“But Mother, you haven’t introduced me to my new father yet.” A knowing smile spread across Linnea’s lips.
Halsten knew that seeing her mother again could either make or break Linnea, and he was amazed at her tenacity despite the jabs Greer had made thus far.
“This is your daughter?” the portly man, Duke Tiernan, asked. “The one who—”
Linnea interrupted. “The one who was mercilessly abused within these walls for years until her uncle, the King of Salendron, came to rescue her and leave her mother with nothing. Yes, I am that daughter.”
Linnea raised an eyebrow as Greer scoffed, waving an arm in her direction. “Tiernan, this is all a ruse. They’ve come here to steal from me. She must have found out about our marriage and come to ransack the manor again.”
Linnea stomped down the stairs directly for her mother while Halsten moved to stay with her, just in case. Instead of going to her mother, she marched right up to Duke Tiernan and poked him in the chest. “Duke Tiernan, you should see her artwork. Let me show you.”
Linnea bent down and pulled off a boot and sock. “When I was younger, it was easy to blame my cuts and bruises on child’splay.” She then removed her other boot and sock. “But as I got older, Greer had to get creative.” Her mother scoffed at her use of her name instead of parental title. Linnea picked up one foot, presenting the bottom to Duke Tiernan. “Those white speckles are from her making me step on nails. She specially made a board with nails protruding from the back for me to walk on simply because I told her my slippers were becoming worn down and uncomfortable. This taught me to be grateful for my shoes.”
It took every single fiber of Halsten’s being to let Linnea continue and not make a dive for Greer.
Linnea lifted her other foot and before she could even speak, Halsten’s stomach turned. She was barefoot last night, but he hadn’t noticed this evidence because he was a tad preoccupied. Now, he wished he had noticed so Linnea could have told him about her scars in a safer environment.
Her second foot that she lifted needed little explanation as to what she was presenting. Her pinky toe was missing.
“This one was innovative as well. You see, she had stepped on my toe and I yelped, whichclearlymeant I was calling her overweight.” Linnea rolled her eyes. Duke Tiernan stared in horror as Linnea began putting her socks and boots back on. “She tied a string around my toe so tight that it cut off circulation and shackled me to a bed so I could not reach it and undo the tie. I stayed in that bed for days without food, but she graciously came in and gave me water to sip on. After days of hunger, I passed out.”
“Noneof this is true, Tiernan! I swear it!” Greer pleaded.
“Hush now, mother. This is my story,” Linnea snapped. “Anyway, once I passed out, she removed the string and called for a mender, telling him she thought my toe was infected and that was why I was in such a state. My toe needed to be amputated.”
Halsten had wanted to know her story, but the onslaught of devastation was so intense. “You sadistic bitch,” he spat toward Greer. “You never deserved to have a daughter.”
Linnea wrapped a hand around his bicep and pulled him back, then rolled up her sleeves. “These white scars are the only ones she left visible, but I think she knew Uncle Botmar was already on the way to get me at that point, so she didn’t care anymore. These are from being shackled to the grand fireplace, if you’ve ever noticed the hook in the molding. The cuffs got so hot that they seared my wrists.”
Linnea pulled her sleeves back down, then began untucking her shirt. “Halsten, can you lift the back of my shirt please. I’d like to show Duke Tiernan my mother’s finest moment.”
It was Halsten’s turn to shake. What could possibly be on her back? When he had explored her body last night, she never showed her bare back. He sucked in a deep breath and lifted the fabric, revealing a slew of stark white and deep pink scars, causing unnatural ridges in her skin all over. She turned so her back was to Greer and Duke Tiernan and spoke over her shoulder.
“This was from her pouring hot coals down the back of my dress because I had said it was a bit chilly in the manor that day, to make me appreciate the heat she provided.”
Liva gasped. It was rare for the wraith to show emotion.
Halsten let the back of Linnea’s shirt fall back down as she turned back to Tiernan.
“Long story short, Duke Tiernan, you have married a monster,” Linnea shrugged.
Greer’s face was nearly purple, as if her head were about to explode. “You ungrateful, selfish, rotten child! Everything I did was to teach you a lesson! You have always been so unappreciative of what I give you. How else was I supposed to instill proper values into such a distorted mind?”
Duke Tiernan took a step away from Greer. “You admit you’ve done these things to your own child?”
“Tiernan, dear, you don’t understand. She was a terrible child!”
“I highly doubt this brave, young woman was a terrible child. The only thing I am sure of is that you are a terrible parent. And a horrendous person. For her to endure such things and still collect a band of friends clearly committed to her well-being speaks volumes to her character.” The duke puffed up his chest, raising his voice. “I will be gone by the morning, Greer, and I am taking my assets with me. I am going to leave you as I found you—poor and alone.”
Greer let out a horrific wail, falling to her knees.
Linnea simply stepped around her crumpled mother, not sparing her another glance and left through the front door. When everyone got outside, she was shaking. But she had stayed brave the entire time, and that meant the world to Halsten.
Linnea stared at the manor, inhaling and exhaling deeply multiple times. She turned to Gyrial and whispered in his ear so no one else could hear. He nodded, then jogged off, disappearing behind the manor.
Linnea stood, staring down the manor without a word. Niklas shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, fiddling with his glasses while Liva stood preternaturally still, staring in the direction that Gyrial disappeared.
When the fae warrior appeared, walking back toward them, a swarm of servants came behind him carrying boxes and luggage. They began loading everything into the various exquisite carriages lined up further down the drive.
