Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

What the hell?

Daniel grimaced as the pounding began to grow ever louder. He was quite certain that he had not drunk as much at his own wedding to warrant a raging headache, and besides, he could not recall the last time he was so drunk that it resulted in a hangover.

Daniel Stanton never had hangovers.

A soft moan of complaint sounded from beside him, and a warm body curled into his.

Evie…

Almost immediately, the whole world fell away, and all he wanted to do was wake her up to him thrusting into her from behind.

But then that thrice-damned pounding was still going on like the devil himself was banging on his door.

His eyebrows snapped together in a dark frown as he carefully extricated himself from Evie’s embrace, moving so quietly so as not to disturb her sleep. He had put her through so much last night, and she had been so beautiful that he could barely keep his hands off her.

Or inside her, for that matter.

He swept his breeches off the floor, where he had left them last night, striding towards the door with every intent to murder anyone who dared to intrude on their peace.

He opened the door, only to find the face of the one person he should have been expecting.

Colin—and he was brimming over with such animosity that it was a miracle he had managed to restrain himself from pounding the door into dust.

His friend’s gaze flicked over to the bed behind Daniel, his eyes narrowing with rage when he saw that the bed was still occupied.

A cold fury surged within Daniel, and he immediately closed the door behind him, effectively hiding his wife from view. He did not care if Colin was Evie’s brother—she was his wife, dammit, and he would not have anyone looking at her when she was in such a vulnerable state.

As soon as the door clicked shut, however, Colin wasted no time and swung his fist at Daniel’s cheek.

Daniel simply smirked at his friend and wiped the blood that had trickled from his lip with his thumb.

“Damn you!” Colin raged at him. “I cannot believe I let you, of all people, watch over Evie for me, only to have you corrupt her⁠—”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed at his friend. He might be able to take anything from Colin—even his blows—but he would not have him speak of Evie in such a disgraceful manner.

Even if he was her brother. Especially since he was her brother.

“I would very much prefer if we take this to my study,” he told him coldly. “I would not want my wife to be disturbed by the ruckus.”

Colin let out another furious roar and swung his fist, but Daniel caught it this time.

“Your wife⁠—”

Daniel cut him off with an icy glare. “You know the way to my study. I do not want Evie to be disturbed by your… tantrums.”

Colin clenched his fists at his sides and seethed inwardly as he turned on his heels and stomped off in the direction of the study. Daniel thought he very much looked like a sullen child.

Once they reached his study, Daniel walked over to the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of brandy and two glasses.

“I am not in the mood to drink,” his friend grumbled.

“Fine with me.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

Nonetheless, he poured two glasses. He knew Colin would take one either way.

“I understand your anger,” Daniel told him calmly. “But you have to believe me when I tell you that I meant well by marrying her.”

“I entrusted my younger sister to your care,” his friend seethed. “I did not say that you could marry her!”

“You told me to protect her, and I did,” Daniel pointed out.

“Then kindly explain this to me!” Colin angrily tossed a wad of papers onto his desk.

Daniel raised his eyebrow and picked them up. They were scandal sheets—Lady Spalding’s Society Papers.

Written in satirical prose, that morning’s edition detailed how a duke’s bastard son had seduced one of the Season’s most impressionable young ladies to make a reputation for himself amongst the ton. However, his “most peculiar tastes” appeared to have condemned the poor young woman to a life of hell, bound to him in unholy matrimony.

His mouth pressed into a grim line as a fury unlike any other seized him. He crumpled the paper in his fist and tossed it into the fire.

It would seem that the Earl of Sidmouth and his sister had not gotten his last message clearly enough.

“I am going to end him,” he swore vehemently. “But before that, I will make sure that he suffers greatly for this!”

“I should never have left her in your care,” Colin grumbled. “I should have just chosen Hudson. Or Ethan, even.”

The thought of Evie placed in another man’s care, even his own best friends, filled Daniel with icy fury.

“I would watch my next words if I were you,” he growled at his friend. “You forget that you are in Ashton Hall, not in Blackthorn Estate.”

Colin looked at him belligerently. “If anything happened to me, Evie would never forgive you.”

“And you had better pray that she continues to think well of you,” Daniel retorted. “Because I would not countenance anyone hurting her, especially her own brother.”

His friend looked at him in shock, before shaking his head. “You have gone insane, Ashton, and I will not have you dragging Evie into your madness. Whatever happens, I am taking Evie back to Blackthorn Estate.”

Daniel glowered at him. “You would not dare.”

Colin simply tilted his chin, arrogance stamped clearly on his features. “I am a duke—I can weather any scandal that they throw at me, but I will not condemn my sister to a life of misery.”

