The edges of his fingernails were jagged, piercing into his sweaty palms as he balled his fingers into a fist. Julius hardly felt the pain his nails inflicted on his palms, his attention stolen by the incompetent man who sat before him, giving a silly explanation on why he let Lady Hadley slip out of his hands and into the hands of Daniel.
It was difficult to think past his anger, yet, Julius managed to remain seated. His anger wasn't just aimed at Lord Hadley for letting Hadassah go, it was aimed at himself for letting Hadassah storm out of the church that morning, it was aimed at himself for being angry enough to travel to Rye to burn down his family's manor when he could have remained here to stop his blind brother from taking what belonged to him. He should have been here to stop Hadassah from leaving with Daniel!
“You must help me,” Lord Hadley's desperate voice broke through his thoughts. “I have but a few days to pay off my debts or the bank will take everything.” Julius barely glanced up at Lord Hadley, a frown creasing his face. “You can be certain that once this is sorted, I shall find Hadassah and return her to you. I shall...”
Heaving a loud breath, Julius rose to his feet, his heart thumping in his chest. The old fool was desperate enough to try to trick him, when in reality, there was nothing that could be done; Hadassah would turn eighteen and her marriage to Daniel would stand. Julius knew there wasn't anything either of them could do to stop it, he wasn't about to hand his money to a fool who would prove to be useless to him.
Turning from Lord Hadley, he turned to the exit.
“Wait!” Julius froze in his tracks. “Please, Lord Talbot, do not turn from me when I'm desperate for your help. The girl can be found, I can assure you that she will. I shall find her and return her to you but this is a more pressing issue. You must...”
“I mustn't do anything at your command.” He whispered, his eyes fixed on the exit. “You shall fix your own problems, Lord Hadley or spend the rest of your life living as a commoner. Perhaps this is the price you must pay for allowing the only thing I have ever requested of you, to walk away. Now, I shall walk away and you shall remain to face the consequences of your sour gambling problems.”
Straightening, Julius walked out of the Hadley estate with a glimmer of satisfaction racing through his veins; Lord Hadley would suffer for his betrayal. He, on the other hand, would accept his loss and return home.
✴✴✴
Daniel could sense Hadassah's tension. It wasn't that it was anything new to him, he had nearly gotten used to it for she had been that way since he found her in Sheffield. Perhaps she had even been that way before her disappearance from Rye. However, it seemed to have gotten worse only two days ago. They had been sitting with his mother, indulging in a luncheon, when a maid walked into the parlor to announce his brother's arrival. A loud clashing sound had followed the maid's announcement. Confused and greatly worried, Hadassah had apologized for breaking the teacup and had hurriedly made her way out of the room.
She had spoken very little since then and the distance he thought existed between them, seemed to do nothing but widen.
Shaking his head, he released a tired breath and rose from his position on the edge of the bed. It wasn't difficult to guess where she was, he had sat on that same sofa many times, reading a book. He knew from the silence that she was braiding her hair. Finding the sofa easily, he held out his hand to her.
“Dance with me?” He offered a smile, one he hoped reached his eyes.
The soft movement that followed told him she was rejecting his request even before she spoke. “No.” His countenance immediately fell but he was quick to replace his frown with a smile and place himself beside her.
“You smell of many days without a bath, Dasa, do you plan on staying this way forever or only until you turn eighteen tomorrow?” His smile broadened at the thought of her birthday tomorrow. It would mean many things for her but for him, it would mean they would be free to be married.
“If I smell so badly, Daniel, you needn't sit so close to me.” He was shocked at the edge in her voice, followed by her quick movement as she rose to her feet and walked away from him. Once again, he found himself frowning.
When he heard her pull open the door, he recovered from his shock quick enough to call out to her. “Dasa! Do not run from me, I'm incapable of chasing after you.” He heaved a sigh of relief when he didn't hear the door slamming shut. Good, she was still in the room. “You mustn't walk away when I upset you, you must speak to me about it.”
“I am unwilling to take a bath.”
“It has been two wee...”
“I know how long it has been!” She snapped, her response feeling like a dagger to his chest.
For a long while, he stood still, wondering where it was he went wrong, wondering how the distance was created between them and what he was doing to widen it. Perhaps he needed to accept her decision to abstain from baths, for while he didn't like it, she seemed determined and he hated to upset her. He would just have to get used to the new smell that clung to her skin and perhaps if she did begin to smell badly, it wouldn't change his feelings, just as his blindness didn't change her feelings...
