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Page 36 of A Wife for the Beast (Scandals and Second Chances #6)

"Edmund would undoubtedly be willing to provide you with a generous settlement in exchange for cooperation with his interpretation of events.

You could claim coercion, present yourself as an innocent victim of my alleged diminished capacity, and emerge from this situation with both your reputation and your financial security intact. "

The suggestion hung between them like a sword, offering her an escape from the scandal that would inevitably engulf them both should the competency proceedings move forward.

It was the rational choice, the practical solution that would preserve her welfare at the cost of only his own dignity and freedom.

Her response was immediate and explosive in its fury.

"How dare you," she said with ice that seemed to freeze the very air between them. "How dare you suggest that I would abandon my husband to save my own reputation, or that I would participate in the destruction of a man I have sworn to honour and protect?"

"I merely observe that your welfare need not be sacrificed along with my own," he replied with desperate calm. "You entered this marriage from necessity rather than choice, and changed circumstances might reasonably prompt altered priorities."

"Changed circumstances," she repeated with the sort of deadly precision that suggested he had chosen his words poorly. "You mean the circumstances where your cousin has revealed himself to be an unprincipled villain willing to destroy innocent lives for money?"

"I mean the circumstances where association with me may prove costly to your reputation and future prospects."

"My reputation and future prospects are inextricably linked to yours through sacred vows that I took seriously, even if you apparently did not."

The accusation struck him with unexpected force, highlighting how completely he had misjudged her response to their crisis.

She was not seeking escape from their marriage but rather preparing to defend it with the same fierce determination that had marked her approach to every challenge they had faced together.

"Of course I took them seriously," he said with more emotion than he had intended to reveal. "Which is precisely why I cannot bear the thought of your suffering the consequences of my cousin's malice."

"Then perhaps you should focus your energies upon preventing those consequences rather than planning my escape from them."

Her practical redirection of his attention from self-pity to active resistance reminded him forcibly of why he had found her so remarkable. Even in the face of devastating legal assault, she maintained the sort of clear-headed determination that marked natural leaders in times of crisis.

"What do you propose?" he asked, surrendering his futile attempts at gallant self-sacrifice in favor of genuine consultation with the woman who had become his most trusted advisor.

"We fight," she said with simple finality.

"We gather evidence of your competence, testimony regarding your excellent management of estate affairs, medical opinions contradicting any claim of mental deterioration.

We present such overwhelming proof of your fitness that Edmund's accusations become laughably inadequate. "

Her confidence was infectious, though he suspected she underestimated the challenges they would face in mounting such a defense.

"The burden of proof in such cases typically falls upon the accused to demonstrate their competence rather than upon the accusers to prove incompetence.

Edmund need only create reasonable doubt regarding my mental state. "

"Then we shall remove all possibility of doubt," she declared with characteristic determination. "We shall present such compelling evidence of your capabilities that no reasonable person could question your fitness to manage your own affairs."

Her use of the plural pronoun filled him with emotions too complex to analyze clearly. She was not merely offering support or sympathy but rather full partnership in what promised to be a brutal legal and social battle against his cousin's schemes.

"You understand," he said carefully, "that such proceedings will inevitably attract considerable public attention? The scandal will touch everything we have built together."

"I understand that your cousin is attempting to destroy our marriage through legal persecution, and that such attempts must be resisted with every resource at our disposal."

"And if we fail? If the court determines that Edmund's accusations possess merit?"

Her smile in response to his question was fierce enough to take his breath away, transforming her beautiful features into something approaching magnificent in its determination and loyalty.

"Then we shall prove them wrong," she said with absolute conviction. "Together."

The word carried implications that extended far beyond mere tactical cooperation, suggesting a level of partnership and mutual commitment.

As he looked at the woman who had entered his life as a stranger seeking shelter and had become the person, he most trusted in all the world, Lucian found himself believing that perhaps their love was indeed strong enough to withstand whatever trials Edmund's malice might devise.

The future remained uncertain, fraught with legal perils and social humiliation that could destroy everything they held dear.

Yet for the first time since the solicitors had delivered their devastating information, he felt something approaching hope that their marriage might survive the coming storm.

Evangeline had chosen to stand by him despite the cost to herself, and that choice made all the difference between despair and determination, between surrender and the courage to fight for what they had built together.