A life of misery.

Was it truly what her life would be like with him?

If she chose to stay with him, she could never have children, because Daniel would never allow such a thing to happen. His darkness would inevitably swallow her, too, stealing the light and joy from her eyes until she was reduced to nothing more than a shell of her former vivacious self.

Just like his own mother had been.

And for all that he had put up with in his entire miserable existence, Daniel knew that he would never be able to endure having Evie suffer at his side.

He has returned!

Evie could hardly hold in her excitement as she rushed to Daniel’s study after Jane had told her that her brother had arrived just that morning and was currently in her husband’s study, discussing… well, whatever it was that gentlemen discussed amongst themselves.

She also knew her brother’s temper, and she knew that Colin would not be pleased to find out that she had married Daniel behind his back. However, she was certain that all matters could be smoothed over once explanations had been made and Colin saw that she was indeed happy with Daniel.

Exhilaratingly so.

Thus, she paid no heed to the solemn look on Barnaby’s face as he stood guard outside the study and simply pushed her way in. In any case, the faithful butler had always looked as if there was a perpetual funeral at Ashton Hall…

“Colin!” she cried out with a wide smile as she ran over to her brother to hug him. “When did you arrive? Why did you not send word that you were coming? How is my new sister-in-law?”

However, Colin remained unmoving, his gaze as cold as a frozen lake in the dead of winter.

That was when she glanced over at Daniel, who was standing behind his desk, and her gaze fell on the cut on his lip—the same lip that had kissed her so passionately and brought her so much pleasure last night.

His cheek also sported the beginnings of an awful bruise and was even slightly swollen.

And then, her gaze dropped to her brother’s knuckles.

“Barnaby?” she called out, her voice much colder than when she had rushed in.

The butler appeared immediately by her side. “Yes, Your Grace?”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Colin flinched at how the butler addressed her.

He will have to endure it, then. I am the Duchess of Ashton now, and there is nothing he can do about it.

“We require some ice wrapped in a towel,” she said in a clipped tone.

“As you wish, Your Grace.”

As soon as the door closed behind Barnaby, she whirled on her feet and faced her brother, who was looking back at her stubbornly without an ounce of remorse for what he had just done.

“Colin Fitzroy!” she cried. “How could you do this to him?”

Her brother—whom she adored greatly—did not even bother to glance at Daniel. “Nothing he did not deserve,” he muttered.

“You will apologize,” she seethed. “Now.”

“The hell I will!”

The look on his face would have been comical if Evie had not been so angry with him and her husband was not sporting a bruise on his cheek and a cut lip.

“You will not swear in my presence!” she admonished him furiously.

“And you are going to pack your bags and return to Blackthorn Estate immediately,” he shot back.

Evie stood back and folded her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

“In case you have not noticed,” she spat at him. “I am married now. You cannot just make me leave with you!”

“And in case you have not noticed,” he retorted. “I do not care what he did. You are returning to Blackthorn Estate even if I have to haul you bodily all the way back!”

“You would not dare!”

“Watch me,” Colin challenged her, his blue-gray eyes stormy with anger that matched her own. “I will be expecting you tonight!”

With that, he stomped out of the study just as Barnaby appeared at the door with the ice and the towel she instructed him to bring. The poor butler did not even look the least bit fazed as Colin angrily strode past him.

Evie accepted the items from the butler and told Daniel to sit down as she tended to his injuries.

“Colin has gone too far this time!” she muttered angrily. “Why can he not just discuss this properly like a civilized gentleman?”

Daniel did not even wince as she held the ice to his face. She was certain that it must have hurt. That bruise looked rather ugly on his handsome features, and it broke her heart to see him injured.

“Colin is right,” he told her calmly, as if it was not his face that had just gotten mauled by her brute of a brother. “Evie, you deserve so much better than what I have to offer.”

She shook her head. “What are you saying? I do not⁠—”

Her words were cut off when he placed a finger on her lips.

“I should not have stolen away your right to decide who you wanted to marry,” he admitted. “Nor should I have prevented you from marrying a loving husband and becoming a mother to all the children you could possibly want.”

“Daniel!” she cried out, stomping her foot in frustration. “You are not making any sense. Did Colin hit you that hard?”

He laughed softly, mirthlessly. “I shall see who I need to blackmail to make sure we can get this marriage annulled. I am so sorry, Evie—more than you can ever possibly imagine.”

He grasped her wrist and gently moved the ice away from his face, before he stood up and walked out the door. He never even looked back at her.

If he did, he might have seen how her heart now lay shattered on the floor.