“Forgive me.” He heard himself say.
Silence.
“Dasa?” His frown deepened.
“Do not apologize, Daniel,” He heard the tone of her voice and immediately knew she was crying. The realization caused him to take a step in her direction. “I shall be down the stairs, you needn't wonder where I am.” He opened his mouth to protest her words but was immediately silenced by the loud sound of the door slamming shut.
✴✴✴
Hadassah fought the urge to break down in tears the next morning when Daniel pulled her into his arms and kissed her neck, before apologizing for the night before.
Shaking her head, she swallowed. “It is I who must apologize. ” She knew she was being cruel to him but she seemed to have lost her ability to control her emotions since Julius' return to Birmingham. Her birthday today would however change some things. It wouldn't change her rape, but it would give her the opportunity to be far away from Julius and to try to rebuild her marriage. Leaning into Daniel, her arms encircled him. “Forgive me.”
She felt him plant a kiss on her forehead, his hands taking a firm grip on her shoulders as he pulled slightly away. When he leaned down to kiss her, she returned his kiss, barely able to feel anything but fear as his hands slipped down her shoulders and to her waist. It had been nearly a month since Julius forced himself on her, but the memory was a new as it would be if it was taking place in that moment. Daniel's striking resemblance to his brother did very little to ease her fears as well. There were nights within those weeks she woke up, caught a glimpse of Daniel beside her and sprang to her feet, certain Julius had returned to hurt her once more. A few seconds later, she would realize it wasn't Julius but Daniel and would break down in tears. She feared she was losing her mind and Julius return to Birmingham heightened that fear.
Daniel's hands undid the belt of her night robe before slipping it off her shoulders and allowing it to fall to a heap around her feet. She breathed in dread when he pulled her against himself and began kissing her once more. In the past, she would close her eyes and share in his darkness but she found that closing her eyes only helped to bring back the memory of the night with Julius, to her as her husband loved her. She would instead leave her eyes wide open, reminding herself over and over again who it was that took pleasure in her body, while simultaneously failing to take pleasure in his as well.
✴✴✴
By the time Hadassah and Daniel left their room that morning, it was nearly noon and breakfast had long been over. Leah however, had two plates of pancakes, some cookies, and two slices of tart brought to them in the parlor. She placed the tray on the coffee table before turning to beam at Hadassah.
“You are officially a woman!” She all but squealed.
Hadassah forced a smile to her lips, failing to share Leah's sentiments. “And I'm happy.”
“Of course, which is why I made some tart! I'll leave you two, for now and later, you must spend some time with me.” When Hadassah nodded to Leah's demand, Leah left the room.
They ate their breakfast in silence and once they were done, Hadassah quickly excused herself, citing her promise to spend the afternoon with Leah when in truth, she wanted some time away from Daniel. It was difficult to be around him whenever they were together as man and wife for she always ended up feeling like she had done something wrong. She chastised herself for feeling that way, but the only way to rid herself of the guilt was to be away from him.
Something hit Hadassah, causing her to fall backward. Bracing herself for the impact of the fall, she was surprised when something took a firm grip of her arm.
“Are you alright?” The voice was distinct, yet familiar. When she lifted her eyes, she was met with the cold stare of the man who stood towering over her.
Swallowing nervously, “I neglected to pay attention to the path before me, my lord.”
Earl Talbot observed her with a frown on his face, one he always had on when she was around him. She had been certain to stir clear of him the same way she had stirred clear of Julius, how had she managed to bump into him?
“Forgive me.” She bowed slightly and would have scurried away if his hand wasn't still holding her arm captive.
“I was coming to see you. I had hoped to see you at breakfast but...”
Hadassah blushed, sighting the knowing look in the eyes of the Earl; He understood the reason her and Daniel were not at breakfast. She immediately glanced down in shame.
When he cleared his throat, she glanced up at him. “I received word... Saddening news, saddening for you.”
Hadassah's first instinct was to panic but she managed to push the desire to do so long enough to nod for the Earl to continue.
“Your uncle, Lord Hadley was found dead in your family's manor in Sheffield, supposedly by suicide.”
Copyright © 2018 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.
A/N
I'm sorry for the late update.