Adoration

by Rebecca King

  ‘How awful,’ Sissy whispered. ‘How awful for you that you are such a vile man.’

  ‘You shouldn’t expect to be treated any other way. You don’t belong here. This house belongs to a Lord. You are a mere trifle, a nobody, remember that, my dear.’ Charlton reached out and flicked at one of Sissy’s ringlets. ‘When he has done with you, I might give you a try.’

  Sissy reached out to try to smack him only for him to grab her wrist with cruel fingers. She cried out when pain lanced up her arm. The tears she had worked so hard to withhold suddenly began to trickle steadily down her cheeks, but Sissy didn’t notice.

  ‘Let go of me,’ she cried, doing her best to wrench her arm out of his grasp.

  Charlton refused to release her. Instead, he yanked her forward, his lascivious gaze locked on her parted lips.

  ‘Get off me!’ Sissy cried, louder this time. She wriggled and twisted her arm, desperate to break free. ‘I said, get off me!’

  ‘Come here. You wanted someone who is rich and titled. You can’t be just Morgan’s dalliance. You know you want me,’ Charlton growled, trying to slide his arms around her.

  ‘Get off me!’ This time, when Charlton didn’t release her, Sissy screamed.

  She slapped at his hands and pushed against him as hard as she could, but Charlton had already wound his arms around her waist and was pressed against her back. Even standing behind her he tried to tear at the top of her dress.

  Sissy was crying out, trying to get him to release her when the door burst open, and a wide-eyed Morgan surged into the room promptly followed by a dishevelled Boris. Morgan had already been on his way back to the room when he had heard her screams. Behind him he could hear Mariette and the other guests fall silent for a moment before they all raced after him. Morgan arrived in the room at the same time as Alicia and Norma. Together, they all stared at the sight of Sissy, terrified and crying, struggling to break free from Charlton who was desperately trying to kiss her still because he wasn’t aware that they were no longer alone.

  ‘Morgan!’ Sissy screamed when she saw him standing in the doorway.

  Morgan raced across the room, jumped over the chaise, and yanked at Charlton’s arm. Dragging the man by the scruff of his neck off Sissy, he slammed the fop bodily against the bookshelves so hard that the oaf let out a ‘woof’ of surprise.

  ‘Here-’ Charlton began only to have Morgan’s fist plant itself squarely in the centre of his face.

  Morgan didn’t stop there, he slammed another fist into Charlton’s stomach, which doubled him over. When the fop was bent over at the waist, Morgan lifted him up by his cravat but only so he could land another punch in the middle of Charlton’s face. The fop fell to his knees, but Morgan wasn’t done yet. Dragging the fop up by his throat, Morgan propelled him out of the room. He shoved Charlton so forcefully through the door that Charlton landed in the middle of the entrance hall with a heavy thump and lay there groaning for several moments. Morgan stalked after him. Yanking the man up by his throat once more, Morgan shoved his face into Charlton’s.

  ‘Touch her again and I will damned well tear your arms off and beat you to death with them, you bastard,’ Morgan hissed. ‘Give me one sodding good reason why I shouldn’t call the magistrate on you? You are nothing but a criminal. A snivelling drunkard, a coward, and quiet clearly a rapist. You want to ruin people’s reputation, do you? Well, let me see about what I can do about making you repair your own. Don’t expect the people I speak with about your behaviour today to even allow a wastrel like you through their door from now on. I will destroy you, you bastard.’

  ‘Morgan?’ Alicia, looking pale and shaken in the doorway, stared at him in horror.

  ‘Get Sissy out here,’ Morgan commanded, keeping his hold on a now purple Charlton, who was clawing at his hand and desperately gasping for air. Morgan didn’t give a damn if the man suffocated. Charlton wasn’t going to be released until he chose to release him. ‘Now!’

  Sissy, still crying, stepped into the entrance hall. Morgan took one look at the fear in her eyes and felt something deep inside snap. He dragged Charlton over to her leaving the younger man to half scrabble and half crawl with him. Morgan leaned down until his mouth was against Charlton’s ear.

