Chapter 4

For a moment, Ava was totally speechless. The next second, she stood rightaway. "You are wrong, mother! He tried to rape me. He hit my face, he called me whore!" She was thinking to tell mother he insulted her too, and Del, but she didn't want to hurt her feeling. Mother looked surprised.

"Did he?"

"Yes, and it was not just rough... or passionate like you just said. It was horrible, and violent, and..." she tried to find the right word.

"Totally evil."

Desiree frowned at her last word and fell silent. Ava got a bad feeling that her mother didn't believe her.

"Mother" she started to pace back and forth across the room. "You should believe me. I'm not that naive that I don't know the difference between forcing and seducing. You have no idea what I've undergone just now..."

Finally, mother gave a reply.

"We should tell your father. Tomorrow."

Soon after mother left her room, Polly, her personal maid since she was twelve came to help her undress. She told her rightaway, Polly had been a loyal and caring maid, and also her best friend as well. She couldn't keep a secret from her.

"Jeez!" Polly gasped in shock as she told her the details. "That man is totally an asshole!" Seemed like Polly trusted her more than her mother.

"You must be very shocked. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Polly asked.

Ava shook her head. "Thank you, Polly. I'm all right now. Go back to sleep."

Ava tossed and turned all night, couldn't have an hour of sleep. The incident was flashing over and over again in her mind. She couldn't wait to tell father. Definitely he must beat Roger to a pulp. She drifted to slumber at the dawn out of exhaustion, but she woke up after three hours, rising from her bed instantly. The sun was already high. She rushed downstairs and saw her mother sitting on a couch admiring two big bouquets of flowers.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Mother greeted her cheerfully. "Your fiance have sent you his apology. Look how beautiful this flowers are... they must be very expensive... and he sent another for me as well. How delightful of him!"

"Mother!" She couldn't help screaming. "Don't you understand? That jerk has tried to rape me!"

"Ava!" Her mother exclaimed. "Lower your voice, and never say that foul word again!"

"Calm down, ladies." Father appeared at the stairway. "Ava, go have your breakfast now, we shall talk later. And you, darling, I need to talk to you in my study."

Ava just opened her mouth to reply, but her father gave her an indisputable gaze. Her mother rose from the couch and followed him to the study. Certainly mother had told him.

Restless, Ava forced herself to sit on the dining table. A maid served her breakfast. She managed to have a few bites, but shortly she left her meal unfinished and paced to the study. The door was slightly open and she overheard their conversation.

"... don't believe it either. Roger is very gentle and polite. He won't do such a thing." Her mother's voice.

"I believe she is making a reason to call it off. She has been reluctant since she found that Roger is marrying her for money."

Desiree sighed. "That child and her romantic ideal. I'm afraid that it would disappoint her very badly someday. Nobody can have it all. We just have to deal with it. She wants a proper marriage and we've tried our best to fulfill her wish. Now she denies it because the man is not a perfect Prince Charming."

"If she wants a proper marriage, it's her only chance. Nobody would ever be willing to marry her thereafter if she left Roger. It would be a terrible scandal."

She stormed to the room, startled her parents. "Why you don't believe me? I've never lied to you both. I swear I'm not making reason, I'd been willing to marry him until last night..." Recalling the terrifying moment still made her shivered. "He is a beast! He was not just trying to rape me, he hit me on my face, he spat on me, he called me and mother and Del, whores!"

"Enough!" His father snapped at her, Ava jolted in shock. Father had never been harsh to her.

"You said he hit you on your face? He forced to undress you? Come here."

Ava walked reluctantly toward her father. He grasped her chin and tilted her head up.

"I don't see the slightest bit of bruise if he had hit you very hard." He said sharply.

"And I had your dress checked. Had he tried to undress you in a violent way, it must have been shredded or torn at least."

"But I'm not lying!!!" She shouted.

A soft knock at the door interrupted in a sudden. Their gazes turned to the door. It slowly opened a little, the butler said awkwardly.

"I'm sorry Your Grace, Lord Roger Irving is waiting to see you in the guest room."

Desiree rose from her seat instantly and grasped her elbow.

"He must come to see you. We shouldn't make him wait. Wear a pretty dress and style your hair, darling. You will accept his apology gracefully."

