She tried to move away, tried to stare out the window, but he was having none of that. Gripping her arms, he leaned in.
“Talk to me, Beth. I can help you, as can the others. I know there is something very wrong... have known it for some time.”
She sighed. It was deep and loud, and then her shoulders slumped, and Leo knew he’d won.
“I’m scared, Leo.”
The words were softly spoken. It hurt him to see her defeated.
“I would ask you not to judge me, and you must also promise not to tell anyone what it is I am about to speak of.”
“You have my word.” Leo released her arms and sat back, wondering what the hell she would say. He wanted to watch her face, so he turned up the lamps. The curtains were closed; no one would be able to see them, were they looking.
“It is hard to know where to start, as I have carried this for so long.”
“I don’t care how long your story takes, Beth. So start at the beginning.”
“Very well. When my mother passed away, my father and I became close. She was not an easy woman, so when she was no longer there to control us, we began to enjoy life.”
Her smile was filled with memories.
“Papa was very protective of me, and rarely allowed people to visit. That changed in my fifteenth summer, because he believed it was time to start acquainting me with people I would meet when I entered society in a few years.”
Leo knew only the small pieces of information that Nick had shared of Beth’s life. Her father was a good, kind man, but the mother had been a bitch. He knew the cousins had never been close, until Grace came into Nick’s life a few years ago; then everything had changed.
“My father decided to host a few friends for a weekend. Five couples, and when they arrived, one of them had brought a nephew. He was twenty-five.”
She was looking at her gloves, but Leo could feel the tension in her from across the carriage. His mind leapt ahead, trying to come up with scenarios for what she was about to tell him.
“He was a nice man. Funny, and polite... or so I believed. We became friends, Leo.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Beth, I imagine you were the same at fifteen.”
She threw him a look before continuing.
“He stayed one more night after the other guests left, as he was to travel to London with my father the following day on business.”
She inhaled deeply, and the tension in the carriage increased. Her face was tight, almost as if the words were causing her pain. He wanted to hold her, take away the hurt, but he needed the entire story to understand what was happening. It cost him a great deal to sit still.
“I-I w-was in my room. It was close to midday. He and my father were to go hunting before leaving. He entered while I was reading. There was no knock, suddenly he was just there. I asked him what he wanted, he said me.”
“Christ.” Leo knew what was coming next. To hell with sitting still. Reaching across the carriage, he lifted her and resettled her on his lap.
“Leo! What are you doing?”
“Holding you. Now continue.”
“I-I can’t simply sit on your lap.”
“Well you are, and no one can see, so continue.”
“But it is not right.”
“Are you unhappy because you are scared of being in my arms?”
“I am not scared of you, Leo. But I have never sat like this with a man before.”
“I will never hurt you, Beth. I only wish to comfort you.”
