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“They say Rome wasn’t built in a day,
but I wasn’t on that particular job.”
Brian Clough, former England player
“You’re my mother?” Abby’s shocked question cut through the stunned silence like a sharpened blade.
Everyone spoke at once as Abby stared at Victoria.
“Victoria, how dare you?” her mother shouted. No. Not her mother. Abby’s head began to spin.
“Deep breaths, sugar,” Flynn mumbled behind her. His hand was firm against the small of her back.
“How dare I?” Victoria’s agony-filled eyes were wrenched from Abby. “How dare I? How dare you? You took her from me when I was barely more than a child myself.”
“Took her,” Millicent scoffed. “You hardly put up a fight to keep the girl, now did you?”
“What choice did I have, Mother?” Victoria’s eyes blazed. “I was fifteen. You whisked me away to Switzerland for the duration of the pregnancy. I was cut off from my friends. From Robert. You signed papers on my behalf. By the time I knew what was happening, it was too late. You told the world Abby was yours, and I was told to behave myself or I would be shipped away for good.”
“Poor you,” Millicent sneered. “I saved you from the shame of an illegitimate child. I raised your daughter as my own and gave her the Montgomery-Clark name—not that it had any impact on the child.” She shook her head at Abby. “She never did live up to the name. Hardly unexpected, considering your father was the son of the gardener.”
Abby’s head reeled. Her father? Robert? Not George Montgomery-Clark. Not the man who was always so distant, so critical, so cruel. She watched Millicent’s face as the pieces fell into place. No wonder they resented her. No wonder she’d always felt like they didn’t want her, like she didn’t belong.
They hadn’t wanted her.
She stared into the eyes of the woman she knew resented everything about her. The eyes of the woman who no longer deserved to be called Mother. “You only took me on to save face. To protect the family name.”
“Of course, why else?” Millicent said.
“You never wanted me,” Abby whispered.
“I did,” Victoria answered before Millicent could say anything. “I wanted you. I never stopped wanting you.”
Abby spun to Victoria. “You gave me to them?” She couldn’t keep the pain out of her question. Victoria alone knew what that meant. She knew the cold, unfeeling family life Abby had endured. She heard the disapproval in every word spoken to Abby. Victoria knew.
“I didn’t have a choice.” Victoria’s face was blank, her voice even, but her eyes were full of emotion. “I was fifteen. I tried to be in your life. I spent as much time as I could steal with you.”
“The playing, the dancing.” Abby felt her eyes well with tears over what might have been. “We used to laugh.”
“You were my heart.” Victoria’s voice was a whisper. “You still are the one good thing I have managed to do.”
“But you went away. I remember, the playing and laughing suddenly stopped. Where did you go?”
“Mother and Father shipped me off to stay with cousins in South Africa. They said I was a bad influence on you. By the time I was allowed to return, you were in boarding school.”
“You rarely visited when I was in school.”
“It was made clear to me I would be cast out with nothing—no resources, nowhere to go and no skills—if I interfered in your upbringing.” Victoria took a step towards Abby, but stopped dead, as though afraid to come any further. “This is what I planned to explain to you today. There’s no excuse for how I behaved, for what I did. I should never have given in to blackmail. I should never have given you up in the first place. It’s unforgivable.”
“How very touching,” Millicent said. “You may as well tell her all of it, now you’ve started. Tell her how your young beau wanted nothing to do with you once he found out about the child. Tell her how you were too stupid for further education and unable to amass any sort of skill. Tell her how easily you gave in to our requests. It wasn’t like you fought to spend time with her, was it, Victoria? No, you kept your head down and carried on with your life. Content to allow your daughter into our care.”
“There was no care,” Victoria snapped. “There was provision, which is nowhere near care. You never showed any of us any affection or compassion. I don’t understand why you even had children.”
“It was expected,” Millicent said. “We had to carry on the family name. If I’d known you would turn out to be such disappointments, we may have thought otherwise.”
“Enough,” Abby said.
Everyone quietened, their attention on her. She took a deep breath, aware Flynn stood silently behind her, offering his strength.
“Enough,” she said to Millicent. “This is my home and it’s past time you left.”
“I will not be moved until this matter is settled,” Millicent said. “I will not leave until you understand the child belongs to the Montgomery-Clarks.”
“If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police and have you removed. Better yet, I’ll have Flynn pick you up and toss you out like rubbish for the camera crews to film.”
