by Wendy Vella
“You’re a monster!” Livvy’s anger drove her on. “An unfeeling beast to treat your family like this.” Panting now, she was pushing against his chest as he pulled her closer, his arms holding her prisoner.
“And for my silence, my sweet, innocent cousin, I will have these things. Firstly I shall announce my engagement to your sister in the New Year and then we shall wed next spring.”
“Phoebe will never marry you!” Renewing her struggles, she scratched him. His laughter made her skin crawl.
“Phoebe! I would never take that she-devil to my bed. I shall get her off my hands by marrying her to one of my friends. It is your lame little sister Isabella who I will take as my wife. I will take her because no one else will and she’ll be treated as other English wives are, with gifts and pretty things and once a week I will rut her until she produces my heir.”
“I will never let you wed my little sister as long as I draw breath!” Livvy hissed as his hand moved upwards and grabbed her breast. She bit her lip to stop from crying out as he pinched her hard.
“I will treat her with respect, Olivia, and do you know why?” he said, reaching for her bodice.
“Let me go!” He was so close and his hands were now squeezing her breasts hard and pulling at her bodice. His foul breath made her gag as he pushed his face into hers.
“You are too old to wed so you are going to be my whore, little cousin. Your sister will stay safe as long as you do whatever I wish you to do, whenever I wish you to do it. I will teach you to pleasure me, Olivia, and others. In fact, I think we can start your education now as you have me quite excited. I enjoy a fight, especially if I can take a virgin at the end of it.”
Livvy heard her bodice rip and then felt his mouth and hands on her skin.
“I’m going to be the first man to take you, Olivia Langley.”
Livvy realized his intent was to rape her. She renewed her efforts and fought with everything she had at her disposal. Rage gave her strength, and she screamed as he bit the tender flesh of her breast.
“You will never have me!” Livvy yelled. He made the mistake then of placing one of his hands over her mouth to stop her screams and she bit down hard on the soft skin of his palm, not letting go until she felt him release her.
“Bitch!” he roared. “If you defy me, Olivia, I will tell everyone what a slut you are, dirty your name and that of your sisters and then I will tell them all that your father was a coward! Society will shun you all and there will be nowhere to hide.”
Livvy swung her fist as hard as she could and it connected with his jaw. He grunted and fell backwards and she was off the couch and running to the door in seconds. Her punch had not slowed him for long, however; he was soon behind her, spewing foul, furious words and speaking of retribution as she raced down the hall to the front door. Searching the entrance she found her coat and bonnet. Grabbing them, she pulled the front door open and ran down the steps and along the street, uncaring of the icy surface under her feet.
Aware that her bodice was torn, Livvy quickly forced her arms into the sleeves of her coat and buttoned it. Pulling on her bonnet, it took several attempts to tie the satin ribbons because her fingers were trembling, but finally she was covered and looking respectable once more. Reaching the corner, she looked up and down the street but saw no sign of a hackney. Knowing she could not wait as her cousin would catch her, Livvy turned left and ran down the street. Looking around her, she tried to find anything that was familiar. Why had she not taken note of the direction the hackney had taken on the way here? Because you had not thought for one moment that your cousin’s intentions were to rape you.
“Faster, Olivia,” she urged herself as her steps began to lag and her sides began to heave. He would catch her if she stopped, and this time he would not let her go. She needed to return to the Grillion Hotel. She would be safe there with Phoebe.
Where are all the people? Livvy wondered as she ran on, past houses and then shops until the pain in her sides grew so bad she had to stop. Hiding in a doorway, she drew in deep, shuddering breaths, forcing the tears to stay away. Was he still looking for her? Dear God, he knew where she was staying. She had to get to the hotel before him and gather up Phoebe and run.
Running onto the street once more, Livvy nearly cried as a hackney game into sight. She did cry when she recognized the driver as the one that had taken her to Lord Langley’s town house earlier. Waving frantically she keep looking down the road as he pulled to a stop beside her. There was no other carriage in sight.
