Hers to Keep (Irresistibly Bound 3)

Lindsey ate lunch alone, then headed to her room, debating with herself about whether she should go to Camilla, or give her some space. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn’t see Denise standing by the entrance to her rooms.

Lindsey stopped in her tracks. “What are

you doing here?”

“Can we talk?” Denise asked.

“Sure.” When Denise didn’t move, Lindsey realized that she was waiting to be invited in. “Come in.”

They entered Lindsey’s sitting room. Lindsey sat down on the lounge, and Denise took a seat in the Victorian armchair next to the far window. Lindsey crossed her arms and waited. If Denise wanted to insult her again, she wasn’t just going to sit there and take it.

“I’m-” Denise cleared her throat. “I’m sorry.”

Lindsey said nothing. Denise was going to have to do better than that.

“I’m sorry for all the things I said about you. That you’re a gold-digger, and after Camilla’s money. It was rude and hurtful, and I apologize.”

“Did Camilla tell you to apologize to me?” Lindsey asked.

Denise looked down at her shoes. “Yes. But I really do mean it. I was cruel to you. You deserve an apology.”

“What about Camilla?”

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t the only one you said nasty things about. What about everything you said about her?”

Denise examined Lindsey. “You really do care about her, don’t you? Yes, I’m sorry for all the things I said about Millie—I mean, Camilla—too. I didn’t mean them. I was just trying to drive you away, to protect her. And I do love her, even though she prefers to think otherwise.”

“It sounds like she has good reasons for feeling that way.”

“You’re right. I know I haven’t always been the best sister. Actually, I was a terrible sister from the start. After me, our mother was told she wouldn't be able to have any more children. Ten years later, a happy accident named Camilla was born. Here I was, an only child who was used to having all my parents’ attention, and suddenly, this little miracle baby was the center of their world. Our parents spoiled Camilla to pieces. I was jealous of her, so I treated her badly. Naturally, she started to lash out at me too, and we’ve been trapped in this cycle of resentment ever since.

“Then, after both our parents passed, I found it too painful to be in this house, so I stopped coming to see Camilla, and she’s never forgiven me.” Denise leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. “For the past few years, I’ve been trying to make amends. But Camilla has a habit of holding onto old hurts. And no matter what I do, she just can’t let go of the image of me she’s built up over time.”

Lindsey felt a pang of sympathy. Denise was no angel, but Camilla wasn’t innocent in all this. Camilla had been attacking her sister with snide comments from the moment Denise had arrived at the manor.

“What has she told you about me?” Denise asked.

“She said you’ve never approved of the life she lives.”

Denise sighed. “Let me guess. She told you that she had to come out to me three times before I believed her?”

Lindsey nodded.

“She’s never going to let go of that. It’s true. But this was more than 20 years ago. It was still the nineties. People weren’t as accepting back then. I came around eventually.”

What do you want, a medal? Lindsey thought. But she kept her mouth shut.

“And when I did come around, I fully supported her. Like when she had her first girlfriend. Camilla must have been 17.” A faint smile crossed Denise’s face. “She had the gall to bring this girlfriend of hers to a party here at the manor as her date. It wasn’t just any party, mind you. It was a high-society party, and one of the first of the season.

“It caused a huge scandal. Well, it would have, if I hadn’t put a stop to all the gossip. The moment Camilla and her date walked in, this group of girls started saying the meanest things about them. Camilla didn’t hear any of it, but I did. I had the whole lot of them very publicly kicked out, made it clear that they weren’t welcome here ever again, and I made sure everyone knew exactly why. I spent the next few weeks defending Camilla and her girlfriend, telling off anyone who dared say a bad word about them. It took a while, but eventually, everyone accepted them.”

“Did Camilla know all this was going on?” Lindsey asked.

“Of course not,” Denise said. “I made sure she was kept in the dark. She’s my baby sister, after all. I wanted to protect her from all the cruelty out there in the world.”

“Maybe if you told her, she’d realize that you cared about her all along.”