Page 14 of Miss Thornfield’s Daring Bargain (The Troublemakers Trilogy #1)
I t had taken roughly two days for Basil to get himself together after sending that note to Richard. He’d spent hours wearing himself into a nasty frazzle at the impending confrontation, then more time marshalling his feelings into some sort of acceptance. Ada had never been his no matter what the blacksmith at Gretna Green said. He’d done his duty to his friend and now it was time to move forward.
He washed and changed his clothes, went to his club for a round of fencing and luncheon, then returned home to work on the plans for the country estate. His mother had left him a letter and an invitation to dinner. The letter informed him of the developments with respect to the Ashwoods, not that he was overly concerned about them. The banns had never had a chance to be read before Basil retracted them, so the engagement had never truly been announced. Felicity was already newly engaged to a barrister whom she’d been secretly in love with. Now that Basil was married to Ada, Felicity was free to marry the barrister with her parents’ blessing. In the interest of quieting scandal, the Ashwoods had opted for civility instead of rancor.
Considering such a happy result, Felicity had gone out of her way to invite not only his parents but Basil and Ada to her wedding and her engagement party. So now he supposed he could inform his mother of the upcoming annulment. She hadn’t been as intractable as he’d expected with respect to Ada, but he imagined she would be secretly relieved. The invitation to dinner had nearly been thrown into the fire. He wasn’t interested in dining with his parents or pretending for the sake of appearances that everything was all right. He didn’t want to compromise, even if it meant starting over.
Instead of burning it, he shoved it to the side and picked up the blueprints for his partially finished home in the country. He’d gotten it at a bargain due to the extensive work needed but few things had given Basil more pleasure than renovating it. Now there was no wife to prepare it for, and he would settle for someone he liked rather than the one he loved. The true price of knowledge. He would never have known how much he was losing if it hadn’t been for Ada. He didn’t know how he felt about that fact.
The doorbell rang. “I’m not here,” Basil called out, waiting for Mr. Crouch to answer the door and convey his apologies. But there were no footsteps, and the bell rang again. He bit back a curse before rising to his feet and striding towards the front door. Mr. Crouch wasn’t back yet from dropping off his wife. He hoped whoever it was knew how to take ‘no’ for an answer, otherwise he couldn’t be held accountable for his actions.
He jerked open the door and came face to face with the one person he knew for a fact didn’t meet that description.
“Basil.”
“Richard,” Basil sighed.
Richard held up an envelope with a seal Basil recognized.
His seal.
And from the look on Richard’s face, Basil was about to lose two hours of his life.
He gave a tight smile and stepped back to allow his friend to enter. “I see you got my note.”
Richard went directly to the sitting room and sat down in a chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Would you care to explain this to me?”
Basil blinked in confusion and sat in the opposite chair. “Which part?”
“The part where you are expecting to annul my sister, but she is preparing to move into your home.”
Basil’s mind froze. Ada was thinking of keeping their marriage? “She what?”
“You see my confusion.” Richard smiled widely but without humor.
“Why would she think that?”
“Something to do with an unexplained kiss you reportedly shared with my innocent baby sister.” He tilted his head to the side with a deceptively curious frown.
Basil’s mouth went dry. “Ah.” It was all he could manage. “Um, would you care for a drink, Richard?”
“Not particularly. Start talking.”
Full disclosure was best at this point. Quick and relatively bloodless. Basil clasped his hands together and leaned forward in the chair, braced for a quick exit in case his dear friend lunged in his direction. “I… there was a kiss when I went to get her from my parents’ home. I will take responsibility for it. She was relieved that you were safe, and I perhaps let it go too far.”
“You will ‘take responsibility’?” Richard repeated.
“Yes. It shouldn’t have happened, and she is too young to understand that.”
Richard nodded and glanced down at his hands and their perfectly manicured nails. “Can you understand why she might think there was more to it than a misunderstood release of emotions?”
Basil’s shoulders shifted in discomfort as his ears began to burn. Something about the way he said it made it sound pedantic and ridiculous. “Why are you saying it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you think I’m an idiot.”
