Escaping in the Pages (Pirates Trilogy #3) by Tropea Ashley

Author:Tropea, Ashley [Tropea, Ashley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

I stood still, my hands clenched so tightly that my nails cut into the skin of my palms. My skirts hid the way terror made my knees tremble, but I was careful to show a brave face as I looked at my father.

He sat in his favorite cushioned chair in front of the drawing room’s fireplace, a book in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other. No other light shone in the room, painting him in menacing shadows.

Mama sat in the sofa across from him, visibly struggling to sew in the meager light, though she wouldn’t dare say anything. She glanced at me only once, before she ducked her head and continued with her task.

“Sorry, I don’t think I’ve understood you correctly,” Papa said.

“Then allow me to be perfectly clear,” I said, my voice strong and sure. “I will not marry James Wilson. I do not love him, and I will not love him. Mama might have been willing to subject herself to a life of misery, but that is not a fate I am willing to endure. I understand if I am no longer a daughter you can be proud of and will accept your disownment, but this marriage will not happen.” I had rehearsed the entire speech in the mirror for a week before I was able to work up the courage to say it to his face, but now that it was out, it felt as if an immense weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I turned in the direction of the door, intent on telling Carter the good news. Though Carter had never mentioned marriage, I knew it must have occurred to him at some time or another, as it had with me on nearly a daily basis. Once he realized James was no longer a suitor, once he realized we were a possibility, he would ask me to marry him. I was sure of it.

But I was halted by my father’s voice.

“Disownment?” He laughed, setting his book down. “Foolish girl, I am not going to disown you.”

Confused, I paused at the door. “You’re not?”

“Of course not. You’re my daughter. You will always be my daughter.” He wore a gentle, calming smile, one I had never seen before.

I faced him full on, curiosity and incomprehension getting the better of me. My eyes darted to Mama’s for just a moment—hoping she’d have some sort of explanation—before they locked back on Papa. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

“No man could be bored with you as a wife,” he continued. “I’m sure you’ll keep James on his toes.”

I hesitated. “Did you not listen to a word I’ve said?”

“Oh, I listened,” he said, taking a sip of his scotch and then standing, facing the fire. “But you are confused. Does she not seem confused, Gwendolyn?”

Mama blinked several times, surprised to hear her name. Her brown eyes met mine frightfully. “You should do what your father says, Elizabeth,” she muttered.

“I will not.” Disregarding her presence entirely, I fixed my gaze on my father’s back.

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