Before the Fall

Faye didn’t know what to say, what to do. So she told the Hillards, quite politely, that she had a phone call to make. Richard raised his brow and didn’t say a word, which Faye took as permission. Not that she needed his permission for anything, she reminded herself. Even if, as she understood it, she only existed because he’d hired someone to make her. Faye couldn’t repress a shudder at the thought. She pulled out her phone and called Logan.

Again, he answered quickly. “What’s going on?” he asked, just like last time. Faye suspected that he had been sitting by his phone, waiting for her to have the chance to reach out to him again.

“Lo? You remember July thirteenth, 2004?” Faye asked, feeling like she was speaking in code. In a way, she was. She didn’t want the Hillards to know that she was calling someone for support. Even if she really, really disliked them, she had to make them believe that she was in control of herself. Because if they didn’t believe it, how could she?

“Oh, Faye,” Logan said, knowing exactly what she was asking for.

July thirteenth, 2004 had been the day that Annie, her nanny, had died. She’d called Logan, distraught, when she found out and asked him to just talk to her about ordinary, happy things. He had, not even requiring an explanation right away. His chatter about life as it had been, and as it would be, had helped her more than he would ever know.

Faye heard sympathy in his voice. “Please,” she whispered so low that she wasn’t even sure he could hear it. And she listened for goodness knows how long as Logan spewed out a long list of the wacky things he’d planned for her birthday, saying that they’d just have to celebrate a little late this year.

Faye kept her eyes screwed shut so that she wouldn’t have to see the Hillards, but also so that none of the tears that were collecting would fall.

All too soon, Richard ordered that she get off the phone. Faye wanted badly to disobey, but long habit had her saying goodbye to Logan and promising to call him as soon as she could. Besides, Faye knew that the Hillards still had a lot to tell her. Still, she didn’t open her eyes until she’d taken seven deep, cleansing breaths, and she felt better for it.

“What is it, sir?” Faye finally asked.

“Who was that you were on the phone with? Was it that Logan boy?” Faye nodded slowly and glanced at Nace, who was looking at her again. What did he think about this mess?

“What is he to you? Is he your boyfriend?” Richard demanded. Faye shook her head, not trusting herself to be able to speak in the calm, measured tones that this situation called for. Raging against him would accomplish nothing, she reminded herself.

“Oh. Good, good. You don’t have one, do you?” He waited for Faye’s head to shake ‘no’ again, then continued, “And you’re a virgin, yes?”

Faye blushed furiously. “I don’t see what this has to do with anything,” she huffed. She caught herself before crossing her arms over her chest like a stubborn five-year-old.

“I don’t want my son to marry a slut,” Richard answered coldly.

“And who says I’m marrying him? Why should I?” Faye demanded. She was an inch away from releasing the ferocious temper of hers that had only once before gone uncontrolled. When it had, things had literally gone flying.

Lucky for the Hillards, there were no breakables handy.

Nace had been watching this exchange while fighting back uncharacteristically violent urges. It was one thing for his father to boss Nace around, and quite another to demand explanations from a girl who had had more than her fair share of shocks and changes for one day.

He’d been waiting for her to get angry, and had been shocked when she hadn’t. He’d even considered the possibility that there was something wrong with her, something missing.

But those worries disappeared when she, finally, snapped back. It would have been amusing, if he hadn't been afraid that Faye would take her anger out on him, too. In that moment, Nace would have sworn that her eyes were glowing, literally glowing, with rage.

Some distant part of him had to appreciate her appearance. She looked like an avenging angel. All she needed was the wings.

“You’ll do it because without me, you’ve got nothing, Miss Driscol,” Richard all but growled, putting emphasis on her last name. He was rubbing salt on wounds he, himself had opened not so long ago. The bastard.

“That’s not true,” Faye snapped, clasping her hands on her seat. Her knuckles were white with the strain she was putting on them. She was itching to throw something or hit someone, Nace thought, slightly amused.

“Oh, yes it is. Without me, you’re homeless, phoneless, carless, and dirt poor. You’re nothing without me. Why do you think we went to all this trouble? Why do you think Liz and I didn't just set up a marriage contract with one of our colleagues? It was a matter of malleability. You come without conditions and with no room for making demands of us. You will do as we ask, because it is the only viable option available to you.” Nace’s blood boiled. His rage hardly compared to Faye's, though. She was positively livid.

“Stop the car!” she ordered. Nace had to admire her self-restraint. Her eyes still glowed, and her muscles were still tensed up, but she was in full control of herself.

“And what? Are you going to give me that phone back? You might not know it, but I’m the one paying for it. You’re going to get out in the middle of the freeway, an hour and a half away from the place that used to be your home? You’ll, what? Go stay with Mummy and Daddy? They were all too glad to be rid of you,” Richard spat.

“Stop the car.” Faye bit off each word separately, making them separate sentences. When he ignored her, she hurled her phone at his head.

He was going to have a rather nasty knot later. Nace would have laughed or applauded, but he didn’t want to call attention to himself.

Liz decided it was high time she play peace maker. “Faye, dear, here’s your phone,” she said, picking it up off of the floor where it had landed after ricocheting off of Richard’s head. “And, dearie, you might want to think about this a little more. If you marry Ignatius, you can have whatever your heart desires.”

“It’s Nace,” Faye said at the same time that Nace did. He blushed and stared at her, and she stared right back.

“See? Already, you two get along,” Liz said happily.

“I don’t need anything from you,” Faye said. Nace believed her.

This was good, Nace thought. If she walked away, he wouldn’t have to marry her. Though he would just end up betrothed to another girl. Probably one who had less self-respect. Less beauty, for sure. Nace shook his head.

“I can see we made a mistake in telling you about your parents so soon. For them, you would have obeyed,” Richard commented. “Who will you listen to now?”

“Myself,” Faye answered immediately. The rest of the drive was silent.