Page 28 of Reckoning

“You fucked that up when you sided with the Capulets.” My father states.

“You fucked it up yourself.” Darius retorts. “We were doing fine until you got greedy.”

“Greed had nothing to do with it.”

“No?” Darius muses. “Why else did you try to bring in new partners? You tried to sideline me, Horace, that wasn’t a smart move.”

“You think I wouldn’t act?” My father spits. “You think I’d just let it all go?”

“She’s dead.” Darius snaps. “She’s been buried and rotting for more than a decade.”

“Aye, and don’t we know why?”

I don’t know for sure but my gut tells me they mean my mother. That her death started something, or ended something, only I thought she died of a stroke, so how could that possibly be the case?

The door opens.

I blink, stepping back, only just managing to keep the tray straight and to not pour the entire contents onto myself.

“Sofia?” Darius says surprised, with a smile that I’m sure is meant to be disarming. I know he’s a ‘lady’s man’ as they say, I know half the city’s population is in love with him. I just don’t know how to react to such attention, I’m too awkward, too shy.

“What are you doing here?” My father snarls. Yeah, he’s pissed at me.

“You didn’t eat breakfast, or lunch.” I state, trying to avoid Darius as I step into the room. “I thought you might be hungry, or sick…” I add.

“You are lucky to have such a devoted daughter.” Darius murmurs.

My father narrows his eyes, grunting, like can’t even bring himself to pretend that he cares.

I can’t help the shake as I carry the tray and I know the Governor sees it. Does he think I’m afraid of him or does he realise it’s my own father that scares me shitless?

“Here,” Darius says, taking it off me. “It looks far too heavy for you.”

I smile politely, folding my arms. A voice in my head tells me I should go, that I should leave them to it. I’ve seen he’s alive and well so there’s nothing else for me to do. Besides, if I can get out now maybe my father might just let this go, though that’s unlikely.

I take a step back, then another, but Darius is quick to put the tray down and to grab me. His hand latches onto my forearm and he guides me back. “Don’t rush away.” He says in a tone that sounds almost seductive.

I glance at my father and he’s glaring at me but we both know Darius holds the power here.

“You don’t go out.” Darius says to me. “You don’t come to any of our balls, or events.”

“I prefer not to.” I mumble. Jesus, I’m barely eighteen, does he really think I’d be out partying all the time? My cheeks heat at the way he’s looking at me, the way he’s almost devouring me.

“She’s a loner.” My father says in a manner that shows his disapproval. “She always has been.”

I try not to react, not to wince, but as usual he knows exactly how to hurt, how to cut me down. Roman was the popular one. Roman was the society darling. I’ve always been an outcast.

“Maybe we should change that.” Darius says, placing his hands on my hips.

I jolt, something seems to sliver down my spine and I step back to escape him, only he steps forward.

“A beauty such as yourself, you shouldn’t be hiding away.” He looks across at my father who is now on his feet, clearly pissed. “Horace, you should have done better, you should have introduced her to…”

“She’s hardly neglected.” My father snaps. “She had the best governesses, clothes, jewels, I even got her a damned horse, though it cost me a fortune in vets bills.”

Yeah he did, he did all of that but it wasn’t for me. No, it was to pretend to the world that he didn’t love his son and hate his daughter. But more importantly, it was that no one would realise the truth; that no one would realise I wasn’t worthy of being a Montague. That I was faulty. Diseased.

“Pfft,” Darius says dismissively. “What the girl needs is a bit of fun. I doubt being cooped up in this house all day gives her that.”