Richard smiled in response, but it was enough for Basil to know he agreed with his assessment. “Are you in the habit of being accosted by women?”
“Not as a rule, no.”
“But you seem to have allowed Ada a few liberties, have you not?”
Liberties? What the fuck had she told him? “I don’t—”
Richard interrupted. “Allowing yourself to be whisked away to Gretna Green when you knew you were engaged, for example.”
“That was different. It was for your benefit and her safety.”
“Perhaps it was, but can you honestly say every single action you have taken since then has been with only me in mind?”
He couldn’t get a read on what he was trying to say. Was he upset? He seemed more smug than angry. “Why are you asking me this? You didn’t want her married to me anyway.”
“I came here ready to thrash you bloody, but from the state of you I rather suspect you might have fallen in love with my sister.”
Basil shook his head and stood, unable to have Richard’s eyes boring into him any longer. In love with her? So what if he was? As if that was the most important thing to consider. As if love was some kind of magical protection against everything else that would surely come for her as his wife. Would it protect her from his father and brother? Had it protected Richard? What if their determination extended to his and Ada’s children, what then?
“And I know she is in love with you.”
So that was his game. He wanted them to stay married. Basil walked over to the window and stared at the dull grey sidewalk. His chest was so tight he could barely breathe. “That doesn’t matter. I am not a good match for Ada.”
“Enlighten me.”
Basil couldn’t remember the last time he’d won a debate against Richard, but there was a first time for everything. “My family would never welcome her which would only make her miserable. The only thing I have to recommend me is my relation to a viscount and viscountess. If I break with them, there is no advantage socially or otherwise to being my wife. I’m not rich. Without her dowry, I can’t actually provide for her to the same level as others.”
“I’d forgotten about your family,” Richard said with a small sigh.
Was that it? Had that done it? “So, you agree?”
“I do not.”
Fuck.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Richard continued, “I was upset when I found out you’d snatched my baby sister out from under my nose when I couldn’t stop you.”
Not this again. “For fuck’s sake, Richard, you were missing . You could have been dead for all we knew—”
“True. And the more I thought about it, do you know what I felt at the thought of you being her husband?”
Basil shook his head.
“Relief.”
“What?” He turned and saw that his friend was watching him with an expression he’d never seen before.
“As Ada’s brother and now her guardian, I have essentially two duties to her: securing her dowry and finding her a suitable match. It has been a terrifying prospect because the men in this country by and large don’t see my sister for who she is, just like they don’t see me. They see her as an exotic, conveniently biddable doll at best and a corruption of English blood at worst.”
Basil looked away, embarrassed at the accuracy of that statement. How closely it echoed the words of his father and brother. I will fix this. Enjoy her while you can.
“Some of that sounded familiar, did it?”
“Some of it, yes,” he replied keeping his eyes on the unpolished floor. The rest sounded eerily close to something Trent might say. Trent who was now in Newgate for kidnapping and lord knew what else. Intention to murder? Did he ever mean to give Richard back once he had the money? Would his brother do something like that to Ada? Could he count on his mother’s tepid support to protect his family?
“I can’t change that. I can’t protect her from all of it. But you see her. She wants to stay your wife, and you are not indifferent to her, no matter what you say. If you tell me that you don’t want the trouble of marrying someone like her, I will not argue. But if your feelings echo hers, then I’ll tell you frankly there isn’t another man alive whom I’d trust with my sister more. You are her best option.”
As if she would be better off in a nunnery if Basil didn’t stay married to her. As if it was so simple as just the two of them. He couldn’t stop seeing the possible cost. “You make it sound as though I’m her only option.”
“From where I’m standing, you are. And she agrees.”
Basil shook his head wordlessly, unable to accept it. “That sounds like rashness born of desperation. She is young yet, there is no reason for her to settle for me when there are options elsewhere. What about China?”
Richard scoffed, “You think they want a western girl marrying into their families?”
“But you have family ther—” Basil fell silent when Richard shook his head. The certainty and resignation in his eyes was unnerving. How long had he known this?
“Women are meant to uphold and continue the traditions of the family. They would never allow Ada to marry into their families when she wasn’t fully raised in that culture or tradition. Ada looks like them, but they would never mistake her for one of them. We look too different to belong here and act too different to belong there. We are both of us caught in the middle.”
