Her body bucked as she attempted to hold back a sob.
“If you release it,” he murmured his advice, “you’ll feelbetter.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Your mother?”
“Yes, but also Maxine.”
He smiled.“Of course, darling, she looks exactly like you.”
She pulled away and locked eyes with him.
“She will never meet a handsome man, be backed into a deskand kissed stupid.”
As lovely as her words were (even the “kissed stupid” part,as they were strange, but obviously a compliment), they nevertheless swept thesmile clean from his face.
“She will never dance at a ball, and she’ll never drive acarriage and she’ll never, I don’t know…there’s so much she’ll never do,because of him, I can’t even say it all.”
“Satrine—”
“I know exactly what happened.He decided what she could do…atsix…and she was going to do it, no matter the consequences.”
Loren grew quiet not only because there was no reply to bemade, she was correct, and she was correct to be horrified by it, but alsobecause she needed to get this out.
“Do you know how much it hurts when someone hits you in theface?”she asked.
He felt his mouth tighten, for he did, but it infuriated himthat she did as well.
“It hurts, Loren,a lot.And I can take it.But hedid that tomy mom.”
“He can’t harm any of you again.”
She sat facing front and crossed her arms on her chest,declaring, “I’m going buy so many gods damn gowns and hats and ribbons andslippers and boots and…and…whatever the hell else I can think of…so ifhe cuts us off, we’ll have outfits for years we haven’t even worn.I don’t careif we’re living in a shack.”
“However, you won’t be living in a shack,” he reminded her.“You’ll be living in a townhome or a country manor or a chateau or a castle,depending on where we are in the Northlands.”
She looked to him.“I didn’t forget, honey.But don’t cutinto my drama.”
Honey.
Mm.
He liked that.
And she was now jesting.
It was a tossup, but he might like that better.
“How many properties do you own?”she asked.
“Many,” he answered.
“Ballpark me.”
“Sorry?”
“Give me a hint.”
