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There was that word again. And whether he meant to or not, he’d made her feel truly loved and cherished for the first time in her life.
It was that sensation she clung to as the carriage came to a halt.
It was what gave her the strength to hold her head high as Dane helped out so she might say her goodbyes—to her father, yes, but also to this life.
Seeing the servants who’d all but raised her was harder than she could have imagined. But the disappointment she saw in their eyes had her chin tilting up and her expression turning blank as they hurried to greet her and lead her inside.
She took refuge in the role she’d always played. A role that no longer fit. This façade of the perfect young lady chafed at her skin as she held Dane’s hand on the long walk to the front door, where she was greeted by her father himself.
He stared at her with stony eyes, regarding her and then Dane and then finally his gaze dropped down to the place where their two hands were linked.
Understanding filled his eyes as his jaw set. “I suppose you’d better come inside before you cause a scandal.”
A scoff slipped out before she could stop it and Dane squeezed her hand in response. A scandal. That was what he worried about. Not the fact that his only daughter had been violated, ruined, and abandoned by every man who was supposed to protect her.
“We wouldn’t want that,” she murmured softly as she moved past him into her childhood home.
No, not her home. Never her home. It was the house where she’d been raised, but she’d never once felt at home there, not even as a child. A home was where one was accepted. It was a place where one was loved unconditionally.
She glanced up at Dane, who’d been remarkably quiet since they’d arrived. He too looked as though he was wearing a mask. The Beast was hidden, but she felt him beneath the surface. The rage and fury on her behalf seemed to seep through his skin and was visible in the way his neck muscles strained against his collar and the way the muscle in his jaw ticked relentlessly.
You’ll be alright, love.
She clung to his hand now as his words soothed her tension. She followed her father through the familiar halls, past the gaping stares of the servants and the butler. The moment the drawing room door shut behind them, her father whirled to face her. “You do not need to do this.” His gaze flicked dismissively toward Dane and she felt him tense beside her.
“You did not believe me,” she said. The words slipped out. Of all the speeches she’d planned and all the words she’d meant to say, that was what came out. That was all that mattered.
“You did not believe me,” she said again.
Her father’s nostrils flared. “What matters is how we move forward, not how you got to be in this position.”
Blood drained from her face and the room momentarily swayed. Was that truly how he felt? Dane’s hand moved to her back and steadied her.
She managed a small smile. “I suppose you’re right, Father. What matters now is where I go from here.”
“She’ll marry me.” Dane cut in with a guttural growl that had her father jerking back in surprise.
For a moment Lillian’s smile felt genuine. She almost had an urge to laugh at her father’s reaction. Had he thought Dane was deaf and mute? Or perhaps her father hadn’t considered him at all.
Impossible to ignore such a giant in the room, but her father, she now realized, only saw what he wished to see. If his reality did not fit within that purview, he shut his eyes all together.
A wave of sadness washed over her as she studied the man who’d raised her but had never been a father. Not truly. Not in any way that mattered.
Her father recovered with a shake of his head, but he responded to her rather than Dane himself. “You will do no such thing,” he hissed.
Her brows came down in confusion. She hadn’t expected him to approve of this plan, but as he hadn’t made any attempt to help her out of her predicament, she’d assumed he’d go along with whatever she’d planned for herself.
Her father moved closer, but Dane shifted so he was partially blocking her. Even so, her father continued to ignore his existence. “Lillian, listen to me. I’ve spoken to Fallenmore. He knows he’s done wrong. He’s willing to make this right.”
Her jaw dropped. “Surely you don’t mean…” She drew in a shaky breath at her father’s glare. “You cannot mean for me to marry Fallenmore after—after this.” She placed a hand on her belly and her father shook his head with frustration.
“Don’t be daft, girl. He behaved badly but he’s willing to make up for that now.” He leaned forward, his hands outstretched. “There’s no reason to throw your future away—” His fingers grazed her arms before he was thrown back.
Stumbling backwards, her father fell against an armchair, his eyes wide with alarm as he took in Dane’s menacing stance. “How dare you attack me in my own home.”
“You do not touch her.”
Compared to her father’s righteous indignation, Dane sounded calm and controlled. If it wasn't for the tension coiling his muscles, she might have believed he was at ease.