It was something he never had to consider when it came to himself. There were so many different points of privilege between them. Basil had to marry well financially to support himself, but he had both his parents and the protection of his race. Richard had neither but was far wealthier and in control of his life and livelihood. Basil had never needed to question where he belonged, whereas Richard knew he didn’t belong anywhere. “You never told me about this.”
“Because it’s none of your fucking business.”
Basil choked on a laugh and nodded, fighting to clear his throat. “Fair enough.”
“Joking aside, Basil. I don’t trust you because you are my friend. You are my friend because I trust you. You’ve earned it day by day, year by year. This last escapade has only vindicated that trust.”
The words should have filled him with warmth, but they only made the twisting in his stomach worse. Trust was one thing, but what would happen when she realized her fantasy had an ugly cost? How could he possibly be enough to make up for it? “She wouldn’t be happy in a family that doesn’t respect her.” That wanted her erased.
“No, she wouldn’t be happy married to a man who didn’t respect her. If you value her and you care for her—”
“I can’t, Richard. Let her find someone else. There must be someone else.”
“I won’t force you. But if you think you are doing this for her sake, you’re wrong. This isn’t about her, it’s about you.”
“That’s—”
“I won’t say anything more about this. I’ll leave you to your idiocy.” He stood and walked out the door.
Basil stood there, fighting the urge to throw a book at him. Smug bastard, telling him his own business. He wasn’t the right person. He couldn’t protect her from anything, couldn’t give her anything she didn’t already have alone.
*
The next day Ada elected to pay a visit to Elodia after receiving an invitation to tea. It wasn’t expected. Ada hadn’t heard from Elodia or Regina since that day at the train station, but she had enough sense to understand why. What they had done was necessary but would have absolutely tested, if not broken, any semblance of trust between her friends and their parents. Eager to see her friend, Ada dressed in her favorite hunter green calling gown and took a carriage to Elodia’s London home.
The look she received from the butler when he answered the door was pointed but a little amused.
“Good afternoon,” Ada said, wondering what he’d overheard in the past days.
“Good afternoon, Miss Thornfield. Miss Hawthorne and his Lordship are awaiting you in the front sitting room.”
Clearly, he hadn’t heard much if he was still calling her Miss Thornfield. Another piece of information filtered through. The viscount was joining them? That couldn’t bode well. Ada kept her gloves on in case she was about to be officially banned from the premises but followed the butler to the sitting room. Elodia sat in a white muslin day dress glaring at someone beyond the door frame who Ada imagined was the viscount.
“Miss Adelaide Thornfield,” the butler announced, and Elodia’s head snapped to the left before a grin spread across her face. Within moments she had run over to catch Ada in a breath-defying hug that allayed the worst of her fears.
“I missed you.”
Ada giggled and hugged her back, “And I you. How have you been?” she asked, drawing back to take her in.
Elodia rolled her dark brown eyes, “In a word? Secure. Father refuses to let me leave the house without his supervision.” She took Ada’s hand and drew her over to the sofa.
“Because the last time I did you went to Scotland without so much as a ‘by your leave’, came the viscount’s voice. “Good evening, Miss Thornfield.”
Ada spun around and dropped into a curtsey. “Good afternoon, My Lord,” she said, and he nodded in her direction before shifting his attention to his scowling daughter. He was a handsome man, with bright blue eyes, a strong yet elegant figure, and grey creeping in at the temples of his light brown hair.
“That was different, papa. Mr. Thornfield—”
“I’m aware of the particulars of your latest adventure, Miss Elodia Hawthorne. But you seem to have a talent for finding ‘extreme situations’.” He met her annoyed stare over his reading glasses before pursing his lips and returning to his newspaper.
Ada shuffled over to sit beside Elodia on the sofa and removed her gloves. The viscount normally took Elodia’s exploits in stride, meeting each with a certain mix of humor and admiration, but this last venture had been one test too many.
“May we have the room, papa?”
“Not a chance. I stay or Miss Thornfield leaves.” His tone was even but there was no mistaking the steely resolve in it.
