Chapter 15 #2
Marco turned and began setting his clothes to rights, but the forced cheerfulness in his voice perplexed Alice.
Though nothing had shifted truly in Marco’s outward manner, she could tell that something strange was afoot.
The air in the room suddenly seemed more thick, and she could not shake the sense that he wanted to be rid of her.
“Well, if there is indeed no riding to be had, I suppose you are right,” she joked, hoping to ease the sudden tension between them.
“No, there will not be any riding today at least,” Marco said with a smirk that Alice returned, forcing her mouth to smile when her heart was disquieted.
She wondered if his demeanor resulted from her seeing Hackman's name on the card or if it was from something else entirely.
She tucked the card into her pocket, unsure if it was important or not, when Beth's warning to guard her heart echoed through her mind.
Maybe she should have paid her more heed.
Perhaps Marco regretted their intimacy and sought to distance himself from her now.
She had been honest with him today and thought he had been accepting, but she didn't know if he had been truthful with her in return. He could have just been pretending.
“Allow me to escort you home,” Marco said after they had righted their clothing and Alice repined her hair. He guided her out of the library and toward the front door. Before they reached it, a young lad appeared, taking his cap off and bowing before Marco.
“Mr. Alegria,” the lad said, his eyes darting quizzically over Alice. “My apologies, sir. I did not know you had company.”
“Ah, William. I was not expecting you," Marco hesitated and looked at Alice. Her heart dropped at the look of shame she saw on his face. "Allow me to present my fiancée, Miss Alice Fitzroy."
Alice was taken aback when the young man's face darkened, and he only performed the meagerest of bows towards her. He returned his hard stare to Marco, clearly dismissing her entirely.
The butler came into the hallway at that moment and bowed. “Forgive the interruption, sir, but might I have a moment of your time?" he asked. "There is a small matter that needs your immediate attention."
“Yes, of course. I will be but a moment, my dear,” Marco said, kissing Alice’s hand, turning to follow his butler, and leaving her in the hallway with a young man who clearly despised her.
This William's dislike was so intense and so unexpected that Alice was nervous about being left alone with him.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, William. Do you work for Mr. Alegria?” she said, trying her best to smile at him. The lad only frowned more deeply.
“My name is William Cromer,” he said flatly.
“Oh, forgive me. I did not mean to be so informal, Mr. Cromer,” Alice said, nodding her head and hoping Marco would return swiftly.
“Do you know the name?” he demanded. Alice wondered why he thought she should. She was certain she had never met the boy before.
“I am afraid I do not,” she replied evenly. However, she grew more unsettled by the waves of hatred Mr. Cromer directed toward her.
“I certainly know yours well. Fitzroy.” he spat and glared at her. Alice felt a chill at the rancor in his voice. “The name of your father.”
“Oh,” Alice felt her stomach drop. She wondered if her father had wronged this man. If he had once been employed by the Duke and sacked for some minor infraction. Alice would not put it past him. “It seems you know him better than I do, Mr. Cromer. I am afraid I did not know him well."
“I know what he did well enough. Mr. Alegria tried to hide it from us, but we all know what the Duke did," William said, shaking his head bitterly. His eyes were hard with contempt as he boldly looked her over with disdain. "That he should take you for his wife is a bloody insult."
“Pardon me?” Alice asked coldly. She had done nothing to earn this man's hatred and refused to cower before it. She was bewildered but she could not afford to show it. Before William could answer, however, Marco had returned.
“My apologies, just a little matter with the new footman. All is well now. What did you need, William?" Marco asked. He looked at Alice then to William, sensing the chilly atmosphere. "Is something wrong?"
Before Alice could speak, William had turned pleading, almost tearful eyes upon Marco. "How can you do this? How could you marry her?" William demanded, his voice outraged and tremulous.
Alice was astonished at the depth of this man's feelings. He was clearly nearly undone, first with hatred and then despair, and she didn't understand what had her father done to this lad to provoke such a range of emotions. It was evident that Marco was not unmoved.
“William, please, things are not as they seem,” he said, his voice calming. Alice could not understand how Marco could accept the boy's disrespect unless he knew of something her father had done to deserve that kind of reaction.
“I would hope not, but I still don’t understand why you would tie yourself to her,” William glared at Alice, and she felt herself bristle.
“William, you forget yourself. I will not allow you to disrespect the lady,” Marco’s voice was suddenly stern, and Alice was a bit grateful that he decided to defend her. "You do not know Miss Fitzroy. She is more than her name."
William scoffed but nodded stiffly before stalking out of the house. Marco turned a neutral expression towards Alice, squeezing her hand gently.
“I believe the carriage is ready. Shall we go?” he asked. Alice could not understand his actions. She would not be distracted from what had just happened.
“What on earth was that about?” she demanded as Marco opened the front door and led the way down to his carriage.
“He recently lost his father and has become troubled," Marco said. His tone was respectful but dismissive, as if it didn't matter.
“Oh?” Her tone was that of a question. Marco opened the carriage door for her, and she climbed inside, waiting for him to elaborate.
“His father died from injuries he sustained during a fire at my factory,” Marco said, climbing in after her.