Ava jerked her hand from her mother's grip. "I don't need to be pleasing to his eyes."

"For God sakes, you want him to see you like this? In robes and slippers?" Mother exclaimed.

"Obey your mother, young lady." His father glared at her. "You may very well dislike him, but in this house, you will show him minimal civility one has to offer an unwanted guest."

Mother dragged her upstairs and had Polly dressed her and styled her hair. Looking at Ava's reflection in the mirror, mother looked satisfied.

"Gorgeous. Thank you, Polly. You may leave now."

That meant there was something she wanted to talk to her. As soon as the door closed, Desiree turned Ava to face her.

"Listen, darling. I know what you're feeling now. It must be difficult for you to understand, especially when you've been sheltered from the world for all your life... I've been restrictive to you and your sister, because I don't want you both to experience what I had been through."

"I know you don't want it either. You don't want to spend the rest of your life hidden in a strange place. Love itself is not enough for you. You aspire something bigger. You want a respectable life. That was what you said to me, wasn't it?"

Desiree took her hands and held it in her lap.

"This might be your only chance, darling. Promise me you'll accept his apology and not make a scene. Promise me you'll behave like a real lady."

Behave like a real lady? She recalled all his words last night vividly. "You want to play a lady? You can't! And you'll never be."

Anger burned inside as she paced to her father's study behind her mother. The butler opened the door for them and she saw Roger rightaway, sitting across her father. His head was bandaged. He turned and rose from his seat as soon as Ava and her mother walked in.

"Good morning, my ladies. How wonderful to meet you." Roger showed his brilliant smile.

"Glad to meet you too, my Lord" Desiree gave a symphatetic gaze at his condition and Roger took her hand, kissing it lightly with the utmost politeness.

He moved to take Ava's hand as well but she stepped back hastily, avoiding his touch.

Roger smirked. "I've had upset you so bad. Please accept my apology, my love."

"Don't you dare touch me." She hissed, looking right into his eyes. How could she ever consider him a handsome man? His hypocrite face was extremely disgusting.

"You want to play a gentleman? You can't! And you'll never be. You're just an insufferable parasite cad."

"Ava!!!" Her mother screamed, almost hysterical. "Such a vulgar choice of words! Please accept our apology, my Lord."

Ava took a great satisfaction to see his face darkened. He was strucked by her words as much as she was. Roger managed to smile.

"There's no need, you have done nothing wrong, my lady." He responded to Desiree, giving her a reassuring gaze.

"Ava" her father exclaimed. "I've heard from Roger about the incident last night. It was merely a misunderstanding. Roger didn't try to molest you."

"Father! You trusted him over me, your own child? He is a liar!"

"Ava! Hold your tongue! You... You're humiliating us!" Desiree was as pale as a plain paper.

"There's a more important matter right now. Rumour has spread that you and Roger were caught in an uncompromising situation last night. Lord and Lady Crane testified that they saw you running from a room with disheveled appearance." Father glared at her.

She remembered the old couple she passed by in the corridor. Why hasn't it occured to her before that there were witnesses to support her?

"You see? I'm not lying. There are eye witnesses. He has done horrible things to me, he frightened me to death!"

Ava turned to face Roger. "The witnesses will testify against you. Do you know what it means?"

Ava was just about to say "Marriage is off" when she heard father said.

"It means the marriage should be advanced. I will obtain a special license by the end of the week. You're going to be married in three days."

"What?!!" Ava's eyes widened in great shock.

"I'm looking forward to the days when you'll be mine, my sweet little love."

Roger smiled at her. "Lucky me, I don't have to wait too long."

"Never in a million years." Ava glowered at him. "You want to abuse me while you're leeching off my father at the same time, you bloodsucker asshole!"

Something like anger flashing in his eyes though he managed to stay cool, Ava knew she had stung his pride. Had she pushed him more, maybe he would lose his temper like yesterday. If he struck her before her parents, they would finally find what sort of man he truly was.

"Enough!" Father snarled like a wounded animal.

"Another word from you, and I swear there will be consequences."

Desiree rushed to her side and dragged her out swiftly.

"Have a seat, Roger." The duke motioned to the couch as he sat back. "We have matters to discuss regarding the marriage."

*****