Page 55 of Taming Ivy
Sebastian did not think he would ever feel anything again. He became the cold, collected earl once more, the numbness a welcomed blessing.
Christopher Andry scowled, as if Sebastian were the Devil himself inexplicably landing in their midst, with great black wings beating the air. The other men mumbled, shuffling about, wondering what should be done to the creature before them.
How he stood, when his very knees threatened to buckle beneath him, was mystifying. To hide the weakness, Sebastian placed a casual hand on the balustrade of the stairs, sliding it up to grasp the finial of the newel post. The delicately carved wood miraculously supported his weight.
With the goal accomplished, the actual horror of what he’d done was slicing him to ribbons. Ivy was ruined. At the cost of destroying his soul. And hers. He carefully selected his words to inflict the most damage. And pain.
“The countess has taken issue with the ending of our association.”
CHAPTER 13
She was broken. Shattered into so many tiny pieces it did not seem possible she would ever be whole again. A burning hurt screamed within her heart, Sebastian's betrayal diminishing her into a creature she did not recognize. But even as she wept, something grew, something hard, something sharp and black. Razors replaced the softly feathered wings of innocence.
Ivy pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. They stung from incessant weeping and the frost encasing her heart. All the fractured, scattered splinters were slowly contracting together, mending to create a glittering shell of a girl, capable of functioning without care or feeling. What had once melted so easily in the warmth of Sebastian’s arms began to freeze again, and she did not care to stop it from taking place.
She would become something none of them expected, least of all the Earl of Ravenswood.
A butterfly metamorphosing into a wolf. Her ice-covered soul would make so.
“If I am to help you, tell me what has happened, Ivy.” Jonathan Kinley’s brow furrowed. He’d not taken the time to clean up from his travels, arriving at Somerset Hall within days of his daughter fleeing the city. His arrival was unexpected, having only recently returned from Ireland. Shocked to see him standing in their country estate’s library, Ivy foolishly wanted to weep in her father’s arms instead of the anger she should have felt at his intrusion.
“Do not concern yourself, Father. It is of little importance.”
Jonathan’s lips tightened. He pulled a chair to the divan she sat curled upon.
The light in the library was soft and shadowy. Dusk would fall soon. The servants would ignite the chandeliers and sconces inside the oak paneled room. Huddling further into a cream-colored blanket, Ivy turned from her father’s penetrating stare.
“It’s all over London. Regardless what you may think of me, my dear, I’m no fool. Now, tell me. Will he marry you? Or must he be forced to it?” Jonathan reached for her hand bearing the faint scar. Holding it gently while she sat stiff with distrust, he said, “I cannot allow this to be the second time someone from that family has attempted to ruin you.”
Ivy’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t know what you mean, Father.”
His eyes bored into hers. “I know full well the story behind this injury and Timothy Garrett’s part in it. Make no mistake. Because I did not force the issue then does not mean I shall not force it now. I do not know the circumstances behind this rift with the earl, but it is something significant. I’ve heard he has broken your heart. That your chances for a successful marriage are destroyed. I’ll not allow this to happen, to stand idle while you are ruined in such a fashion. Ravenswood will marry you, if what is being bandied about holds any truth.”
Ivy tugged her hand from her father’s warm grasp. Why did he have to sound so reasonable, so…fatherly?Despite fierce promises she would no longer cry overhim, that heartless scoundrel, tears sprang to her eyes. The subject of Sebastian and his betrayal must be avoided at all costs. It was too painful to address. “What of Timothy Garrett? If you knew of his actions, why did you not demand we wed? It was the perfect opportunity. I would not have been able to live the scandal down.”
Her father regarded her sadly. “Did you think I would force you? I promised your mother you would marry for love and you would not have found happiness with Lord Garrett for a husband. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
“You tossed every bachelor in London at me,” Ivy accused in quiet disbelief. “You’ve harassed me to distraction, to make a choice, to wed. Forgive me if I do not believe you only desired my happiness.”
“I was mistaken,” Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. “You needed choices, eligible men you might not have considered otherwise. But, and this I swear upon your mother’s grave, I never meant to force a marriage you did not want. Your mother wanted you to make your own decision, and I vowed I would abide by her wishes.” He recaptured her hands. “I loved your mother. I still do, God rest her soul. Not a day passes when I do not wish I’d done things differently. You probably are not aware, for you were only a child, but we hovered on the verge of losing everything. How foolish I was then to believe I was only losing land and possessions. I made some appalling business decisions, lost a great deal of money and overcoming my mistakes, replenishing your mother’s estates so you would have her inheritance as well as mine, was difficult. My intent was to secure our future so we would never face that threat again but in doing so, I lost two of the dearest people in the world to me- your mother and you. I do not expect you to forgive me. I only beg for it and hope someday you understand.”
He smiled ruefully. “You are a smart girl, Ivy. I trust you to decide your own path, but do not think I lack the power and the means to force Sebastian Cain to the altar. With one word, he has no choice. If you want him, tell me and I shall make it so.”
Despite herself, despite the effort to be brave, to remain resolute and unwavering, Ivy began to sob. She thought there was nothing left within her, no tears left to cry, but her father’s support, when she least expected it, his explanation of the events detaching him from their family, overwhelmed her. Without warning, she flung herself into his arms, grateful for his embrace wrapped tight about her.
“Mother loved you so much, and I do too. How you must have suffered when things were desperate and money was the only thing you believed would save us. You did what you thought best, I only wish you had told me sooner. It is in the past…let us move forward from it.” Stifled by his overcoat, her breath escaped in a shuddering gasp as she admitted, “As for Ravenswood, he will not marry me. He despises me, blames me for Timothy’s Garrett’s death. I’d rather go into exile and never again show my face in society than face a lifetime with a man who hates me as he does.”
“There must be consequences for his actions.” Smoothing her mass of hair, Jonathan stroked the curls as though she were still a child. “And you must give the impression the gossip means nothing to you. You’ve always been a strong one. God knows you have shown me your stubborn side for years. They cannot see your weakness now.”
Ivy remembered the fierce promise made the night of Sebastian’s betrayal. She disintegrated into a million pieces that night, those pieces scattered about. The blood on her thighs, the ache between her legs, her virginity stolen by a man whose chief objective was to destroy her, she had wept until she was ill. No one must know. Especially her father.
No,she corrected bitterly.Sebastian did not steal it, my innocence. Nor my heart. I gave everything to him, wrapped in ribbons. A gift. Of love.
Sebastian once boasted of his patience, and to have his revenge he needed only to bide his time. She recalled the analogy Sebastian gave her, of waiting for a butterfly to land before casting the net, of hunting beauty by remaining still and waiting until it ventured close, close enough to be easily captured. How skilled he'd proven himself at the task. How easily he ripped apart her wings.
Sebastian was sure of it. He was a monster. Faced with the cold proof of his barbarity, there was little doubt of the evil inside his heart.
Thank God, Ivy ended the assault before he climaxed inside her, although even now he ached with a yearning it seemed impossible to survive. How had he missed all signs of her innocence? Why had he failed to recognize the purity of her kisses, the awestruck wonder in her eyes every time he brought her to the peak of satisfaction? Bloody hell, when she melted on his fingertips, it was because he was the first man to touch her so intimately.
