Chapter 16
Perseus eyed the decanter of brandy, which was far emptier than it should be. Granted, it hadn’t all been his own imbibing. Someone earlier must have had the excellent idea to have a drink or two.
He leaned against the fireplace mantel and tried to drink in the heat of the flames.
It didn’t work. He felt cold. So terribly cold.
What had he done? He had thought he was in the right. He had been certain he was doing the right thing. Tonight, when she had stood on that stage and everyone had applauded her, it seemed like all the work that he had done had finally come to fruition. And her work too!
But he couldn’t stop his own icy disappointment.
He wanted to gullet Lord Isleton. Of course, he had no wish to have him run for the Continent, so he, Deimos, and his uncle would have to come up with a suitable punishment for hurting his wife and her family.
But the real fury came from the fact that this night was supposed to have been a pure triumph. He was supposed to be watching his darling wife bask in the glow of everyone’s approval.
Instead, she was in distress and refusing to accept his comfort. She was awash in her own self-recrimination.
Yes, her triumph had been yanked away this very night.
They should be out dancing together, not suffering. No one should be crying over the loss of such a brutal marquess.
But he understood. Alice had thought she’d found herself a husband, a titled lord. And no matter what he said, Muriel felt guilt for the pain her sister now endured.
And here was the thing that worried him. Unless he and his uncle and Deimos worked quickly, the marquess was not going to let this go without some fight. He’d been embarrassed this night and saw himself as the victim.
If the marquess chose to stir things up, there might be ugliness in the papers. Many terrible things could be said about his wife, about him. They might not use her name directly, but he had a strong suspicion that they might see cartoons making fun of her.
Also, derogatory comments could be printed in those newssheets about her family and then, oh, the fun would begin. The bitter cruelty that so many of the Briarwoods had faced but ignored because they were accustomed to it hit him.
He had forgotten something in all of this.
The Briarwoods were accustomed to being the center of attention and often cruelty in the newssheets. She and her family were not, and they did not yet know how to deal with those who wanted to tear everyone down around them.
“Drinking alone, are we?” Deimos ventured.
Perseus tensed, then turned from the fire and spotted his cousin. “Well, the uncles don’t really drink as much as I’d like to right now. And I’m not certain what I’m supposed to do.”
Deimos nodded. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I did,” he countered dryly, his heart twisting with his own naivety. “I convinced my wife that everything was going to be fine if she but followed her dreams. That was foolish of me.”
“We’re all fools, Perseus,” Deimos said gently. “You know that already. And you’re a better fool than most. Give her a moment to face her own circumstances. She’s not even angry with you. She’s angry with herself.”
A muscle tightened in his jaw. “I caused that. That pain.”
Deimos blew out a breath. “You should be with her now, sitting with her, helping her. And if you turn to that decanter, you’ll help no one, especially not her.”
He eyed the decanter and stared into it as if it was a well that he could pour his soul into, but Deimos was right.
He gave his cousin a rueful look. “How did you get to be so wise?”
“I’m surrounded by wise people,” Deimos countered, “masquerading as fools. Isn’t that what Grandmama always says? The fools are the wisest of us all?”
He laughed. His grandmother had said it a hundred times. “Yes, she does. She’s obsessed with King Lear, of course. Do you think it’s because she’s growing older?”
“I think it’s because she sees more than almost any of us can,” Deimos said softly, “or ever will. We all love her, but it’s time that you stood on your own two feet. Don’t worry about the family. We are all behind you. As always. Go to her. She needs you, no matter what she may say.”
He ground his teeth, turned from the decanter, and smoothed his hands down the front of his linen shirt. “Has everyone left?”
Deimos looked back towards the door. “This jolly party? No one has left, save the marquess. The truth is that most people don’t even realize anything has happened and Grandmama wants it to stay that way.
Alice is being comforted by your mother and your other sisters-in-law have yet to realize anything is amiss.
Lady Mitchell hasn’t either. They’re being kept distracted by the family. ”
He drew in a breath. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to stop this before the pain spread. “Did you mean it?” he suddenly said.
“What?”
“When you said you’d marry Alice.”
“Of course I did,” Deimos said with a cheeky grin. “Alice is beautiful and interesting and kind, and I like to watch her eat cake.”
He let out a laugh. “Another wedding possible, eh?”
Deimos shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll have me now. I don’t know if she’ll have anyone after this, but I am a man who firmly believes in pursuing all possibilities.”
And with that, Perseus gave a nod because he was the same. He always had been, and he always would be, and he was not about to give up. Certainly not because of a marquess who couldn’t even touch his wife’s family’s shoes.