“You wouldn’t—”
Abby cut her mother’s bluster off. “I have had enough of you. I have had enough of your vile and nasty manipulations. Of your threats and selfishness. Of your cruel behaviour. If you want to take me to court, take me. I will turn it into the biggest media circus you have ever seen. Flynn here will help me to set up interviews with everyone he knows. In fact, I expect he wouldn’t mind lending his notoriety to a campaign to drag your good name through every muddy field in England.”
“I’d enjoy every minute,” Flynn said.
Millicent’s face paled but her shark-like eyes were still determined. “You will bankrupt yourself paying for legal counsel. Is that what you want? For you and the child?”
“She won’t bankrupt herself,” Lawrence said. “I’ll take the case and run with it for free.”
“And how will you live while you’re fighting me? There won’t be any time to work. You’ll be out of house and home within months.”
“No she won’t. She can have my money,” Flynn said. “I’m not doing anything with it anyway.”
“Flynn, you can’t...” Abby whispered.
He shrugged. “I’m behind you, sugar. Whatever it takes to make this go away. It’s only money.” He smiled at her, a soft, intimate caress of a smile. “Don’t stop now. You’re kicking ass.”
Abby smiled back at him before turning to her unwanted guests. “I don’t need to explain anything to you. All you need to know is this—if you start a war, we will wage a war. I will fight you until my last breath. I will do everything within my power to ruin your name.” She scoffed. “Now isn’t that interesting? Turns out I am a Montgomery-Clark after all, because when it comes to getting what I want, I will not lie down until you are ruined and bloody. Doesn’t that sound familiar, Mother?”
Abby didn’t wait for an answer—she looked at Millicent’s new lawyer. “Leave. Now.”
The man bustled and flushed, but he headed for the door. Abby looked at Charles, who was still staring at his feet.
“Charles, take your mother and get out.”
His head came up slowly. There was nothing but blank acceptance in his eyes.
“Let’s go, Mother,” Charles said, his first words since entering the house.
Millicent stood, her back straight, her air regal. “You’ll regret this, Abigail.” With one last glare, she swept out of the door.
The air in the room eased as Flynn pulled Abby into his arms.
“You were amazing.” He held her tight.
“She’ll still fight,” Abby said into his chest.
“Probably. She’s a vindictive old witch. But we’ll fight back.”
Abby let her head fall back to look at him. “It isn’t your fight. You don’t have to do this. I can’t take your money, Flynn.”
Flynn rolled his eyes. “Daft girl. If it’s your fight, it’s my fight. I can’t let them take the terrorist from us. Not when I’m on a roll with her education. Anyway, I invested in Harry’s company when he first started out. He made a mint. He can always make more if we need it.”
Abby felt her bottom lip tremble as she looked at all the things left unsaid in his eyes.
“You love me,” she said with absolute conviction.
And Flynn Boyle, bad boy of soccer, actually blushed. “Aye, but don’t rub it in.”
“You love me.” Abby grinned. “Your head must be spinning. Bet you never thought it was possible to love someone other than yourself.”
“Funny, oh so funny.” Flynn tugged her back into his chest.
“Are you feeling okay? Do you need to lie down?” Abby’s voice was muffled against him. She was grateful for the teasing, as it cut through the horrors Millicent left behind.
“I am seriously regretting falling for you now,” he grumbled.
And against all odds, Abby started to laugh. She felt Flynn lean down and whisper in her ear.
“I do love you, Abby.”
She held him tight and felt his muscles tense beneath her hold.
“Aren’t you going to say it to me?” He sounded so affronted at the thought she wouldn’t that it made Abby laugh harder.
She looked up from him to find the room empty. “Where’s Victoria?”
As she spoke, they heard a second car’s engine start. Lawrence walked into the room, grim and worried.
“She’s made a run for it,” he said.
“Lawrence?” Abby said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go after her.” Lawrence patted Abby’s hand.
“Tell her...” Abby bit her lip, her mind a jumble of emotions and thoughts that might never be properly processed. “Tell her we need to talk.”
Lawrence nodded firmly, then headed out of the house.
As Abby watched him go, she felt pain overtake her.
“You do love me, right? I mean what’s not to love?” Flynn’s voice jarred her back to the present.
“I think you love yourself enough for both of us, Flynn,” Abby teased.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Evil woman. I will make you say the words. You can count on it. I haven’t lost a challenge yet.”
“Shut up and kiss me.” She needed him to whisk her away from everything—if only for a moment.
And thankfully, he complied.