Ada unfastened her bonnet and set it beside her before meeting Elodia’s eye and shaking her head. He was within his rights. Elodia sighed. “Have you heard anything from Gigi?”
“Not a peep, but I’m reasonably certain she’s alive.”
She took Ada’s hand. “How have you been, Ada? How is your brother?”
“He is well. He’s been sticking very close to me.”
“With good reason. Is he—well, was he hurt?”
“Not much, all things considered. Basil said he was angrier than anything else.”
“It must be such a relief to have him home safe.” Elodia’s gaze dropped down to their hands and a strange look flitted across her face. Wistful and relieved at the same time.
“It is,” Ada said, wondering for a moment whom Elodia had been concerned for most all this time. Was it possible? Did Elodia have feelings for Zhenyi?
Elodia looked up when a maid wheeled in the tea service and that singular expression was erased by an overly bright smile. She added tea leaves to the hot water in the silver teapot. “And I suppose we can finally enjoy our seasons next year.”
That gave Ada pause as Elodia picked out a small selection of finger sandwiches and placed them on the side table near her father. It was a sudden turn considering how Regina and Elodia had been encouraging Ada to forego an annulment from the beginning. “What do you mean?”
Elodia blinked in confusion, her smile faltering as she returned to her seat. “The annulment. Has it not been obtained?” she murmured. She glanced down at Ada’s hand. “Is that why you are still wearing that?”
“It isn’t certain that we will annul as yet,” Ada replied, covering her ring with her other hand. A sickening feeling was taking root in her stomach as a cold sweat sprouted all over her body. She could hear her brother’s voice in the back of her mind. Did he at any point tell you that he was changing his mind?
“Did you decide to stay married then?” Elodia asked carefully.
“Well… there were certain developments lately,” Ada said but even to her ears the words sounded pathetic, dripping with delusion. Development implied progression and she had no reason to think anything had truly changed between her and Basil. Except for that damned kiss that she couldn’t get out of her mind.
Elodia stopped pouring a cup of tea and glanced at Ada, dread all over her face. “I suppose it’s my turn to ask now. What do you mean?”
What was happening? Ada couldn’t help but feel like she had missed a crucial piece of information. She glanced at the viscount to see him watching her with something like sympathy. Then he stood and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He’d been so adamant about staying with them, why would he leave so suddenly? What did he know? “Have you heard something, Ellie?” Ada asked, her throat tightening until the words were barely audible.
“Well, no which was, quite frankly, the point.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
Elodia let out a terse breath and laid a dark slender hand over Ada’s. “There hasn’t been any gossip about a jilted socialite or anything about the engagement being called off. I saw Miss Ashwood out at the theatre with the Viscountess Sterling a few days ago when papa took me to see Lucia di Lammermoor . As there didn’t seem to be any bad blood between them, I could only assume that Mr. Thompson’s engagement to Miss Ashwood had resumed because you and he had resolved your own connection quickly, as planned.”
Ada shook her head slowly as her brain struggled to comprehend what she was hearing. She sat back and jerked her hand out of Elodia’s grip, clasping her fingers together in her lap. What did it mean? Was it truly already over without her even knowing it? “He must have come to an agreement with Miss Ashwood. Richard went out yesterday, I thought he went to speak to him. I thought…” She’d thought Zhenyi would talk him around.
She thought she had meant more to him in the end, that he had seen her as more than a duty to be discharged. She’d thought Basil wasn’t the sort of man to kiss a woman for no reason. She’d gotten carried away in such a small amount of time, caught up in the idea of him as a literal white knight, a hero out of a fairytale: chivalrous, honorable, kind, and handsome. Even heroes had feet of clay. Had it been that easy for him to let her go? Had she been so unmemorable? Had her own inexperience turned their kiss into something else? Something he had never felt or promised?
“I’m sorry, Ada,” Elodia whispered, and Ada forced a chuckle past her viselike throat and shook her head.
“Why are you sorry? I have my freedom, my dowry, and my brother. I have everything I wanted.” And so it seemed did Mr. Thompson. Not Basil. Not anymore. She was going to break her own fingers if she gripped them any tighter, but she couldn’t let go now. Not when it felt like that clasp was the only thing keeping her heart together in her chest. “I suppose we will have the rest of this season, Ellie. It’s not over yet.”
