Chapter Eleven #3
“Answer me,” he boomed. “Do you love him?”
Courtly had never heard her father speak to her like that and she had to admit that he was frightening her. He didn’t look like the same father she had known all of these years. He looked different, edgy, like a man possessed. It was a struggle to maintain her courage.
“Aye,” she replied steadily. “I do. He is a kind, generous man and you had no reason to deny him his marriage proposal. Why did you do it?”
Kellen’s teeth were clenched with rage as he faced off against his daughter. “You will not question me,” he snarled. “I will do what is best for you, even if you are too stupid to realize it.”
His fury had Courtly’s dander up. “I am not stupid,” she fired back at him. “You have no earthly reason to deny Maximus’ suit. He is a good man from a good family. What would possess you so? Why would you want to make me lonely and bitter for the rest of my life?”
Kellen’s jaw flexed, indicative of his level of emotion. “You are too stupid to realize when your father is protecting you,” he said. “You have no sense at all, girl. Maximus de Shera has bewitched you somehow. What else has he done to you? What personal favors have you granted him?”
Courtly wasn’t exactly sure what he was asking but she knew that she didn’t like what he was possibly implying. “What do you mean?”
Kellen took a step towards her, his dark eyes blazing. “Whore favors, girl,” he growled. “What whore favors have you granted him?”
Courtly lashed out and slapped her father across the face, so hard that the man’s head snapped back.
He staggered back a step as well, startled that his beloved Courtly should actually strike him.
For a brief moment, it occurred to him just what he had accused her of and he was remorseful, but only for a moment.
Immediately, his anger and suspicions swamped him, stronger than before, because he was sure that he was correct.
She had granted the man favors. He looked at his daughter, his eyes wide with shock and outrage, as Ellice moved to stand between the two.
It was a surprising move by the woman who usually kept well away from her brother and nieces when it came to family business, but in this case, she was taking a stand. She had to. She pointed a finger at Kellen.
“You will not touch her,” she threatened. “Get out of here, Kellen. Go back to your room and leave Courtly alone. You have no reason to accuse her of such things. You are a foul man with a foul mind.”
Kellen’s venom focused on his sister. “This is none of your affair, Ellice. I would advise you to move out of the way.”
Ellice refused to move. “I am not moving,” she said. “If you want your daughter, you will have to go through me to get to her and I promise you that I will not make an easy victim.”
Kellen stood there looking at his sister and his daughter, his expression wrought with turmoil.
He was beyond furious at this point. He was flirting with the edge of madness.
Courtly was rebelling and Ellice, of all people, was siding with her.
There was only one thing to do. He had to remove his daughters from Kennington.
He had to get them away from Ellice and away from Oxford in general. They had to leave.
“You are a wicked, bitter woman,” he muttered to his sister, backing away towards the entry door.
“I should never have brought my children here. I knew you were a bad influence on them but I am only coming to realize just how bad. I am sending my daughters back to Trelystan tonight and if you stand in my way, I will kill you. Is that clear?”
Courtly let out a shocked gasp. “Papa!” she cried. “You would send us home in this weather? How can you do that?”
Kellen roared at her. “Silence!” he said.
“St. Héver will return you home this very night. God damn de Montfort, I must remain here because of his foolish gathering, but I will trust St. Héver to take you home. You will obey the man, Courtly, or I will give him permission to beat you. Is that clear? I will have him beat Maximus de Shera right out of your head!”
Courtly didn’t say a word, she was afraid to. She looked to Ellice, however, who was rooted to the spot, between Kellen and Courtly, watching her brother as he staggered out of the hall and back out into the rain. When the heavy door of the hall slammed shut, she turned to Courtly.
“I can hide you,” she said to Courtly. “Come with me.”
Courtly was still reeling from her father’s words.
In his current mental state, she couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t carry out his threat against Ellice.
She went to her aunt, grasping the woman by the arm gently.
She’d never done that before. She’d never even really touched her aunt before, but at the moment, she felt closer to the woman than she ever had.
In this moment of darkness, there was a ray of light.
“Nay, Auntie,” she said softly. “If you do, he will punish you. I cannot let that happen.”
Ellice was softened by Courtly’s tender touch although she would not admit it, not even to herself. She liked to think of herself as hardened to any emotion, but she really wasn’t. Like anyone else, she craved a human touch.
“You heard him,” Ellice said. “He is going to send you and Isadora back to Trelystan tonight.”