“Now that’s a shame.”
The deep words had her head whipping around. Beside her sat Tobias. Liberty’s mouth opened and closed, but she literally had no words.
“Take a breath, Liberty, before you speak.”
“You.” She jabbed a finger at him. “How dare you be in my carriage… alone with me.” He winced at her screeched words. “You had no right.”
“I just want to talk to you, Liberty.”
“No… no, no, no.” She rose to bang on the roof. Hands grabbed her and forced her down onto the seat opposite.
“Just listen to me. That’s all I ask of you.” His face was calm, but she saw in his eyes he was anything but.
“Don’t touch me!” She shook free of his grasp.
“Please, Liberty. Just hear what I have to say,” he said.
“This is wrong. If anyone were to see us—”
“Who will see us?” he demanded.
Liberty couldn’t overpower him, so she sat and crossed her arms.
“Speak then, and I will stop the carriage, and then we will once again ride as we were.”
He looked at her for long moments, and something made Liberty hold her breath. Was he going to tell her why he’d spoken to her that day as he had? Why he’d turned from their friendship? Now that was a possibility. She felt nervous. She’d held so much rage and pain inside her for Tobias.
“It took me only a few days before I realized that my life would be hell living within the walls of Blackwood House.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
He sat withhis hands clasped loosely in his lap, giving the appearance of a man who was relaxed, yet he was far from that. In fact, just thinking back to that time made nausea swirl in his stomach.
“How so?” Liberty asked.
Toby had told Edward he needed to speak with his sister, and being alone in the carriage was his best chance of getting her to listen to him. He’d agreed, after Liberty’s brother had told Toby he’d have several things to say to him if he hurt her.
“This is not easy for me to speak of, Liberty, but I owe you the truth so you understand why I did what I did. Why I sent you away.”
Her lovely eyes were fixed intently on his. Looking at her, knowing she was just inches from him, eased some of the tension inside Toby.
“I met Jamie and Anthony on the first day I arrived at Blackwood House. We were new, and it was natural we became friends. All from wealthy, noble families, and eager to start this new adventure.”
Toby felt his fists curl on his thighs but couldn’t stop it. He had to do this for her… for them.
“From the day we entered that place we were beaten and subjected to things I cannot speak of even years later, Liberty.”
“No!”
“Yes. It was prolonged, vicious, and broke us.” He couldn’t look ather… not yet.
She made a sound like a wounded animal, and he felt her move to take the seat beside his, but Toby was back there, deep in the memory and could do nothing to comfort her.
“My parents wouldn’t listen when I wrote to them. Father had lived in Blackwood while at school, and said I needed to just get on with things. When I came home for Mathew’s death, I could say nothing then, as they were grieving.”
“As were you, Tobias,” she said, taking his fist in both her hands. Holding it tight, giving him her support.
“I went back, and endured it for years, and then one day Anthony’s three aunts came to visit him. Our housemaster, who was the evilest of all our tormentors, told him he was not to speak a word of what went on behind closed doors. But they knew something wasn’t right with their nephew. He broke down and told them.”