“Oh, Ada,” Elodia shifted closer, and Ada turned away, terrified of meeting her eyes and finding pity there. She had made an utter fool of herself, it seemed. The kiss that had filled her with so much anticipation now served as a source of humiliation. How uncomfortable he must have felt with her staring at him as if he’d hung the stars, when all he’d wanted to do was deliver her to her brother and move on with the rest of his life.
“There are so many diversions in London, and plenty of suitors to entertain us.”
“Very true,” Elodia replied, clearly attempting to placate her. It seemed she knew the truth that only Ada had missed. Her marriage was already over. Zhenyi knew it, the viscount knew it, and so did Miss Ashwood.
Her eyes fell on the engraved golden band she still wore on her right hand. Did she even have the right to wear it anymore? Why on earth hadn’t he taken it back? Why would he give it to her in the first place? The humiliation was unbearable. “I…I have to go now, I have to—” she’d meant to think of an excuse, but nothing was coming to mind.
I have to go crawl into a hole. I have to go to my room and scream into a pillow. I have to put all this behind me the way he did. The way he’d put her behind him.
She met Elodia’s eyes and the sympathy there nearly finished her.
“Go,” she whispered.
Ada gave a jerky nod, stood without any further encouragement and fled, refusing to meet the eyes of another soul or stop walking until she was in her room with the door securely closed.
Safe within the privacy of her bedchamber, she sank onto the floor by the door and pressed her forehead into her knees. Numb hands clasped tightly around her legs. She breathed slowly and unevenly until the worst of the waves of humiliation had passed, leaving her clammy and weak but her eyes dry. She’d always hated crying in public. Hated the idea of surrendering her dignity under the scornful gaze of the London ton.
She’d feared crying on the way home with the way her throat ached so sharply. But now she was safe, nothing was coming, as if her mind still hadn’t processed what had happened. Why hadn’t Basil said anything if he was still intending to leave her? Why would he leave that cursed ring on her hand, a family heirloom that his parents had clearly meant for Miss Ashwood? What did he mean by it?
How could she face Zhenyi like this?
What would she tell her brother?
She stayed on the floor until it was time to get ready for dinner. By that time, she’d decided one very important thing. She was not going to give in to self-pity no matter how much her heart ached.
So what if Basil didn’t share the same feelings she had for him? So what if he had seen fit to dispose of her as quickly as possible? He and his family had done her a very great favor. The impending trouble she’d anticipated had never surfaced. Whatever words his father had spoken, Basil had managed to keep his connection with Miss Ashwood. They would marry, he would be safe.
What did it matter if he’d kissed her like she was the only oxygen in the room for no reason than to sate some latent curiosity? His lapse had given her an enviable entrée into the world of womanly pleasure. Few women could claim such an exemplary experience for their first kiss. His discretion meant that she would be able to begin anew and find a new husband with the world none the wiser. It was a blessing in disguise, and she would never allow herself to see it as anything else.
Her eyes were burning again but this time she wasn’t afraid of the tears, only unwilling to give into them. After all, there was nothing to cry about and more importantly, nothing to be embarrassed about. So stop crying you ninny! It’s already over.
When her maid arrived to dress Ada for dinner, she was sitting by the bay window looking out over the garden, having won the temporary skirmish against tears. She was determined to maintain that track record. Zhenyi would take one look at her and know that she was all right. Everyone would know she was excited about her future, not mourning a ruptured illusion.
She donned her favorite evening dress (a sumptuous, coral-colored, brocade silk that set off her complexion perfectly) and spent extra time on her toilette that night, daring to darken her eyes with charcoal and using a touch of lip rouge. She’d even had her maid use curling tongs to add ringlets to her coiffure which was an exercise in futility, honestly, because she knew full well they wouldn’t last longer than an hour. Possibly two.