  ‘Apologise to her on your knees like the snivelling coward you are. And make no mistake, any bastard who treats any woman like you have just treated her belong on your knees, at her feet, in the dirt,’ he snarled. When he spoke now his voice lashed against the stunned silence of the entrance hall. ‘Apologise! Now!’

  Charlton peered up at her through a swollen eye. ‘I am sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.’

  ‘Trying to force yourself on a woman is hardly a mistake, Charlton. Do anything like that to any woman and I swear to God that I will make sure you carry what God gave you around in a pouch for the rest of your life, do you hear me?’ Morgan growled.

  Charlton nodded. He flinched when Morgan yanked him toward the door. He managed to stand up in time for Morgan to propel him forcibly out of his house, and was sent on his way so swiftly that he positively flew down the stone steps and landed on the driveway with a dull thud.

  Morgan stepped after him. ‘Step foot on my property again and I shall have you arrested for trespass. Further, I shall be writing a strongly worded letter to your father about your disgusting behaviour. I think his contacts should also be warned about keeping their young ladies away from you until you can learn to behave like a man and control your baser urges. Until you grow up, don’t feel free to call upon any of my family again.’ Morgan turned his back but only to glare at Boris. ‘Get their coach around the front. Now. They are all leaving.’

  Still furious, Morgan marched back into his house to find everyone staring at him in shock. Marching up to Mariette, he yanked her toward Sissy, who remained frozen in place.

  ‘Apologise for your crass behaviour. Now,’ he ordered his sister.

  Mariette stared at him.

  ‘I said now, Mariette!’ Morgan thundered. ‘I don’t care what you thought you were doing, but I don’t doubt it was you who encouraged that bastard to try his luck with her. You are base enough to do something that spiteful if you thought it would suit your purposes. I think orchestrating an attack like that is just something you would enjoy doing if it meant that Sissy was ruined completely. You are just that underhand, just that base, just that immoral. Well, for your machinations today, you can consider yourself cast out of this family. You can go to Scotland in disgrace.’

  ‘You won’t do that,’ Mariette snorted, eyeing Sissy with acute distaste. She smirked when she saw the tear in Sissy’s dress. ‘You will pay for that.’

  Morgan stepped in front of her to block her gaze, and spare Sissy any more torment. Grabbing his sister by her face, he glared at her with all the meanness she had just levelled on Sissy.

  ‘You are going to get out of this house,’ he snapped.

  To prove that he meant every word, Morgan yanked the fine necklace off Mariette’s neck. He ignored the startled gasps from the women in the hallway and dragged the bracelets off her wrists, and the broach off her chest. He ignored the tearing of her dress, and her cry of protest when he threw the expensive jewels onto the side table.

  ‘You are to take nothing more with you to Scotland than the dress you are standing up in. Your allowance will now cease. You will not get a penny more from me. Your jewels are to be removed from your possession. They are family heirlooms, not yours. You are not allowed to take anything with you to Scotland except for the gifts you have been given. From this moment on, Mariette, you can consider yourself cast out of this family for orchestrating a physical assault of a guest under my roof. That should be more than enough to cause you ruination and a scandal not even your fine reputation and scheming can put right. Don’t think I won’t. I think every decent citizen in society should be aware of how much of a risk you pose to young women like Sissy. You are the most appalling example of the cruelty and arrogance nobody should
ever take into decent society. I, for one, am ashamed and embarrassed to call you my sister. I don’t doubt your hatred of Sissy is born from jealousy. She behaves with more decorum than you, despite her lack of funds. However, wealth and luxury are no excuse for bad manners and criminality and I shall not tolerate either under my roof from anybody, even you. Seeing as you consider yourself higher than her, I think you should be reminded that your wealth comes from me, and only me. Mariette, you own no more than Sissy. Your allowance, I pay for. The clothes on your back come from me. I own the roof over your head, and I am the owner of the family heirlooms you wear so frequently. But, given your selfish greed and sheer bloody-minded arrogance, I am removing all entitlements immediately. Help yourself to anything on my property and I shall hand you over to the magistrate.’

