign this.” Chas smiled at her.
    “You’re going to let her keep gambling?” Cece was furious. “How about a intervention on that?”
    “There’s no harm in it now.” He tapped the portfolio. “She’s safe from further threat. And you know the Robbe family doesn’t believe in psychiatric help, sis. There’s nothing wrong with us.”
    Cece stared at him. Marjorie would never get help for her gambling. Christ, Cece thought that it had been the occasional OTB wager on a horse or a baseball game. She had no idea it was this bad; her mother had never shown her any signs of gambling addiction. And now she had saddled her daughters with the burden of getting her out of her mess, keeping her sister in a house. Keeping her father in the booze.
    Chas held out a pen.
    “You are the lowest form of scum that has ever existed, Charles.”
    By the time the ink was dry, she was already drawing up divorce proceedings in her head.

Chapter Five:
     
    He watched.
    There was a lot to watch right now and it was difficult to keep up sometimes. But this time, there were major stirrings, and they weren't all good.
    Frances Michele Robbe, middle child to Roger and Marjorie Robbe. Precocious, spitfire, blindingly intelligent, frighteningly independent and one of the most tender hearts a man could ever hope to hold. Masters in Library Science, minor in Education, self-possessed and determined.
    Roger Robbe was so far into alcoholism that he didn't have a say in the family anymore.  Charles was now the man of the house. He and Marjorie were horrified at Cece's acceptance to UPitt and her desire to go. They were even more horrified when she moved out of the house and into the dorm- and they were losing control of her, which was something that didn't sit well with her mother and Charles.
    Marjorie actually passed