"Dads. Do you not realize that a child is what you tell them they are? That people almost always become what they are labeled? Was whatever your child just did really the "dumbest thing you've ever seen somebody do"? Was it really the "most ridiculous thing they ever could have done"? Do you really believe that your child is an idiot? Because she now does. Think about that. Because you said it, she now believes it. Bravo."  Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

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Chapter Nine

"Olivia?" gasped Faith. "Can it be?"

"Hello, Aunt Anne," Olivia greeted quietly as she stood from her chair.

Kit saw his mother flinch at the sound of what was once her name. She had not been Anne for many, many years. This negative reaction, slight as it was, made Cassian all the more angry.

Kit did not feel apologetic, however. He felt protective. It seemed instinctual to place himself between Cassian and Olivia. His father's prejudice towards her purely because her surname was Pendleton was now ridiculous.

"I thought I made my position on this subject clear, Kit," Cassian said firmly. He was doing well to control his tone. "She was not to come anywhere near your mother. What is she doing here?" he demanded to know.

Kit's eyes narrowed. "Olivia is not here to see Mother," he retorted. Kit had never spoken to his father with even the slightest tone of contempt. But he could not simply stand by and let Olivia be treated as such, no matter what his father thought.

Kit suddenly realised that he cared more about Olivia's honour than he did his father's rules.

"She is here as my guest," Kit continued.

"Perhaps I ought to leave..." Olivia said quietly.

"Please. Don't," Kit instructed, holding out his hand, his eyes not leaving his father's. Cassian's eyes were naturally black, which only made them seem all the more angry when he was glaring at Kit in such a way.

Faith helped Cassian to sit down on the wooden chair that was situated beside the door of the study. She still looked positively shocked to see Olivia. Perhaps they had not seen each other since Olivia was a child.

"You understood why such an attachment could not continue, Kit," Cassian said intensely. "You promised me that you would never enter into such an attachment. You understood why I could never allow for one of the Pendletons to be brought back into your mother's life."

Kit understood his father's deep need to protect Faith from anything and everything. Faith came first in Cassian's eyes, and Kit respected the deep love that his parents had for each other. Kit understood the threat Cassian saw from the Pendletons, but he had never verbally promised to stay away from Olivia. Perhaps he had known on some level that he would never be able to keep such a promise.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Faith asked Cassian impatiently.

Cassian ignored her, his ire still focussed on Kit. "How could you deliberately disobey in this way?" Cassian sounded deeply betrayed, and that tone felt like a knife wound.

Before Kit could respond, Olivia had stepped around him. Olivia's hands were on her hips and she had determination in his eyes. Kit should have known better than to think Olivia needed his protection.

"Mr Kensington, I would appreciate it if you would not refer to my surname as though it reflects my character," she snapped.

Cassian did not back down. "You are inconsequential, my dear, and I do not mean any offense. For your surname includes your parents, and any involvement you have with my son only invites those people back into my wife's life, which is something I will never allow." Cassian's attention returned to Kit. "I thought my son understood that."

Kit winced.

"Cassian," Faith said firmly, interrupting the conversation. "I feel I am missing a key piece of information here, but I will not have you dismissing Olivia on my behalf." Faith smiled fondly at Olivia. "She is my niece, after all."

Olivia returned Faith's kind smile. She then turned to Cassian. "Kit respects you more than you know, Mr Kensington."

"I have a feeling I know what this is about," continued Faith. "Why don't we all sit down, and Kit, you can tell us everything. I am sure once it is all out in the open there will be no reason for quarrelling."

Kit nodded, agreeing. He collected the chair from behind Cassian's desk, and he, Olivia, and Faith helped to position those chairs around Cassian, so that they were sitting in a circle.

Cassian still looked very much put out. His eyes were narrow and dark, and his lips were pressed into a firm line. His hands were sitting on his knees and his posture was rigid and stiff.

Kit felt very conflicted as he began to find the words to explain himself to his father. He had so feared disappointing Cassian. But now, in Cassian's eyes, Kit had betrayed him. Which was worse? Betrayal. It was an absurd overreaction, but Kit could never betray his father. Disappointing him was preferable.

