Page 34 of A Bride for the Duke of Sin (Ton’s Wolves #3)

CHAPTER 34

I t was all over—for Phoebe, at least.

Her heart was broken. Her marriage was in shambles.

And she was currently sitting on one of her closest friends’ sofa, her tears like a leaky fountain, except there was nothing elegant or beautiful or artistic about it.

She was simply miserable .

“There, there, now…” Scarlett rubbed soothing circles on Phoebe’s back. “Let it all out, dearest. The sorrow, the frustration, the rage …”

A maid came in bearing a tray of cups and a platter of scones and set them on the table before the two ladies.

“What is that? That smells lovely.” Phoebe blinked, turning towards the cups.

Scarlett grinned and winked at her. “Hot chocolate, of course. Nothing like it for a broken heart.”

“But I thought we only drink hot chocolate for breakfast.”

“Not me,” the redhead said simply as she handed Phoebe a cup of the sweetened drink. “I can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and teatime.”

“Should you not have tea for teatime?” an amused voice spoke up from the doorway.

They both turned to find Evie standing there, looking at them with a raised eyebrow. Immediately, she rushed over to envelop Phoebe in a warm, supportive hug.

“Oh, you poor dear. I came as soon as Scarlett sent word,” she murmured.

“H-he… did not go to your estate yet?”

He being Ethan.

Evie shook her head. “Not that I know, but if he did, I made sure to tell Daniel to sort him out before I left!”

Phoebe looked down at her cup, her lower lip trembling. “I do not think there is any sorting him out, Evie. The man is a hopeless case.”

“Well, they would say that about my husband as well…” Evie bit her lower lip with a sheepish smile.

“Do you think I should have stayed?” Phoebe looked at her best friend with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Should I have gone back to him?”

“Absolutely not!” Scarlett burst out.

“I quite agree with Scarlett on this one.” Evie nodded. “You must do what you think is good for you. Let Ethan sort himself out in the meantime. Or Daniel can do it for him if he insists on being a stubborn arse,” she added with a slight smile.

Phoebe let out a heavy sigh. “Well, he is a stubborn arse…”

“The very worst!” Scarlett declared supportively. “And if Ashton gives him a thrashing to get his head back on straight, I will say that he more than deserved it!”

“Well, let us pray it does not come to that,” Evie remarked, wrinkling her nose.

“Oh, but I do not think I can ever forgive him!” Phoebe burst into tears once more and covered her face with her hands. “I do not think there is any coming back after everything has been said and done!”

Her two friends responded with equally supportive hugs and more soothing words, although Scarlett was still quite vocal in favoring physical violence.

Phoebe, however, had no taste for it, so she drank her hot chocolate and continued to weep between railing about Ethan and how abominable he had been overall.

She was still in a sorry state when Alice arrived a little later, her face creased with anxiety and worry for her younger sister as she walked carefully into the parlor.

“Alice!” Phoebe gasped. “What are you doing here? You should be at home, resting?—”

Her older sister held up her hand with a soft smile to stop her blubbering.

“I am merely pregnant, Phoebe, not an invalid ,” Alice reminded her. “Of course, I will come to you in your time of need. I’ve also instructed Colin to talk some sense into Ethan, should he call.”

“I’ve said the same thing to Daniel,” Evie told her. “But knowing my brother, he is more likely to use his fists than waste time with words.”

Alice laughed. “You know your brother well, my dear. He does have that particular tendency. But we did not come here to talk about that.” She turned towards Phoebe, and the other ladies made space so she could sit beside her sister. “Have you informed Mama and Papa of your troubles already?”

Phoebe shook her head. “I could not… You know Mama—she had such high hopes for this marriage…”

“Yes, dearest, but your happiness matters above all. If you are no longer happy with Sinclair, then I do not think Mama and Papa will have any qualms about your estrangement.”

Estrangement .

Phoebe had heard those words before, and she did not like it then. She found that she cared even less for it now.

“What if they are disappointed in me?” she whispered hoarsely.

“To be honest, we are far more disappointed in your husband,” Scarlett muttered. “The most charming Wolf, indeed! Ha! He is charming no one with that attitude of his!”

Alice turned towards Phoebe. “But do you think… Well, that the child Miss Delaney is carrying is truly his?”

“At this point, I truly do not care.” Phoebe sniffled. “I did tell him before I left that if he truly believes the child to be his, then he must treat him or her well, for he shall not expect heirs from me .”

Scarlett let out a low whistle. “Harsh, but I applaud you for sticking to your principles.”

“I am still not so sure that the child is his.” Evie frowned. “Are you sure you heard them right?”

“Miss Delaney said she was there to see her baby’s father,” Phoebe replied.

“And so she sought out Ethan?”

“I suppose there is no other explanation as to why she was there.”

“And apparently, I need to have a word with my staff as to how she managed to sneak inside during such an event.” Alice frowned and then sighed. “Colin would be most displeased to hear about this security breach. He has been so adamant about making Blackthorn Estate the safest haven for our child…”

Scarlett grinned and winked at the expectant mother. “Well, how much trouble can a child all swaddled and wrapped up get in?”

