A/N: This scene has mentions of sexual assault. It does not go into detail about it, nor does it occur, but some readers may find it disturbing. 

Lord Cavendish clinked a spoon against his glass, gathering everyone's attention. The room that was bustling with murmurs and whispers overlapping each other to create chaos instantly grew silent. Dozens of curious faces turned towards the Marquess and Sophia who stood beside him a few feet away. Colette had appeared on his other side and he outstretched his palm which she placed her hand in.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the ton, I would like to borrow a moment of your time to announce something. For the past few weeks, I have been Lady Colette Brighton and we have gotten engaged."

Colette then raised her left hand, flashing the small ring upon her finger which caused a gasp to go through the room. It was silent for several moments before one hesitant clap rose up through it, gradually leading to a sea of applause.

Although Sophia had known what Blake was going to say, when he did announce it, Sophia couldn't help it her heart from dropping down and stopping for a painful moment. The world seemed to slow down and sound of the applause was replaced by this distant roaring in her ears.

In moments, the crowd had pushed past Sophia to reach the happy couple and congratulate them. This jostled Sophia back to her senses.

Amidst the thick crowd, Sophia could hear some of the whispers.

Why is he marrying the Brighton girl? Didn't he have an incident with the older sister a few odd years ago? Aren't the Brightons poor and below his station?

The words coming out of their mouths and their bodies pressing against hers made Sophia feels suffocated. She had to get out of there. Pushing through the crowd until she reached an empty space, she braced herself against a wall trying to calm herself down.

It was done. What she had trained Colette for all these years had finally come to fruition. Colette was to be married. Sophia had successfully accomplished her mission and had kept true to her vow.

Then why did she feel like her world was collapsing over her again? When her mother had died, Sophia thought that was the worst pain she would ever feel. Then the scandal and her being scorned out of society had come, and Sophia thought no pain and loneliness could ever match up to that. Yet now, it felt as if someone had smashed their hand through her chest breaking through her ribs and had curled their fingers around her heart, trying with all their might to pull it out.

Sophia wiped away at the sweat that was slowly collecting at her temples. The room felt like the surface of the sun as an insufferable heat boiled through her. She needed to get out of here.

Spying the doors to the back lawns Sophia lurched towards it. In all likeliness, she looked like a drunk as she stumbled towards the large oak doors but she could not care. The clamoring of the London ton disappeared behind the roar of her own blood. Her heartbeat was like drums in her ears.

Sophia shoved at the doors and sprawled into the large back lawn, which had a small grove of trees bordering it in the distance. The minimal golden light from the ballroom spilled onto the set of stairs below her and some of the lawn, but further on, the ground was bathed in shadows.

Sophia stepped forward, letting the darkness consume her. The night chill drowned her in seconds, slowly steadying her heartbeat. As she moved farther away, the chatter from the house also diminished leaving the night to be controlled by a deathly silence. The moon had disappeared behind the house, but the light from the stars allowed Sophia to see at least a few steps away from her.

Sophia stopped a few feet away from the grove of trees and took in a deep breath, allowing the smell of the earth and leaves work its tranquil magic through her. The wind rustled her skirt and hair and when a curl got stuck in her mouth, Sophia smiled to herself and pushed it away.

The faintest sounds of crickets chirping and the insects scuttling amongst the fallen leaves trembled through the air. Sophia would have loved nothing more than to lie down on the grass and be with nature.

The sound of a twig snapping crackled through the night air and Sophia whirled side to side.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Sophia picked up her lilac skirts to avoid getting them dirty in the mud and leaves as she stepped towards the general direction of the sound.

No response came. Although the grove and lawns looked empty, Sophia had the sudden feeling she was not alone. Perhaps it was time to leave.

When another sharp crack whipped through the air, Sophia's heart jumped to her throat and fervently pulsed there. The hackles on her back rose.

"Hello?" She said again, whirling her eyes from side to side. "Is somebody there?" Sophia thought she saw something move in her right side and she twirled towards it just in time to a see a shadow disappear between the trees.

She froze. Should she go after the shadow or go back to the party? Recently, Sophia felt like she was constantly being watched but could never prove it. She had dismissed it as paranoia but now...she had definitely seen something.

No, it would be foolish to go chasing after whoever it was in the night. Perhaps she could ask Blake or Lord Buckhaven to help her. Yet, by the time she came back, the man could have disappeared. Sophia shifted on her feet, deliberating which direction she should go. To the mansion or to the man?

Eventually fear won out and Sophia started walking back to the house when the snap of multiple twigs breaking sounded behind her. She turned around to see the silhouette of a tall man, clumsily strolling towards her.

He swayed from side to side, indicating he was drunk. His features were hidden by the shadows, but even without seeing him, an uncomfortable feeling latched onto Sophia. As he moved closer, Sophia shuffled backwards, her arms instantly coming up in front of her to push him away if necessary.

