ProserpinaI felt the white light around me fade away gradually.A sense of being in unexplored lands overcame me. I saw myself turning away, facing a land that lay in front of me, familiar and new, all at once.And then I was opening my eyes slowly.My heart swelled with trepidation and a deep unrest, a disquiet. And with it, a longing. A desire to return.Return where? asked my rational brain, kicking in at once.I opened my eyes slowly.*Cautiously.*My first thought was,” Where was I?”The room was unfamiliar. White walls, cool air…I squinted and winced. My body, especially my stomach, felt as though I had been under a road roller. The thoughts began to swirl in my head.What was I doing, lolling about in bed?I needed to fix breakfast; where was Claude…?And the twins? What about them? Was Lucien back home from wherever he had gone?Urgently, galvanised into action, I tried to swing my legs over the bed, but my body was too heavy.My legs refused to cooperate.And a large, d
LucienHe had just gotten off the phone with his children back in the mansion at Hollowford.Understandably, Ria was slightly piqued to hear that she had a baby sister. She took it to mean that there would be a contender for her father’s attention.She had had visions of lording it amongst an all-boys crew.Now …*But she had perked up when he had slyly insinuated that she could of course be the one in charge on account of her being the eldest.Immediately, she had bounced back, cheerful as ever.*But when she mentioned Paddy, the little autistic nephew of Sophia, he had been furious. The boy was still in his home although his aunt had been captured and was in one of his cells. Beatrice had said firmly that it was what Proserpina would have wanted.“The boy shall be sent away.” he snapped, thinking of how Sophie’s actions had resulted in so much pain and trouble for Proserpina.“No, Pappa.” said Ria earnestly. “Paddy loves Mumma. And Mumma adores him too. You know that.”And then, i
LucienHe stared, transfixed as his wife gently opened her robe, her eyes lovingly fixed on the little mite’s face. As she brought her large teat to the little one’s mouth, there was a change in him. He all but whimpered as he took her nipple in his mouth and began to suck greedily.Proserpina laughed; a breathless sound that caught in her throat and she looked across at him. The tender expression on his usually harsh face caught her unawares and she smiled, her dimples appearing. Even with her yellowing, fading bruise and her cut lip and haggard look after her dreadful experience, in Lucien’s eyes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.He knew that he wanted to hold her in his arms and keep her beside him forever. *Lucien had been plagued by thoughts of uneasiness. of guilt, as he sat, those long hours, beside her bed, holding her hand, talking to her, while she was unconscious.Seeing her like that, her body attached to tubes, he had been inundated with guilt. Initiall
Proserpina I was yet to see the rest of Lucien’s ‘crew’ as he called them drily. So I was thrilled to know they were finally going to be permitted to come and visit me that afternoon.I was freshly bathed and the nurse had brushed out my hair, the long mahogany tresses finally feeling shiny and clean beamed the nurse, whose name was Camilla. Gently, carefully, she smoothed out the wild tangles.She commented on my husband.“Mr. Dello, he very much older than you?’ I smiled at her choice of expression, her curiosity and shook my head. Lucien was close to two decades older than me but in my eyes, he was all that I ever wanted. Every time she called him Mr Dello, I had the desire to laugh. *My babies were in cots in the same room as I. Now they slept in identical postures, mouths puckered, eyes squeezed shut, small pink fists clenched, the small fluff of blonde hair on their little heads. My heart went out to them. I had been shifted to a larger, VIP room, on the recommendation of Ma
ProserpinaI stared at him in bewilderment. Astonishment had me floored and then, as his words sank in, I whispered, in shock and the rage flooded through me.‘SHARE?’I stepped closer to him, feeling the blood pounding in my head.After all that I had gone through with him, THIS was all he could think of? His stupid jealousy?And God knows, it had already all but torn us apart.*LucienHe knew he had said the worst thing possible when he saw the change in her face. Her eyes flashed in anger, her chest heaved ad she moved towards him, the tips of her large breasts almost touching him. She looked magnificent but her voice was glacial as she began to speak, her voice low and vibrating in fury.*‘SHARE? Did you just say, SHARE?’Her breath came in shallow gasps as she tried to control herself. Gripping the side of the bed, she went on, holding herself up regally,“Lucien Delano.’ she said fiercely, ‘Listen to me because this is definitely the last time I am going to say this to you.’
LucienHe stared at Aiyana in some astonishment, bristling.NO one had ever dared to speak to him like that before, in such a peremptory manner.As he glared at her she turned to Schwartz.“Can you leave us, please?”she said in a peremptory tone.James Schwartz nodded slightly, looking shamefaced. Lucien guessed that she had possibly had a similar talk with him.“Mate, listen to her,“ he said gruffly and strode away, hands in pockets.*Aiyana turned to fix him with a cold, hard gaze.Danielle hovered around.“Proserpina has gone through hell,” she said in a low, intense voice.”And she is probably never going to forget what she went through,” she went on through gritted teeth. As he scowled and opened his mouth to snap at her, she held up her hand imperiously.“Don’t give me cr*p: I have seen victims of kidnappings, they can never be the same.”Her black eyes were like live coals, as she stared at him and said sadly,‘They are damaged.”He stopped in mid-sentence, his body going cold.
ProserpinaI lay on the bed, listlessly.I felt Camilla’s eyes on me. She knew that I was feeling upset but I had realised that the big woman with the strong features and the brusque manner, was actually a kind, caring soul.She came closer, holding my littlest child in her arms.“Do you want to hold the baby?” she asked, “I know he is your favourite.”It was untrue, I loved them all equally but I could see it was a clumsy attempt to make me cheerful. I looked up at her, meeting her bright black eyes and smiled. *The smile faltered as I saw the concern in her eyes and I began to cry.Suddenly I was sobbing, great wrenching sobs, torn from my chest.“It is alright, it is going to be alright, girl.” she cooed, holding me to her chest. I shook my head wearily.“No,” I mumbled, “it is never going to be all right.” I thought of Lucien, the steeliness in his eyes as he had said he would not share me…SHARE me? With Schwartz?The shame, the pain in me on hearing that! It had been immense.I
Lucien He stared at the phone.It suddenly seemed to him that he was watching, like a disinterested bystander, as his life unravelled.First, his wife who had seemed to look at him as though she abhorred his very presence.Not surprisingly, he thought, pouring himself another stiff drink although he had had way too much already. He scratched his powerful, hirsute chest and brooded.He had spoken in an unspeakably unforgivable manner to her. Yes, he knew it had been his insecurity speaking. But he had chosen to hurt her when she was most vulnerable and he hated himself for it. With a loud oath, he threw the glass across the room where it shattered into smithereens. The strong smell of rum filled the air almost at once and he scowled. He would need to get someone to clean the mess.But he was too disturbed.*Now, his daughter, the one child who was his favourite…Ria had been crying as she slammed the phone after screaming at her father. She had accurately read the equation between Pro