"When I first met Olivia, years ago when we travelled to Leicestershire, I had never encountered a girl with more conviction or passion for what she believed in. Olivia was determined to change the world. She knew exactly how to do it, and she did not care what obstacles she had to climb." Kit offered her a fond smile. "And when I spoke to her in the gaol, and in every conversation since, I have been astounded by the continued compassion she feels for the underprivileged masses, in particular her support for women. It made me realise that I had never experienced such drive. I was not passionate about the direction in which my life was headed. Olivia helped me to realise that I had the power and the opportunity to change my mind, and to choose the path that I felt would help me to make a difference.

"When we voted in the election, we were choosing the lesser of two evils. Both were corrupt in different ways. It has become the norm that those who represent us in parliament are self-serving snakes who pass and deny bills and reforms to line their own pockets." Kit took a deep breath as he made determined eye contact with his father. "I have only felt as though I was contributing to society once in my life, and that was when I was teaching at Mother's school. I have decided to become an MP. I want to sit in parliament and create reform that benefits the people. I want to do something that matters. I want to ... I want to change the world." Kit used Olivia's words, but they were perfect.

"And that was what I came here today to tell you, Kit," added Olivia. "I received word that a county seat in Hertfordshire is to be decided on by Christmas. It is currently held by a Whig and so the Tories are eager for a win."

Kit grinned. Hertfordshire. So it would be.

"Despite the questions that I have surrounding gaol conversations, I think you will make a wonderful MP, Kit," Faith said sincerely.

"Thank you, Mother," Kit said gratefully.

Faith placed her hand on Cassian's forearm, encouraging him to offer his blessing as well.

Cassian was quiet for a minute before he spoke. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I cannot fathom your logic here, Kit. I am quite honestly shocked. I am shocked that you could so deliberately disobey me in continuing to see Olivia. You know what pain they caused!" At the use of the word 'they', Cassian pointed at Olivia.

"Olivia was not responsible for any of that!" Kit said defensively.

"You are missing my point!" exclaimed Cassian. "You know what pain they caused and yet you still made the decision to bring them back into our lives. I thought you were mature enough to comprehend the responsibility of family. How could you be so selfish?"

"That is quite enough, both of you!" Faith cried, but she was ignored once more.

That word struck a nerve and Kit flinched. "Selfish?" he repeated angrily. "You think me selfish?" Kit could feel his ire bubbling to the surface. Suppressed feelings and were threatening to explode from his mouth, just like a volcano. "I have never, not once, made a decision to suit myself. I always consider my family, and I have always decided to make the choice you think is best for me. I went to the school you told me to attend. I studied what you told me to study. I came home when you told me to. I looked after the girls when you needed me to. I was going to go into business with you, just to please you!" Kit shouted. He was out of his seat, pacing, huffing and puffing as years of stifled emotions seemed to escape his lips. "I have done everything in my power to make you proud of me from the second you gave me your name. Don't you dare call me selfish."

Cassian snorted. "I did not realise it made me such a poor father to want the best for you. I did everything in my power to give you the best, Kit," Cassian shouted back in retort. "And yet all I receive in return are lies. I will not have you threatening this family! I will not have those people in our lives!"

Kit saw red. "You are the one who is threatening this family!" he roared. "All I ever wanted was to please you and the minute I make a decision to suit my own happiness it is betrayal."

Kit needed to get out. He needed to leave before he did something stupid. He could see in his father's eyes that Cassian believed himself to be right. There would be no changing his mind.

Kit, in his anger, wanted to injure his father. "Perhaps you should have chosen a more obedient orphan to be your son," he seethed.

Cassian shut his mouth as he stared at Kit.

"Kit!" Faith cried. She sounded as though she was about to cry, and so Kit could not look at her.

"I need to go," Kit said dejectedly. He marched past his parents and pulled open the study door with such force that he nearly damaged the hinges.

Lucy and Emma jumped away from the door. They had clearly been listening at the keyhole.

"Kit, what's wrong?" Lucy begged.

Kit's strides were quick as he made his way down the corridor towards his bedroom. Olivia had left the study and was following him. His sisters were running alongside him, trying to keep up.

"Kit, do not leave it like that," urged Olivia. "Angry words were exchanged but he is still your father. He loves you."

Kit was too angry to think coherently. All he could manage to comprehend was that he needed to leave this house. He had a destination. Hertfordshire. He had an election to win.

