"Are you sure this is what you want, Tempest?"

She looked up from the floor and into her fathers searching gaze. She dared not hesitate. For Justin's and her child's sake. She had to hide the truth.

Her throat raw from crying at night, swallowed back the sob threatening to peel from her mouth.

The heat of her mothers gaze could be felt at a distance; peering at her over her fathers shoulders.

"Yes, Papa," she braced herself and faced him feigning a happy confident smile; praying that her shattered heart and soul weren't evident here eyes.

It pained her deeply that she had to deceive him but she had no choice.

"Very well then," His stern yet soft eyes lowered to their now joined hands.

"If that is what you wish," he smiled. But she saw no light in his eyes. She assured him with a tight smile of her own. He kept her face in his hands and slowly his eyes filled with tears.

"You are no longer my little girl running barefoot and wild. You are a woman now, finally to be wed." he chuckled with a sniffle.

Tempest gripped his wrist; her heart thundered and tears welled up in her eyes. "I am still your little girl, Papa. That will never change."

He smiled through his watery gaze then pulled her close and suddenly all the pieces to Tempest heart shattered.

More tears spilled over as she wept in his embrace. He pulled away then and held her at arm's length, then gently lifted his palm to cup her cheek. He wiped away her tears then he lifted his head to place a leveled gaze on Haines.

Tempest followed his gaze and stepped aside to let her father approach him.

"Lieutenant?" he breathed. His voice was gruff and low.

"Although I am not convinced that my daughter is ready for marriage, I do know it would be wrong of me to deny her and impede this union. Therefore, the both of you have my blessing."

And just as those words were said, her world fell apart as she knew it. If it weren't for her mother's now stronghold on her as she began to sway, she would have dropped to the floor.

"Now, now! My dear. We should be celebrating," her mother crooned loudly.

Tempest stood mute to the spot as she heard her mother order one of the servants to serve them champagne for a toast.

Like a marionette, she smiled falsely and with a numbness went along with the farce of the celebration. Finally, when the Lieutenant and her father stepped away to speak more privately about the nuptials, she exhaled a deep breath.

"There. That wasn't so bad was it?" Her mother whispered at her side.

Tempest lowered her gaze. Her lips thinned and for a blinding moment filled with so much rage, she stepped away determined to tell her father. But then the painful grip of a hand and fingernails digging into her arm stopped her.

"You have everything to lose if you whisper a word of this to anyone," her mother warned.

Furiously she pulled away from her mother's unforgiving hold and turned to face her.

Ruthless, cold eyes held her gaze.

"Why?" she began. "Why do you treat me so? What have I done to earn your hate?"

Her mother laughed.

"Hate you?" she took a sip of her champagne with careless grace.

" I don't hate you," she stepped closer. "I simply abhor you," she said.

Tempest couldn't believe her ears.

"My life was ruined the moment you came into it." Her mother said between clenched teeth.

Tempest remained mute and shocked by her mother's words.

"The only way to finally be rid of you was to see you married off," she added.

"But then you just had to get involved with that pirate and risk bringing scandal and shame to this family." she hissed with disdain.

Tempest shook her head unable to speak.

"Now, I have to clean up this mess you made and accept your marriage to this Lieutenant and with shame as well as he's accepting you with another man's child." she stepped closer. Tempest stepped back and the chair caught the back of her knees and she slumped down in the Velvet chair with a soft sob.

"You have no idea how much of an embarrassment this is to me and I will be so glad that you and that pirate, along with this joke of a husband and that child, will finally be out of my life for good."

She lowered her head and dashed away her tears.

" I'm pregnant with Justin's child. Let me be with him. We will leave and never come back," she pleaded.

"You will never have to hear from me again," she whispered.

"No one has to know." Her hopeful gaze lifted to her mother's. But just as quickly disappeared as her mother scoffed.

"Of course they will know. Your name will be the talk of the day."

"Please mother, I am carrying your granddaughter or grandson," she wept softly.

She bent over her and roughly lifted Tempest's chin up. "I refuse to acknowledge that abomination in your womb, that Pirate's bastard child will be nothing to me." she squeezed her chin in tightly as Tempest tried to pull away.

"If you want a peaceful life with that... child growing in your womb, you will do as I say." she yanked Tempest up from the chair and roughly began wiping away her tears from her cheek.

"Now you are going to marry Haines. He is going to take you far away from here. You're going to have your child and live a life beside your husband," she chucked Tempest's chin up that trembled furiously.

Flashing blue-green eyes, filled with an equal amount of defiant heat and rage peered into hers.

"You will do this for the sake of your precious pirate and his child. Am I clear?" she finished with a sparkling smile all in time for Tempest to accept her words bitterly with defeat and turned to face the two men that had returned.

~~~~~

The marriage ceremony had been quaint and simple. Tears filled her eyes when her voice trembled with devastation as she whispered the sour lies of her vows. The stark truth that she would never see Justin again burned her mind and her chest ached deeply at the thought.

The moment the vicar announced them as man and wife, Lieutenant Haines ground his mouth down on hers with punishing force; it left her appalled and his blatant hunger for her sent liquid ice through her veins.

The whole ordeal took a toll on her that left her weak and distraught; that she could not escape it all and was helpless to fight. By the week's end to her utter horror after the bans had been posted. Word of her condition was mentioned to her father and after some hasty arrangements, a Vicar was paid heavily to perform the marriage vows after three weeks without question.

******

Here we go finally an update o know it's been long over due but I am polishing up the plot and trying to pull this together for a showdown of wild proportions. So bear with me.

I know I sound like a broken record but I am going to repeat it. The same way you push for updates..I beg you to share and tag this story on your social media so that I get more reads and the EASE to create even more stories.

Let's see how this little request goes...

#TempestandJustin

#Wattpad

#TempestsEmbrace