The Fire Inside

Chapter 29

You opened your eyes, you were grateful that it was dark, the room only illuminated by a lantern. It was the only thing you were grateful for. The darkness eased the pain ripping through your head, although it didn't do much for your throbbing face, where your grandfather had hit you. You recognised the room, almost instantly. It was the room in the lodging house, where you had stayed whilst working at the stables.

You tried to move, but your hands were bound behind your back, and no surprise, your ankles were tied together too. You still wore the Dress that Josiah had bought for you, the gloves were on the side table. You knew that already though, as you could feel the rope cutting into your wrists.

As you heard the door opening, your gaze snapped in that direction. You watched as your grandfather, and the woman who owned the lodging house walked in.

She scowled at you, "do you require anything thing else, Mr McMahon," she asked, glancing at your grandfather.

"No thank you," he replied.

She looked at you, and rolled her eyes, "Billy!" she hissed under her breath, as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

You narrowed your eyes, and glared at your grandfather, "why, why are you doing this, have you got no feeling for me at all?" you hissed.

Your grandfather laughed mirthlessly.

"You stupid, naive little girl, you have no idea do you," he mocked.

You glared at him, "you must really hate me."

He shook his head, "I neither love nor hate you, Blair. You are merely a business deal, you always have been, from the day you were born!"

You stared at him, incredulously, "what do you mean, my mother never would have agreed to what your doing!" you scoffed.

Your grandfather hummed. "You're right, she didn't. Which is why she had to be disposed of. You didn't really think your white trash of a father had the brains to come up with the plan, nor his hick of a girlfriend. They were happy to carry it out though, even for that shithole of a ranch in the mountains!"

"You...You, it was you all along," you sobbed, "you killed your own daughter!"

He rolled his eyes, "If she hadn't been so goddamn stubborn, she'd still be alive. If you hadn't been such a nosy eavesdropper, then you wouldn't have run off. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree there!"

Tears ran down your face, as you sobbed. What sort of family had you been born into. You blinked back the tears, "He won't let you get away with it, he'll come and find me!" you hissed.

Your grandfather chuckled. "You were good, Blair. Credit where credit is due, you were always one step ahead of me, you and you're outlaw's. I picked the wrong gang though. When I found out you'd made it to you're fathers ranch in the mountain, I made an arrangement with Colm O 'Driscoll. He was to grab you, and kill your father and his whore. Didn't plan on Dutch Van Der Linde coming to the rescue, like a knight in fucking shining armour! Then when his idiot English accomplice tried to con me with the goldmine, I played dumb. Figured when he tried to marry you for the money, I'd grab you. Only he didn't did he."

You scowled at him, "you shouldn't expect people to be as vile as you. He didn't even want the money, he wanted me!"

Your grandfather laughed, "of course he wanted the money, that's why he won't come and get you. I left a little pay-off with Angelo Bronte, to give to your outlaw. Just watch him take the money and run."

Your face paled, "he won't," You whispered, "he loves me."

"Of course he does, as long as you have your little nest egg waiting. Were you really stupid enough to think he wanted you, look at you, you're worthless, ugly little whore. You couldn't even look after yourself when you tried to make it alone. Billy Adams for Christs sake!" He scoffed.

"You knew?" You cried, your voice cracking at your grandfathers cruel comments.

He rolled his eyes, "of course I knew, the same as these fine people knew you weren't a boy. I missed grabbing you by one day, one fucking day!" he growled.

"Well I hope your business partner isn't expecting a virgin, because if he is, he'll be fucking disappointed," you snarled.

You watched at your grandfather's face turned red with anger. He walked over and slapped you hard around the face. You felt blood, on your lip.

"You fucking little whore," he growled. "but I don't really care, once your married to him, your money becomes his, he can fuck you, kill you or sell you to Alberto Fussar to work on his plantation in Guarma for all I care. I doubt he'll even want to look at you, you're disgusting! But tomorrow you will be marrying Leviticus Cornwall, even if I have to drag you down the aisle in chains," he hissed.

He walked towards the door, "sleep well," he scoffed, "you have a big day tomorrow, Princess!"

He walked out the room closing the door behind him, you heard a click, as the door locked. Even if you could get free of these ropes, there was no way you would get out of this room.

You glanced to the other side of the room, you couldn't believe it. He'd actually left a wedding dress, laid on the chair, as if to torment you. You licked the blood from the corner of your mouth. You closed your eyes, sobbing to yourself. This was it, this was the end of your life. Maybe your grandfather was telling the truth, why would anyone want you, the way you looked right now. Unless it was for the money. Now your grandfather had paid them off, you were well and truly alone. You felt tears running down your cheeks. You closed your eyes, as you cried yourself to sleep.