She went down to the sitting room with her embroidery to wait for her brother to arrive. He hadn’t been home when she left for tea with Elodia, and she’d hidden in her room the rest of the day, so she didn’t know if he’d arrived yet. The longer she sat pulling needle and thread through silk to bring a vase of peonies to colorful life, the more it occurred to her that Basil’s behavior had crossed from odd into downright discourtesy. There was no excuse for the silence from him over the past week. Not after that kiss.
Even if he intended to break off the marriage, he could have spoken to her, written to her, faced her like a grown man instead of hiding away. She knew their relationship was objectively nowhere near as familiar as his with Zhenyi, but they had gone through enough to warrant more than this cold, hard absence. Why was he treating her as some kind of a threat, or worse, as a stranger?
The door opened and the sound of low voices caught her ear. One was Zhenyi, who she recognized instantly but the other… Was it him? Had he come at last?
Irrational, ungovernable hope burst in her chest, and she sprang to her feet, throwing her embroidery onto the seat and running out the door. The disappointment when she reached the foyer to see only her brother was crushing. Zhenyi glanced over at her from his conversation with a footman and stared for a moment before finishing his instructions. Her dissatisfaction must have shown on her face because he shook his head with a sad expression and sighed.
“Are you unhappy with me already?” he asked her in their native tongue. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, A’Wei, but I shall endure it with all my might.”
She frowned at him in confusion, “What are you talking about?”
“Your face. Only a week I’ve been home safely and already you’ve grown sick of me.”
Recognizing his playful mood, she rolled her eyes in annoyance “That’s not true.” She bit her lip, embarrassed to admit the truth to him. He was right. For all her convictions, there was nothing she wanted more than for Basil to claim her as his wife. “I thought you were—”
“Ah, you thought I was speaking to your husband?”
“Yes,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on the floor.
“I hope you can bear the disappointment long enough to enjoy this meal with me, Sister.”
“Of course,” she replied, finding a smile for him, and hooking her arm through his as they headed back to the dining room.
Basil was being a misery but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy her brother’s company. His evening jacket was made of a rich, dark ochre and his waistcoat was a deep crimson and umber brocade silk which complemented his dark eyes and warm skin tone perfectly. It wouldn’t take long before the shadows on his face cleared and he was his handsome self again.
“What are we having?” he asked.
“Turtle soup and a haunch of beef, I believe. I left the other particulars to cook’s discretion.”
“How delicious,” he commented, patting her hand affectionately and then taking his seat across from her. They never sat at the end of the table unless there was company. Zhenyi was in a good mood this evening despite their conversation about Basil which had ended with him reading a missive and leaving her in his office. He hadn’t brought it up again, and the constable hadn’t come looking for him which meant that Basil was likely still alive. Outside of that, she had no further information.
“You are looking very beautiful tonight, Sister,” he commented, as his soup was served.
“Thank you.”
“Your best dress, that double strand of pearls, and someone’s taken a pair of curling tongs to your head.”
“What about it?” she asked, resisting the instinct to touch her hair in embarrassment.
“As unflattering as it is to admit, I feel none of that was for my benefit.”
She placed down her spoon and took a sip of water as he tasted his turtle soup. “It was for mine. I’ve been so anxious for this last while, I haven’t had time to pamper myself properly. I thought tonight was as good a time as any.”
“How very true.”
“I had tea with Ellie today,” she said watching him for a reaction.
There was an infinitesimal pause as he ate his soup, but she caught it. “How did you manage that?”
“Well, her father refused to leave the room.”
“I cannot blame the man. The three of you are enough to turn anyone stone grey.”
“After that meeting, I believe that Basil is planning to annul me after all. And that he will be marrying Miss Ashwood.”
Zhenyi’s hand rested on the table with his spoon caught between his fingers. Slowly, his head raised until he was meeting her stare. There was a strange look on his face. His eyes were piercing but his expression was forced. “Is that a fact?” he said finally.
“Yes, so if you could make those arrangements as soon as possible, I would appreciate it.”
He smiled slowly and nodded but somehow it felt as if he was laughing at her. “I will, of course, if that is your wish.”
He was being far too agreeable. No tension in his voice, no ire in his eyes, nothing. A man had kissed her and was planning on leaving her behind and he had nothing to say about it? He was building up to something. She could feel it.
