“Dressed as a whore, acting like a whore. Again,” Carver Austin said.
This time, Prentice’s body turned to marble.
Gasps were heard around the room.
But he had yet to do his worst.
Bella came unstuck and walked swiftly to him.
“Dad, let’s just go outside and –”
She didn’t finish.
When she got close enough, Fiona and everyone else was shocked to see, his hand came back and he slapped her, sadistically. The fierce crack of his palm hitting her cheek sounded revoltingly throughout the room.
She was wearing hopelessly high heels and lost balance, falling to all fours at his feet.
The air in the room turned static and nobody moved.
Except Prentice who was there in a flash, bending low, his arm around Bella’s waist, he pulled her gently up in front of him and took five steps back, his face a mask of rage.
“Get out,” Prentice growled, voice rumbling with fury and Fiona feared he’d do harm to the older man, not that the old tosser didn’t deserve it, just that it wouldn’t have been a fair fight.
Bella’s father barely glanced at Prentice, his voice went high and mocking when he taunted, “Dad, I love him. He’s not just a fisherman but even if he was, I wouldn’t care. I love him. I want to marry him. I want to spend the rest of my life in that village with him.”
When he was done, everyone in the room, including Fiona, knew Mr. Austin was taunting Bella with her own, heartbreaking, long ago uttered words.
Most especially Prentice, whose face had gone white and whose arm around Bella had tightened.
But Carver Austin wasn’t done.
“And here you are, first chance you get, throwing yourself at him like a common tart. What is the matter with you?”
“Carver, I think you should leave,” Fergus was close, Dougal and Annie at his back.
Carver glared at Fergus then his eyes scraped over Dougal. “You should know better,” he said scornfully, speaking to Fergus but referring to Dougal.
“Carver, leave,” Fergus demanded.
“I’ll go and I’m taking Isabella with me. I should have never let her spend time with your daughter.”
Prentice opened his mouth to speak but Jason was suddenly standing in front of Carver Austin, close in front of him.
“You’re not taking Miss Bella anywhere!” he shouted and Carver didn’t hesitate. He shoved Fiona’s son aside, striding toward his daughter.
Fiona prepared to launch a ghostly attack but she didn’t get her chance.
Bella wrenched free of Prentice’s arm and she took two angry steps toward her father, switched directions and caught Jason with an arm around his chest. Pulling him roughly so his back was against her front, she backed up, dragging Jason with her.
Her hold and actions fiercely protective, her words, spoken in a tone so harsh, it was scratching and hard to hear, seconded her actions.
“Don’t you dare touch him. Don’t you dare. Hit me, humiliate me, criticize me, but don’t you dare touch Jason.”
She backed into Prentice and stopped. His arm slid around her waist instantly. Sally, face full of fear, ran through the crowd and threw her arms around Bella’s thighs. Burying her face in her own arm, Sally held onto Bella as she trembled.
Bella’s hand not around Jason went to the nape of Sally’s neck.
Carver took this all in, not missing a thing, especially not the fact that Jason shared his father’s unusual eye color.