No Stopping Your Heart

6

Cordy just sat there not sure what they wanted her to do. It was the Duchess of Peterborough who took her from Alex and led her to her room. It would be better for her to show Cordy what happened to her and how she was able to survive it. Before Maggie was able to shut the door, Tory the Duchess of Weston and the twin sister of Victor Valentine made her way in.

"Victor told me I might be able to help."

Maggie nodded she knew the story of Victor's sister and how badly her first season went.

Maggie approached the young girl.

"Cordy? May I call you Cordy?"

Cordy nodded it was alright. Maggie continued.

"I know this a shock and I know how hard this is, and to find out someone in your family wants to hurt you and others is hard to imagine. Simon thought I would be able to help you i understand the guilt your feeling may never go away I know it hasn't gone away for me but I was able to move on and move forward. Here let me show you what I mean."

Maggie had Tory help her take off her dress, so she could show Cordy her scars.

"Cordy look at me look at the scars I carry, they are nothing to the guilt I felt for not saying who did this to me."

Cordy looked up and saw scars all up and down the Duchesses back. Cordy couldn't understand how someone could live through that. She was to find out. Tory helped Maggie redress and they sat down to talk.

"When I was seventeen like you are I was at my first party it was a costume party to be held by the Duke of Peterborough my mother was there also since his wife died she would be his hostess for parties since my father hated hosting them. I was dressed as a boy I was wearing breeches and everything, but George the boy who had tormented me all my life kicked the door in and brutally attacked me with a knife. I don't remember the attack so much he was kind enough to render me unconscious. My mother and the Duke found me almost dead. After the doctor patched me up I was taken home never to return to that house until three and half years later.

Cordy didn't understand.

"Why did you feel guilt you didn't do anything wrong you were the victim?"

Maggie laughed

"If that were only true. I didn't trust anyone with my secret my father called in a favor he asked Simon to train me to defend myself. He was hopping it would encourage me to go back out into the world. I did go back out in the world but as an agent for the crown. I was to ashamed to consider ever marrying and my parents were alright with that. The Late Duke of Peterborough had set up a fund for me so if I never married I would always be able to take care of myself. To get to the point of all this. I had to go back to the scene of the crime under the guise the current Duke of Peterborough was going to escort me for the season I didn't get. What I was there for was to spy on his twin brother George the man who had terrorized me my whole entire life. Because I didn't want to betray family which I considered the Duke and his brother be a whole lot of young woman died because of it. Every year since the anniversary of my attack a young girl the same age as I died. I live with that guilt every day. I will not let you think the pain of someone dying because of you or instead of you goes away it does not but it gets bearable, but it never goes away."

"What happened to him?"

"Well George was killed trying to get away, and the person who killed him torchered him like he had done to me. Simon bless his heart kept everything a secret from the public and no one ever knew what happened to George who was a murder, and traitor to the crown."

Tory smiled at the girl.

"I don't know what we females are thinking when we keep such things to ourselves. Maybe it's because we must prove ourselves to be stronger than what men gives us credit for. When I was eighteen I was tormented by a man who wanted revenge on my brothers. His plan was to get me to fall in love with him and extract his revenge that way. But I had already fell in love with my Angel the Duke of Weston, and I just wasn't interested in the man. He threatened me when that didn't work he threatened my beloved brother and my Duke, still I didn't give in or tell anyone. When he took me and was taking me to Gretna Green I realized I should have told someone what was happening sooner. But I always felt guilty for putting the people I loved the most in danger."

"He carried you off to Gretna Green? How did you get out of that?"

"My angel came and had him dragged off by the authorities and since the vicar refused to let me leave until I was married since he felt I had been compromised by the Viscount my Angel step in and made me his Duchess."

"Oh, how romantic, But I would rather not have such an adventuress courtship."

Both girls laughed at Cordy's comment.

"Thank you so much for sharing with me. I know I am being ridiculous, but I am sure I had nothing to do with any of those women getting hurt, but maybe if I had put two and two together I might have been able to stop some of them from being disfigured. And as for the men I never thought the mutterings of a child would cause a man to be so jealous he would want to kill them. Now I have to worry about Addie since we are being honest here I have fallen in love with and if anyone is in danger it is him."

Both Maggie and Tory patted her hand, assuring her Alex would be alright. After all he was an agent of the crown. Maggie smiled to the young girl.

"We are in this together. We will not abandon you we will stand with you and fight. That is what we do for family, and you are apart of a new family with Simon as the head. Rest assure everything that can be done will be done. I promise."