Astrid had yielded to the gentle, pleading look upon Ginevra's face.
She didnt actually want to make that much mess.
But she had rules. She would get revenge if you were mean to her. She would return the favour if you helped her.
Every problem has more than one answer. She could have phoned the police and sent the confession and witness to the police-station at once, if she had really wished to, dis- estrange herself from Iona Bennett's country relatives, and make up her mind irrevocably never to forgive Iona.
She would be willing to forgive if they would just give up and apologize.
Sadly they decided to try and use their family connections and violence as a threat against her.
With her long curly eyelashes, covering her eyes, Astrid drooped her eyebrows.
"They think I am an orphan girl with no supports and no background! Do they take advantage of me whenever they feel?" She mumbled.
In her twenty-odd years, she had hardly ever been on the lower hand.
She would take a step back herself, even if she had to act submissive for whatever reason—not because she couldn't win.
Astrid didn't think the Bennett family were that shallow, to be used as an example. Their daughter made a mistake in judgement. Instead of apologising, they motivated their younger son to use intimidation and violence.
The response was too brutal and crude.
This happened because, well, I was the victim.
They used their seniority as my seniors to force me to do it because I am the missing daughter of Bennett family, but they never think about what will happen after that. They should be the one to guide me.
Also, I don't have a family who can support me because I am an orphan. They tortured me because I had nobody to support me although being an adult and I couldn't solve the problem myself too.
"My biological parents which should be supporting me but now they are abusing me.
It is funny, Astrid thought wryly. She didn't tell Ginevra outright that she was going to forgive Iona; instead, she continued moving into the living room and sat on the sofa and took Ginevra's head with one hand while looking at everyone in the house and blinking her beautiful eyes that were exactly like Ginevra's.
I can forgive her, she replied.
All of them felt not as tight inside themselves.
"However, I have a condition," Astrid said.
The Bennett family members all felt their hearts skip a beat.
First to speak, Alaric said, "What is the condition?"
Glancing at him briefly before looking back at Iona again Astrid replied, "Eye for an eye. I'll get someone to scare her too. But don't worry. I won't really hurt her. Just make sure she's scared."
"You're crazy!" Casper let out a ferocious scream.
"You can't fight violence with violence," Ginevra replied, shooting Astrid an admonishing look.
Anger reddened Alaric's cheeks. If Peregrine hadn't been upstairs, he would have gone over and battered Astrid physically.
"Astrid!" Pointing a finger in Astrid's face. "I will fucking kill you if you so much as breathe in Iona's direction!"
Astrid looked around the noisy room. After a beat, she said nothing, but her gaze met every eye in turn.
Unsure of her intent, Casper and Ginevra frowned and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"I want to see it with my own eyes," Astrid replied with a smile, although the expression appeared slightly forced.
"Why?" Alaric asked, not really understanding.
"Feel what it's like to be taken care of by my folks." Astrid shrugged. "My birth parents would do that, I think, if they ever saw someone bullying me."
There was no response from the trio in front of her.
Peregrine stood on the upstairs, watching coldly what happened downstairs. Then finally he sighed and went carefully down , helped by a servant.
He walked into his 'audience' and took chair in the front.
"Send Miss Astrid back to her room to rest" he told the butler who nodded and walked over.
When Astrid was gone he turned to Iona. "Take Miss Iona back to her room."
The two's identities were established by his sentencing.
Iona became Miss Iona instead of just Miss Bennett.
Iona's expression flickered. She had had to rely on Ginevra too many times already, and she couldn't bring herself to ask Peregrine.
Ginevra was still able to overhear Astrid's comment. 'If my biological parents saw me getting bullied . . .'
'My name is Mummy.' What the hell am I playing at? she thought, muttering to herself: 'How can I push my own daughter like this?
After the little girls were gone, Peregrine quit paying Casper any mind and hit him twice across the face with his cane.
Casper didn't run. He stood there while Peregrine swung at him again.
What the devil are you doing? Anger reddened Peregrine's cheeks. You are fifty years old. Is this your standard procedure? Pushing the daughter you lost even after your initial meeting with her?"
Casper said nothing.
After giving him a couple more beatings to release his frustration, Peregrine looked at Ginevra.
Peregrine could not even chastise his daughter-in-law, let alone strike her. "Do you know what Astrid told me before?" was all he could say.
Ginevra lowered her eyes.
The peregrine sighed. She wasn't about to take up Iona's cause. You people are smart. Most of your children have become adults, for pity's sake. Would you please think about it? Will she be here if Astrid wants to press charges? She would have sent the police station the evidence already!'
As her parents, you don't think of that when you have her." Kevin gestured in the direction of Cherie. "She was alone for eighteen long years. I mean, she had nobody—no brothers, no siblings, nobody at all. It was just the two of us. And I'm sure she wants a family so bad, but you hadn't—I mean—all this."
Peregrine got madder the longer he talked. He pointed at Alaric. 'And you, you prick! How did you spend your time? You've a sister, didn't know that, did yer? Even your own sister can't be stuck willy-nilly!' Peregrine saw that Alaric looked rather dubious on this point. 'You think Astrid really can't stick you?' he said with great weariness in his heart. Poor Cow-face! Since she was a baby she been fighting for her life as an orphan! Her muscles are stronger than all the stupid gym exercises in the world. You especially couldn handle that freak!'
"Tell me!" Glaucous gestured to Alaric's nostrils. Tell me. How come she didn't hit you? Why didn't she kill you by beating you?
It was some time before Alaric's face changed then.
He understood what his grandfather had meant. He wasn't treated nicely by Astrid. Not because she couldn't, but because she wouldn't.
The big boy felt queasy and his eyes stung a little as he realized this, but he was too proud for that. He gave a yelled out, and took off running.
"Nobody asked her to do it I didn't ask her to do it!"
Capitalizing on everyone's regret for Astrid, Peregrine announced "I'll hold a welcome dinner for Astrid in two and a half months."
Everything was fine here. The Bennett family's lost daughter had been found. It really made sense to tell the people.
Ginevra and Casper nodded in agreement.
But the next thing Peregrine said made them both instantly horrified.
"The shares that are Astrid's will also notice her arrival and go to her!"
"Then what about Iona?" Casper queried.
Peregrine looked at him seriously. "Iona isn't a Bennett by blood, Casper."
At this Casper was silent enough.