“Oh, not much.” Alice grinned. “But once that child starts crawling and walking… well, I am certain your mama can say that it can be quite a lot.”

The redhead stood up indignantly, her hands on her hips. “For your information, I was an absolute angel as a child.”

Evie regarded her with a raised eyebrow. “So, your mischief was acquired?”

They all burst into laughter, and even Phoebe found it in herself to join in the levity.

I can still laugh . As long as I can laugh, I can find a way to live through this.

“Oh, but it is Phoebe who was an absolute angel when she was younger.” Alice smiled at her. “Why, Papa used to joke that he lived in mortal fear that she would one day sprout wings and return to heaven!”

Evie smiled. “Your papa is the sweetest man alive, I swear.”

“That is why you should not be afraid of their disappointment, dearest,” Alice said softly, reaching out to squeeze her younger sister’s hand. “How could you ever? I fear that Papa will only be more disappointed in himself if he fails to protect you and ensure your happiness.”

Phoebe smiled tearfully at her older sister. “Thank you so much, Alice.” She turned to Evie and Scarlett. “To all of you… I truly would not know what to do if I was left on my own.”

“Oh, I am certain you would have managed very well.” The redhead winked at her. “Behind that sweet and polite smile of yours is a woman strong enough to bring a man to his knees.”

“I am not certain you are still talking about my finer qualities,” Phoebe muttered wryly. “But I appreciate your confidence in me, Scar. Truly.”

Alice laughed and placed an arm around her shoulders. “What she means to say is that we are very confident you will make it through all of this, dearest—and if your idiot of a husband fails to see how rare and beautiful a gem you are, then it is all on him.”

They were right—Phoebe had done everything right. She had tried to be the best wife for Ethan while standing firm on her boundaries.

If he failed to see all of that, if he still chose to believe the worst of her… then she really could not do much about it.

As much as it broke her heart to hear him say those awful words, to see him look at her with such suspicion, she knew that none of it determined her worth.

Only she alone had the right to do that.

And besides, she never really wanted to depend on a man for the rest of her life. She had fully intended to live merrily on her own as a spinster, should the ton cast her out.

She smiled as she looked at Alice. “You are right, dear Alice. Perhaps it is time I returned to Mama and Papa after all of this.”

She had family who loved her and friends she could count on to defend her and comfort her in her time of need.

She was going to be fine—not perfectly, perhaps, but broken hearts did heal.

She just needed to give herself a bit more time.

Ethan was not fine—not by a long shot.

And he had no such intention of picking himself back up from the floor along with the two bottles of brandy that he had managed to consume all by himself in his study between several half-eaten meals.

Whenever he woke up from his alcohol-induced slumber, he only longed for the bliss of a dreamless oblivion. At least in the void, he would not have to suffer for hurting Phoebe so much.

He ran a hand over his face, feeling the day’s growth scraping against his palm. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still see the hurt look in those beautiful green eyes of hers. See the tears shining amidst the flecks of gold.

I am a monster . Like my sire, I destroy everything I touch.

It was a good thing that Phoebe was strong enough to get away from him before he hurt her further. Before she became just like his mother, unable to walk away from the man she loved but who hurt her terribly.

“You always were better than me,” he mumbled achingly. “Even with your heart so soft and full of kindness.”

He had known all along that Miss Delaney carried another man’s child in her womb. Had suspected it before he even tried to marry her.

What he could not accept was the Viscount trying to worm his way into Phoebe’s life, into her heart. Even when she showed him that she did not care for the man at all, that he made her all sorts of uncomfortable, he had been so afraid that Dexford, with all his slick promises, would win her heart.

Phoebe was a romantic, after all. She wanted love or nothing at all.

From the beginning of their marriage, Ethan had told her quite coldly that he could not give her that. What he offered, in its stead, was the shallow pleasure of copulation—a cheaper alternative to what she truly desired.

Still, she had given him a chance to become the husband worthy of her heart, and he had failed.

Devastatingly so.

“God, Phoebe, I am so sorry,” he groaned. “Sorrier than you could ever imagine…”

In his mind, a low voice taunted him. “ Are you really? ”

“Yes,” he muttered hoarsely, nodding. “Much more than even words can say…”

“Good. Maybe then you can pick yourself up from the floor and actually start doing something about it.”

Ethan frowned and then blearily blinked his eyes open.

Crouched before him was none other than Daniel, who was wearing a slight smirk as he looked straight into his eyes.

“You are going to want to listen to what I have to say, Sinclair,” he said simply.

Ethan smiled bitterly. “There is very little I want to hear right now, Daniel.”

“Oh, I doubt it,” Daniel drawled sarcastically. “Do you want to know something about the Viscount Dexford? Something that could ruin him entirely, or quite possibly an explanation for everything happening between you and your Duchess?”

That finally got Ethan’s attention. Daniel never joked about ruination or any information he possessed.

“You have something?”

“Oh… more than just something , I assure you.” The Duke of Ash grinned at him. “But you better bathe and get yourself cleaned up. I would rather discuss the information in my possession with a member of the civilized world.”

“Damn you, Ashton.”

Daniel’s reply was a mere grin. “Thank you for the compliment. Now, get yourself cleaned up. You have a viscount to take care of.”