Brie shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
He looked at her, cocking his head questioningly. “Why not?”
Her heart began to race when she admitted her guilt over the role she’d played in Mary’s violent punishment—and Mary’s reaction to it. She understood why Mary hated her now.
Turning her head to stare at the ocean, Brie said sadly, “Mary couldn’t even look at me after we were rescued.”
Sir squeezed her tight. “I don’t think that was the reason for her distance.”
Brie frowned. “Although I didn’t know it at the time, my disobedience led to the punishment she received. I’m directly responsible for every lash that cut her back.”
“Holloway is responsible, not you. I’m certain Miss Wilson understands that,” Sir stated firmly. “The fact you question it concerns me.”
She looked down at her empty mug and had to hide her flinch when the song started up again.
“Hey, little songbird…”
After the sunrise, Sir insisted Brie return to bed for some much-needed rest. After taking a warm, soothing bath, Sir tucked her into bed and kissed her on the forehead.
“The only thing I need is for you to sleep.”
She nodded and closed her eyes, fighting hard to block out the hated song. Just as she was about to drift off, she heard a hard knock on the front door.
Brie bolted upright when she heard her father shout, “Open up!”
Remaining in bed, she heard her mother tell Sir, “After seeing how thin Brie is, I cooked all of her favorite breakfast foods.”
Brie slipped out of bed and grabbed her robe. Wrapping the tie around her waist, she cinched it up before walking out of the bedroom.
She was surprised to see an expansive spread of breakfast dishes on the counter in the kitchen. “What’s all this?”
“I couldn’t fall asleep last night, sweetheart,” her mother explained. “I needed something to do, so I cooked you a nice breakfast. What started as a breakfast casserole soon became…” She gestured to all the food with a sheepish grin. “…this.”
Brie shook her head and laughed. “There’s no possible way I can eat all of this.”
Her mother shrugged good-naturedly and turned to Sir. “Thane, I know you are just going to love this one,” she said proudly, pointing to the casserole. “It’s an all-American breakfast rolled into one delicious dish. It’s full of eggs, hash browns, bacon, and cheese, and I added slices of tomatoes on top because I know how you like to eat healthy.”
Sir stared at the casserole dish and pursed his lips. “Unfortunately, my stomach is feeling unsettled this morning.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” her mother exclaimed, looking at Sir with motherly concern. “Luckily, this casserole tastes even better the next morning. But I’d be happy to make you some oatmeal to settle your stomach, if you like.”
During their conversation, Brie noticed her father staring at her intensely. So intently, in fact, it was starting to make her extremely uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
Before he could answer, there was a loud commotion outside. Sir walked briskly to the front window and pulled back the curtain. “Fuck…”
Suddenly frightened, Brie whimpered, “What’s happening, Sir?”
He turned to meet her gaze. “The press is here.”
Brie hurried to the window and groaned when she saw several news vans parked down the street and a crowd of reporters setting up.
She looked at Sir, asking fearfully, “Why are they here?”
“I’ll tell you why they are here,” her father stated, picking up the newspaper he’d brought and shaking it in his hand. “Everyone wants to know what really happened to the people who were rescued, because what they are describing in this article is beyond horrific.”
Brie’s stomach twisted. Glancing again at the growing number of reporters gathering outside, she asked Sir, “Can’t we demand that they leave?”