Remember Then

XXIII. The Prisoner

If the information came from someone else, Nicholas would have dropped his jaw and exclaimed as much profanities as he could. Hundreds of words would be clamoring to escape his mouth in disbelief and he would end up being a subject of mockery amongst his family or friends.

He was not one who could take such surprising revelations in a common manner.

But this time he managed to be calm as his mind reeled, confronted by an unbelievable matter.

Because he was facing Sophia.

She was not his family, nor was she a friend.

She was Sophia. And she just told him one of the most farfetched lies.

He scoffed with intent to mock her. "Do you expect me to believe you? How can he—"

Her eyes were filling with tears and he was utterly certain she was shaking with intense fury. Her hands clutched harder around the fabric of her gown. "I am his father's bastard with a slave," she said, her voice shaking. "Do not believe me if you must, I do not expect you to. But Marcus is my brother and he is the only one I have in this horrid world."

He fell silent. The strength in her words, the intensity of her tone, made him almost want to believe her.

"He will come for me, my lord, and I tell you that he will not appreciate this abduction," she haughtily added after a while, gaining confidence as she began to calm down. "So please, if you wish to spare your family, do take me back to Rock'oles."

What did she mean by her last words? Was she affirming Durley's capacity to do the Everards harm?

But she might simply be giving an empty threat.

He did not appreciate that he was left speechless. What was he to say?

Could he insist he did not believe her? Of course he ought to. But she seemed to be telling the truth.

Bloody tarnation! "If he is truly your brother, Sophia, and if he would truly do anything for you, answer one thing," he began carefully, leaning over to see her reaction, "Why in bloody hell would he leave you alone in Theobald?"

He did not get the reaction he expected. He anticipated that she'd claw on his face and wail in anger, but she simply offered a faint smile and a shrug.

"Why did he allow your uncle to do the many horrible things you spoke of?"

Her smile quivered for a brief second before she quietly uttered, "The things you believe you know of my past is but a tinge of the entire story, my lord."

Nicholas' eyes flickered away from her as he tried to control the urge to shake her and beg her for the truth. He had told her everything about this family—his life—despite his initial plan to use her. She managed to seduce everything out of him and he wanted to blame her as much as he had been blaming himself.

And now he demanded for the truth with no intent of believing her.

He was the utter fool in the end. He played right into her game.

Every conversation they had was creating more confusion than clarity.

Nicholas was starting to believe there was no winning this game as much as there was no reclaiming the life he had before she happened. She had thoroughly ruined him in all sense.

*****

Sophia did not know what Whiston looked like and mayhap she would never discover its beauty. But one thing was for certain: it smelled and felt wonderful.