Page 85 of Touched By a Traitor
“Is it because of Andrew? He told me what transpired between you two.”
“Yes, but don’t concern yourself about us. I’m more concerned about you. That was quite an interesting turn of events, wasn’t it?” Charlotte remarked, keeping her tone carefully neutral as she studied Daisy’s tear-streaked face.
Daisy let out a watery chuckle, the sound bordering on hysteria. “Interesting? That’s rather a mild word for the complete and utter ruination of my life. Catastrophic, doomed, disastrous… take your pick. They all apply.”
Charlotte reached out to clasp Daisy’s hands, her heart aching for the palpable pain that emanated from the young woman. “But it wasn’t truly a disaster, was it? Because you planned it that way.”
Daisy’s head snapped up, her red-rimmed eyes wide and panicked. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do.” Charlotte kept her voice soft, coaxing. “I noticed the cuts you made in the fabric of your gown. Deliberate, strategic cuts. You couldn’t have missed them when you were dressing. In fact, you would have had to be careful to ensure the seam didn’t come apart.”
Daisy seemed to crumple in on herself, a broken marionette whose strings had been cut. A keening sound tore from her throat as fresh tears spilled over, the dam of her composure shattering under the weight of Charlotte’s gentle persuasion.
“I couldn’t do it,” she gasped, the words ragged and thin. “I couldn’t condemn myself to a life shackled to a man I couldnever love, never be truly myself with.” Her hands twisted in her skirts, the ruined silk bunching and tearing. “I thought if I could just ruin myself, make myself undesirable, I could escape.”
With a groan, Daisy buried her face in her hands, her fingers tangling in her hair. “I am so deeply ashamed,” she whispered, her voice muffled by her palms.
“Ashamed of what, exactly?”
“Of deceiving you and Andrew.” Daisy’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Charlotte reached out, placing a comforting hand on the younger woman’s arm, her touch gentle and reassuring. “I trust you felt you had no other option than to take such drastic measures.”
Daisy nodded, her eyes filling with fresh tears, her breath hitching in her throat. “When I realized Andrew would not give up his search for suitors for me, I felt frantic to escape the assault.” Her words tumbled out in a rush, as if a dam had broken within her.
“Assault?” Charlotte’s eyes widened as she began to piece together the fragments of Daisy’s confession.
“Yes… the marriage… with a man,” Daisy said, her hands twisting in the fabric of her skirt. “I couldn’t bear the thought of being trapped in a loveless union, living a lie for the rest of my days.”
The realization hit Charlotte like a gust of hot wind, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place with startling clarity. Daisy hugged her knees to her chest, burying her face in the folds of her skirt, her body wracked with sobs. Overcome with heartache for the young woman, Charlotte wrapped her arms around her shrunken figure, holding her close, rocking her gently as she wept.
“Oh, Daisy,” she murmured, her voice thick with compassion, her own tears falling silently onto the top of Daisy’shead. “How you must have suffered, bearing this burden alone.” The thought of Daisy’s pain, of the secret she had carried for so long, was almost too much to ponder.
Daisy shook her head, her voice muffled against her knees. “I wasn’t alone. I had Susie.” The words were barely audible, but Charlotte heard them as clearly as if they had been shouted from the rooftops.
“Is she the one you love, then?” Charlotte asked, her hand lightly rubbing soothing circles on Daisy’s back.
Daisy nodded, her sobs intensifying, her entire body shaking with the force of her emotions. “Yes,” she managed to choke out between gasps for air. “I love her with all my heart.”
“You did nothing wrong, Daisy. You acted out of love, and there is no shame in that.” Charlotte held Daisy tighter, pouring all her love and acceptance into the embrace.
Slowly, Daisy lifted her head, her eyes hesitant and uncertain, searching Charlotte’s face for any sign of judgment or disapproval. “You’re not angry with me?” she asked, her voice small and fearful.
“No, of course not. What choice did you have? I only wish you had spoken to your brother instead of creating these crises.”
“He wouldn’t have understood.”
“He loves you very much. It’s unfair to assume he would react poorly without giving him a chance.” Charlotte’s words were gentle but firm. She hoped Andrew would prove her right.
Daisy sat up straighter, blowing her nose and fixing Charlotte with a searching gaze. “After what he’s done to you, you still defend him?”
A wistful smile tugged at Charlotte’s mouth, her eyes filled with sadness and affection, a bittersweet mix of emotions that seemed to encompass the entirety of her relationship with Andrew. “He may have betrayed me, but that doesn’t change the depth of his love for you. All he wants is for you to be happy.”The words were a painful truth, a reminder of the man she had once believed him to be.
“But he is so antiquated in his thinking,” Daisy protested, grimacing in frustration. “I doubt he would have ceased his search for potential suitors on my behalf.”
Charlotte shook her head, her expression thoughtful. “I really believe he might not be as antiquated as he appears. Perhaps it is merely a facade to appease his shareholders. After all, he allowed you to study in Jamaica without a chaperone, did he not?”
“Yes.”
