And that was terrifying, especially when Alexander kept putting little worms of doubt in her head. When he kept questioning her about love and devotion and all those fairytale endings that she knew were real thanks to her sisters. That she knew she wouldn’t have because she had so hastily agreed to security and safety.
Caroline knocked on the door when they reached it and in a moment it opened to reveal Alexander answering it. Julia caught her breath as she met his eyes and then he darted them away. He looked drawn and almost…sick.
“Mr. Castleton,” Caroline said as she took Julia’s arm in support. It was evident her aunt was just as startled and troubled by all this, which made it even worse. “And Lord Castleton.”
Julia blinked and forced herself to look at her fiancé. Laurence was standing in the middle of the room, almost at military attention. He watched her as she moved toward him, gaze flitting over her body but never truly looking at her face.
“Laurence,” she said, stepping away from Caroline. “Why did you call me here?”
“You brought your aunt,” he said with a frown.
Caroline stepped forward. “I am her chaperone, my lord. Of course I wouldn’t let her go to your room unattended two weeks before the wedding.”
To her surprise, Laurence let out a low laugh and shook his head. “My God, the games we play. You see, Alexander, I’m not the only trickster in the room, am I? You judge me, but not her for trying to pretend innocence when she has been in my bed and the bed of many others for years?”
“My lord!” Caroline gasped, moving to step forward, but Julia held up a hand to keep her back.
“Why would you say such a thing to me?” Julia asked, wishing his cruel observation had not landed with such force and precision. “You asked me to be your wife with full knowledge of what I had been. Why would you call me to your chamber and then throw it up in my face like this in front of both our families? What could I have done to cause this?”
“Don’t ask what you could have done. Ask whathedid to bring this to its ultimate end so swiftly.” He motioned his head toward Alexander.
She followed Laurence’s gaze. The same sick expression was on Alexander’s face, but he said nothing. She forced herself to look back at Laurence. “Mr. Castleton is trying to make you break the engagement. Certainly you must have known he would do so. Your family has been clear from the beginning that they didn’t approve. I thought that mattered little to you and you would do as you liked because you…” She swallowed. “Youwanted me as your bride. What could he have done or said that changed that?”
“Tell her,” Alexander ground out from his place at the door.
Laurence’s stare darted to him briefly, rage flickering when it did. “He wants me to tell you. Heforcesme to tell you. And so he makes you suffer. Remember that, my dear. I could do this however I wished and I’m doing it this way becauseheforced my hand.”
“I-I don’t understand,” Julia began. She could hardly hear over the throb of her own heart now.
Laurence stepped toward her and the emptiness that had been part of his expression when he looked at her since the engagement was now something else. It was contempt and she recoiled from it even before he began to speak.
“You don’t understand because you are a whore. You were born a whore and have lived as a whore and that is what you will always be.”
“Lord Castleton, you cannot speak to her that way!” Caroline burst out.
“What you say isn’t true,” Julia gasped. “You have no idea what I am or was. You’ve never asked me.”
Laurence continued on without stopping. “Do you think I really wanted you beyond a bit of fun in your bed? Do you think I ever looked at you and saw someone I would want to link my life to for the rest of her days? What could youpossiblybring to a marriage except your body? And I can have that for a much lower price.”
The insults were sharp, they were cruel, and yet Julia felt numb in their wake. Empty. As if she’d been expecting this without even knowing it. Preparing for it in places she hadn’t wanted to explore.
She took a long step back from Laurence but refused to lower her gaze from his. “Then why would you have asked me to marry you if you felt this way about me?”
“I used you the way men have used women like you for centuries. You were leverage. And now I’ll have what I actually want, a true bride fitting my station, andyouare no longer needed.”
Her stomach turned. “You have another woman.”
“Yes. Alady. Though if you want to make a final bit of blunt, I’d certainly take you into that room and have you again while your aunt prepares your things for your journey back to London.”
Julia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Alexander stormed across the chamber and shoved his cousin back. “Shut your mouth,” he barked out. “Stop talking to her that way.”
Laurence bounced off the desk near his window, but he didn’t seem bothered by the attack. In fact, he laughed. “Don’t put too much stock in his rescuer role, my dear. Don’t forget:hecaused this. He wanted this. So if you had any dream about him when you were watching him across my ballrooms and parlors—oh yes, I saw those looks between you—forget what you hoped for. And please, do try to leave with the least amount of fuss. I wouldn’t want to disturb the party.”
He motioned to the door then, his expression totally cold and cruel. Julia had always considered him handsome, but in that moment he was so ugly. And she had been such a fool to not see past the mask he’d worn and down into the truth of him.
She felt Caroline take her arm. “Come, dearest. Come with me. Come away.”
Julia swallowed and let her aunt lead her toward the door. They had to pass Alexander, who had no color in his face, who looked a thousand times more sick and guilty about this than theman who had just broken off their engagement in the cruelest way possible.
