Chapter 30

Dominic threw back the last drops of his whiskey as he sat across from Christopher in the billiards room at White's. He had sobered up quite a bit from the previous day, yet the allure of drowning his sorrows seemed far too great.

"Tell me again why it is that you can't tell Miss Webster that you love her?" Christopher turned to him with a frown.

The bile rose in his chest again as he clenched his jaw. He had come to White's hoping to get away from the whole situation, yet Christopher insisted on bringing it up.

"She wants things from me that I can't give her. It wouldn't be fair to trap her in a marriage that wouldn't meet her expectations." He spotted one of the footmen in the distance and signaled to him, lifting his glass in the air.

"But you do love her. And she wanted marriage with love or children. You can give her love, and if you think about it, after everything you've learned, you would be stupid not to want children with her. You also know now that your mother wanted you to be happy." Christopher frowned, throwing back the last drops of his whiskey.

Dominic clenched his jaw, regretting ever telling his friend about the conversation with his grandmother. He had thought that opening up would help him put things in perspective, but all he had accomplished was giving his friend more ammunition with which to irritate him. "Leave it now. What is done is done. The matter is closed," he growled and looked at this empty glass, tightening his fingers around it.

He had awoken with the idea of going back to Marie, yet his pride had stopped him from admitting to her that he'd been wrong. How could he say to her that he had possibly been falling in love with her, yet he hadn't recognized the signs because of his refusal to believe in it?

Christopher let out a heavy sigh and smiled. "Well, if you are absolutely certain that you are done with her, then I guess you won't mind if I ask her out on a date." His words sent a shock through Dominic's body that suddenly sobered him up.

"What did you say?" He sat up a little straighter and glared at Christopher.

"I'm just saying that I wouldn't mind courting her. She's a beautiful woman. Although they would never admit it, many men across London wouldn't mind courting her either. I think I could make an honest attempt at being her husband."

Dominic's anger began to rise as Christopher spoke. Why did the thought of anyone else courting her make him angry? He wanted her to be happy and have everything that her heart desired, yet he couldn't bring himself to make peace with it being with anyone else.

"You know I've always wanted children, and while I am not Shakespeare, I like to think of myself as quite a romantic bloke. I mean, I have been known to send the occasional rose to a lady. I'm not opposed to long walks down the promenade, and Marie seems like the kind of woman who would appreciate things like that," Christopher shrugged, smiling happily to himself.

"Let it go," Dominic growled as he suddenly stood, startling the other men in the room who had been sitting quietly in a corner.

Christopher stood, frowning at the Duke. "I beg your pardon, but you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot court. You do not want her; therefore, she is a free agent. I have just as much right as anyone else to ask for her hand in marriage."

Dominic finally snapped, rounding on his friend as he gripped him by the lapels of his jacket and backed him against the wall. "Don't you dare go near her!" he raised his voice as he began to see red. The thought of Marie being with any other man made him angrier beyond reason.

"Steady on," Christopher narrowed his eyes, smirking at him. "Why are you so angry when you don't want to be with her?" He searched Dominic's eyes without making a single move to fight back.

Realizing how he was acting, Dominic let go of his friend's jacket and turned to leave.

What is wrong with me?

He shook his head and attempted to leave, stopping when Christopher called out to him.

"If you can't stand the thought of another man talking about her, then you had better examine your feelings because that is exactly what is going to happen, Your Grace! Another man will come along and tell her that he loves her; he will marry her, take her to his bed, and have children with her. All of that could be yours, and if you decide not to act, then you had better be prepared to see her with someone else!" His voice carried over the room, reaching Dominic as he stood with his back to his friend.

What am I doing?

His mind suddenly began to race as he pictured Marie with his friend. They would kiss and make love. He would have to attend the wedding and watch her promise the rest of her life to him in front of most of the ton.

Images of the moment they had shared in her sitting room flashed across his mind. His head between her thighs in the carriage and even that night after dinner. If not Christopher, then somebody else would touch her like that.

"If you don't love her, then walk away, but if you do, don't allow another man to step in because that is a decision that you will regret for the rest of your life!" Christopher called to him again, his message hitting its mark this time.

Setting off at a jog, Dominic headed for the exit.

"I hope you're headed to Miss Webster because if you aren't, I will be like the thorn in your side that never goes away for the rest of your life! Reminding you of what an idiot you are!"

