Chapter 17: He’s Dangerous

Chapter 17: He’s Dangerous

Anger rose in her chest and she glared at her father. But his eyes were on his food otherwise she would have had it coming. She had never even thought of having children and now he was saying that. Was her case that hopeless?

“You’re right, Henry.” Her mother smiled. “But there’s nothing to worry about. Cedric’s an upright man, I’m certain he’ll have that in control.”

Lucy pushed her plate away, suddenly losing her appetite.

“Lucy.” Her mother grabbed her attention. “Ara told me Cedric was here last night.”

Lucy hesitated for a second before nodding. She didn’t want to be reminded of last night. The thought of it made her sick.

“Did he tell you why he couldn’t make it early?”

“He said he was busy,” Lucy mumbled.

“Poor boy.” Her mother sighed. “He should have just stayed here for a few days instead of going back and forth.”

“The business cycle is tough nowadays.” Her father looked up from his food with a nod of approval and said, “The boy is hardworking.”

Her parents’ eyes gleamed with pride and Lucy bit her lips.

They loved Cedric, she could see that. And the family bond thing just made things worse. Her father’s desire to get back together with his family was getting stronger with each day, now that he was getting old. And her mother’s wish for that to happen was unbreakable.

From her mother’s perspective, she could very well reason with her. She came from a broken home and must have seen what she had also felt in her father, which was why she was very eager. And their only solution was her. The heavy burden lay on her shoulders.

Lucy stood up from the dining area, dejected. Her mother had called her father’s name in a worried tone and he told her she shouldn’t worry, she would come around. They both had sensed her sadness. She had fought many times but failed. Now, she just wanted to be alone. Would she come around? She wondered.

She staggered toward her room and met Ara in the hallway. The girl lowered her head and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. And Lucy grabbed her inside her room and locked the door.

“Y–Young Miss.” Ara cowered with fear evident in her eyes. She quickly looked down again and whispered with teary eyes.

“I–I’m sorry for w–what happened yesterday.”

Sadness engulfed Lucy’s heart and she said. “No, Ara. I should be the one to apologize.”

The maid looked up with widened eyes.

“W… What for?” She asked surprised.

“I’m very sure you know.” Lucy sighed and sat in her bed already exhausted.

The maid bobbed her head as if finally understanding then said, “Y–You shouldn’t apologize for that, I wasn’t also trying to. Some men are like that.”

Lucy’s brows furrowed. “Then what were you apologizing for?”

“I– I saw everything,” Ara stammered. “I wasn’t supposed to but I saw.” She now looked Lucy in the eyes and continued. “When I couldn’t find you in the living room, I thought to look outside. Th– Then I saw that. He was trying to take advantage of you… H–He doesn’t deserve you.”

Then tears started falling from the maid’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry. I’m feeling guilty that I didn’t believe you. Your instincts were right. He isn’t a good person. He’s just trying to take advantage of you.”

“Ara…” Lucy’s lips parted but she couldn’t say more. Her heart twisted and her eyes tinged. How did she know that much? Even she didn’t dare herself to jump to that conclusion. She had come up with many reasons to justify his actions.

“I know those kinds of men. They are full of lies and deceptions. To get what they want, they’ll stop at nothing.”

Lucy gulped. The maid’s words were scaring her. But she could only see sincerity in her eyes. It was as if she was speaking from experience.

“No matter what happens–”The maid reached her side and held her hands. –“Don’t marry him, Young Miss. You can find someone better.”

Lucy stared into the maid’s eyes with a faraway look. Real fear clawed at her heart and she didn’t like the feeling she was having in her stomach.

“If you tell Master what happened, I’m sure he’ll understand,” The maid urged.

Tell her father?

Lucy pried her hands away with a slow shake of her head. She needed to let this sink in first. She knew she didn’t like him and she knew he was dangerous, from yesterday’s experience. But she wasn’t ready to face the reality yet. This was all too much to take in.

“Ara.” She turned to the maid. “Please leave me for a moment.”

The maid gave her a sad look. Or was it pity she also saw in her eyes? Then she stood up and left.

Lucy was left alone with her thoughts. She held her knees and sank into an abyss of emotions. If she told her parents would they believe her? Besides, they thought so highly of him. They might take it as an innocent action between couples. And so far, he didn’t go far. They would think she was just being naïve. What would she do now?

She spent half of the day dejected.

The mansion was eerily quiet. Her parents were busy in the study room discussing her engagement plans and didn’t appreciate her presence. She would be a nuisance and disturb them.

Even Ara had kept her distance and stayed all day at the servants’ quarters. She could understand the girl’s feelings. She must still be shocked by what she witnessed last night.

When Cedric first came with his parents, he had acted like a gentleman and all the servants immediately loved him. None of them would ever expect that, and she was also shaken.

Her eyes strayed to the swing when she walked outside and the scene from yesterday came flooding back. She quickly turned and entered the house without waiting to glimpse it twice.