Chapter 35

"J-James?" A soft sound came from her mouth. Weak. Worn out. Penelope couldn't believe her ears.

"It's me…" he whispered.

She was so desperate for his voice, wanting him to shout, to reassure her, but she knew that they couldn't risk being overheard. They were deep in the belly of the beast, and they had to be cautious. They still had a long way to go if they were to reach the safety of his carriage together.

She heard him speak to someone. "Please… we need to open this door."

"This will do the trick," a familiar voice told him.

Penelope stood on the other side of the door, her heart pounding with anticipation as she heard James fumbling with the lock. When the door finally swung open, revealing James' familiar figure, she couldn't contain the flood of relief that washed over her.

"James!" she exclaimed loudly. "I knew you would come for me; I knew it!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed into his arms, her eyes brimming with tears. "I am so sorry for everything I said, James," she whispered, nestling into his arms, her voice choking with profound emotion.

James held her tightly, his embrace a comforting anchor in the middle of all this chaos they were surrounded by. He hastily kissed her forehead. "There will be time for apologies later because I have some of my own," he said gently, his voice filled with reassurance. "Right now, we need to get you out of here."

Penelope nodded, her gratitude mingling with fear as she thought of the danger they still faced. She pulled back slightly, meeting James' gaze with a determined expression. "Grandfather and his carriage are waiting by the gate," he said, his voice steady. "We should go before anyone notices."

As he led her out of the cell, Penelope noticed Ciara standing close by, looking to see if anyone was approaching.

"Ciara," Penelope approached her and wrapped her arms around her, "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Ciara smiled. "We're not out of the woods yet," she reminded her. "I'll go first, so if we do stumble onto one of the other sisters, I can distract them."

Penelope suddenly remembered. "But… how will you be able to distract Mother Superior? She will know it was you who did this."

Penelope's heart ached at the thought of leaving Ciara behind. She had risked everything to help them, and Penelope couldn't bear the idea of leaving her to face the wrath of Mother Superior, knowing the dire repercussions that woman could come up with. She turned to James.

"We can't just leave her here," Penelope said, her voice tinged with urgency. "She helped us. We have to take her with us."

James looked back at Penelope, understanding dawning in his eyes. "You're right," he said softly. "We can't abandon those who helped us."

Turning to Ciara, he spoke with unwavering resolve. "Ciara, would you come with us? We can't guarantee your safety here, and we can't leave you to face the consequences alone."

Ciara's eyes widened in surprise, her hands trembling slightly. "I… I'm not allowed to leave. My parents sent me here. They are the only ones who can allow me to leave."

Penelope frowned. "That isn't true. You are responsible for your own fate, Ciara. You risked everything to help us. Now, let us help you."

"Yes," James nodded. "You can stay with us until we find a better solution."

"I…" Ciara sounded confused. Penelope could see it in her eyes, but she could also see hope. She knew that Ciara was fighting herself, just like Penelope herself had been doing her entire life, believing that she wasn't good enough. But that was never the truth.

With a final glance at the dimly lit corridor, Ciara nodded, her decision made. "I will come with you," she said, her voice filled with determination. "Thank you."

As James, Penelope, and Ciara approached the courtyard where James' carriage awaited them, a figure emerged from the shadows, blocking their path. It was Mother Superior, her expression a mixture of anger and disdain. She had several nuns by her side, and Penelope instinctively hid behind James, holding him by the hand.

"Where do you think you are going?" the woman demanded, her voice echoing in the stillness of the night.

James stepped forward, his posture resolute. "We are leaving," he said firmly. "And Ciara is coming with us. You are keeping young women here against their will."

The woman smiled maliciously. "It is the will of their parents. After all, are the parents not responsible for their wayward children?"

"I do not see any children around me," James spoke, making Penelope prouder with each exchanged word. "All I see are young women who have been forced to come here and endure cruel punishments."

"Every punishment fits the crime," Mother Superior exclaimed. "Not that I would expect you to know anything about that."

"You are twisting the word of God to fit your own devices," he growled at her. "But I will make sure that everyone knows what is happening here, and you will never again force a young woman to stay here against her will, mark my words."

"You presume that you are to leave here with the two of them," she told him. "You presume wrong, young man."

"I am not alone," James announced. "My grandfather is waiting in the carriage. One word from him and this nunnery will be closed forever, no questions asked. I would love nothing more than that, but I do believe that there are good women in here, Godly women who do wish to serve Him as they should, not as you tell them to. So, I will make sure you are stripped off your cloth, never to step foot into a church as a woman of cloth ever again."

"You may take your wife, then," she snarled. "But you have no right to take Miss Everton. She made her choice when she decided to aid you in your foolish escape."

Penelope felt a surge of fear and anger rise within her. She stepped forward, her voice trembling but determined. "She helped us because she knew it was the right thing to do," Penelope replied angrily. "And we won't leave her behind to face your wrath alone."

Ciara stood beside them, and at that moment, she took a step forward, her eyes blazing with fury. "I am leaving of my own accord. I don't care what my parents have to say to that. I cannot stay in a place where compassion and kindness are punished."

