Just For Tonight

Mini Chap 18

"My goodness!!! This isn't possible!!!"

"Are you telling us that you need to talk to Miss Lillian after what you did to her?"

"I admit that I-"

"You have no right to do this to her, Sir!"

"We won't allow you even a glimpse of Miss Lillian until you will give us a damned explanation that would let us yield! That girl has been through so much her whole life."

 She woke up from unconsciousness by loud noises in front of her room. Her head felt heavy, her mind reeling with the events that happened before she blacked out. 

"I can't give you an explanation, because I have no idea why she left, Mr. Hathaway."

That voice, so everything was real. He is here. In Aspen. To find her.

She was suddenly alert and was on her way to the door when the next statement stopped her.

"What in God's name........are you married?"

"GOODNESS!"

She held her breath and her grip on the knob tightened.

"Wha-No. Of course not."

Anger boiled up from inside her and she swiftly opened the door to face the three people arguing beyond her room.

"No. But he's going to. Am I right, Marcus Westcliff?"

Two sets of glares aside from Lillian's pointed at Marcus. But he didn't care about that, his relief that she was fine have filled him. He cannot keep his eyes from staring at Lillian's with yearning. 

Those eyes threatened to thaw her resolve again. She willed herself to keep her ground, "Why are you here, Marcus Westcliff?"

Her voice saying his name, even with the fury mixed within those words made him smile. "To find you, of course."

A frown crept in Lillian forehead when she heard the relief in his voice. 

Cynthia Hathaway couldn't endure the tension any further, "Miss Lillian, will you be fine with yourself talking to this man or should we keep stead behind you?"

She wanted to chase him away badly, but seeing him again like this, she was almost tempted to forget everything and draw her arms around him. She couldn't believe she was as weak as this.

Shaking her head, she took a breath and faced the concerned housekeepers, "Can I have a moment alone, please. We will be talking in the veranda."

She started walking and stopped, looked back at the housekeepers and gave them a reassuring smile, "I hope we can have hot chocolate in 10 minutes too, Cynthia, if you would be so kind. Thank you."

That elderly housekeepers looked at each other in unwavering concern for the young lady. 

"Anyway, we will just be below them in the kitchen. It would be a shouting distance should she need us."

They left hesitantly, intent on keeping guard of the Bowman girl they learned to care.