2

Mabel

I woke with a pain in my head that I knew too well, and my shoulder throbbed as well. I swallowed a whimper and tried to keep quiet so David wouldn't get mad at me.

"Let's close the curtains so she can open her eyes if she wants," a deep voice I knew said, but I couldn't place it.

Except it wasn't my husband's.

ExceptI wasn't married anymore.

Everything came rushing at me too fast. "Tell the doctor I have had lots of concussions. Whitney told me I need to start warning people of that."

"We told them, Mabel," Kathy said. "The doctor said you are going to be fine as long as you woke up. Just go slow and—are you thirsty?"

I tried to take stock of myself and remembered not to nod at the last second. "Goddess, yes. My throat is so dry." I heard movement and felt someone closer.

"I am going to move my hand under your back so I can raise you up and another pillow can be placed under you without hurting your shoulder," that deep voice said again.

Then it hit me. "Andre?"

"Yeah, it's me, Mabel," he whispered. "You scared me."

"Wait, let's get another pillow for under her shoulder and arm if she's going to be sitting up," another deep voice said.

"Ian?" I asked, not having my mind there enough to remember what to say.

"Yes, Colin is here as well. Whitney is outside guarding you while your other guards are being attended to. Everyone is fine."

"One left. His wife went into labor early," I worried.

"She's here," Kathy answered. "She had the baby. A beautiful girl. I went and congratulated them for you when I needed to stretch my legs. I promised you are not mad at them and these things happen."

"Thank you. He's such a nice man and he was so scared since it's their first."

"Yes, well, we are scared for you as well, so you are going to start adding one of Ian's knights to your detail so I can finally get a full night's sleep," she rasped.

I swallowed loudly. "You can add two."

Everyone was quiet for several moments before Ian spoke. "I find that surprising."

"I never thought my brothers would be anything other than cowards," I mumbled, the pounding in my head getting worse and my throat as well. "Something more is going on. It scared me."

"I will protect you," Andre and Ian said together.

"Let's get her something to drink before you make her talk more," Kathy interjected.

I wanted to thank her, but my throat really did hurt. My neck too from being jarred when I fell. Plus, my scalp from my hair being pulled.

I just hurt. A lot. Even my hip and ankle were twisted.

They managed to get me sitting up without hurting me and I opened my eyes a bit when they had the water. Ian and Andre were both leaning into me with worry in their eyes.

I gave them the best smile I could. "I am okay."

"You will be," Ian corrected.

I didn't believe that for a second. I knew my father had no love for me and resented me for saving the family when he was such a fool, but I'd seen my death in his eyes. Not just I was a nuisance or he was disgusted with me like many times before—especially after I'd told him David wanted to divorce me.

No, he wanted me dead.

I listened to what the doctor told me and promised to behave. I agreed to the additional guards as long as Ian let me pay for their hours, but then we compromised as he wanted it paid in the product I would be selling for his people. He'd heard about the lotion I was testing on Andre and would be using, and he said that was gold to his knights.

Fine, as long as it wasn't just something I could be on the hook for later and the terms were well defined.

I'd learned to make that clear with his family going forward.

And I'd dug in my heels on staying with Ian.

"You can all come stay with me if you want and Kathy can ground me to a chair in my workroom, but I need my workroom," I argued. "It has everything I need to help me get better faster. I will not let my family take any more of my time from me. I gave them enough. Now is for me living my life."

I got frustrated when they pushed back and wouldn't let it go.

"I have a body full of scars from much worse than this. My shoulder dislocated so easily because it's happened before. More times than I could count, and I never even received medical attention. Yes, I know how to act and my limits. I have been injured more times than probably you combined and you both survived war."

"I apologize," Kathy whispered while the others didn't even know what to say.

I let out a slow breath and met her scared gaze, giving her the best smile I could. "I appreciate your love for me. I would be the same if this happened to you. I understand your worry. This violence is something you are unused to. I am not. So please trust me that I know my limits. That is all I am saying." I waited until she nodded. "And do not gang up on me when my head hurts."

"Yes, that would make me cranky as well," she consented. "Fine, yes, I will stay with you until you recover then. If I am still welcome."

"You are always welcome," I promised her.

They agreed, and Kathy and Colin came to stay with me.