  When she continued to stare coldly at him. ‘You cannot do that. They belong to me as well,’ Mariette boasted.

  ‘You don’t have a title and didn’t inherit anything when father died. Nor did mother. As the surviving male in the family, I own the lot. You live here because of my benevolence and don’t own a damned thing. And I can damned well do what I like,’ Morgan growled. To prove it, he propelled her forcibly toward the door.

  Mariette did everything to prevent it but the soft soles on her slippers slid easily across the highly polished stone floor of the entrance hall. Mariette found herself shoved bodily out of the house, still protesting.

  ‘Boris!’ Morgan bellowed.

  ‘Sir.’ Boris stepped dutifully forward.

  ‘Get a footman to go to the Dowager House. Mariette is no longer allowed inside the property. The staff are to remove all coins, money, jewellery, and belongings from her room and bring them to me. She is only allowed to take her day dresses. Her ballgowns belong in my house. I paid for them. I am keeping them. When her belongings are packed, she is to be taken to Scotland and left with Cousin Henry. Make sure that Hargreaves rests whenever he needs to. If Miss Rothersham decides to disembark before she reaches Scotland then she is perfectly at liberty to. However, she will pay her own way and provide for herself because she will not receive another penny from me. She is not to over-ride any of my instructions. In fact, she is not to issue any of my staff with instructions. She is a guest until she can leave.’

  ‘Morgan,’ Alicia whispered.

  Morgan rounded on her. ‘It is that ‘Morgan’ that has gotten Mariette into the state she is in. It is our willingness to turn a blind eye to her greed and malice and outright arrogance that has turned her into the veritable monster she is today. Well, I shall have no more of it. Father would be horrified if he could see what she has turned into. He would hang his head in shame at having that-’ he pointed one long finger at Mariette ‘-spitefully arrange for any guest under our roof to be physically assaulted like that. I am not going to tolerate that pure vileness for a second longer.’

  Morgan turned to rake Mariette with a cold, hard look that was full of contempt. Mariette gasped and stepped backward. For once, the reality of her situation began to dawn on her. She stared at her mother, but Alicia was looking sadly at the floor and made no attempt to defend her. Morgan kept his gaze trained on Mariette. He knew that his tirade would be talked about by her friends. But he wanted them to hear everything. He wanted them to talk about it amongst their friends, their family, their connections at the next ball or dinner they attended. He wanted Mariette’s behaviour, and his reaction to her malice, to be talked about. He wanted people to understand that he would not tolerate that level of meanness toward Sissy.

  ‘You can’t do this to me,’ Mariette hissed, her eyes mean yet still tinged with arrogance.

  Morgan lifted a brow. He sensed that Mariette wouldn’t believe it possible until it actually happened. ‘No? Well, one thing you should know about me, Mariette, is that I don’t make threats.’

  With that, he promptly turned his back on her, stepped inside the house, and slammed the door in her face.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Morgan glared at Mariette’s guests.

  ‘The society you covet and deem exclusive to yourselves are going to hear about your involvement in the assault today. While I know none of you have had a part in the attack, I understand you have all been snidely gossiping and doing everything possible to spread malicious rumours about both Sissy and me. As Lord Campton, I take strong exception to any of you calling my conduct into question, or assuming that I would do something outrageous like having a mistress and instilling her in my home. Even though I don’t have to explain myself to you, I will inform you all now that Sissy is a long-standing family friend. She has come to the house today to take tea and does not deserve to be insulted, demeaned, belittled, or attacked by any of you. Sissy and her aunt have done nothing more heinous today than come and take tea with my mother. Now if any of you find anything offensive in that I should like to see you try to take on half the ton who all indulge in the same hedonistic behaviour. I, however, will contact my solicitor to take legal action against any of you should you engage in spreading any more malicious lies about me, Sissy, my mother, or Sissy’s aunt at any point in the future. Moreover, I know all your parents and will now take it upon myself to inform them all your disgraceful conduct. Do I make myself clear?’

