Page 96 of Sacrificing the Untamed Lady Henrietta
Slowly, they began to make their way towards the two figures. They had almost reached the entrance to the bridge, when a voice called out through the still night.
“That is far enough,” Gerome shouted. “One more step, and I will push her. There is a rope around her neck, and she will hang if you disobey.”
Henrietta stood on the edge of the outer balustrade, her body shaking unsteadily. Her wide gaze turned towards her father in desperation, a soft sob rasping from the back of her throat. Her mouth opened, as if she wished to say something, but Gerome tugged violently on the rope and silenced her in one swift movement. She choked, her hands scrabbling at the cord. A moment later, he loosened his hold, allowing her to breathe.
Aaron froze, the others stopping beside him. “We will not move, Gerome,” he promised.
“So, you have come to save her, have you?” Gerome spat, his glinting eyes turned towards Aaron. “You would rescueher. She is precious to you, is she not?”
“Gerome, please. She is my daughter.”
“You show concern for her, yet you showed none for me,” Gerome replied sharply. “You showed none to my mother, whose only mistake in life was to love you. She trusted you, and you abandoned us both.”
“What?” Aaron murmured, frowning in confusion. “I do not understand. Release my daughter, and we may discuss this further.”
“No, we will talk under my terms. I am finished with being subservient. I will follow no more orders,” he shot back. “If I do not like your answers, your daughter’s life will be forfeit.”
Aaron’s mind felt foggy and disoriented. “I do not understand, Gerome. Who are you? Tell me, so we might talk more—so I might resolve this peacefully.”
“You are not a creature of peace,General. You are a creature of war, who only understands violence and suffering,” Gerome seethed. “That is why it has to be this way. Otherwise, you will not be punished for your crimes. Otherwise, my mother will never have her vengeance.”
Something clicked inside Aaron’s head. “You are French, are you not?”
“Do you finally recognize me?” Gerome’s tone was bitter and mocking.
“Your last name is Buffond?”
“At last… he sees me. The ghost of his past.”
A memory flitted back into Aaron’s mind, from long ago. He had been a younger man then, though he had not been as impulsive as some. In the midst of war, with chaos raging all around them and no end in sight, he had sought comfort in the arms of a beautiful young woman. She had lived in a nearby village that they had recently freed, and though their romance had been fleeting, he had cared for the girl deeply.
Seraphine Buffond. I remember you now… I looked for you. I looked for the boy. Oh, what the years have done to you. Would you believe me now, if I sought to make amends?
“Where is Seraphine?” Aaron asked, the memory causing his heart to twist with guilt and regret. He had truly searched for the boy and his mother, but they had been moved on so many times that he did not know where to find them. And when he had finally returned, nobody could tell him where they were.
“Dead,” Gerome said bluntly. “She died of grief.”
“I am sorry, Gerome.”
“It is much too late for sorry, Father,” he cut coldly. “Now, you will suffer as I suffered.”
“I cared about your mother, Gerome,” Aaron went on, buying some time. “You may not believe me, but I did. My battalion was moved on after the fighting ended near your village. I tried to find you in the years that followed, but nobody knew anything of you or your mother. It was as if you had vanished.”
Gerome scowled, tugging tighter on the rope around Henrietta’s neck. “You lie.”
“No, I do not. If you would release my daughter, I can show you the proof,” he explained. “I have documents that detail my search for you. They are dated. I truly scoured France for you.”
“Well, I was not in France,” Gerome hissed. “I was transferred to Guernsey. I lived my entire childhood in an orphanage, alone and mistreated. I did not know what it meant to be clean until I was ten-and-five, and I ran from that place for good. I never knew affection. My mother was gone. My father did not return. I have lived enough, and this shall be my final act.”
“I did not know, Gerome. I did not know. But Ididattempt to find you, I swear it on my life.”
He smirked. “Would you swear it on your daughter’s life?”
“Gerome, you must stop this. If you let her go, then we may speak. I realize that I cannot repair the wounds of bygone years, but I can promise to start afresh. I will do what I can to make amends, but youmustrelease Henrietta.”
He tugged the rope again, to prove his intent. Henrietta spluttered. At Aaron’s side, Ewan bristled, his hands balling into fists.
“Do not behave rashly, or he may kill her,” Aaron whispered.
