Chapter 4 #2
“Give up the house,” he said. “Doing so will give you and Rose time. I am so sorry, Violet, but it is all that is left to you.”
Needless to say, Violet left Mr. Burrows’ office in a far worse mood than when she had arrived. And that mood persisted on her journey home.
She spent it in deep contemplation; her thoughts fixed firmly on the duke’s offer and what it meant. She was stubborn… she was fiercely independent… and she refused to trust him at his word. But with all that she faced, she knew too that she had to be reasonable.
Like it or not, the duke’s offer was looking more and more tempting by the second.
And then, as if she needed a final push down that path which she did not wish to walk, she returned home to find a most unexpected and unwelcome visitor waiting for her in the morning room.
“Violet, Rose told me you would be home shortly.”
Mr. Harold Beaumont was Violet’s uncle on her father’s side. He was two years younger than her father had been, and growing up, he had always been kind to Violet and Rose, a caring uncle whom Violet never had any need to worry about. All that changed after her father’s death.
While her uncle was never cruel, he was controlling. But not the type brought about by a need to protect his brother’s daughters, rather the type that suggested he liked the power it gave him.
Since her father’s death, Violet had done everything that she could to resist his desire to influence her and Rose.
As a woman grown, she had that right, and she refused his offers to help at every turn.
But as the walls closed in around her, her uncle crept closer, and she knew that it was only a matter of time until he finally got what he wanted.
“Oh… Uncle Harold.” Violet started as she entered the drawing room, surprised to find her uncle, even if she should have expected it. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” His expression was pitiful.
He swept towards her quickly, and was just as quick to embrace her in a tight hug.
“I have been keeping an eye on you and Rose, Violet. I know, I know, you have told me time and again that there is no need. But I would not forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
“We are quite fine,” she said stiffly, unable to summon the enthusiasm to hug him back.
“Fine, are we?” He pulled back and raised a bushy eyebrow at her. “So, that the bank means to seize your house in less than a week is no cause for alarm?”
Violet did her best not to appear shocked… a poor effort. “That is not… what are you… where did you hear…”
“I told you that I have been keeping an eye on you,” her uncle said.
“So, I am well aware of your circumstances. And where it brings me no joy to say it, you and I both knew that things were always leading here. In a week, this home will belong to the bank, and you and Rose will be left on the street.”
Violet shook her head. “I will not allow that to happen.”
His smile was soft, almost proud. “Sometimes, you remind me so much of your father. He was a dreamer too, you know. Alas, dreams can only take us so far.”
It was a silly thing to consider, but Violet had always hated how much her uncle looked like her father.
He had the same chestnut hair. The same round face.
And the same large, expressive eyes… just like Violet’s.
It felt manipulative, as if he used that to his advantage, as if he knew what it did to her.
“But that is why I am here,” he continued. “To assure you that I will not see my two nieces on the street to fend for themselves. Now, you are a woman grown, so I will not tell you what you must do. But know that there will always be a place in my home for you.”
Violet felt as if she might be sick. All her hard work… for nothing.
“As for Rose,” he continued with a shake of the head that almost made him appear regretful. “She will come to live with me, of course.”
“N—no,” Violet stammered desperately.
“Yes,” he said, his tone turned sharp. “Legally, it is within my rights to demand it. I do not want to force the issue, but I will, Violet. Please, do not make this any harder than it needs to be.”
“I… I will look out for her. I have been looking out for her.”
“And that has gotten you nowhere,” he said. “Under my roof, Rose will be given a chance. And as she is seventeen, the perfect age to start searching for a suitor.”
Violet’s stomach rose, and the room started to turn. She heard the words… she knew they had been coming… but she struggled to make sense of them.
This cannot be happening.
“Better still, I have already made offers on her behalf,” he continued simply, as if it was a sure thing.
“Putting aside the last few years, she is of the gentry, her lineage is as good as any other, and I will ensure that she finds a suitable husband to look after her. This is a good thing, Violet. See it for what it is.”
A good thing? How could he possibly think that?
It was a slap across the face to Violet. After all that she had done, and all that she had suffered. She was supposed to protect Rose. She was supposed to look out for her. But she had failed, and there was nothing that she could do.
And while her uncle spoke as if he was doing right by Rose, she knew that his true intentions were personal. The marriage he would arrange would be done to benefit him, with Rose’s own happiness an afterthought.
That’s how it always was. These men… they cared only about themselves and what they might gain. And people like Violet, like Rose? They were little more than tools to be used.
“Come.” He took her by the hand. “Let us go and see Rose. I am sure she will be thrilled to hear the news.”
There was nothing that Violet could do. She had fought… she had battled… she had done everything that she could. But her home was being taken from her. Her sister was being stolen. Like it or not, the fact of the matter was that Violet had failed.