Kathy was constantly hovering and checking on me the next few days aside from when she had a tea party. She had wanted to cancel, but I needed her to be sneaky to help my business. She was going to give the lotion I would be selling to the noble she knew for the woman's mother who had trouble with her arthritis.

The story she was going to tell was that she heard from her brother that it was some ingenious new product coming on the market that the grand duke wanted to buy in bulk for his knights and people. That the count had managed to secure a half-case and Kathy had swiped a bottle for the woman since they were such good friends, but she had to promise to use it and not waste it.

She arrived back with mirth dancing in her eyes and promised that the tea party of twenty were completely intrigued. That they all had someone in their family with aches and pains and were dying to know if it really worked because they wanted the best too. She had played coy and promised to find out more and where they could get it and would report back at the next tea party.

And the woman swore she would let them know if it worked for her mother, all of them promising to keep this find quiet and just between them.

Which meant it would be all over the capital by the end of the week.

Ian's healer was a huge help along with several items I mixed together, so I was basically recovered within four days.

The doctor cleared me, and only then did Andre allow me to the police station… Where my father and brothers had been the whole time.

That was going to be a headache for him later.

He didn't seem to care, and Ian looked ready to dump them all in the ocean.

I signed everything I needed to and wasn't surprised when Ian pulled some strings and the hearing I wanted was a few hours later. Alec—my attorney—had everything ready, and we arrived at the right courtroom before the hearing was to begin.

It was actually satisfying to see my father and two eldest brothers being brought in restrained, subdued, and not throwing around their titles and status. Apparently, being locked up for a bit taught them not everything could be handled like that.

Especially when they came up against someone with the same as they had.

Actually, I even had more.

The next surprise was when the same judge from my divorce proceedings walked in. His eyes flashed shock as he saw me, and I felt the same, but he was completely professional. The court official went through all the hoops of announcing the case and whatnot.

The attorney for my father and brothers was completely dismissive and demeaning about how I was basically blowing this whole thing up and it was all a misunderstanding, hysterics of a woman. I was about to lose my temper that the attorney prosecuting the case didn't jump in or say anything… Until I noticed his lips twitch.

And they kept twitching.

Finally, after almost ten minutes of the attorney going on and on, he finished and the judge looked at the prosecutor next to me.

"‘I will kill you for ruining us,'" he said, reading off his notes. "Two dozen witnesses heard Count Sunde shout that before he attacked Countess Phoenix. ‘I am the head of the Sunde family and everything belongs to me. That includes you.' Which implies he believes in some sort of slavery or worse. But again, we have witnesses."

"That's just—" Father's attorney tried to cut in.

"‘You have done nothing to deserve that title besides embarrass your family. You are nothing.' Also, when Countess Phoenix said she was no longer a part of their family because Count Sunde said she should commit suicide instead of be divorced—something he has not denied saying—he declared she did not have the right to decide that for herself.

"All of which goes against the law, Your Honor. So a fit was definitely thrown, but it was not by Countess Phoenix. All of what was just told to you was fiction, and if their clients are going to make up tales, they should not do it with so many witnesses, including five highly decorated police officers, two of whom the three men assaulted along with the countess."

Fine, he could let me be insulted in a long tirade if he was competent enough to put even my father's attorney in his place like that.

"There's also the matter of why the count was there in the first place," he continued. "We have proof that not once did any member of her family reach out to her after her marriage. There's already been evidence and testimony accepted into this court that when the countess informed her father of the impending divorce, he assaulted her and kicked her out, telling her to—"

"That's hearsay," the attorney objected. "You have no proof the count ever told his daughter to commit suicide rather than be divorced, and her spreading that has impugned his honor and—"

"Except I have four witness statements that Viscount Christoper Sunde told people the same when playing cards. Forgive my crass language, Your Honor, as this is the direct quote that I have submitted into evidence."

"I will allow it," he accepted.

"‘Father told that bitch to kill herself instead of allowing her to divorce. She's such an unfeeling puppet that does whatever he says that she will. Completely useless bitch. If she does not, Father will give Matthias permission to kill her. He has no use of her now that our family is secure.'" He shot the attorney a look. "Who impugned his honor? No proof?"