Kit rounded on Olivia, stopping right in the middle of the hall. He stared down at her intensely. Kit could see the sympathy in her eyes, but he was too riled up to appreciate the good place her heart was in. "Are you coming with me, or not?" he asked her.

"To Hertfordshire?"

"I need you, Olivia. I cannot do it without you."

Olivia nodded earnestly. "Of course I will come with you, but I really think you ought to –"

"No. I have nothing further to say to him," he said dismissively. "I am leaving. Immediately."

"Why were you and Papa quarrelling, Kit?" asked Lucy sadly.

"Why is Papa angry?" asked Emma.

Kit's heart immediately softened at the fearful tones expressed by his sisters. They were innocent. He knelt down before them and took one of their tiny hands each in his. "I need to go away for a while," he said quietly. "But I promise I will write you letters. I will send you my address when I have one. Will you write to me?"

Kit was used to being away from his sisters. Four years of schooling had done that. But having been home this summer he had grown used to their enchanting company.

Kit hugged Lucy and Emma tightly as they ambitiously promised to write him every day, while still questioning his reasons for going.

Faith had left the study and was now approaching them. Kit saw her distraught facial expression over Lucy and Emma's shoulders. Her hands were resting on her belly.

Kit felt an immediate pang of guilt for distressing his mother during her pregnancy. The child was one of the reasons why Cassian did not want Faith to know about Olivia.

"Mother ..." Kit trailed off sadly as he stood up.

"You both need to apologise," she insisted. "I know you did not mean it, and neither did Cassian. Just apologise and we can put this behind us. We do not want you to leave!"

"I can't, Mother. I meant what I said." For the most part. The last part was meant to directly injure his father, but he had meant everything else. "I have to go. It is important." It was necessary.

Faith let out a sob as she stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Kit's neck, engulfing him in a tight hug. "I do not understand how this has happened."

"I think it would have always happened some time or another, Mother," confessed Kit. Even before Olivia, Kit had been suppressing these emotions. They were bound to surface at some point, creating inevitable friction when they did. "I love you. I will write you."

Faith pulled away. "There isn't anything I can say?" she asked sadly.

Kit shook his head. "This is something I have to do."

Faith nodded in regretful acceptance. She looked over at Olivia, who was standing to the side of them with the girls standing next to her. "It was wrong of me to neglect you, Olivia. You are my niece and I had – have – a duty to care for you."

Olivia offered her aunt a small smile. "It takes a great deal more than neglect to injure me, Aunt Anne – I mean Faith!" she corrected herself.

"I want to get to know you, Olivia. I want to know the person you have become, one day." She sighed, turning back to Kit. "Promise me you will come back," Faith insisted. She gripped Kit's hands as she waited for his answer.

Kit nodded. It would not be goodbye forever. But it was goodbye for now.

---

I know you must be disappointed in Cassian. I am too. But it's ingrained in his character to protect Faith and his family, and he has a particular hate for those horrid Pendletons. He's also a man, so he thinks his way is right. Anyone who has EVER had a fight with a guy can agree with that. It can be like yelling at a brick wall *insert eye roll emoji*

When I planned this fight, I didn't want it to happen, but I knew it had to. Kit needs to learn and discover himself outside of Cassian's influence (no matter his good intentions!) and I have big plans for where I want to take him and Olivia. 

But fights with our parents can be particularly emotional and hurtful. These are the people who know us best, and who know best how to hurt us. We also know the immediate regret we feel after we've calmed down. 

I just hope there will be fences to mend in future...

The first of my Black Friday purchases arrived today. Who else went a little crazy? Tarte had 25% their site so I may have bought one of everything. What sucks about being in Australia is shipping is ludicrous so you have to spend extra to avoid paying $30 shipping. I filled up my cart on another site, went to check out and shipping to Oz was $34.95, lol, not paying that. 

Because Amazon Australia STILL HASN'T LAUNCHED I tried to order one of my mum's Christmas presents off of US Amazon and the shipping was insane. I give up lol.  

I remember when I bought the Jaclyn Hill palette off of Morphe a while ago I paid $27 shipping (I was that desperate for it!) and I saw screen shots of US orders with $5 shipping ( or something low like that). You guys are so lucky! 

We love our sunburnt country but wish it wasn't so faraway sometimes! 

By the way, if you haven't seen Wonder yet, please go. Omg, best movie I have seen in a long time. 

Okay, that's all from me. Vote and comment!!