Ruined by the Marquess: A Forced Marriage Historical Romance (Arranged Marriage Historical Romance Traditional Regency Romance) (Alpha Male Matchmaking Romance Historical Victorian Romance) (7 page)
“Where is Mr. David Wright?” Kris asked the nurse at City Hospital.
“He’s in the Operation Theater right now. Who are you?”
“I am his daughter. What happened to him? Is he alright?” Rachel felt that she was about to collapse with anxiety. The emotional upheaval of the last few hours was proving to be too much for her.
“He suffered a major attack but don’t worry, he is out of danger now. We will be shifting him to the recovery room very soon.”
“Thank God!” Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. Despite the revelations that Kris had made, Rachel loved her father. There must have been some valid reason behind all the lies that he told her. Kris patted her lightly on the shoulder and she was glad that she had him around at this crucial time.
After about a couple of hours, Rachel was informed that her father was in the recovery room and wished to see her. Kris wanted to give the father and daughter some alone time so he stayed back despite being asked by Rachel to accompany her.
“Ah my princess! Here you are!”
“How are you daddy?” Rachel was trying hard to fight back her tears. She hated to see her father so weak and fragile.
“I am fine, my child. Come here,” he gently patted the side of the bed on which he was lying. Rachel walked up to him and sat on the edge of the bed. He took her small hand in his larger one and began talking in a slow whisper.
“Rachel, I want to tell you something. But you must promise me that you’ll try to understand my position and the reasons behind some of the decisions that I made years ago after I finish.”
Rachel knew that her father wanted to confess whatever he did so she just nodded. She wanted to relieve him of the burden.
David began, “Kris has come back to our lives for a reason. You remember that day ten years back when he came to my office to ask for your hand in marriage? Well, that day I….I insulted him. In fact, I made him believe that he was unworthy of you Rachel and I broke his self esteem as much as I could. I loved you so much and the mere thought of you living in poverty with that fellow disgusted me. I knew that he was a headstrong and self respecting man and he wouldn’t take any money that I offered him, so I had to think of a way to make him leave.”
“Why did you do that daddy? You knew how much I loved him…”
“I thought it was mere infatuation that you felt towards the guy and I thought that with time, you’d get over him. Trust me Rachel, I just wanted you to live a happy and contented life….”
“I would’ve been happy and contented with Kris..…”
“I realized that very late my dear. It killed me to see you pining for him day in and day out. For about two years, I did everything I could to locate him and at last, I did find him. He was in Spain and had started his own business with the help of some friend of his. I started keeping tabs on him as he flourished and expanded his business. My harsh insulting words had motivated him to prove his mettle and I was more than happy to see him succeed. In fact, I had promised myself that I would set things right between you two but then……all of this happened,” he sighed. “I am really sorry for all that I did, Rachel. Please forgive me. And if possible, please don’t hate me…..”
Rachel had never seen tears in her father’s eyes. She hugged him tightly and replied, “I can never hate you daddy….never!”
“Now that I think of it Rachel, Kris’s actions are totally justified. I did crush his love and confidence under my feet years ago and now he wants to get back at me. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s hurting you too with all that he’s doing….and I will not tolerate that. I have to make him see sense because I know that he still loves you. By hurting you, he is hurting himself too.”
Rachel didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell her father that Kris had already told her the truth and was even willing to give back their company but she wanted her father to get better first.
“Daddy, you need some rest now. Please try to get some sleep…”
“I won’t be able to sleep until I set things right. Rachel, do me a favor and somehow get him to meet me. I want to apologize him for all that I did,” David pleaded.
“I am right here Mr. Wright.” Kris was standing in the doorway with a guarded expression on his face.
“Kris…..??? Is it you?”
“Yes, it is very much me. The only difference is that I am no longer the young, vulnerable Kris Frances Ville.”
“I know that son, I know that very well.”
Rachel shot a warning glance at Kris, secretly asking him to be polite and gentle. Kris wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to worry. He’d already overheard most of their conversation and was more than willing to forgive David now that he knew the reason behind his past actions. He did whatever he thought was in the best interest of his daughter.
“Kris, I must say you have the most shrewd business skills. I hadn’t the slightest idea of this takeover.”
“I take that as a compliment, Mr. Wright.”
“It was meant to be a compliment! I am amazed at the amount of success and reputation that you’ve garnered for yourself in these past few years. Congratulations!”
“Thank you, but I do owe you some credit for that. Had it not been for your uhh…. shall I say
motivational
words, I don’t think I would’ve been such a success!”
David chuckled at that and the atmosphere in the room lightened up instantly.
“Kris, I apologize for all that I said and did in the past. Believe me, I just wanted to protect my daughter. I thought that her life would be ruined if she married you and being my only child, I couldn’t let that happen to her. I pride myself in being a good judge of character but I failed miserably that day. I guess I had already made up my mind that you were just a young cad who wanted to marry Rachel for her money. I didn’t even make an effort to see your potential…..” David’s voice grew thick with emotion.
Kris could clearly see the guilt and remorse etched on his features. He actually felt pity for the man who looked so intimidating and formidable ten years ago.
“I came here on a mission Mr. Wright. I came back to claim what had always been mine,” he looked at Rachel with determined look in his eyes. “Today, once again I ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Rachel looked at him in shock but Kris could see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She was trying to stay calm but he knew that inside, she was a bundle of nerves.
“I could not be more pleased Mr. Ville with this arrangement,” a huge grin spread on the old man’s face that miraculously made him look much younger. “…But I’ll have to ask my daughter first. Rachel, what do you think of this proposal?”
