Page 56 of The Searching Songbird

The memory scattered at the sound of the baron's voice as he continued, oblivious to the fact that her world had just been turned upside down.

“Lady Marjorie was an angel, and as a green lad of fourteen, I was head-over-heels in love with her. My father...” His voice hardened, and his grip on Lily's upper arms tightened so much she winced. “...was obsessed with making her his baroness. He courted her relentlessly, hounding her with his proposals day-in and day-out, but she rejected him at every turn.” He scoffed. “And why should she have accepted him? He was a repulsive, old lech who wasn't fit to lick the mud from her boots. Whereas she... she was heaven itself.”

Goosebumps pebbled Lily's skin as she stood, rooted to the spot. “What happened to her?” she asked, the words no more than a whisper. The baron dropped his arms to his sides and moved around her, stepping up to the desk and resting his hands on the surface, never once taking his eyes off the portrait.

“Brandy, two fingers.”

Lily was about to ask what the hell that meant, when Fia gracefully rose to her feet and glided over to the sideboard to prepare the baron's drink. The movement slapped Lily in the face, as she suddenly recalled her reason for being there. Should she do something? Fia was right there... but no, patience was the key to success. And, loathe as she was to admit, she wanted... no, needed... to hear what the baron had to say.

She watched as Fia brought the baron his drink, placing it on the desk in front of him and backing away with a small bow before returning to her place beside the fire. Never once looking in Lily's direction, even though she stood just a few feet away.

The baron swirled his brandy around the rim of the glass. Finally, he spoke.

“She left. Took her then eight-year-old daughter and sailed away, taking my boyish heart along with them.”

With a flick of his wrist, he tipped the entire contents of his drink into his mouth before flinging the empty glass against the wall, where it shattered into a million pieces. Lily gasped, but the baron appeared as calm as ever, despite his actions to the contrary.

“It was his fault. My father's,” he clarified. “He drove her away with his disgusting lust.” He turned around and propped a hip on the desk as he shifted his intense gaze onto her. “But now he's gone, and she's returned to me the only way she could – through you, Lady Helena.”

Lily stumbled backward, shaking her head. “I...no, it's impossible... I'm not her daughter.”

“Yes, you are.” The baron pushed off the desk as he prowled toward her. Capturing her hands in his, he pulled her flush with his body before letting go and sliding his hands around to the small of her back. Panicked, Lily quickly threw her hands up, pressing against his chest in an effort to create some space.

“Wha – what happened to your father?” she stammered, racking her brain for something to distract him.

His lips curled into a predatory grin, and he lowered his head as he leaned in, placing a kiss against her neck. “I killed him.”

“You...” She gulped, leaving her thought unfinished.

“... killed him, yes,” the baron finished for her, pulling back so that she could see the fanatical gleam in his eye. “He drove her away... drove you away... forced onto that ship.” His chest began to heave as he worked himself up. “And then the storm came, tearing apart any hopes I had of finding her. When I heard the news, I knew that was the end for me. And it was, until I met you.”

“Even... even if you're right, and Lady Marjorie was my mother...” You know she was. “I'm not her. I'll never be her.”

“Perhaps not, but you're the spitting image of her. You'll make a far better replacement for her than any of the others I've wasted my time on until now.”

“I...” Her protest was cut off as the baron crushed his mouth against hers. She wriggled, trying to break free, but he was too strong. Suzu... help!

“I'm on it, Shendri.”

Lily gagged as the baron forced his tongue between her lips, one hand keeping her arms pinned behind her back while the other dug into the back of her neck, locking it in place.

And then, light burst out, blinding them both. Suzu's piercing cry melded with the baron's strangled yell as the phoenix tore at his face, drawing blood. She flew away and then dove back down, coming in for another attack, but the baron managed to dodge her talons this time.

“What the hell is this?!”

He swung an arm at Suzu as she flew by, hitting her in the side. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he watched the bird circling around above him. She dove at him again, and suddenly he laughed, a frantic laugh that bordered on lunacy. He grabbed hold of Suzu's talons, not even flinching as the sharp claws dug into his hands, and swung her around before launching her at the wall, where she landed with a thud.

“Suzu!” Lily started to run to the bird, but the baron grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into his chest. Suzu, come back... it's okay... I'll be okay... please.

She sighed with relief as the phoenix dissolved into a pool of light, but it was a short-lived relief, as the tightness of the baron's arms brought her back to the reality of her own situation.

His chest vibrated behind her head as he continued to laugh, the sound coming out half-crazed. “You. Are. Amazing!” He lifted her into the air and spun her around. “You just produced a magical bird out of thin air! Ha!”

He turned her around so that they were facing each other, and she could see the warped look of awe on his. Blood streamed down from a jagged cut across his forehead, but he made no move to wipe it away. “You... you're even more special than your mother was. She may have bore the mark of a wing on her back, but you – you have the real thing! You'll make the most perfect baroness.”

“You're mad,” Lily whispered as she attempted to free herself from his hold. “I can't marry you. I won't!”

“Why not?” He lowered his head so that they were eye to eye. “Is there someone else?”