“You all right, Miss?” The driver said noting her tears.
“Yes, please just get me back to the Grillion Hotel as fast as you can.”
Livvy climbed inside and seated herself in the corner so no one could see her if they looked in the window. She breathed deep and slow for several seconds until her heart began to stop thumping.
Lord Langley may have hurt her, but she was strong and would recover and, more importantly, she had thwarted his attempts to take her innocence. She hoped his head hurt and his hand needed stitches. Now, however, what mattered most was what would the Langley sisters do? She would have to tell Phoebe what had taken place in their cousin’s town house, as there was no way she could hide it, or how their father had died any longer, especially if their cousin used it against them.
Thoughts tumbled round and round inside her head as nausea churned in her stomach. She prayed that Will was not in the hotel foyer as she did not want to see him until she had herself under control, because one look or soft word from him and she would throw herself into his arms and beg him never to release her.
Will could not help her now. She would die of shame if he found out about what had just taken place and furthermore, he would confront their cousin and Lord Langley would tell them about her father and she did not want that, could never allow that to happen. Her parents had been well-respected and loved; she would do everything she could to ensure their reputation stayed intact. Nearly everything, Livvy thought, remembering what her cousin wanted from the Langley sisters. Dear God, how were they to stop him?
Hopeless tears rolled down her cheeks. She realized that deep inside she had found hope in Will, hope that he would love her as she now knew she loved him. Not the sweet love she had once felt. This wasn’t comfortable, this was a fierce pain in her chest, a deep churning heat that she knew would be inside her forever. A small kernel of hope had unfurled in Livvy even though she had denied it, hope that in Will she had found both lover and savior and now that was gone.
Livvy blotted the tears with her gloves as the carriage stopped. Paying the driver, she entered the hotel and slipped quietly up the stairs. Keeping her head down, she hurried to her room. Phoebe opened the door after she knocked.
“What did that man do to you?”
Livvy stumbled forward and fell into her sister’s open arms. “He won’t help us, Phoebe.”
Phoebe closed the door and then helped her sister to sofa.
“Tell me what he did, Livvy.”
“It doesn’t matter what he did, Phoebe.” Livvy sniffed loudly as she struggled to regain control. “I—it matters that he will not help us,” she added, gripping her sister’s hands tight.
“Damn you, Livvy. I know he hurt you, now tell me how.”
Livvy didn’t speak, just let her sister wrap her in her arms. She held on as tight as she could. The tears came again and she let them fall, until eventually her cries eased to sniffles and finally she stopped with a tired sigh.
“I don’t want to cry anymore. It makes me weary.”
“Fine, be angry, then. But for pity’s sake, speak, Livvy, and only the truth as I shall know if you lie.”
Livvy began with her visit to their cousin and the things he had said he would do to Bella and herself and how he had tried to violate her.
“I will go around there and shoot him,” Phoebe declared, fury glinting in her eyes. “I shall shoot him between the legs,” she added.
“Had I a kn
ife, I would have stabbed him, Phoebe, I was so enraged. But I did leave him hurting.”
“You must have been terrified.” Phoebe’s voice wobbled as she battled tears of her own.
“There is more that I must tell you, sister,” Livvy said, knowing this next part would be the hardest to say but that it must be done.
“Our father took his life.”
“How could you?” Phoebe cried when Livvy finished telling her what had happened that day. How she had found the poison and note at his side and hidden them from her sisters. Pushing Livvy from her arms, Phoebe glared at her; fury making her brown eyes appear almost black.
“How dare you keep the details of father’s death from me? To shoulder that burden on your own because you believed I was to be protected is inexcusable.”
“I’m sorry, Phoebe, please forgive me.” Livvy felt terrible at her sister’s distress. “I realize now it was wrong, but at the time you and Bella were struggling with father’s death and her injury. I had no wish to give you more pain.”
