Secrets ☆completed☆

Part thirty two- Lady Marianne Greville

I stand at the door to Daisy's bedroom in shock clutching the door handle so hard my knuckles are turning white.

My neck and face burning bright red, I'm not sure if it's from anger or embarrassment,  catching my daughter naked and having sex with the man who I was entertaining for dinner only an hour ago causing maximum shock. 

Daisy had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal only speaking when spoken too that was not like my daughter at all especially when her father wasn't present, she'd always been fantastic at entertaining and socialising with the many guests we had throughout the years at the castle unless her father had argued with her and frightened her before, then she used to just hide and not attend any functions at all.

I had come to check on her after hearing she'd been unwell the past few weeks.

I'm not a good mother but for appearances sake checking on her seemed like the right thing to do, what my employees would expect me to do.

My ears are assaulted by their soft moans, I watch as Daisy smiles down at him, I can't move my feet it's like I'm standing in a puddle of glue, suddenly she glances up and our eyes meet, my hands shake in anger but I have to control it.

She stops her movements on him immediately as I yell out her name both of them moving quickly, Marshall pulling on some sweat pants and Daisy wrapping a blanket around her naked body, he stands in front of her shielding her from whatever he thinks is coming I address him first

“Marshall please get dressed and return to the castle”  he glances at me trying to decide whether it's safe enough to leave Daisy alone with me.

“I'm her mother Marshall, I'm not going to hurt her" my voice becomes a little more demanding as I speak to him again.

“Daisy get dressed I'll wait out here!”

I close the door and move into Daisy's little living room and alternate between pacing angrily and sitting waiting for them both to come out.

How dare she try and ruin all of Roberts plans, I have no love for him or his ideas but with Daisy married off to Montgomery, I'd get to keep my lifestyle and remain in my home.
They appear together and thankfully both dressed, Marshall looks like a naughty boy who's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, I can see what Daisy sees in him he's charming and very handsome. 

He addresses me before he leaves

“I'm sorry if I've offended you but I want you to know I love Daisy very much and I'm very grateful for you allowing my family and I to visit with you"

I nod my head at him, too frightened to open my mouth for what might come out of it, he kisses Daisy on the lips and leaves.

She comes and sits beside me on the tatty old couch, she pulls her legs up under her and rests her chin on them looking ahead at the wall

“How long?” I ask curtly, she lies and tells me that that's the first time it’s happened, my blood boils as I look at her

“that did not look like two people having sex for the first time, now how long Daisy?” my tone firm.

she sighs and answers me

“just under eighteen months mother!”

I'm shocked, how has she managed to keep this from everybody, how has he flown under the radar with her?

“What about Rohan? Are you sleeping with him as well?”

my voice gets higher as I blurt it out, the shame of finding them making me light headed, this is not the kind of conversation I want to be having with my daughter, she screws her face up

“No! Mother, Marshall is the only man I've ever had sex with” she declares earnestly and I believe her.

“I love him mummy, I want to be with him and only him" She reaches out and takes my hands

“Help me, please help me to be with him and I'll disappear forever I promise you!” she's crying now and if I were a better person this would  pull at my heart strings.

“Does Rohan know?”

She nods her head and her eyes plead with me

“Are you going to tell father about us?” she sounds frightened and she should be but I'm no idiot because if he hurts her, he'll take it out on me too

“No Daisy, I'm not suicidal, this stays between the three of us!”

We're both quiet for a moment

“I can't help you Daisy, if he finds out I had a hand in it, I'll lose everything"

Daisy sniffles next to me, wiping her face on the sleeve of her dressing gown

“please"

She tries again but I cut her off

“You will end this fling  with him and you'll do it tomorrow"

she cries harder and shouts out no!

“You aren't being very fair to him are you? I can tell he's deeply in love with you but he can't have you, stop dragging this out for his sake"

I lay a guilt trip on her,  she stops crying and appears to be thinking about something

“He asked me earlier today to make a decision about us and stand up to father, he doesn't fully understand how cruel and brutal the Earl can be!"

she says quietly

“He's frustrated with me and the situation, he just wants us to be together and that's all I want mother"

“He will never allow it Daisy, you'll end up hurting Marshall anyway and you know it and what about his children, you wouldn't want anything to happen to them would you"

I'm well aware I've strayed into emotional blackmail territory now but Daisy is too upset to notice

“I love those girls mother, I don't want them hurt and I don't want to hurt him either"

she's really much easier to manipulate when she's really upset like this, I cannot have her leave me because if she goes I'll be cast out and Robert will move Grace into my position and I'll let that happen over my cold dead body, this is my home, my money and my lifestyle, she's not having any of it and it's a pity because my daughter appears to be head over heels in love with this man and I'm going to deny her the happiness of having a loving relationship,

Although why should she I wasn’t allowed one and I even tried to love Robert before realising that he's completely unlovable.

“Daisy for their sake end it and do it quickly!”

she deflates before my eyes becoming a little girl again, the little girl that fell and hurt her knee when she was five who looked to me with arms held out wide for hugs and comfort, I denied her then and I'll deny her any comfort now.

She cries for ages and I sit patiently waiting for her to come to her senses and stop.

“I'm going to the house in France first thing mother, I'll text Marshall and tell him something came up, we have plans to meet in Detroit in a few weeks, I'll go and end it then face to face, I owe him that much but I can't do it tomorrow, he won't accept it!”

she says sadly and without any hope, I smile on the inside feeling safe once more, safe in my castle and safe from Robert.

“Whatever you feel is best.” I get up to leave

“I'm sorry mummy if I embarrassed you with Marshall"

I tell her she's forgiven and head out back to my quarters at the castle.
Poor Daisy she really deserves better than Robert and I as parents.