destroying all that I had worked for! And now that you have the opportunity to redeem yourself you throw my generosity back in my face!’
Alicia stood up. The heat, the sticky sweetness of the wine and her own anger had combined to give her a blinding pain behind the eyes. She could barely tolerate being in the same room with him, but there was something she had to do before she left. She locked her hands together to prevent them from shaking.
‘How you delude yourself, Father! No—’ as he made a move towards the bell-pull ‘—you will hear me out! That may be your interpretation of events seven years ago. Let me tell you mine!’
She gripped the back of her chair to steady herself, her fingers digging into the faded brocade, and cut across his bluster incisively.
‘You refused to allow my betrothal to the man of my choice and told a farrago of lies as to how I preferred George Carberry. You made my name a byword for scandal in the clubs and finally you forced me into marriage with that…that disgusting old man! Throughout it all you were motivated by nothing but commercial gain! Oh, no,’ she corrected herself angrily, ‘I mistake! You had another purpose—to make my grandmother look a fool because you had never forgiven her for refusing to accept you as her son-in-law!’
‘You always were a sentimental fool!’ Broseley was on his feet, vicious in his anger, his rage matching her own. ‘All that happened was that I arranged a good match for you and you were headstrong enough to think of opposing me! If Carberry had not died, he would have knocked this ingratitude out of you—’
Alicia rounded on him, her eyes blazing. ‘You tried that when I refused to marry him—do you remember? How could you forget? Beating your own daughter into submission and starving her, and worse—’Her voice broke. ‘But Carberry did die and you were too drunk at the time to stop me from going, and I thank God that I will never be drawn into your wicked designs again!’
The hot tears filled her eyes and overflowed down her cheeks. She dashed them away with an impatient hand. Broseley’s expression had changed suddenly and miraculously from a convulsion of fury to a rather calculated and sickening look of concern. He came to her side, taking her arm in a proprietorial grip.
‘My dear, you are distraught.’ His sympathy was far more objectionable than his anger. ‘I will send for Mrs Rivers at once to take you to a room. You cannot possibly travel in this condition—’
‘You mistake, Father.’ Alicia shook him off abruptly. ‘I intend to leave directly.’
True to her word, she marched to the door and wrenched it open and Castle practically fell into the room, demonstrating all too clearly that he had been listening at the keyhole.
Alicia glared at him. ‘Castle, summon my maid and my carriage. I am leaving.’
There was a moment of silence and indecision as Castle looked to his master for guidance. Broseley himself was looking at Alicia’s barely touched glass of wine and frowning heavily. Alicia could read his mind all too easily.
‘I may be a foolishly sentimental chit, Father, but I am not so green a girl as to be caught by the same trick twice. So you see I did learn something from the experience of my first marriage! Now, will you let me go, or are you intending to restrain me by force?’
She knew quite well that he was capable of doing so, but would he dare? Even now, she could hear the spattering of the wheels on the gravel outside as Jack, following her earlier instructions, brought the coach round. Broseley heard it too and made his decision.
‘Really, my dear, I would have expected more courtesy of you! Such a breach of manners!’
‘It’s the company I keep,’ Alicia snapped. She turned to find Mrs Henley’s maid hurrying to her side, drawn like half the other servants by all the noise in the hall. ‘Come, Joan, we are leaving!’
The carriage drove off moments later at a spanking
Alicia stood up. The heat, the sticky sweetness of the wine and her own anger had combined to give her a blinding pain behind the eyes. She could barely tolerate being in the same room with him, but there was something she had to do before she left. She locked her hands together to prevent them from shaking.
‘How you delude yourself, Father! No—’ as he made a move towards the bell-pull ‘—you will hear me out! That may be your interpretation of events seven years ago. Let me tell you mine!’
She gripped the back of her chair to steady herself, her fingers digging into the faded brocade, and cut across his bluster incisively.
‘You refused to allow my betrothal to the man of my choice and told a farrago of lies as to how I preferred George Carberry. You made my name a byword for scandal in the clubs and finally you forced me into marriage with that…that disgusting old man! Throughout it all you were motivated by nothing but commercial gain! Oh, no,’ she corrected herself angrily, ‘I mistake! You had another purpose—to make my grandmother look a fool because you had never forgiven her for refusing to accept you as her son-in-law!’
‘You always were a sentimental fool!’ Broseley was on his feet, vicious in his anger, his rage matching her own. ‘All that happened was that I arranged a good match for you and you were headstrong enough to think of opposing me! If Carberry had not died, he would have knocked this ingratitude out of you—’
Alicia rounded on him, her eyes blazing. ‘You tried that when I refused to marry him—do you remember? How could you forget? Beating your own daughter into submission and starving her, and worse—’Her voice broke. ‘But Carberry did die and you were too drunk at the time to stop me from going, and I thank God that I will never be drawn into your wicked designs again!’
The hot tears filled her eyes and overflowed down her cheeks. She dashed them away with an impatient hand. Broseley’s expression had changed suddenly and miraculously from a convulsion of fury to a rather calculated and sickening look of concern. He came to her side, taking her arm in a proprietorial grip.
‘My dear, you are distraught.’ His sympathy was far more objectionable than his anger. ‘I will send for Mrs Rivers at once to take you to a room. You cannot possibly travel in this condition—’
‘You mistake, Father.’ Alicia shook him off abruptly. ‘I intend to leave directly.’
True to her word, she marched to the door and wrenched it open and Castle practically fell into the room, demonstrating all too clearly that he had been listening at the keyhole.
Alicia glared at him. ‘Castle, summon my maid and my carriage. I am leaving.’
There was a moment of silence and indecision as Castle looked to his master for guidance. Broseley himself was looking at Alicia’s barely touched glass of wine and frowning heavily. Alicia could read his mind all too easily.
‘I may be a foolishly sentimental chit, Father, but I am not so green a girl as to be caught by the same trick twice. So you see I did learn something from the experience of my first marriage! Now, will you let me go, or are you intending to restrain me by force?’
She knew quite well that he was capable of doing so, but would he dare? Even now, she could hear the spattering of the wheels on the gravel outside as Jack, following her earlier instructions, brought the coach round. Broseley heard it too and made his decision.
‘Really, my dear, I would have expected more courtesy of you! Such a breach of manners!’
‘It’s the company I keep,’ Alicia snapped. She turned to find Mrs Henley’s maid hurrying to her side, drawn like half the other servants by all the noise in the hall. ‘Come, Joan, we are leaving!’
The carriage drove off moments later at a spanking
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