  Amidst a chorus of tearful and very worried acknowledgements, Morgan stalked toward the door and yanked it open. ‘Now, get out of my house and don’t come back. You are not to consider yourself invited to my wedding or any future social functions I hold here. Nor are you to accompany someone else who has been invited.’

  Silently, Mariette’s guests filed out of the house. When they had gone, Morgan turned to face his mother, who was staring in disbelief at the door.

  ‘Get that spoilt child to Scotland, mother. As far as I am concerned, I don’t care if she never comes back.’

  Sucking in a breath, Morgan turned an apologetic gaze on Sissy, who looked so fragile he suspected that one more loud word would shatter her into a thousand tiny pieces.

  ‘I think we should go,’ Norma announced quietly before he could say anything. She sidled protectively closer to Sissy, who had yet to take her gaze off the floor. ‘Thank you for your invitation today.’

  ‘I will arrange for the carriage to be brought around,’ Morgan offered quietly.

  ‘No. No, thank you. We are happy to walk. I think some fresh air is just what we need right now,’ Norma interrupted before firmly steering Sissy toward the door.

  Sissy couldn’t feel her feet moving as she glided across the hallway. She dreaded the footman opening it, and seeing Mariette on the driveway, but had to get out of the house. Right now, all she could focus on was getting back to the relative safety of the house she had called home so she could cry like she wanted to. Later, she didn’t doubt that she would replay everything that had just happened in her mind. Right now, she daren’t think about it too much.

  ‘Sissy,’ Morgan murmured, reluctant to allow her to go until they had at least discussed what had happened.

  Sissy watched the door open. The huge wrought iron gates standing at the end of the long, sweeping driveway looked like they were many miles away. Sissy knew that walking through them would effectively mean that a part of her life, a part of her past, was going to close behind her. She could never come back through those gates. Not ever. While she knew she was losing the last link to the past, her father, she was also losing a lot more. Far too much. Far more than she dared contemplate right now. She was losing Morgan, and that was more heart breaking than anything.

  While her chest hurt and her heart ached, Sissy turned to face him. With utter grace and dignity, she curtseyed. ‘Thank you for the tea. I shall make sure that the dress is repaired and returned.’

  ‘Please let me arrange for the carriage to brought around,’ Alicia called after Norma, who was hurrying after her niece.

  Norma offered Alicia a smile and shook her head. ‘No. No. It is very kind of you. You have been more than gracious to us already. Thank you
so very much for the tea and for allowing us the honour of your company once again. It was very good of you.’ She too dipped into a curtsey before hurrying off after her stoically silent niece.

  As soon as she was on the driveway, Sissy lengthened her stride until she was walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run. She focused on the gate up ahead. She refused to look back. She wouldn’t – couldn’t – take another look at him. His image was indelibly printed in her mind anyway. As was his voice. Another look would just about undo her.

  Despite her age, Norma fell into step beside her. For several long moments, neither of them spoke. There was nothing either of them could say.

  Morgan watched Sissy walk out of his life. ‘I should go after them,’ he murmured.

  ‘There is nothing you can say that isn’t going to make the situation worse right now, Morgan. I think everyone needs time to calm down,’ Alicia argued.

  ‘I need to make sure he didn’t hurt her. Did you see the marks on her arm? He wouldn’t let her go.’ As he talked, Morgan clenched his fists. ‘I should have pounded the bastard to within an inch of his life.’

  ‘I am glad that you didn’t. I think they all have enough to discuss, don’t you?’

  Morgan didn’t like the accusing tone of his mother’s voice and rounded on her. ‘Why did you invite Sissy here for tea if you didn’t think it was a good idea?’

  ‘Because I thought it would do her good to spend some time in the house. You have to understand, Morgan, that this kind of scene we have witnessed this morning is inevitable.’

  ‘Because Sissy is impoverished,’ Morgan snapped.