Her Lord's Claim (The Forbidden Saga #4) - Maggie Ryan Page 0,74

and then bent to speak quietly with the young woman. “Would you like to go speak with her first?” he asked. Louisa nodded gratefully, and when Edward released her hand, she stepped off the path and walked to the tree. She could hear soft crying inside the hidden room. Louisa took a deep breath, looked back at the two men and then carefully parted the curtain of branches and slipped inside.

Louisa saw her sister lying on her stomach on the thick groundcover where they had made their flower chains. She knelt without a word, her hand going to stroke her twin’s back. Lucy seemed unaware of her presence for several moments. When she opened her eyes and saw her twin, she sat up, and the girls were soon clinging to each other.

“Shhh, Lucy,” Louisa said, her arms tight around her sobbing sister. “Shhh, it will be all right.”

Lucy shook her head, her tears again falling rapidly as she moaned. “No, it won’t,” she gasped. “I can’t leave you.”

“Yes, you can,” Louisa said softly, giving her sister a long look. “The good thing is that I don’t believe you are saying you can’t fulfill the vows you made to Lucas or the roles those promises encompass. I think you were just scared of the thought of leaving the comfort of the place that became your home after Mum and Father died. We will always be here for you, Lucy. That will never change regardless of where you live.

“Lucy, Lucas is your husband and your place is with him at his own home.” When Lucy tried to pull away, Louisa simply tightened her hold. “You know that what I say is true. I left you and our home when I wed Edward. My place is with him at Wintercrest. Your place is with Lucas at Hunter’s Ridge.”

Lucy’s tears gradually stopped as she accepted the truth of her sister’s words. She remembered that while she had felt saddened when her sister moved away, she had known it was the proper step into her future. She suddenly felt exactly like what Lucas had called her, a silly little girl. Remembering how she had screamed, how she had torn her pinafore off and actually thrown it at him, she began to tremble. “He is going to be so angry,” she said, her eyes meeting her sister’s.

She shuddered as she saw Louisa nod. “I think he would have understood if you’d just told him your feelings, but you… well, you threw another tantrum, Lucy. It was a very naughty thing to do,” Louisa said, not offering her sister false hope. “All you can do is apologize and accept his decision as to the consequences.”

Lucy swallowed hard, her hands swiping at her cheeks to remove her tears. “But-but what if he decides to… spank me?” she whispered.

Louisa reached out and hugged her again. “Then you will be the best little girl you can and accept his discipline,” she said. “It will always be so, Lucy. You’ve learned that while at Wintercrest, and I fear it won’t change, even with your move to Hunter’s Ridge.”

Lucy blushed as she remembered her husband had already spanked her twice. She shuddered as she thought about how he would remind her of her place. “No, I suppose it won’t,” she admitted with a nod.

Louisa offered her a small smile. “He’s waiting outside,” she said, her eyes moving to where the branches hid them. Lucy followed her gaze and nodded. Louisa stood and offered her hand to her twin. “It would be better if you go to him. Don’t make him come for you.” Lucy nodded again, and Louisa gave her another hug and kissed her cheek before stepping to the branches.

“I-I just need a… a moment,” Lucy whispered.

“Just remember you love him and he loves you,” Louisa reminded, before stepping through the concealing limbs.

Lucy could see Edward and Lucas standing a few feet away through the parted limbs. She couldn’t see exactly what Lucas was doing, but saw Edward take Louisa’s hand and lead her back toward the house after Louisa said something to Lucas too softly for Lucy to hear. After watching the couple walk away, Lucy focused on what her husband was doing as he’d made no movement toward the tree. Her breath caught in her throat when suddenly his actions became clear.

Her husband was paring leaves from a long willow branch he had evidently cut from the tree while she and her twin had been talking. Her heart began