"That is—"

"None of them contacted her even after the divorce. Nothing was done until there was money," the prosecutor continued. "And even if he is the head of the Sunde family, the countess has married and divorced, making her an adult in her own right. Meaning her assets are her own."

"She only has them because of the Sunde family," the attorney snapped. "That is only if she does anything in her own right."

"She was awarded damages," the prosecutor snapped. "I would have sued your clients for putting her into such a marriage knowing the circumstances." He nodded when they flinched. "She did not know David Matthias had a mistress or the marriage would be fraudulent.

"Count Sunde did. So she received what she did in spite of that family, not because of it. Either way, she is no longer a Sunde. She is Countess Phoenix now and—"

"That's semantics," Father snapped. "Some idiot allowed—"

"It's not, and you will hold your tongue in my court," the judge bit out. "Especially when I am the ‘idiot' you were about to disparage." He nodded when Father did a double take. "I am the judge who approved the name change given the circumstances. So I am also familiar with this dynamic and your lies about how much the countess owes your clients."

"I am sorry, but I do not know what you speak of, Your Honor," the prosecutor hedged.

He snickered and gave me a kind look before focusing on the man. "The only reason the Sunde family is not in complete ruin is the countess."

"That is outlandish, Your Honor!" Father exclaimed.

"One more outburst and I will hold you in contempt and fine you," the judge warned. "It's not and I have seen the proof. I have seen the tax returns and applications in her writing from when she was a child. She saved your family from ruin, and instead of cherishing her as you should have, you sold her to monsters.

"You took advantage of your own daughter, your sexism not letting you see how lucky you were, and instead resented her as a lowly woman who did what you could not. So you sold her to punish her! You did not want anyone to find out your shame, so you stuck her where she would be hidden away and no one would find out. Except she freed herself.

"And I saw all of the evidence. That is why I granted her the authorization to change her name and be removed from your family registry. It was why I freed her from you, you vile, abusive, horrid man. If I ever did a faction to my daughters as you have done to yours, I would commit suicide after begging their forgiveness. Have some shame!"

I couldn't hide my shock, not just at the judge's outburst and something he clearly had been wanting to share… But at how he saw the situation. What he'd said about the way my father had behaved.

And he'd hit the mark from the look on my father's face. He was furious.

The type of anger Father only had when someone saw past his bluster.

"And then you went to take everything that was hers after she gave you everything you have," the prosecutor whispered, giving my family a look I couldn't see. "You did not even contact her. The bank manager gave his statement and will testify on the record the tantrum your clients threw that Count Sunde wanted everything in the countess's account, that it was rightfully his.

"Except it's not, so I could charge them with attempted theft given he threatened the bank manager." There was a smirk on his face when he focused back on the judge. "And I might file those charges at a later date. Given the amount of money attempted to be stolen and it's more than the Sunde family fortune—"

"There is no way she has more money than us," my second brother blasted.

"That is what you argue?" the prosecutor drawled. "Yes, your sister has more money than you." He waved a folder towards them. "We can see what you have in the bank given the case. The land you own and—there was a reason you sold her to the Matthias family. Do not interrupt me again, boy."

Wow. He had a lot of nerve to say that to a noble.

Then again, I was fairly sure prosecutors actually had noble titles so they could never be threatened?

Or some of them. The ones who handled noble cases. I was fairly sure that was a rule the grand duke had put into place. It was sons of noble families who wouldn't inherit and could bring prestige to the families who valued honor.

The few noble families that worked on.

"Your Honor, there are two last pieces of the puzzle you need before we file exactly what we need to," the prosecutor said as he handed over two folders to the court officer. "Among what was said in front of witnesses, Viscount Sunde told Commander Lessa, ‘She's so weak she's probably dead. Good. Same goal is accomplished if she dies, and now we do not have to be embarrassed with her.'"

The judge snorted as he opened the files. "Meaning they expected to inherit." He smirked at my father and brothers. "Except you cannot. Countess Phoenix has a will."

"Women cannot have wills, Your Honor," Father's attorney said as he moved his hand to Father's arm when he looked ready to explode.

"Your arrogance is grating on me, Counselor," the judge drawled. "Thank you for coming into my courtroom and telling me the law." He gave the attorney the look he deserved. "Women can have wills when…"

"It's sponsored," Father bit out. "No man would be foolish enough to sponsor her will against us."

