Chapter 22 #2
Caspian sighed. “Have we not been over this already, Donmere? Whatever it is you have to say, I suggest that you do the intelligent thing and keep it to yourself. If you are capable of such things.”
“I am certain that you would like that.”
“No more than you would.” Caspian’s tone turned cold and his grip on Thalia’s hand tightened.
Lord Donmere cackled. “I could not help but hear just now the tale of your marriage to Her Grace…” He smirked at Thalia.
“Told as if you were King Arthur, and she Queen Guinevere. A truly breathtaking story, and no doubt one to tug at the heart strings. But I think the real story is infinitely more compelling.”
Caspian stiffened. “I would be careful what I say next, if I were you.”
“The truth is what is needed!” Lord Donmere announced and turned so that everybody in the garden could hear him. “It is deserved! Your lies insult us, Your Grace, and I am here to see an end to them.”
“Donmere…” Caspian growled in warning.
It had no effect. The guests were fully invested in Lord Donmere’s antics and short of Caspian taking the man by the collar and dragging him away, there was little he could do to stop him.
A coldness ran up Thalia’s spine as she wondered to what Lord Donmere was going to say… even if she had a pretty good idea.
“As you all know,” Donmere continued with unabashed glee. “His Grace was first engaged to my daughter before this one –” He flicked his head dismissively at Thalia. “— had the gall to interrupt the ceremony and steal my daughter away.”
Caspian growled and went to take a step forward, but Thalia pulled him back. Getting into a physical altercation with Lord Donmere would not solve anything.
“But what many of you will not know was that before I agreed to their engagement, the Duke had a clause added to my daughter’s dowry.” His eyes flashed. “Shall I tell them what it was, Your Grace? Or would you like to do the honor?”
“I wished for a child,” Caspian said as if bored. “It is nothing to be ashamed of or hide behind. It is, in fact, the primary cause for marriages among the ton.”
“Strange for one who claims to be so in love as you are.”
“Not at all,” Caspian rebutted. “As I have explained time and time again, Thalia is the one who held my heart, but when I believed that she did not wish to marry me, I forced myself to be realistic. Your daughter, deeply though it pains me to say it, was my last resort. If I had to marry against my heart, I decided that I must at least have a child.”
“Oh yes, of course,” Lord Donmere sighed.
“That is the reason. Your poor heart yearned but was unanswered, so you looked to my daughter as a consolation prize. It is lucky that Her Grace changed her mind, no? That she…” He laughed.
“That she confirmed the love you two both felt for each other. Is that the way of it?”
“It is.”
“Tell us then, Your Grace, did you make the same requirement of Her Grace when she agreed to marry you? Did you demand that she too provide you with an heir?”
Caspian opened his mouth to answer, likely to deny the claim. But he hesitated on his response, because to speak those words would be a lie.
Lord Donmere cackled further. “As I thought. You made the same deal with your current wife as you did with my daughter. Before agreeing to marry, you ensured that she would provide you with an heir. Admit it!”
“I…” The side of Caspian’s mouth twitched. “What Thalia and I have agreed upon is nobody’s business.”
“But you have made it our business,” he hissed, spittle flying from his mouth.
“By coming here, by flaunting yourself before everyone, you have thrust your relationship into the public eye, and we want answers! Tell us…” He spun about and spread his arms wide.
“If your love is so pure, as you claim, why the agreement? Why the need to ensure an heir? What is it that you worried would happen otherwise? And what do you mean to do if she cannot give you what you desire?”
Caspian did not speak. He glared at Lord Donmere with pure hatred, but the effect only worked to confirm the repugnant lord’s claims. The secret was out, there was no containing it, and the consequences would be untold.
“I do not need to justify myself to you,” Caspian said finally, albeit with less conviction than was needed. “The only person I need to do that with is my wife.” He pulled Thalia closer to him. “She and I love one another, and that is the truth.”
“The truth is that she is convenient,” Lord Donmere said.
“When she ruined your plans with my daughter, you forced her into this marriage. Admit it! You made her agree to give you an heir because that is all you want. You claim love. You claim adornment. But the reality is that you love only yourself and are happy to tread on and cast everyone aside so long as you get what you think that you deserve.”
“No,” Caspian said. “That is not –"
“What was that?” Lord Donmere held his hand to his ear, smiling broadly now. “Do you deny what I have said?”
“Call me what you wish,” Caspian said coldly. “Accuse me of what you like. But I ask all those gathered to look at the man who is making these outrageous accusations. A man who has just admitted to selling his daughter like cattle. A man who envies, who covets, and who hates.”
“I do all those things,” Lord Donmere admitted freely. “But that does not make me a liar.”
“It makes you a fool,” Caspian sneered. “A fool for coming here. A fool for thinking that anything you say will be believed. I love Thalia, she loves me, and nothing you say will change that.”
Even Thalia could not believe the words that Caspian spoke.
He was shaking with anger. He was snarling with hate. And the look in his eyes was terrifying. Anyone who saw him would know how upset he was, and anyone who knew the Duke at all knew how strange such a reaction was. A nerve was struck, and for good reason.
If our love was true, he would not care what Lord Donmere has said. But that he does care… perhaps that is the answer I have been searching for? Even if it is not the one I want.
Thalia looked at the other guests and took immediate note of the whispers they were sharing. She saw the doubt in their eyes. And she felt their judgement like knives stabbing her.
“Caspian…” She pulled gently on his hand. “Perhaps we should –"
“I want you gone.” Caspian pulled his hand free as he hissed at Lord Donmere. “Gone now before I do something that we will both regret.”
“I plan on it, do not worry,” Lord Donmere chuckled.
“I did not come here to drink and play and enjoy myself. I came here to reveal the truth. And now that I have done so…” He took a step back and bowed deeply.
“I will be on my way, as you have requested.” Then, he took a quick step closer and dropped his voice so that only Caspian and Thalia could hear.
“I warned you, Your Grace. And if you were not so arrogant, you might have listened.”
Thalia could see the effort it took her husband to contain his rage. He shook visibly. His face was flushed red. And his jaw was clenched. But he said nothing, allowing Lord Donmere to waltz freely from the party unscathed.
The mood in the garden changed dramatically.
Silence rang loud among the guests. Nothing was said, nobody moved, and they stood about awkwardly as they gawked and gaped. It was clear immediately that not only were Lord Donmere’s words heard, but that they were believed.
“Caspian…” Thalia took her husband’s hand again. “We should be going.”
“What?” he snapped and turned about.
She raised her eyes and indicated to the other guests. “We should go… now.”
It felt suspiciously like running… because that’s exactly what it was. Thalia and Caspian were quick to say their goodbyes to the other attendees before they slunk from the garden party. It was stiff and awkward, and they were watched closely the whole way.
Their secret was out, the lie was revealed, and the foundation of their marriage was shattered.
There was no need for them to lie anymore, there was no chance that they could change minds, and with Thalia finally being with child, she realized suddenly that the future of their marriage had never been more unsure.
Her world was falling apart and try as she might, Thalia could not foresee a way she might save it.