"Who...who are you?" Sophia barked out, trying to sound brave even though her voice trembled ever so slightly. Something about him made her quiver down to her bones.

The strange man did not answer but just grunted and stepped towards her again. She had to flee now.

She started walking backwards faster but the quicker she moved, he followed. Keeping her eyes trained on him and running was difficult and every step seemed to be a gamble of whether she would fall or not. Spinning around, she started running back towards the house.

Sophia made it about halfway back when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward. A yelp escaped Sophia's mouth but before she could say anything further a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Well, well, well. What do we have... have here? A prett... a pretty lady for satiating my desires."

Sophia squirmed in his grasp, trying to free her arms that he had pinned down with one arm. She tried to step on his foot but it was much too dark to properly figure where it was.

The man leaned forward, examining her face from the side. Sophia tilted away from him which caused her to press her mouth into his palm more. Sophia gagged.

As he took a close look at her, surprise clouded his features. His eyes glinted maliciously in the dim light. "Lady Sophia Brighton. What an unpleasant pleasure indeed. The lady who completely ruined my entire life. Well then, eh, you can repay me now for that!"

Sophia struggled furiously against his grip, trying to escape. But it was useless. Even in his drunken stage, his arms and grip were extremely binding and strong, the muscles bunched under his shirt squeezing the air out of her lungs.

"I'll admit, I came here tonight to make sure everything was going according to the plan and perhaps see you from afar and leave. But now...you've practically jumped into my arms. How can I deny myself and you the pleasure of me? I thought I could wait until it was all over, but when I have you so close to me, how can I? Oh, Sophia." He leaned into her, took a deep breath and sighed.

At first, his voice rang no bells but all of a sudden, a vivid image of Lord Darius Shaw, the Viscount of Adelaide floated up to her mind. His appearance could not mean anything good.

Sophia's heart started to beat even faster until it threatened to come flying out of her chest. Her mouth became dry and her throat was parched and sandy.

"Let me go."

"No!" He hissed in her ear as he started to drag her back towards the grove of trees.

She jabbed at her chest with her elbows but the blows did nothing to deter him. Thinking instinctively, she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of his hands and bit hard until she could taste blood. She gagged as blood spurted in her mouth but in shock and pain, he let her go.

"Ow!" Lord Darius growled, clutching his hand like it was on fire.

Sophia gathered her skirts and started to run away. Or tried to. She felt detached from her own limbs. Her legs refused to move properly and she fumbled forward, falling on her palms. Her hands met grass and mud as she crawled away from him. Her entire body felt concave and empty and she felt like throwing up whatever she ate. She could hear Lord Darius stumbling after her. There was no way she could escape him in the state she was in. Sophia had to find some other way.

Gathering as much air she could in her lungs, she let out a blood-curling scream. It was by no means award-worthy, but anyone was out there if there was even anyone but them out here, they would surely it and come to help her. Her cries were cut off when he grabbed her waist and hauled her up.

As they made their way back to the grove, all Sophia could do was close her eyes and pray.

It was only when his uncle and aunt asked to meet his fiance's chaperone that Blake realized Sophia was nowhere to be seen. In the bustle of the crowd heading towards him and Colette to offer their congratulations, Sophia had disappeared.

Blake tapped Colette's shoulder. Turning away from the couples she was speaking to, she glanced up at him. She furrowed her eyebrows together, blinking at him with her large sky-blue eyes. "My lord?"

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear so he could be heard over the chatter of the crowd. "My lady, I just realized that Sophia is not here. My uncle and aunt want to meet her, as do many others here, I am sure. I will find her. Can you entertain the ton while I find her?"

Colette nodded. "Yes, my lord. Go."

Excusing himself, Blake slipped through the crowd, periodically asking a few people and the servants milling about if they had seen anyone matching Sophia's description. Everyone he asked told him that they had last seen her next to him and Colette.

Blake gritted his teeth as he moved about the room. Where was she? It was not like her to disappear at such a crucial and important moment. There was no way she could have gone into the main house. During the ball, the main quarters were sealed off. That meant she could be anywhere in the many balconies, in the lawns leading up to the house or in the back. It would take forever to find her. For the oddest reasons, Blake felt like Sophia was in trouble or something had happened to her. He didn't know how to explain it but he did. Which meant time was of essence.

Seeing a few other servants, he marched up to them. "Have you seen Lady Sophia Brighton? She wore a place lilac dress. Black hair and blue eyes. Sister of the woman who got engaged today? They arrived together."

When all of them shook their heads, Blake hissed. Where could she be? With every passing moment, his heart seemed to drop all the more.

"Milord?"

A voice had Blake turning around to see a young redheaded servant looking up at him shyly. "Yes?"