Rachel just looked teary eyed from one man to the other with a smile so beautiful that Kris fought the urge to take her in his arms.
“I’ve waited ten long years for this proposal daddy. I think I’ll accept it!”
THE END
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Table of Contents
- Chapter 1-
Misguided - Chapter 2-
Hope - Chapter 3-
Happily Ever After - Chapter 4-
Demons
Misguided
Ava put on her nurses uniform in the dark, getting ready for work as quietly as possible. She didn’t want to wake her boyfriend Ethan from his sleep, but it wasn’t because she was trying to be considerate of his feelings. They had gotten into a huge fight the night before, the first real fight they ever had since getting together. Ava was still so disgusted and hurt, she didn’t think she could face Ethan in that moment without screaming in his face, so she reasoned it best to avoid him altogether for the time being.
Ava and Ethan’s relationship had been a happy one thus far, or at least that’s the way she liked to think of it. Ethan had been her college sweetheart and they’d been a couple ever since their sophomore year. He had come from money and Ava was a country girl, born and raised in Michigan where they both attended school and now lived. She would have never thought the two of them could be compatible but when their worlds had collided, they quickly became inseparable. Ethan showed Ava a different way of life than she was used to and made it a habit to spoil her rotten. He had always been kind, doting and loyal towards her, everything a girl could ever want in a boyfriend. Ava felt like Ethan might really be the one, and she was very content and happy with their life together in East Lansing, Michigan. In her eyes, she had the perfect fairytale romance and Ethan was her prince charming.
Everything seemingly changed in one short night for the pair however, and Ava’s blood boiled as she reflected on their argument. She had come home from the V.A. hospital where she worked to cook them both a nice meal. Ava had reason to celebrate and she could not wait to share her happy news with Ethan. During her break at work, Ava had gone online and enrolled herself back into school. She currently had a nursing degree and it had always been her dream to one day become a doctor. Ethan was a law school student and recent graduate himself. They had spent many nights sharing all their dreams and aspirations with each other. Some of her favorite moments they had shared were during their pillow talks, speculating and imagining what their future together would be like. They would be a super couple, a lawyer and a doctor. Ava felt secure both in their success and their relationship. It turned out Ethan had some news of his own as well, but Ava never imagined when she saw the excited look in his eyes that it would mean the death of her own dreams and their life together as she knew it.
Ava served the meal she had prepared, absolutely brimming and she couldn’t wait to spill the beans. “Babe, I have amazing news!” she began, sure that her partner would be happy for her as well. “You’re pregnant!” Ethan guessed, only half kidding. Ava laughed at his eagerness, she thought it was touching that he felt so sure in wanting to start a family with her. Earlier that month, Ethan had popped the question and Ava hadn’t hesitated to say yes, but she wasn’t ready for children at this point in her life. “No, nothing like that…” she began again, but Ethan interrupted her. “Well, that may be in the cards for us soon,” Ethan told her. He went on to explain that his father had offered him a top position at the family’s law firm in Upstate New York and Ethan had accepted. While she was happy for him, Ava felt shocked and hurt that he would not consider even asking her first. He knew that she was only able to go to school based off of scholarships which were not easily transferable to another college, and even more so he knew how much becoming a doctor had meant to her. Ava loved the work she did at the V.A. hospital, she came from a military family and working with soldiers and war vets made her feel fulfilled. Now Ethan expected her to just give up everything and become some rich, stuffy housewife. It would be nice to never work again but not for Ava, she was truly passionate about her career. Her considerate and caring prince was treating her like a piece of property, she was to do as he said and not question a thing. They fought for hours on end but he still refused to see things her way and still refused to budge. She went to bed feeling broken and bruised, unsure now of what her future with him really meant.
Ava finally felt a sense of relief on her drive into work. It was nice to escape all the negativity that was left stagnant in her apartment and go out and do some good in the world. Ava knew how important her work at the V.A. was and she felt touched by the lives and the stories of every soldier she met. All of them had survived horrors that she couldn’t even begin to imagine and had fought valiantly and bravely for their country. They were good men and brave men, whom the war had done a great deal of damage to. She felt in a way grateful to be able to help them rehabilitate themselves and to heal from these wounds. Today she would be working with one of the hospitals newest patients. Being from such a small town, she felt as if she knew almost every soldier by name and knew their stories. Lucas had just returned back home from overseas where he had been injured by a roadside bombing. He had lost the usage of his right leg, but the doctor said his case was hopeful. With proper care and therapy he would be completely rehabilitated in a short amount of time. Ava loved hearing and seeing success stories first hand and she was sure that Lucas was going to be one of them.
Lucas was quieter and more reserved than her other patients but they still got along well. He was strikingly handsome, tall, dark and mysterious. All of the nurses clamored for a chance to work with him but it seemed that he liked Ava the best and would often times request to work with her specifically. It was not an uncommon sight for a soldier returning from war to be antisocial and only to feel comfortable around people they were familiar with already, so they doctor assigned Ava to him on a more permanent basis. It only took a short week for Lucas to warm up to Ava completely. He was a country boy born and raised, just like her and they got along very easily. She pushed and motivated him beyond his comfort level and he appreciated that. Ava could already see the attitude change in him from when he had first started coming to the V.A. He seemed more hopeful and positive about his recovery which really made her happy. The more they talked and the more they got to know each other, the more she liked him. Ava had always felt a close connection to her patients and getting to know them and their stories was all part of the process, but she felt like that in different circumstances her and Lucas could have been very close friends.