Page 3 of Blackmailing the Denton Girl (The Denton Family Legacy)

Before she was married to Mason, Landon had called her to check in. She told him what was happening, and he had every intention of coming to save her. Tamsin refused. She wanted him to be safe. He’d protected her and now it was her turn to protect him.

During the wedding, the Savonases and Dentons looked so happy, so smug with the proceedings. Paul Savonas had been there, and during their dance he had told her quite clearly he loved that she returned.

In the two years she’d been married to Mason, he’d kept his word. Paul hadn’t touched her. Neither had Mason, even though to both families, their wedding night had been consummated.

She and Mason had been sent to the bedroom, and it was just sick and twisted how some of the men had cheered. They wanted the marriage bound, and the only way to guarantee it was with the spillage of blood. Mason cut the inside of his thigh and placed the blood on the sheets. They sat an hour in the bedroom, neither speaking. Well, Mason had tried to make conversation, she’d curled up in the corner far away from him. He had then presented the sheets to the family.

Tamsin hadn’t gone downstairs the following morning, opting to stay upstairs. She refused to see her mother and sisters-in-law. There was no way she was going to deal with their pity or anything they had to say, so she ignored them all.

Arms folded, she looked out at the sun-kissed garden, and she wanted out there so badly. Mason was still at home. He’d returned last night from a business trip. Whenever he was home for any length of time, she had promised herself to always stay in her room. To avoid seeing him.

The garden looked so inviting, and being locked up in her bedroom during the height of summer wasn’t exactly thrilling.

There’s nothing wrong with me going outside.

I’m just being stubborn.

It is perfectly okay for me to enjoy the garden.

And so, grabbing her sunglasses from the bedside table and donning a pair of flip-flops, she made her way out of the bedroom.

Several of the guards visibly looked shocked at the sight of her. They had grown used to her “childish behavior”—Mason’s words, as well as her brothers’—not hers.

She didn’t consider her behavior childish, she felt it was more fitting to the life she didn’t want. Why pretend to be happy? She wasn’t. She hated this life. There was no freedom here. She couldn’t walk the streets, greet people, and just live.

No, there were guards and permissions. She had grown to love the life as Tanya Davis. Every second there had been a breath of fresh air.

Not now. This was a nightmare. Guards were everywhere. Even at night, there were always a couple posted outside her door. Sometimes she heard them talking, other times, she attempted to drown them out. It wasn’t always easy. None of this was easy.

She hated this life so much.

Ignoring Mason’s open office door, she slipped right on past and went straight toward the back patio doors that led outside into the warm air.

The house was warm. They only ever put the air conditioner on at night, which was driving her a little crazy. No doubt about it, she loved being outside.

She walked straight past the guards and stepped onto the garden lawn. Mason had a lovely gardener, David. He was a sweet old man in his sixties, and he loved tending the garden. He held a wealth of knowledge about flowers, plants, and everything in between. Tamsin often assisted him in gardening. She never enjoyed it when she was younger, and her mother wouldn’t allow it.

David didn’t seem to mind her company and her constant questions. She had come to learn that he installed a kitchen garden as well as a flower and herb garden. Just the other week, she was out there with him, harvesting some peas for the meal. She loved that, and it kind of helped her feel like her old self for a few hours.

Tanya was free.

Tamsin was trapped.

Since it was Sunday, David was not on the grounds to do the gardening. She was alone. Taking her shoes off the moment she got a couple of feet onto the ground, she closed her eyes, tilting her head up to the sky.

Yesterday, she spent the whole day in the garden while David pruned the herb plants. She loved to run her hands through them. David had insisted she do that, to get a real sense for the scent of the plants. Sometimes, he would pick some of the fruits and leaves for her to try. She had come to learn quite quickly what she liked and didn’t like.

She was also aware that David didn’t like to use chemicals and always attempted organic gardening over anything else.

Dropping to the ground, she sat with her legs crossed, running her hands across the grass, loving the feel of it beneath her fingers. In moments like this, she could pretend her life was normal, or close to normal, that she didn’t have anything to fear.

It was all lies. There was so much to fear.

She hadn’t heard from Landon in a long time, mainly because she had told him to stop calling her. She wouldn’t risk his life. Tamsin would do anything to protect her brother. After all, he did what he could to save her.

She felt tears fill her eyes. The last thing she ever wanted to be was a spoiled brat, and she knew some people would deem her behavior as exactly that. She was so alone, so lost, so terrified, every single hour of every single day.

Anyone could try to kill her.

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