they found out he was in love with Rochelle.”
The muscle in Nic’s jaw flexed. “So they decided to rob him of the woman he loved, because they were powerless to harm him any other way.”
“Yes, but it was worse than that,” she said in a wobbly voice. “They weren’t satisfied with just walling her up and allowing her to suffer a horrible death. They wanted to make sure she’d been degraded first, that she died in hopeless despair because even if by some miracle Rochelle was rescued, she’d know Nicolo wouldn’t want her back after what they’d done to her.”
Something deep inside him twisted into a painful knot. Nic clenched his teeth. He was genuinely outraged by what his ancestors had done to that poor woman and didn’t trust himself to speak without sounding angry. But the greater part of his fury was borne out of his concern for Rachel, for the horror she’d suffered as a result of what they’d done all those years ago. He understood now why she’d been sobbing and begging him not to hurt her as he’d hustled her out of the restaurant. And if this nightmare was as vivid as the one where she was walled up, then the sexual assault she’d endured was just as real.
He pulled up to the mansion and hurried around to Rachel’s door with the intension of getting her inside as quickly as possible so he could offer the comfort she so obviously needed. But one look at her tear stained face and soulful eyes as she climbed out of the car and stood before him trembling like a leaf was more than Nic could handle. He pulled her into his arms and held her firmly against his body, his heart wrenching when she buried her face in neck and burst into tears.
There was nothing he could say to take away her pain, so he simply let her cry it out. When the harsh sobs finally began to subside, Nic reached in his pocket for the key his grandfather had given him and ushered Rachel up the stairs and into the mansion. The housekeeper had obviously been told to expect someone to arrive after dark because the foyer light was on. There was also a light on in the hallway leading off to the left, and another that illuminated the grand marble staircase.
“Let’s find the kitchen,” he said, gently propelling her down the lighted hallway.
It had been quite some time since he’d been there, but had a vague recollection that the kitchen was in the back of the mansion. He was surprised at how well maintained the place was, and was duly impressed by his grandfather’s effort to keep it from falling into ruins. Hardwood floors gleamed as if they’d just been polished and even a cursory glance around told him the housekeeper took her job seriously because there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the paintings hanging on the walls. Certainly the mansion lacked the warmth of a home, but with a wife and few children in residence, he imagined the old place would quickly come back to life.
Nic found the kitchen exactly where he’d thought it would be. After settling Rachel at the cozy breakfast nook in the corner, he searched out the coffee grounds and two cups and started up the coffee maker. He brought her a glass of ice water while the coffee was brewing, which she gulped down after offering him a grateful smile. Nic waited until she was finished before dropping down onto the bench beside her and pulling her close to his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple and asked if there was anything he could do.
“Just…hold me for a minute and I’ll be fine,” Rachel told him.
“We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. We could find a hotel for the night and come back tomorrow.”
“As much as I appreciate the offer, you and I both know it won’t make any difference where I spend the night. Maybe it was meeting you that triggered the new nightmares or maybe it was because I’d made the decision to start working on the mansion; whatever
The muscle in Nic’s jaw flexed. “So they decided to rob him of the woman he loved, because they were powerless to harm him any other way.”
“Yes, but it was worse than that,” she said in a wobbly voice. “They weren’t satisfied with just walling her up and allowing her to suffer a horrible death. They wanted to make sure she’d been degraded first, that she died in hopeless despair because even if by some miracle Rochelle was rescued, she’d know Nicolo wouldn’t want her back after what they’d done to her.”
Something deep inside him twisted into a painful knot. Nic clenched his teeth. He was genuinely outraged by what his ancestors had done to that poor woman and didn’t trust himself to speak without sounding angry. But the greater part of his fury was borne out of his concern for Rachel, for the horror she’d suffered as a result of what they’d done all those years ago. He understood now why she’d been sobbing and begging him not to hurt her as he’d hustled her out of the restaurant. And if this nightmare was as vivid as the one where she was walled up, then the sexual assault she’d endured was just as real.
He pulled up to the mansion and hurried around to Rachel’s door with the intension of getting her inside as quickly as possible so he could offer the comfort she so obviously needed. But one look at her tear stained face and soulful eyes as she climbed out of the car and stood before him trembling like a leaf was more than Nic could handle. He pulled her into his arms and held her firmly against his body, his heart wrenching when she buried her face in neck and burst into tears.
There was nothing he could say to take away her pain, so he simply let her cry it out. When the harsh sobs finally began to subside, Nic reached in his pocket for the key his grandfather had given him and ushered Rachel up the stairs and into the mansion. The housekeeper had obviously been told to expect someone to arrive after dark because the foyer light was on. There was also a light on in the hallway leading off to the left, and another that illuminated the grand marble staircase.
“Let’s find the kitchen,” he said, gently propelling her down the lighted hallway.
It had been quite some time since he’d been there, but had a vague recollection that the kitchen was in the back of the mansion. He was surprised at how well maintained the place was, and was duly impressed by his grandfather’s effort to keep it from falling into ruins. Hardwood floors gleamed as if they’d just been polished and even a cursory glance around told him the housekeeper took her job seriously because there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the paintings hanging on the walls. Certainly the mansion lacked the warmth of a home, but with a wife and few children in residence, he imagined the old place would quickly come back to life.
Nic found the kitchen exactly where he’d thought it would be. After settling Rachel at the cozy breakfast nook in the corner, he searched out the coffee grounds and two cups and started up the coffee maker. He brought her a glass of ice water while the coffee was brewing, which she gulped down after offering him a grateful smile. Nic waited until she was finished before dropping down onto the bench beside her and pulling her close to his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple and asked if there was anything he could do.
“Just…hold me for a minute and I’ll be fine,” Rachel told him.
“We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. We could find a hotel for the night and come back tomorrow.”
“As much as I appreciate the offer, you and I both know it won’t make any difference where I spend the night. Maybe it was meeting you that triggered the new nightmares or maybe it was because I’d made the decision to start working on the mansion; whatever
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