A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [117]
“Karen Sanders thought she had it all worked out,” Griffin said. “She would get you out of my life, get Brian out of Erica’s and then she would go to work on me and Erica and try to get us together…although, Erica and I have told her countless times that we don’t feel that way about each other.”
“It would not have mattered to her,” April replied. “She figured with your and Erica’s broken hearts, the two of you would have been glad to settle into a loveless marriage. Like hers. You would think with Mr. Sanders’s affair she would have learned her lesson.”
Griffin tenderly stroked her shoulder. “A normal person would have but not one obsessed with getting what she wanted, which brings me back to my earlier question. Why such an obsession?”
“Maybe she believes strongly in that curse that Erica told me about.”
“My family knows about that curse but hasn’t ever given it a second thought…except when Mrs. Sanders convinced my mother that my marrying Erica was crucial to our way of life. My mother has pretty much accepted my decision and got off my back about it years ago.”
“Then I don’t know what to tell you, Griffin, and I don’t want to think about what she will do or the lies she will tell when she finds out we’re back together.”
He heard the trembling in her voice and knew Karen Sanders’s visit had done a number on April, sent her into an emotional spin. And he doubted he would ever be able to forgive the old woman for doing that.
“I need to talk to Erica,” he said deeply. “Once I tell her what her mother has done—”
“She won’t believe you until you have solid proof. She thinks her mother is going through an emotional trauma and is protective of her right now. Besides, once Mrs. Sanders get wind that you’re on to her she will probably try covering her tracks. It’s going to take all Karen Sanders’s intended victims to work together to bring all her lies to light and end her manipulations once and for all.”
Griffin was silent as he thought about what April had said. Then an idea came into his head, one that would definitely set Karen Sanders back a notch, and he smiled at the thought of how it could be executed.
“What are you smiling about?” April asked.
He glanced over at her and then pulled her into his arms. It felt so good having her there. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, pushing a few loose strands away from her face. “I’ll tell you later. But first I think some making-up time is in order,” he said, before lowering his mouth to hers.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Wilson Sanders shook his head in disbelief as he stared at Griffin. “Karen actually threatened April with that kind of foolishness?”
“Yes, sir, so I hope you can understand why I intend to end this once and for all. She has gone too far,” Griffin said.
“Yes, she has and to think she might have been responsible for Erica and Brian’s breakup makes me furious. I had my suspicions and even told Brian’s mother I believed Karen was capable of doing such a thing. However, it would be hard for anyone to believe she would actually go that far.”
Griffin nodded. “Well, I think she did go that far and I’m hoping you can explain to me why she’s so obsessed with me and Erica marrying.”
Wilson leaned forward. “I wish I knew but I don’t have a clue. She was close to her father while growing up, and I’m thinking that since he really believed in that Hayes–Delbert curse he might have brainwashed her into believing that there was a valid reason for the curse to be revoked. That wouldn’t surprise me, considering her sister Blair was supposed to marry your uncle Simon. The Delberts were depending on a union between them and according to what Simon told me later, they put both him and Blair under a lot of pressure.”
“So they weren’t in love?”
“No. They were getting