Page 88 of Historical Hotties
It was a hard fight.
“Where is she?” she finally asked.
“In your grandfather’s solar.”
Dacia flew from the chamber, slamming the door behind her and trapping Darian until he could yank it open and pursue her. But by that time, she was already down the stairs. The duke’s solar was on the first floor and even as Darian raced down the stairs, he could hear Dacia’s voice as she called Amata by name. He was running for the solar when he suddenly heard Amata scream.
By the time he entered the solar, Dacia had thrown herself at Amata and was pounding her with her fists as she lay on the floor. Hugh was trying to pull them apart, but the duke was doing nothing. He was sitting at his enormous table, watching Dacia beat on her cousin as Amata screamed.
Darian flew into action.
Reaching down, he yanked Dacia off of Amata as Hugh pulled his daughter to her feet. Dacia was still struggling against Darian, still trying to beat her cousin to a pulp.
“For everything you have done to me, I hate you until my last breath, Amata de Branton,” she shouted. “You have spent yearsturning everyone against me so that I had no friend but you. You made me dependent upon you, craving your companionship, and manipulating me and lying to me all the while. You have tried to ruin me for the last time, do you hear? I will kill you if I see you again!”
Darian was having a difficult time holding on to her. He pulled her back towards her grandfather’s table, his mouth by her ear.
“Stop, Dacia,” he said. “Calm yourself.”
Over on the other side of the room, Amata was weeping loudly. “Forgive me,” she wept. “I am sorry I hurt you, CeeCee, truly. Please do not hate me.”
Dacia’s surge of anger faded and the tears began to come. In Darian’s grasp, she began to tremble as a wave of emotion washed over her.
“Why?” she finally hissed. “Why did you do it? What did I ever do to you that you would hurt me so?”
Amata was exhausted and ashamed. She’d spent all night confessing her lies, telling her friends from town that nothing she had ever said about Dacia had been true. Girls that had been her friends for years looked at her with disgust and walked away, and now she was seeing that same disgust in Dacia’s eyes, only worse.
There was anguish there.
“I… I do not know,” she sobbed. “I suppose it was because you had everything and I had nothing. You are to be a duchess. I will be nothing unless I marry well and I hated you for what life had given you and not me. Never me! I wanted to see you suffer.”
Dacia was unmoved. “Then you accomplished your task,” she said, her voice quivering. “I suffered. I suffered all of my life, and I suffer worse now because you took away the only man I ever loved. You knew when you told those lies that you would be separating Cassius and me. That was your intention and itworked. He is gone and I am nothing without him. I will hate you with everything for the rest of my life, Amata. Go home and never come back. I do not want to see you ever again.”
Amata was a pitiful sight. “Please, CeeCee,” she begged. “Please forgive me. Do not turn your back on me. I am so sorry for everything.”
But Dacia simply shook her head. “You are only sorry because you were caught in your lies and forced to confess,” she said. “If you had not been caught, you would still continue perpetuating these falsehoods against me. Ruining me. Therefore, I do not accept your apology. You have wasted your breath.”
It was a harsh response, but there wasn’t one person in that chamber who blamed her except for Amata. She frowned.
“Have you no soul?” she demanded. “A good Christian would accept my apology. It would please God.”
Dacia smiled without humor. “As you have told everyone for years, I bear the marks of a witch,” she said. “Mayhap it is those marks that prevent me from accepting your forced and insincere apology. Now, get out of my sight. You are no longer welcome at Edenthorpe.”
Amata looked at her father for support, but he gave her no comfort whatsoever. He simply took her by the arm and pulled her towards the solar door.
“Lady Dacia,” he said quietly. “I hope you can find peace someday. Know… know that I am very sorry for my daughter’s actions. I am sure it is of no comfort to you, but I am sorry just the same.”
Dacia couldn’t even reply. She genuinely liked Hugh, or at least she had, but he had bred that horrific beast and she could not spare him the attention. Not now. She simply turned away, pulling herself out of Darian’s grip, as Hugh took the sobbing Amata away.
When the door to the solar shut behind them, there was a finality in the gesture.
It was over.
Amata was gone, for good.
When the solar was quiet, Dacia sat down in the nearest chair, exhausted and overwrought. Darian watched her a moment before looking to the duke, who was still sitting there.
“You did not stop her from attacking Amata, your grace,” he said with a hint of reproach. “Why not?”
