Georgia was silent on the car ride back to the house. Moria, Collin, and Ewan carried on the conversation without her having to add much.  Ewan had been discreetly texting on his phone since Isobel had left the table so there must be something happening. Georgia prayed that it wasn't Isobel's father trying to squash the deal, but there was no way that Georgia could find out without letting Ewan know about her conversation with Isobel in the ladies restroom and she wouldn't do that.

She had decided to finish her job, tomorrow she headed to the country and would be well out of the way, then she would return home, resign from her job with Sylvia, and move somewhere else.  There was no way she could use the reference that Ewan had promised.  It would make it too easy for him to track her down. He had assured her he always got what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it and she knew that it was true.  If he wanted her that bad he would make it happen in the end, no matter how hard she fought him.  Her best bet was to just disappear and make it impossible for him to find her.

While all of this was firm in her mind, she was upset that she had to even contemplate it. Ewan loved her and she loved him, why couldn't they just be together?

As the car drew up in front of the house they all got out and made their way into the hall. Goodnights were said and as Georgia moved to go up the stairs Ewan stopped her. "No, not yet. There's someone here to see you."

"Ewan, can't it wait until tomorrow. I really am exhausted."

"No you're not, your upset. Isobel said something to you and I have a fair idea what it was, but that's not what I want to talk to you about. Please, just give me a half an hour more, there is something that you need to know about us." He stood looking down at her, his face so serious and handsome. The part of her that still held hope wanted to believe that he had a way to make it work.

She nodded her consent and he didn't hesitate as he pulled her across the foyer and into the main sitting room.  There was a tea tray with cups and snacks on the table and Sylvia and her Aunt Priscilla were deep in discussion, but as Ewan opened the door they both rose from their seats. Priscilla smiled and moved to give her a hug while Sylvia hung back looking concerned.

Georgia stood there stunned, not lifting her arms or in any way returning her aunt's greeting.

"I think I'll leave you," Sylvia said quietly as she made for the door, stopping briefly to place her hand on Ewan's arm in a show of support.

It took a few moments but Georgia found her voice as she fell onto the settee behind her. "Aunt Priscilla, what on earth are you doing here?"

"Ewan and Sylvia asked me to come." Priscilla sat next to her looking at her for the first time, silently noting that she was very pale and had lost weight. The spark that was Georgia was gone. "Are you alright Georgia?" she asked, brushing Georgia's hair behind her ears just as she had done when she was a child.

"No Aunt Priscilla, I'm not." Her voice wavered but she didn't cry. "You see I love him but I can't have him, even though he wants me." She looked at Ewan who was standing very still in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. He had taken off his jacket and undone his tie.

"You're talking about Ewan?" Priscilla lifted her gaze from Georgia to look at Ewan.

"Is this true Ewan, do you want Georgia?"

"Yes, I want her very much but she has it stuck in her head that she won't fit into my world, that she won't be accepted. I've told her that I don't care, but she is insistent that eventually I will and that it will cause us to resent each other.

Priscilla nodded as she reached into her handbag. "Ewan do the names Chase and Mary Alexander mean anything to you?"

Georgia was startled by the sudden use of her parent's names.

"Yes." Ewan didn't elaborate as he watched Priscilla hand an old photo to Georgia. The photo was of her parents holding what she assumed was her in a christening gown, another couple just a little bit older than them, and a nine or ten year old boy.

The couples were all wearing formal dress and smiles, and the little boy looked a bit grumpy, possibly at having to give up a day of play for such a formal occasion. She smiled and handed the photo back to her aunt, not really understanding and watched as her aunt passed the photo on to Ewan.

He smiled. "I remember it.  I had wanted to go and watch a football match but my parents made me go to church. I was not a happy boy."

Priscilla laughed. "That's an understatement. I was in charge of watching you while your parents were standing with Chase and Mary. and you were a handful."

Georgia had stopped breathing as she looked from on to the other. Her aunt handed her back the photo and she looked at it again. This time paying closer attention to the little boy in the photo. running her thumb over the image as she recognized the resemblance.

"Your mother and Ewan's mother were at school together. Carol Mailler was a few years ahead of your mother but they were instant friends and remained so until Carol's passing. Your parents tried very hard to have a baby for a very long time, and when you finally came along they were ecstatic and they wanted their best friends to be your God Parents."

"What are you saying Aunt Priscilla?" Georgia's eyes jumped from the photo to Ewan, still not believing what she was hearing or seeing.

"Ewan's parents were your God Parents and both Mary and Carol hoped that you two would grow up and marry one day. They would disagree with both of your Fathers about the age difference between you, but the two of you together would have made your parents very happy."