"Oh, I think a lot would just to annoy you and the Matthias family," the prosecutor chuckled. "But a man did not. The queen did." He turned to face Father. "So good luck trying to fight it if the countess ever dies. But I think that's impossible after your stunt and death threat as she now has two or three of the grand duke's guards with her at all times."

"I have always been smarter than you, Father. I just used to feel loyalty to my family enough to listen to you. That loyalty has long since died since none of you ever had any for me," I said before I even realized what I was doing. I blinked at the judge and dipped my head. "I apologize for my outburst, Your Honor."

He nodded it was fine and looked at Father's attorney. "Yes, she is clearly out of her head and hysterical as she keeps perfect decorum, handles herself as a noble, and uses manners while your clients throw fits and are seconds from being found in contempt. Any more lies you want to try on me, Counselor?"

The prosecutor tried to cover a chuckle, but it was clear what he was doing with his cough. "The other evidence we submitted just now is that there were two aides to the Matthais family in the count's party. They lied and said they were the countess's family after she was unconscious and tried to gain access to her in the hospital."

"Probably to finish the job her father tried to start," the judge muttered. "Alright, I will grant the order of protection to start." He gave my father and brothers a hard look. "You and your sons are not allowed to contact Countess Mabel Phoenix again, Count Sunde. You are not allowed within two hundred yards of her home or her business.

"Moreover, given you are the problem, I will not allow any of you in any business or residence she is. Which means, next time she walks into the bank, if you are there, you immediately leave without speaking to her or you will be arrested. Even if you were there first. She now has priority over your needs because you are a threat to her."

I saw the prosecutor's lips twitch and figured that wasn't normally how things were worded but a slight the judge worked in. It worked and my father exploded, the judge fining him for being in contempt before the attorney could settle him down.

"Now, on the charges from that day, while we believe the count absolutely intended to kill his daughter, his incompetence works in his favor and would at trial," the prosecutor said. "He had no weapon, the witnesses all around, and people available to stop him. So we are officially charging him with aggravated assault since the witnesses stated he went for her throat—"

"No matter my client's heated words, he grabbed his daughter's hair to reprimand her—" Father's attorney tried to argue.

"She's a grown woman, so enough of speaking about her as if she's a child who did something wrong and he pulled her away from to save the family embarrassment, Counselor," the judge bit out. "Your insulting of my intelligence is insulting."

"I apologize, Your Honor," he mumbled, turning and hissing at my father.

Probably telling him to stop trying to argue the point. My father would have died on that hill that I was basically his property and his to do whatever he wanted with.

Except the rest of the world did not see me that way, even if the world was horribly sexist. Most still had some small amount of sanity.

"Were you in fear for your life, My Lady?" the judge asked me before he accepted the charges.

I didn't answer right away, thinking back to that moment. "Yes, yes, I was, Your Honor. My father was more than angry and throwing his normal temper tantrum. He was scared. It made me realize that he had made some sort of deal that he realized he could not keep now. That was why I protected my throat when he came at me. I saw my death in his eyes."

"That is all—" Father's attorney argued.

"Yes, I know, Counselor, but it answers the question I asked," the judge reminded him. "And there's no jury here to influence. This is for my own knowledge and if I accept these charges after reading all the statements. I believe it though because your clients have shown no remorse and are only upset they could not get her money later. So they still planned to kill her."

"All that would happen for them then was Commander Lessa would receive a list of every weapon I know the Sunde family has and every person they would likely have hired to carry out the deed, Your Honor," I told him. "And all my money would be donated to the fund I set up with the queen to pay for the legal fees of women in abusive marriages like I was in."

"Anything else?" The judge asked, his tone amused.

"Yes, Your Honor," I answered, smiling brightly… And then looking over at my father and brothers.

They thought they had everything in their hands, but they had nothing. They had nothing over me, no way to make me obey them, and definitely not any leverage.

But I did.

And it was past time to remind them of that.

At least they weren't stupid enough to not understand what I was saying.

They might be stupid enough to ignore it or think I wouldn't follow through… But given they were willing to kill me to steal my money, yes, I absolutely would.

Absolutely.