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Tears burn in my eyes as I slowly force myself to comply. With my ass still on fire from Jasper’s paddle, there is no way in hell I’m risking another spanking so soon.
“Thank you for listening, sweetheart.” Auntie Cat’s voice returns to its previous gentle, cajoling tone as she tugs the brush through the ends of my knotted hair. It’s further testament to how distressed I’ve been all morning that I didn’t give a second thought to how I look. “I’ve always been a bit envious of your hair, you know.”
“What?” Startled, I lift my gaze to meet hers in the reflection. “Me? Seriously?”
“Mmhmm. There was a time I wanted nothing more than to be one of the blonde beauties our circles so covet.” A smirk tugs at her lips. “I grew out of it. But the fact remains that you still have absolutely gorgeous hair.”
“I didn’t think you even knew who I was.” While I had seen her at various social functions over the years, I’d always been too intimidated to actually approach her.
Looking back now, I can’t help but wonder if something in me recognized something in her. Whatever it is inside her that’s brought her to this island with my brother. I’m not the type to be scared of anyone, ever, but I’d always found myself giving Catharina Montgomery a wide berth.
“Of course I knew who you were, silly girl. Elizabeth Carrington’s only daughter, which makes you heiress to a not-unsizeable fortune. An even larger fortune, I imagine, now that you are a Blackwood as well.”
“It should have been. They cut me off.”
The room seems to vibrate with Auntie Cat’s throaty laughter. “Did they, now? Well, that’s understandable I suppose, what with all the trouble you’ve managed to get yourself into the past few years. But you’re here with us now, and your Daddy will take care of everything.”
“But I don’t want him to take care of me.” I’m aware I’m whining, but I can’t seem to help myself. Between the clothes, the spankings, the bottle and the soothing rhythm of the brush running through my hair, I’m starting toactuallyfeel like a child despite myself. “I want to go travel the world and live my fucking life.”
I catch Auntie Cat’s expression in the mirror and notice she’s frowning at me again. The disappointment on her face twists my stomach into knots. “I know full well your Daddy does not allow that kind of language, little girl. Do I need to call him to come wash your mouth out before we go?”
Panic beats at my chest at the memory of the soap burning my throat and nasal passages. Not to mention the horrible taste. I’d do anything to avoid that fate again. “No, Auntie Cat, please don’t! I’m trying to be good, I swear!”
“All right. But if it happens again, I will spank you myself while he scrubs your mouth clean. Understood?”
Whew. A small reprieve, at least. I’ll have to remember to watch myself in front of her in the future. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“That’s a good girl.” Still frowning, she resumes brushing and we sit in silence for a while as she untangles the knots before parting my hair down the middle. “Juliet, what do you think would happen if you returned to New York right this very minute?”
“I guess I’d go home and beg mom and Arthur to help me.” But even as I say the words, a pit forms in my stomach. My parents have already cut me off, which is the whole reason I turned to Jasper in the first place. What makes me think they’ll take me back now?
“Oh, my sweet, naïve Little girl.” Shaking her head, Auntie Cat tucks the brush under one arm and begins twisting half my hair into a complicated braid. “Let me tell you exactly what would happen. If your Daddy gave into your demands, you would be arrested on the spot the moment you stepped off his plane. And unless your parents change their minds about cutting you off completely, you’ll stay in prison until your trial, which could be several months away. If they are willing to pay for a halfway decent lawyer, you may get off with a few years of probation, which means none of that world travel you were just talking about. But most likely you’ll go to jail, and I don’t think I need to tell you that prison would not be kind to a pretty thing like yourself.”
Her words are like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped on my head.
Because she’s right. Even if I could convince Jasper to take me back, and even if everything went my way when I returned, my ruse would be uncovered in a heartbeat. Instead of the tragically missing daughter of a wealthy family, everyone wouldsee me for what I actually am: a wanted fugitive who fled the country while awaiting trial. The media is unlikely to be kind to me, and if public opinion turns on me, the courts very well may follow.
Which means I’m stuck on this island with my fucked-up stepbrother and his equally fucked-up friends. And I have nobody to blame but myself.
Chapter Nine
Juliet
With my hair in two perfect braids down either side of my head, Auntie Cat finally deems me ready to be seen in public. Taking my hand in hers, she leads me back down the stairs to where Jasper is waiting for us in the entryway. Beside him is a tall, broad-shouldered man with hair nearly as dark as Auntie Cat’s.
They both turn as I approach, wide smiles stretching across both their faces.
“Richard!” Letting out a happy squeal, I race for him, giggling as he catches me and spins me around, the way he always has. He and Jasper met in school, and the fact that he was a scholarship kid instead of one of the wealthy elite always was a thorn in our parents’ collective sides.
Which is part of why he’s one of my favorite people in the whole world.
“There’s my favorite brat,” Richard says with a chuckle, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Imagine my surprise when your Daddy told me he was bringing you here.”
My heart drops into my stomach. “Oh my god. Don’t tell me you’re likethem.”
Beside him, Jasper frowns, but Richard just laughs again. “You mean a Daddy? I absolutely am. Alice and I leapt at Jasper’s offer to come to the island. Hopefully one day we’ll have our own Little girl and you two will be best of friends.”
Well, there goes any hope that I might find an ally in Richard. “I wanna get down now, please.”