Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Henry! Henry, let us in at once!”

The pounding in Henry’s head only grew worse as he ambled towards the front door.

Where is that blasted butler?

He grumbled a few curse words under his breath before opening the door. The sun had barely risen, yet he had to face the consequences of his actions from the night before.

“It’s about time you answered the door!” Lady Fitzgibbon and her husband pushed past him without waiting for an invitation.

“Good Lord, it is too early for this …” he muttered to himself and shut the door while his unwanted guests made their way to the parlour.

How had one simple dance made such a raucous among the ton? People were carrying on as if he had committed a crime against the crown. It was bad enough that he’d felt like a fool in his fine suit with everyone staring at him.

The whispers that had followed his departure from the ball had let him know that a war was imminent, yet he hadn’t pictured it this early.

Stalking towards the parlour, he braced himself for the battle to come.

“And still you haven’t packed anything in this room! I demand to know what you have been getting up to behind our backs!” The countess rounded on him with angry eyes that could have pierced the thickest of hides as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Nothing has been going on behind your backs, Lady Fitzgibbon. I have merely been living my life.” Henry took a seat in an armchair before rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers.

Angry tears filled her eyes as the countess sank onto the edge of a settee.

The earl seemed to be seething with rage, yet he remained silent as he stared at the wall past Henry’s head.

“All of these years of painful memories. How could you do this to us? Have we not offered up enough of our lives for your sake? How must poor Edith feel from where she is now?” Lady Fitzgibbon retrieved a handkerchief from the sleeve of her dress and dabbed her cheeks.

Her words struck a chord as Henry hung his hands between his knees and looked at them both. “What memories and sacrifices? Neither of you ever spent any time with me during my marriage. The only sacrifices that you have made since your daughter’s passing have been the ones where you have willingly wanted to control every aspect of my life.” His brow knit together in confusion.

What kind of memories were they referring to when his wife had always insisted on visiting them alone?

Lady Fitzgibbon’s crocodile tears instantly dried up as she sat up straighter. “How dare you accuse us of such things while bringing poor Edith’s death into the conversation?” Her voice was dark and cool as she raised her nose in the air.

“It was not our fault that you failed to provide her with a child. Had you done your duty as a husband, none of us would be in this situation at present. Edith would have been alive right now for all who know,” the earl spoke for the first time, spitting venomously in Henry’s direction.

Turning his gaze to the carpet at his feet, Henry muttered to himself. “There was no evidence to say that I was at fault …”

“What did you say?” The earl took a step forward as his wife gasped in shock.

“How dare you give our sweet Edith the blame. She was a better wife to you than anyone ever could have been! Did she not remain by your side through all those years of marriage?” The countess raised her voice to match her husband’s tone.

“We ought to sue you for wrongful treatment in an unconsummated marriage! I will not have you wasting our daughter’s inheritance on some little piece of muslin that has caught your fancy!” The earl’s face began to turn red.

Is that what they think?

Henry could hardly believe his ears as he sat in stunned silence. He knew very well that his late wife’s parents had never thought very highly of him, but to accuse him of never consummating the marriage was something beyond cruelty. It had been Edith who had refused his advances. He’d doted on her whenever he could, bringing her flowers and arranging little surprises.

Thank you, Henry, but your gestures are entirely unnecessary.

He could still recall the cruel look in her dark eyes as she’d dismissed the bouquet of roses he’d got for her. At that moment, Henry realized that his wife had never loved him.

She’d married him for convenience and nothing more. Was he really to blame for never trying again in the months leading up to her death?

“You may think what you will, Lord Fitzgibbon, but your daughter is no longer with us. There is no use in placing blame when your statement cannot be upheld in a court of law.” A quiet calmness filled his mind like the silence before a storm.

He had wanted to help Isabelle Sutton, to try to prevent her intended from snuffing out the passion in her eyes. Yet he now found himself in the crossfire of an ancient and angry war.

“What are you trying to say?” Lady Fitzgibbon came to her feet and demanded a response.

Placing his hands on his knees, Henry pushed himself up and faced them both. “I am saying that I never acted like a son-in-law because your daughter never acted like a wife. You may try and sue me, but you have no legal grounds to stand on. I have dealt with the constant pestering from you both for years, but I now realize I am not willing to put up with it any longer.”

Lady Fitzgibbon exchanged an angry look with her husband before wrapping her arm around her waist and placing her free hand around her delicate neck. “I haven’t heard you deny your feelings for this … this girl you have been cavorting with.” She changed the subject after presumably realizing that Henry was not playing into their hands.

“That is because I do not owe you any kind of explanation, Lady Fitzgibbon. My affairs, and whom I choose to spend my time with are mine alone. Now, I will ask both of you to please leave my home and allow me to choose my own path in life.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for them to defy his request.