“I have to say, A’Wei, I’m surprised at you.”
“How so?”
He shrugged. “I never expected you to accept this sort of indignity with such equanimity.”
“What?” She felt as though she should be insulted by that comment, but she wasn’t sure.
“A full week has gone by. He’s had time to renew his engagement without bothering to finalize his business with you.”
“Evidently he’s had business to attend to.” With Miss Ashwood. “His parents weren’t pleased with what he did. It’s a miracle they were able to smooth things over so quickly.”
She hated how meek and tired her voice sounded. She hated that she felt the need to defend his neglect as if she were fine with it. How could he kiss her like that, look at her with those eyes, and still set her aside as if she were nothing but a puppy he’d returned to its owner? Was that how he saw her in the end? Had it all truly been mere kindness? How could he leave her twisting in the wind with so many questions left unanswered and respond to none of her letters?
“One could say that as his wife, you, his most important business, have been sitting here waiting patiently for days.”
“I’m not his wife. Not really.” It was obvious he didn’t see her as his wife anymore if he ever had.
Her brother hummed doubtfully and pulled a face but said nothing else.
“Maybe he thought he was giving us time together,” she suggested. Zhenyi gave her a look of disbelief and almost pity.
“Don’t defend him, that’s Miss Ashwood’s job now.”
“I’m not defending him,” she lied, as her temper spiked. Was he actually scolding her? How dare he bring up Basil’s fiancée. “Don’t presume you are more angered by this than I am. I am the wife in question after all.” If he pointed out how quickly she’d taken back up that title, she would throw her dinner roll at his head.
“So you are. For the time being anyway. However, if he believes that he can treat you this way without consequences, perhaps it is better that it ended now.”
“You think he is looking down on me?” she asked.
Again the pitying look. “Sister, it is no longer a matter of what I think or not, it is a statement of fact.”
“You’re right,” she agreed.
“I’m always right,” he replied easily. “But it’s good of you to bow out gracefully and avoid causing him and Miss Ashwood further disruption. Especially after all he’s done for us.”
Further disruption? Is that all she was to him in the end? Something to get past? Something pretty but ultimately unwanted to dispose of so that he could have the life he wanted. Angry, humiliated tears burned her eyes. She would step aside if that was what he wanted, but not without an explanation first. He had no right to treat her like this, and she wouldn’t allow him to do it without hearing from her first.
Her eyes fell on the stupid ring on her finger. If he wanted to cut ties, he could do it face to face like a man. If he was too much of a coward to come to her, then she would go to him.
She pushed herself to her feet and her brother looked up at her with wide eyes that she would probably question at a later date.
“Lost your appetite?” he asked.
“Not exactly. I’m taking a carriage,” she said walking out of the dining room.
“Where are you going?” Zhenyi asked, strolling out behind her.
“I’m going to speak to your stupid friend and return this… this blasted ring to him so he can give it to its proper owner.”
“Now?”
“No time like the present,” she said, snatching up her cloak from the coat stand and throwing it around her shoulders.
“It’s rather late, sister. Don’t you think you should wait until tomorrow?”
“I’ve waited for him long enough,” she snapped. Zhenyi jumped back from her, his eyes wide and wary. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. It wasn’t his fault. None of this was his fault. “I’m sorry, Brother. I waited for him to bring you to me, I waited for him to return to take me home with him, I waited for him to tell me what we were to each other. I waited and I got this, gossip from a friend and a ring that isn’t even mine. I want answers and I’m not going to stop until I get them.”
She flinched instinctively when his hands touched her cheeks but instead of squeezing them to tease her, he simply held them, a gentle smile on his face. “My little sister has grown up.”
“Do you think I’m being unreasonable?” she asked, her fingers curling around his wrists.
“Not at all. No sister of mine will be put aside like an unwanted kitten.” He said with a frown and her eyes widened as his words sank in.
“You,” she slapped his chest, and he grinned before taking her hands in his.
“But it’s too late to let you go alone, so your big brother will drive you there.”
“Thank you,” she said rolling her eyes. He was definitely up to something, but at the moment, she was far too grateful to care.