AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She didn’t move. She stared down at the floor, anger and fear coursing through her. It would have been easier to go with him had he caught her sooner, would have only deemed it to be a failed attempt that would cost her freedom. But now, after everything she’d been through, after all the people she’d grown to love, Belle couldn’t get herself to move.
The Duke paused when he made it to the door and looked over his shoulder at her. The look he gave her had once been able to cut her defiance in two. The effect was lessened this time.
“Belle,” he growled.
Belle lowered her head.I have no choice.
She couldn’t bring herself to walk past Anne and her daughters as she followed her father out the room. But when she saw the horrified looks on their faces, Belle wished she had simply kept her eyes on the floor. She wanted to apologize, to beg for their forgiveness.
But she only left them behind.
Her family’s familiar carriage was sitting right outside. A few passersby were slowing their stroll to see what was happening, admiring the fancy carriage in their midst. Belle hoped her hair shielded most of her face as she went inside.
She found her mother there, sobbing in her handkerchief. When she spotted Belle, she reached out to grasp her hand, but could say nothing when the Duke entered behind her.
Belle squeezed her mother’s hand, willing her to silence her sniffles. Her father was already in an irate mood and she was certain that her mother’s crying would only make him more upset. At the very least, Belle didn't want her mother to be a target of his anger.
She looked out the window of the carriage to see Anne, Lily, and Julia coming out onto the porch. They were still staring after her in disbelief. Belle wanted to hide from their stares, even though she knew that she was mostly hidden by the curtain of the window.How betrayed must they feel now that they know that I’m not who I said I was.
“You had better not start crying,” her father said roughly. “I will not sit here and listen to two ladies sob over foolishness.”
Belle swallowed her tears. Not because she was listening to her father, but because she knew that tears would only make her seem weak. And she needed all the strength she could muster when dealing with him.
“How did you find me?” she asked, her voice lower than she wished it was.
At the question, the Duchess squeezed her hand, drawing her attention. When Belle looked at her, her mother shook her head slowly. She was quietly telling her not to steer her father to wrath even further, but Belle wasn’t going to listen.
“I do not wish to hear your voice right now,” her father said sternly. “I had to come all the way to London to find you and now that I have you again, you are going to sit there in silence. It is about time that you learn.”
Belle gasped. “How can you—”
“Look at your Mother,” he cut in. “She knows when to be quiet. She knows not to speak to me when I am angry. You should learn to do the same, especially when you are married.”
Belle could hardly believe her ears. After being away from her father for so long, she’d forgotten how degrading his words tended to be. She bit her lip, wanting to argue but she knew that would only mean jumping headfirst into a fire that she would not be able to escape from.
The carriage pulled away. Belle watched the house she’d spent the last few weeks in grow further in the distance. The family that lived in that house, the people who had accepted her probably hated her right this moment. They were probably talking about how she had deceived them. They would never trust her again.
And she would never see them again. After what she’d done, Belle knew that whatever freedom she’d possessed prior to leaving would disappear now that she had been brought back. More than that, Belle knew that the very thing she’d been running away from was still waiting for her–that cursed marriage with the Marquess of Winchfield.
