Lizzie felt the stress drain from her body. One perfect moment in an otherwise perfectly horrible day. First Alistair had barged into the nursery and accused her of carousing in the woods with Zach and canceled her evening video of Sam. Then, he’d claimed Thomas was enamored of his fiancée. Enamored, ha! Desiree wasn’t even remotely Zach’s type. Before he left, the bastard had promised not to punish Sam for her mother’s unfortunate behavior , but he’d informed her that next time he might not be so generous.
Her fear for her daughter overwhelmed her. She, who wore her emotions for all to see, who had never been able to let something go if it bothered her, forced herself to compartmentalize, to manage the terror, at least for the moment. Zach would be amazed at her self-control. If he ever remembered her.
Once her fear was contained, the arrival of another unwelcome visitor saved her from wallowing in her remaining emotion—despair. Desiree intruded twice to visit her “sweet Pooh Bear” and Lizzie retreated to the chair on the far side of the room when she was there. No way was she leaving Daniel alone with that imposter! Ironically, while she was sure the visits were intended to demoralize her, they merely strengthened her resolve—resolve that needed boosting after her emotionally draining encounter with Alistair. She was Elizabeth Louise Weston, fighter, survivor! No one was going to get the best of her family.
Her need to be good and her need to fight warred within her.
At six o’clock there was a knock on the nursery door. Lizzie answered it and found a young woman standing there holding a bag from what appeared to be an exclusive boutique.
“Ms. Smith.” The woman held the bag out. “Mr. Forrester asked me to deliver this to you.”
Thanking her, Lizzie carried the bag into the nursery, shutting the door behind her. Inside was a large box. Which Mr. Forrester? She opened the box with trepidation, relaxing when she recognized Zach’s handwriting on a small envelope. With trembling hands she opened the flap and removed the small card.
I thought you might need something to wear to dinner. It’s unbearably formal.
Thomas.
Her hands shook as she unwrapped the tissue paper and withdrew a beautiful deep ruby wraparound dress in just her size.
Chapter Fourteen
Lizzie stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She ran her hands along her sides and over her hips, enjoying the silky feel of the expensive material. The dress was beautiful. The bag also contained a delicate black bra and panties, and an elegant pair of black patent heels. Tasteful with a suggestion of sexy.
Examining the pitiful array of cosmetics spread out on the counter, she wished Zach had remembered makeup when he made his shopping list. She’d only been carrying blush, mascara, and lip gloss in her purse when she was taken.
With a sigh, she applied her makeup and stopped to examine the results—there wasn’t anything she could do about the dark circles under her eyes, but she looked presentable. Now if only she could do something about her hair.
She was certain Alistair would extract a price if she wore it down, and she was stuck with the dull color. How far could she push without harming Sam? She replaced the bun with a simple twist, adding a touch of elegance to an otherwise utilitarian hairstyle.
Tucking an errant lock securely into place, she nodded to herself. She was armed and ready for battle.
…
Thomas despised formal dinners with his father. Adding Desiree to the mix hadn’t helped.
Although she claimed not to be fond of his father, Thomas sensed a rapport between them, the occasional shared glance that made him uncomfortable. He entered the dining room and paused; they were certainly pulling out all of the stops tonight. The amount of flatware and stemware was intimidating. Apparently he wasn’t the only person who’d be uncomfortable tonight. It appeared that someone was determined to keep Maggie in her
Her fear for her daughter overwhelmed her. She, who wore her emotions for all to see, who had never been able to let something go if it bothered her, forced herself to compartmentalize, to manage the terror, at least for the moment. Zach would be amazed at her self-control. If he ever remembered her.
Once her fear was contained, the arrival of another unwelcome visitor saved her from wallowing in her remaining emotion—despair. Desiree intruded twice to visit her “sweet Pooh Bear” and Lizzie retreated to the chair on the far side of the room when she was there. No way was she leaving Daniel alone with that imposter! Ironically, while she was sure the visits were intended to demoralize her, they merely strengthened her resolve—resolve that needed boosting after her emotionally draining encounter with Alistair. She was Elizabeth Louise Weston, fighter, survivor! No one was going to get the best of her family.
Her need to be good and her need to fight warred within her.
At six o’clock there was a knock on the nursery door. Lizzie answered it and found a young woman standing there holding a bag from what appeared to be an exclusive boutique.
“Ms. Smith.” The woman held the bag out. “Mr. Forrester asked me to deliver this to you.”
Thanking her, Lizzie carried the bag into the nursery, shutting the door behind her. Inside was a large box. Which Mr. Forrester? She opened the box with trepidation, relaxing when she recognized Zach’s handwriting on a small envelope. With trembling hands she opened the flap and removed the small card.
I thought you might need something to wear to dinner. It’s unbearably formal.
Thomas.
Her hands shook as she unwrapped the tissue paper and withdrew a beautiful deep ruby wraparound dress in just her size.
Chapter Fourteen
Lizzie stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She ran her hands along her sides and over her hips, enjoying the silky feel of the expensive material. The dress was beautiful. The bag also contained a delicate black bra and panties, and an elegant pair of black patent heels. Tasteful with a suggestion of sexy.
Examining the pitiful array of cosmetics spread out on the counter, she wished Zach had remembered makeup when he made his shopping list. She’d only been carrying blush, mascara, and lip gloss in her purse when she was taken.
With a sigh, she applied her makeup and stopped to examine the results—there wasn’t anything she could do about the dark circles under her eyes, but she looked presentable. Now if only she could do something about her hair.
She was certain Alistair would extract a price if she wore it down, and she was stuck with the dull color. How far could she push without harming Sam? She replaced the bun with a simple twist, adding a touch of elegance to an otherwise utilitarian hairstyle.
Tucking an errant lock securely into place, she nodded to herself. She was armed and ready for battle.
…
Thomas despised formal dinners with his father. Adding Desiree to the mix hadn’t helped.
Although she claimed not to be fond of his father, Thomas sensed a rapport between them, the occasional shared glance that made him uncomfortable. He entered the dining room and paused; they were certainly pulling out all of the stops tonight. The amount of flatware and stemware was intimidating. Apparently he wasn’t the only person who’d be uncomfortable tonight. It appeared that someone was determined to keep Maggie in her
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