Georgia couldn't believe it. It was all too neat, in fact it couldn't be neater if it had been tied up with a bow and presented to her.

"You knew about this?" She looked at Ewan, almost numb.

"No, Sylvia mentioned that she knew your family from a long time back and that they had been friends of my parents. She asked me to give her a little time to work it out with your aunt.  I'm just as surprised as you are at how close the connection is."

"It's fate, or your Mothers helping from the other side," Priscilla said with a smile.

Georgia rose from her seat shaking her head.  "I don't understand.  Were my parents rich? They had to be to run in the same circles at the Maillers."

"You're the last surviving Alexander.  Your father was an only child, your mother was my brother's daughter and a Purcell on his side, but on her Mother's side she was a Carlisle. You're a distant cousin to Reggie and his sister. As the only remaining Alexander and Purcell you will inherit both fortunes when I die."

"So not only was I betrothed to Ewan, I'm Reggie's cousin and have tons of money?" Georgia's voice was cold and angry. It was all too much.

"You don't have any money yet young lady and you won't until I die." Her aunt's stern voice pulled her out of her anger and made her snap to.

"You never thought I might need to know all of this?"

"No, not really.  You married Scott and he loved you. I figured you were happy and when I died you would have a nice little nest egg to retire on if you wanted to."

"A nice little nest egg Priscilla? Really?" Ewan sounded amused.

Priscilla shrugged.  "I watched money ruin my brother and I was not going to have that happen to his grandchild. Your mother had a heart of gold but neither one on your parents had a head for business. If they had lived there would be no money left to inherit. I wanted you to be normal Georgia."

"If there is one thing that I have learned in the past year Aunt Priscilla it's that someone's normal is another person's abnormal. There is no normal." Georgia picked up the photo and studied it. "It's a little bit like a fairytale isn't it; parent's introduce a young girl and boy, they're separated by life, then meet up again thirty years later only to fall madly in love. They fight through their differences only to find out that in the end they were meant to be together since the beginning."

She handed the photo to Ewan remembering what Isobel had threatened. "But this isn't a fairytale and in real life we don't always get the happy ending." She looked up at Ewan with sad eyes touching his cheek before turning back towards her aunt.

"Thank you for coming all this way Aunt Priscilla but I really don't see that this makes much of a difference."

"Not make a difference!" Ewan's voice was shocked behind her, it was almost funny how Priscilla's face matched Ewan's words.  In another time she would have found it amusing.

"No, I still don't belong in your world Ewan."

"But this proves that you do my dear." Priscilla stood and took the photo from Ewan's hand waving it at her.

"No Aunt, that was a little girl and a little boy thirty years ago.  They don't exist anymore.  Who they were, who they could have become, died when their parents died. Ewan had his father longer than I did, but I think he'll tell you that his father was never the same after his mother died."

"It's your name Georgia. It's your inheritance."

"My name is Dawson Aunt Priscilla." She leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, no longer willing to talk about it. "Are you staying for the party this weekend?"

"Y-y-yes." Her aunt was caught off guard by the question.

Georgia hadn't looked at Ewan and didn't dare.  She could sense his disapproval from across the room.

"Good, I'm away early tomorrow but I'll see you this weekend and maybe we can have a nice visit."

She didn't miss the look that Priscilla and Ewan exchanged before she turned to leave the room. "Goodnight Ewan."

"Goodnight Georgia." She had expected his voice to be angry or a least for him to raise some kind of argument but he just sounded thoughtful as he frowned down at his toes as if he was trying to work out a puzzle. She didn't doubt that he would work it out in the end, but there was nothing he could do, her mind was made up, she was finishing her job then leaving. She couldn't risk Ewan eventually hating her.

As she closed the door behind her Ewan looked at Priscilla. "I figured she wouldn't be impressed by her own pedigree."

"Maybe once she's had time to think about it it will seem more real." Priscilla looked down at the photo. "It would make your mothers so happy to see the two of you together."

"I'm sure it would; don't worry Priscilla she'll be mine in the end. I have a feeling someone got to her tonight and I need to figure out what was said to fix it. She has it in her mind that more than the two of us will be affected by our relationship, that it will only cause harm to those around us."

"How could it?"

"It can't. I don't think Georgia understands just how powerful Mailler Enterprises is."

"But you'll help her to understand."

He looked at Priscilla with a menacing smile. "Trust me. I'll help everyone understand." Priscilla shivered at the threat in his voice.  She was glad he was on her side.  She would hate to have him as an enemy.

She had heard stories of course, but they couldn't be all he was if Georgia had fallen in love with him.