Christopher's voice grew fainter as Dominic turned down a corridor and headed towards the exit.

There were many things he would be able to live with in life, but seeing Marie be loved by another man wasn't one of them.

Marie sighed heavily as she looked up at the large stone angel that stood at the head of her parents' graves. She had always been able to think more clearly whenever she visited their graves, but now, everything seemed so confusing.

The tiny graveyard beside the stone chapel on the outskirts of London was quiet as Marie looked down at their names. She had come to the graveyard to delay the inevitable, but now, she found herself reminiscing.

The day they died had been one of the worst days of her life. She had been a little girl, playing with her dolls when her grandmother had come to fetch her. The men from the funeral home had come and taken her parents away, leaving her with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that she would never see them again.

Her grandmother had promised her faithfully that they would save up enough money to buy a stone angel to place over the grave. It had been Elaine's way of explaining to her that an angel had come to fetch her parents and save them from the illness that had caused them so much pain and suffering.

Marie had, in turn, helped her grandmother by selling her tonics at the market and later becoming a barmaid when she was old enough.

It was during her time as a barmaid that Marie realized her talents as a matchmaker. She had seen one of the other barmaids fall in love and directed her on how to win the young sailor over. It was only after saving for a few years that she had enough money to open her shop with the infamous red door.

Marie blinked back her tears when a small breeze picked up. She had been so lost in her memories that she had completely forgotten where she was. Looking up, she examined the serene expression on the angel's face. It had taken her a while to save up for the angel. Almost ten years.

She had been true to her words and helped her grandmother sell as much as she could at the market. When she came of age, she had gotten the first job that was offered to her at a tavern on the docks. The pay was good with the downside of having to deal with drunken men.

It had taken her a while, but she had soon learned to deal with them and passed the time by keeping an eye on the younger maids who were hired to clean. She had gotten so good at observing that she'd made a game out of making matches in her head that later led her to setting people up.

Her matches had been so successful that one of the girls had even suggested to her that she make a career out of it. With the stone Angel purchased, Marie had set out to build their future with the rest of the money her parents had left to her. That all seemed like such a long time ago now.

"I don't know how to handle this." She continued to stare up at the angel as if it would provide her with an answer. "You took them from me, and now, I don't know how to go home and face the truth. I think I know what the truth is, but how do I face it?" She shut her eyes against the tears that stung her eyelids.

She knew very well what she needed to do, but that didn't make the task any easier. She had decided to come to the graveyard instead of heading home, but now, she felt even more confused than she had before.

"I don't even know what to do about Dominic; you both would have loved him." She looked down at the ground that had long since settled over the graves.

A fresh pot of flowers had been placed at the base of the statue, presumably ones that had been chosen by her grandmother. The white petals of the roses waved in the wind.

"Especially you, Papa; you would have found him pompous at first, but then you would have warmed up to him. I can see you sharing an ale with him at the tavern, warning him not to break your little girl's heart." She shut her eyes again when the tears threatened to spill over.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she opened her eyes. "That has already happened; I hope you won't be too mad at him because I'm afraid that I still love him. I have fallen hopelessly and even madly in love with him. This will be the burden for the rest of my life, and I hope the two of you will be at my side as I try and traverse the very difficult waters."

The wind picked up again as a few rose petals fell to the grass before being swept into the air. The rest of the graveyard was empty as she turned her attention back to the statue.

"I know it must seem silly, standing here talking to a stone angel, yet it's the only way I have of feeling close to you both. Sometimes I feel guilty for carrying on with my life as if I'm being disloyal by not remembering you every second of the day, but then I remember that you're in a far better place than we are down here. I don't think that you would have wanted to see me grieving with a broken heart, but Grandmamma says that is how we know we are alive. I take solace in the fact that you can't feel pain anymore."

The tolling of the evening bells made her realize that she couldn't stay much longer. There were things back home that needed her attention. She still wasn't sure how to deal with the situation, but it needed to be dealt with, nonetheless.

The stone angel smiled down at her with her sad expression, just as silent and watchful as the day she had been erected. Marie realized deep in her heart that the childlike hope she had once possessed about the angel coming to life still lingered in her heart.

I wish you were both still here.

At least if her parents were still alive, she would be able to ask them how to handle the hopeless ache of her heart breaking in two.