“Yet you felt comfortable with the entire burden. So big and brave, you were able to shoulder everything while we, your pathetic, weak-willed sisters, could grieve knowing their father was a good man instead of a bloody coward who left his daughters with not a penny to their names!”
“He wasn’t a coward, Phoebe, he wasn’t in his right mind.”
“He must have had a moment of clarity when he wrote that suicide note!” Phoebe hissed furiously.
“Never forget that he was the best of fathers to us, Phoebe,” Livvy said, determined that her sister listen to her words. “We loved him and he us, and I won’t let any of us lose sight of that. Remember the good years, Phoebe, the love he and mother lavished on us.”
Phoebe left her side to walk to the window and stare out at the London streets below.
“I’m sorry, sister, you’re right. I should not have kept it from you.” Lowering her head into her hands, she wondered if Phoebe would ever forgive her arrogance. She had believed that, as the eldest, it was her responsibility to protect her younger sisters, yet Phoebe was stronger than that and had deserved to know the truth.
“I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, Phoebe, but if you give it I shall promise never to behave in such an arrogant manner again. I… I had no right not to tell you. My only defense is that I wished to protect you, yet I see now I was wrong.”
Phoebe didn’t look at Livvy, her shoulders rigid as she continued to look out the window.
“I understand your anger, sister. Lord knows I’ve battled my own for long enough,” Livvy said. “But Lord Langley threatened to ruin us if we did not do as he asked, Phoebe, and I cannot deal with this alone. Please, I need your help,” she said, climbing to her feet.
Phoebe turned as Livvy made her way towards her. She must have seen the desperation in her older sister’s face because in seconds she was at her side.
“Livvy, are you hurt? Tell me please.”
“I must wash the feel of his hands off me,” Livvy begged as they walked into the bedroom. “Please order a bath.”
“He didn’t? Dear God, tell me he didn’t?”
“No!” Livvy shuddered. “No, I stopped him before that…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. “I punched him after biting his hand.”
“Thank you, Lord,” Phoebe rasped, briefly staring at the ceiling. “And I hope you drew blood and his injury gets so infected he loses the hand.”
Livvy snuffled but remained silent.
“Now, you sit here,” she said, pushing Livvy to the bed and wrapping a blanket around her. “And I will call for a bath and hot tea.”
Livvy sat and stared at her knees while the maids came and went with the bath and pails of hot water and then, finally, it was just she and Phoebe again.
“Stand up now and I will undress you. You still have your bonnet on, for goodness sake.”
“I can undress myself,” Livvy protested.
“Your hands are shaking.”
Were they? Livvy lifted them in front of her and saw her sister was right.
“Oh, Livvy,” Phoebe said as she removed the coat and saw her sister’s torn bodice. She started to cry as she saw the red welts on her breasts and the bite mark close to her nipple.
“Phoebe, I hate to see you cry.”
“Too bad, I will bloody well cry if I want to. Someone has hurt one of the two people I love most in the world and the rage inside me demands retribution.”
“I’m not the only one hurting, sister. Our cousin will be sporting a few bruises himself.”
“Good, he’ll be sporting a few more if I ever see him again.”
“I love you too, Phoebe, so much. Please say you’ll forgive me.”
“I forgive you. How can I not when your every thought since father died has been to protect Bella and me? I was just angry that you shouldered so much alone.”
The relief at Phoebe’s words took the last of her strength and Livvy sagged against her sister.
“Come, let’s get you washed before you faint and I’m left holding you,” Phoebe said, guiding her into the water.
“Langleys do not faint!”
The water felt blissful on her aching body. Closing her eyes, Livvy laid her head back on the rim.
“Promise me you will remember what we once had as a family, Phoebe. You must, because for so long we had so much love in our lives and it’s my hope that one day soon we will again. Because of our mother and father, we will know how it should be, because they taught us to love, sister.”