"I think I saw a lady fitting your description heading to the back lawns earlier, milord."

"Thank you, boy."

Spying the oak doors that led to the back lawns, Blake walked furiously towards it. Slamming the doors open, he stepped outside. His eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness as he roved his gaze over the horizon seeing if he could spot Sophia.

A chilling scream suddenly tore through the air. Blake's heart slowed down to a stop before furiously starting to pump again. Anyone could have screamed, but instinctively, he knew it was Sophia. He immediately started running towards it, pushing his body to go as fast as possible. His clothes were meant for dancing and balls and not running and consequently, they stretched tautly over his skin, preventing him from taking longer strides.

As he got closer and closer to the large grove of trees that touched the edge of the property, Blake could spy the silhouette of a man with something or someone slung over his shoulder.

Everything around him turned red; red like fire, red like blood. As he got closer, he tried to keep his footfalls lighter so the man did not hear him.

Whoever he was, he must have been drunk or deaf to not hear Blake. When he was close enough, Blake lunged forward and grabbed the man's neck, pulling him backwards. In his shock, he dropped whoever he was holding and she thudded to the ground, her skirts flying around her. For a second, Blake worried if she was dead but a soft groan made his doubts disappear.

Blake increased the pressure of his chokehold, causing the man to draw gasping breaths.

"Who are you? What do you want? How dare you lay a hand on this lady?" Blake roared as his spittle flecking the face of the man unknown.

A sharp jab at his side had Blake loosening his grip and keeling over. The man stumbled away from him and sneered.

"Lord Alton. This night has gotten even better now." He said whilst wheezing and coughing.

Spying an opportunity to tackle him, Blake sped forward and jumped pulling them both to the ground, once again knocking the breath out of the captor. Gaining the advantage, Blake pinned the man between his two legs and gave a resounding punch to his face. And then another. And another.

Blood started to trickle slowly out of the man's nose and he groaned. When Blake still pinned him down but delivered no more hits, the man laughed maniacally looking up at him with shining silver eyes.

"Oh, Lord Alton. You aren't worthy of much but I will accept, you throw a good punch."

Blake frowned. Grabbing the man by the collar, Blake shook him. His head flew up and down, and his teeth clattered against one another.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Blake growled.

But all the man did was turn his head towards the side to look at the woman—Sophia-- who had gotten up hesitantly and was cradling her head. "You may have escaped this time you whore, but you have no idea what is to come."

Blake's answer was to knock him unconscious.

Leaving the man's body on the ground, Blake clambered over him and rushed towards Sophia who's had seemed to give under her and was kneeling on the ground. was lying on the ground with a shocked expression. A blank expression had overtaken her face and when Blake came near her, she flinched.

Blake immediately drew back. "My apologies. It's me, all right? Are you unhurt? Did he hurt you in anyway?"

Sophia looked at him big wide eyes but her mouth remained tight-lipped. Her throat bobbed up and down as she tried to submerge her cries. After several moments, she nodded slightly and Blake breathed a sigh of relief.

Blake didn't realize how much he wanted her to say yes until that moment. His own spirits lifted. He didn't know what he would if any harm came to the woman he loved.

The woman he loved.

Blake drew a deep breath at the revelation. But now was not the time to think of that. He had to get Sophia home.

He put out a hand for her to take to rise and she glanced it warily. He didn't blame her. After the ordeal she went through, she was bound to mistrust any man. He was about to retract his inviting palm but she hesitantly placed her hand in his.

"Thank you, Blake, for saving me."

He nodded, his face taking on a tender expression as he glanced at Sophia. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and hold her but she still looked much too shaken for anything.

"Blake. That was Lord Darius Shaw. He was the man I as bound to marry all those years ago but I didn't. I had all but forgotten about him until tonight. He said something about a plan and waiting. And what did he mean by 'what was to come?' I don't feel very good about this." Sophia gnawed at the inside of her cheek.

"I honestly do not know, my lady."

It was a true and honest pity they didn't, because then, things would have possibly turned out much different than they had.

A/N: God, we knew Darius was not against getting his way with women when he wants to, but this was just ahh. This chapter was initially not planned, but I wanted to give readers an insight to how Darius is consumed by Sophia and how he willing to do anything it takes to have her and reveal how Blake felt about Sophia as well because the dumb man will not realize it any other way.  This is when he truly starts to accept that perhaps she is his world :)). 

Also, I would like to mention that this chapter in now way, romanticizes rape and it for the characterization fo Darius. 

If you have ever gone through anything similar to this, I am sorry, as I know this is an atrocious act and is in no way acceptable. Please know I am there to talk, if you ever need anyone to talk to. 

Readers! Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter! Be sure to vote, comment and share it with others! Every single thing means the world to me! I love you all!