Have Hope

Chapter 9

"Dads. Do you not realize that a child is what you tell them they are? That people almost always become what they are labeled? Was whatever your child just did really the "dumbest thing you've ever seen somebody do"? Was it really the "most ridiculous thing they ever could have done"? Do you really believe that your child is an idiot? Because she now does. Think about that. Because you said it, she now believes it. Bravo."  Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

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Chapter Nine

"Olivia?" gasped Faith. "Can it be?"

"Hello, Aunt Anne," Olivia greeted quietly as she stood from her chair.

Kit saw his mother flinch at the sound of what was once her name. She had not been Anne for many, many years. This negative reaction, slight as it was, made Cassian all the more angry.

Kit did not feel apologetic, however. He felt protective. It seemed instinctual to place himself between Cassian and Olivia. His father's prejudice towards her purely because her surname was Pendleton was now ridiculous.

"I thought I made my position on this subject clear, Kit," Cassian said firmly. He was doing well to control his tone. "She was not to come anywhere near your mother. What is she doing here?" he demanded to know.

Kit's eyes narrowed. "Olivia is not here to see Mother," he retorted. Kit had never spoken to his father with even the slightest tone of contempt. But he could not simply stand by and let Olivia be treated as such, no matter what his father thought.

Kit suddenly realised that he cared more about Olivia's honour than he did his father's rules.

"She is here as my guest," Kit continued.

"Perhaps I ought to leave..." Olivia said quietly.

"Please. Don't," Kit instructed, holding out his hand, his eyes not leaving his father's. Cassian's eyes were naturally black, which only made them seem all the more angry when he was glaring at Kit in such a way.

Faith helped Cassian to sit down on the wooden chair that was situated beside the door of the study. She still looked positively shocked to see Olivia. Perhaps they had not seen each other since Olivia was a child.

"You understood why such an attachment could not continue, Kit," Cassian said intensely. "You promised me that you would never enter into such an attachment. You understood why I could never allow for one of the Pendletons to be brought back into your mother's life."

Kit understood his father's deep need to protect Faith from anything and everything. Faith came first in Cassian's eyes, and Kit respected the deep love that his parents had for each other. Kit understood the threat Cassian saw from the Pendletons, but he had never verbally promised to stay away from Olivia. Perhaps he had known on some level that he would never be able to keep such a promise.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Faith asked Cassian impatiently.

Cassian ignored her, his ire still focussed on Kit. "How could you deliberately disobey in this way?" Cassian sounded deeply betrayed, and that tone felt like a knife wound.

Before Kit could respond, Olivia had stepped around him. Olivia's hands were on her hips and she had determination in his eyes. Kit should have known better than to think Olivia needed his protection.

"Mr Kensington, I would appreciate it if you would not refer to my surname as though it reflects my character," she snapped.

Cassian did not back down. "You are inconsequential, my dear, and I do not mean any offense. For your surname includes your parents, and any involvement you have with my son only invites those people back into my wife's life, which is something I will never allow." Cassian's attention returned to Kit. "I thought my son understood that."