Mother Superior's face darkened with rage, and she took a step forward, her eyes blazing with fury. "You will not leave this convent," she spat, her voice laced with venom. "I will not allow it."

But James stood firm, his resolve unshaken. "We're leaving," he said, his voice unwavering. "And there's nothing you can do to stop us."

"You do not know the extent of my connections and power," Mother Superior snarled at him venomously. "I doubt you want to make me your enemy, young man."

James snorted. "I already have more enemies than I can count. One more makes absolutely no difference to me. What does make a difference is my unwillingness to back down. I doubt you want to make me your enemy, Mother Superior."

They all waited for her to reply, but she remained silent. With that, he took Penelope's hand, and together, along with Ciara, they all stepped around the Mother Superior, determined to make their escape.

As they hurried toward the waiting carriage, Penelope couldn't help but glance back at the imposing figure of Mother Superior, knowing that she would never have to see her again.

* * *

As James led Penelope into her chamber back at the manor, a weight lifted from his shoulders. They had made it home safely, and Miss Ciara Everton now settled in a guestroom and attended to by their household staff. Yet, despite the relief flooding through him, James couldn't shake the nagging sense of guilt that weighed heavily on his conscience.

James opened his mouth to speak, his mind swirling with apologies for the ordeal Penelope had endured because he felt he had somehow caused all of it by playing into Vanessa's game. The truth was they had all fallen into her trap. But fortunately, they were both home, safe and sound.

However, before he could utter a word, Penelope reached up and placed a gentle finger against his lips, silencing him.

"James," she said softly, her eyes searching his, "there's no need for apologies. We're together now, and that's all that matters."

James felt a surge of emotion welling up within him at her words. Here was Penelope, facing the aftermath of their harrowing ordeal with strength and grace, her unwavering support a beacon of light in the darkness that had threatened to consume them.

Without another word, James pulled Penelope into his arms, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude. Their lips met in a tender kiss, a silent reassurance of the bond that had brought them through the trials they had faced together.

As he tried to pull away gently, he noticed that her hands caressed him, looking for buttons that would free him from the confines of his clothes. The thought drove him mad with desire. He had been thinking solely about her all this time, but instead of giving in, he softly pulled away from her lips, taking her hands into his own and kissing them innocently.

When he looked down at her, he could see confusion in her beautiful eyes. He smiled in an effort to reassure her that she hadn't done anything wrong. On the contrary, she was doing everything right.

"Have you… changed your mind?" he asked tenderly.

"I…" she started, blushing before she even said the words that were on her mind. "I'm sorry that I made you wait for me when I wanted you as much as you wanted me…"

He cupped her cheek gently with his hand. "Shh, my darling," he said, noticing a stray tear rolling down her cheek, leaving a wet trail. He wiped it with his fingers. "I would have waited for you forever, you know that now."

"I… I've spent so much time in that horrid place that I didn't know how to react when someone treated me as nicely as you and your grandfather did. You treated me as someone you loved, not just someone you tolerate."

He brought her over to the bed, and they both sat down. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, continuing.

"I swear I'm not as bad as everyone says I am," she said through the onslaught of tears. "I always tried to be as good as Vanessa, but my parents always preferred her to me, and then Adeline came, and she immediately became Mother's favorite. I… I never felt loved by my family, never."

His heart was breaking for this beautiful woman who deserved nothing but love, and yet, she never received it. He vowed to himself to make her happier than any woman had ever been. That would be his lifelong mission.

"I just wanted some time to adjust to normal life again when I married you," she admitted as the onslaught slowly subsided. "That's why I was pushing you away — because I was afraid you would also think I wasn't good enough…"

"I would never think that," he said, cupping her face with both hands and forcing her to look at him. "Never, Penelope. I also thought the same, that you wouldn't think I was good enough, that you would think I was like my father…"

"Your father?" she asked, her eyes drinking in the sight of him with so much love and tenderness that he felt as if his heart would burst with emotion for this woman.

"Yes," he nodded, realizing that it was his turn to confess. "I know I've hurt you with my cold, aloof behavior, but just like you, I was trying to protect myself from heartbreak."

He paused for a moment, looking deep into her eyes before he continued.

"You see, my father preferred the allure of the bottle to anything else, and when he drank, he would become very violent. For my mother, my sister, and myself, every day was a torment. He would verbally and physically abuse all of us. No one was spared from his wrath. I always tried to make myself the object of his torment, but I wasn't always successful in that."

He paused again, inhaling deeply. The onslaught of memories was heavy, wrought with pain and bitterness he had been keeping bottled up for far too long. "One night… it became extremely apparent that he had drunk more than he usually did. Much more. He was throwing things around the house. I was not home at the time, but I saw what he did before he…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, even after all this time.

"Oh, James…" He heard Penelope's sweet voice. It gave him the strength to finish his story.

"That was the night when he murdered my mother and my sister. Then… he killed himself." Tears started to stream down his face, and he didn't even try to wipe them away. He was crying for all those he had lost, all those he would never see again. "When I came back, I found them all dead."

"James, I am so sorry…" She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.

"I was afraid you might believe them that I am like my father." He finally whispered his greatest fear."

"You could never be like your father," she argued, looking at him in the eyes. "Never. You are just a broken soul, like me."