The words had been brewing in his chest for years, yet something inside of him had suddenly snapped. It felt good to put the old codgers in their place.

Thrusting his finger in Henry’s face, the earl stepped forward while glowering. “I am warning you, Henry, we may not have a legal reason to take back our money, but if you shame us by marrying and cavorting with this skinny little nobody, there will be consequences. I shall personally make sure that both of you are ruined in the eyes of the ton!” He whipped away from Henry and stormed from the room as his wife followed suit.

Isabelle …

Henry shut his eyes and shook his head. How had things got this out of control? His life hadn’t been easy before Miss Sutton had stumbled across his path, but at least he’d had peace.

His in-laws had kept a close eye on him from time to time, but at least they had never made threats.

What am I going to do?

He hung his head in defeat and shut his eyes. If he stayed and helped Isabelle, he would risk ruining her reputation as well as his own. Not that he had ever cared for the opinions of the ton, but he wasn’t willing to throw his friend to the wolves.

My friend.

He lifted his head and looked out the window, seeing little to nothing happening on the street. How badly did he want the friendship with Isabelle if it meant ruining both of their lives? And even more important than that, why did he feel the need to protect her at all costs?

He made his way over to the chair and sat back down, resting his eyes for just a moment as he attempted to clear his mind.

***

“Henry, why have you come here?” Isabelle looked up from the book she was reading, frowning at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

“I’ve come to see you.” He chose a seat beside her, wondering where everyone else in the Evergreen had gone. He resisted the urge to reach for her hand and run his thumb over her wrist. The sweet scent of her perfume wafted up on a breeze that appeared from nowhere.

The small shop was empty with an eerie feeling of a storm lingering in the air as he waited for her to say something else.

“But why have you come?” Her eyes suddenly seemed hollow, as if all the passion and life had been drained from her soul.

“I wanted to see you.” He glanced down at the book in her hands as a cold chill ran down his spine.

A copy of etiquette and motherhood hung limply in her lap as she stared blankly into his eyes.

I can’t give her what she needs in life; even my friendship is a hindrance to her.

His chest suddenly clenched with pain as he recalled the disappointed look in his late wife’s eyes every time she had thought she was pregnant.

“What is the point of being married if I am never to be a mother?” Edith’s high-pitched voice filled his ears as he looked up into Isabelle’s face.

“What is the point, Henry? Why are we friends?” Isabelle’s voice was suddenly her own again.

“I don’t know …” His brow knit into a frown as he wondered why he had taken such a keen liking to her. He had thought of nothing else but her since that night in the street. His mind was constantly filled with memories of her voice. The sweet scent of her perfume and the defiant tilt of her chin.

Even the silent dance at the ball had been plaguing his dreams.

“I don’t know,” he repeated more firmly as he questioned his motives for being her friend.

“Well then. I think you had better figure that out before it’s too late.” She shut the book and handed it to him before standing and leaving the store.

The bell above the shop door tinkled as he looked down at the copy of Sense and Sensibility in his hands.

Why do I care so much about a girl I have hardly known for a few weeks?

Waking up with a start, Henry sat up in his chair, looking around the semi-dark room. How long had he been asleep? The sun was just about setting outside the window, casting ominous shadows across the floor.

He leaned forward and raked his hands through his hair. The dream had been confusing, but not as confusing as the pain in his chest.

“My Lord, will you be requiring tea?” the butler said from the doorway, making an appearance for the very first time that day.

Henry looked at him with a frown. “No, thank you. I think I will be requiring something much stronger this evening. Have my supper brought up on a tray to the study. It’s been quite a long day.” He waited for the butler to turn before speaking again. “Oh, and you are more than welcome to report back to Lord and Lady Fitzgibbon. Tell them that their disappointment of a son-in-law has a glass of brandy once a year. Heaven forbid that I should ever attempt to enjoy my life.”

The man’s body stiffened for a moment before leaving the room.

Good.

Henry shook his head in disgust before pushing himself up and going to his study. It was about time that he stood up for himself. He should have let the tiresome man go back to his wife’s parents when she died. He never wanted to be there anyway. Was there nobody in his life who never judged him or watched his every move?

Isabelle.

Her kind and passionate eyes swam in his vision as he recalled how she had never judged or pushed him in any direction.

Her kind and gentle manners, despite her defiant behaviour, made her a special breed of woman that he’d never encountered before. His late wife would certainly never have liked her.

He quickly shook his head again as he entered the study, pushing the unwanted thoughts aside as his gaze fell on the copy of Sense and Sensibility.

What am I going to do?

He suddenly found himself wishing he had never met Isabelle Sutton. Her presence created a conundrum in him that disturbed his peace.