Page 24 of Tainted Reasoning

“Sorry, my lady, I wasn’t aware you were in here.” The chef bows. “Is there something you need? Breakfast?”

“No, it’s fine. We’ll get out of your way. I’m sure you don’t need me with my non-existent cooking skills in your kitchen.”

“It’s not a problem. If you and Miss Bennett need to talk, I can prepare ingredients in the pantry for now,” the chef replies as he backs out toward the kitchen door.

“Thank you,” Victoria tells him, and he disappears. She turns to me again, and it’s all I can do to hold back the tears I’ve been wanting to let flow for the last twenty-four hours.

“Was it consensual? The sex…and the choking?”

“I pleaded with him to do whatever he needed to me.”

“That doesn’t mean it was right. Did you ask him to stop?”

“No, that’s the thing,” I say and finally take a sip of my coffee, which is now cool enough. “I enjoyed it. It scared the hell out of me, but it was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”

“Wow.” Victoria stares at me with her mouth wide open.

“Can I ask you something?” I inquire hesitantly.

“You can. It’s not a guarantee I’ll answer, though.”

“Is Nicholas rough?”

Victoria lets out a long exhale. “The thing you have to understand about the Cavendish boys is that virtually all the maternal figures in their life have been abused women. It’s the norm to them. For a long time, Nicholas knew what he was doing was wrong, but the pressure he was under and the lack of maternal love meant he couldn’t stop what was happening. That doesn’t mean he’s ever left me as bruised as William has you.”

My eyes narrow at Victoria, knowing exactly what Nicholas did to her when they first met.

“Ok, yeah he branded me and led me around in a scold’s bridle while his band of merry men whipped me. That’s what I mean, though. No matter how much they care for a woman, it’s hard for them after so many years of abuse to initially behave appropriately. Many people would say it should be instantaneous and they are monsters for not immediately protecting us, but their father’s way of life is so ingrained into them they struggle to see past it. Unable to believe in a potential normality until they’ve worked through everything else. Their father skewed their moral compass and for all the brashness Nicholas, especially, likes to portray, underneath he’s just a man trying to find his way in a fucked-up world.”

“Their father really did a number on them both,” I say woefully and finish my coffee while Victoria swallows the last mouthful of her tea.

“He did. Nicholas still struggles some days, but I’ve no worries about him being a good father despite his own father’s influence. Of course, William has had to adjust to so much more. He’s had to deal with his autism, and the fact he was locked away for so long, as well as coping with the violence he himself experienced and saw his father expend at every turn. His heart is good, though. He saved me when he could have so easily treated me like the others did. He had plenty of opportunities to rape me if he’d truly been the monster he now thinks he is, but he didn't. That shows the real truth of him. He just needs some time to come to terms with all the changes around him.”

“So, I’ve not set him back by sleeping with him.”

“No. You’ve given him food for thought.”

“I hope so.” I reach forward and squeeze her hand.

“Thanks, Ria.”

“You’re my best friend. I’m always going to help you.”

Victoria winks at me and gets to her feet. “Speaking of food for thought, I had an idea in the night and wanted to run it by your legal brain. Come with me.”

I follow my best friend as she meanders through the seemingly endless corridors of Oakfield Hall. It’s lovely to see her in her element as the mistress of this place. It must be hard for her to love the building after all the history the four walls have seen, but somehow, she seems to soften the harsh exterior. She finally stops in front of a door marked as the ‘Duke’s Office’. She pushes it open, and I see two desks facing each other in the middle of the room. The one to the left of me has a pile of papers with a half-empty brandy glass placed on top. It’s the more masculine of the two desks. The other one has a white folder covered in roses on it as well as a small vase with a single, fresh red rose. This is obviously Victoria’s desk. Nobody else would have rose stationery. She’s obsessed with the flower. Picking up the folder, she flicks through it.

“Nicholas has managed to get most of the members of the society to sign up to the new rules. Many of them were thankful for the change. Abusing women didn’t sit well with them. However, a few have been a bit more hesitant. Nicholas has barred them from all meetings, but he’s been following their actions closely, and it looks like they are going to try to start causing trouble. We could have all the assets they want to use frozen by illegal means, but that gives them fuel against us. We want to try to do everything as legally as possible, and that is where you come in.” Victoria pauses and hands me a piece of paper. “Can you figure out a legal way to suspend any funds these people have?”

I look down at the list. It consists of a few names, but two stand out to me, in particular. Lord West and Viscount Hamilton. I know Lord West from stories about one of the girls who disappeared, and Viscount Hamilton is Victoria’s father, of course.

“You want me to go against your father?” I look up from the list to Victoria.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” she says matter of factly, but I can tell it’s hurting her. He’s still her father, no matter what he did to her. She does have some good memories of him being a caring parent toward her. In fact, we both do while growing up together.

“This could harm Theo in the end.”

“I know. When Nicholas eventually allows me to visit my father’s estate, I want to try and talk to my brother. See if I can explain to him everything that’s happened.”

“It might not be that easy.”

“We have to do this, Tamara. We have to put a stop to what they are doing. Not just for the sake of the women involved, but for Nicholas and William too. They’re out from under their father’s shadow and can finally be their own men, but if my father has his way, he’ll destroy them, so he can hold all the power and be able to do whatever he wants with women, again. I know his true colors now.”

I look down at the names on the paper and back up to my friend. Ideas start to form in my head about what can be done to ruin the names and freeze the assets of these powerful, evil men.

“I’ll do it.”

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