“I do, Livvy, and I promise to always remember,” Phoebe vowed solemnly.
Nodding, Livvy then began to make plans for tomorrow. “We shall return home as soon as it can be arranged. I shall inform Lord Ryder of our plans and if he cannot take us, we will take the stage,” Livvy said.
“Do you fear Lord Langley will come here, Livvy? Seek us out and demand retribution for what you did to him?
“It’s possible, but I think he will wait until tomorrow, believing me terrified and cowed.”
“And what will we do when we return to Twoaks?” Phoebe said quietly.
“What can we do but gather up everything we can find and leave as soon as it can be arranged.” The words hung in the air between the sisters as Phoebe helped Livvy wash. Her sister was thinking; Livvy could see the thoughts coming and going over her pretty face.
“We need to buy ourselves some time, Livvy, so you can win the Derby, which is only a few days before Christmas. With that and the money we took from the Bruntlys and Lord Ryder, we will have enough to flee.”
“Yes, but how?”
“We shall send a note to Lord Langley before we leave London and tell him you are sorry that you reacted the way you did…”
“I am not sorry!”
Ignoring her, Phoebe continued, “And that you will do as he has requested, and could he postpone his visit to Willow Hall until January to give us more time to prepare Bella for the announcement of their betrothal.”
“To give us more time,” Livvy said, realizing what her sister was aiming for.
“Exactly.”
Livvy shivered thinking about her cousin. “Do you think it will work, that he will keep our secret, Phoebe? I—I punched him hard and bit his hand before I left.”
“Of course he will believe the letter, Livvy. Pompous bastard, he’ll think he has you cowed and us trapped, but what we will actually be doing is gathering more money so that wherever we run to, we can secure some kind of future.”
Livvy knew Phoebe had a point and that their cousin was arrogant enough to believe she would follow his orders.
“You know what we risk if he does not believe your letter and decides to tell everyone now that I am a loose woman and our father took his own life, Phoebe, don’t you? If we are still in Twoaks, then we will be ridiculed and censured and there will be nowhere we can hide. Our parents’ reputations will be tarnished alongside our own.”
“He won
’t tell, Livvy, because he thinks he has won as we are merely three silly, brainless women. He won’t believe we have ulterior motives. By the time he begins to spread his tales, we will be far away and somewhere he’ll never find us.”
They were silent while Phoebe poured her a cup of tea heavily laced with sugar. Taking the cup, she sipped the hot brew and began to feel her strength returning.
“The other option is to tell Lord Ryder, Livvy. He cares for you and is not a man who will worry about what our cousin says.”
“No!” Livvy spluttered, spitting a mouthful of tea into the bathwater. “He, of all people, must never know. I will neither have his pity, nor will I have his name linked to mine if the scandal breaks before we can leave. His brother is a Duke, Phoebe. I could not do that to him.”
Once again, Phoebe was silent, although this time her eyes were intent as she looked at Livvy.
“You love him, don’t you?”
Livvy didn’t look at her sister as she spoke, instead keeping her eyes on the wall before her. “It matters not anymore; all that matters is that I win the Twoaks Derby and then we shall flee.”
“I’m so sorry, Livvy.”
“So am I,” she whispered, dropping her head to her knees.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Will had spent the afternoon inspecting houses that were for sale in London. The first two had not held his interest; the third, however, had been perfect. Honey-colored stone with white-trimmed windows and doors had welcomed him as he walked up a path heaped on either side with shoveled snow.
“This is a smart home, my lord,” Freddy had said and Will agreed.
He had wandered through the empty rooms, studying each with an eye to what he would change and what he would keep and it was when he placed his bed in his chosen bedroom he knew this was the house he would buy. Will had wondered what colors Olivia would chose to decorate the rooms, and when he had walked through the gardens with Freddy grumbling about his frozen appendages, he realized that he wanted her by his side as he made plans for the future, their future.