Chapter 19

What is going on?

Violet had spent all morning long trying to speak with William, to see how he was feeling after everything that happened the previous night. She needed to see his face, to look in to his eyes, and to get something from him. Anything.

But he seemed to be avoiding her, which was terribly annoying.

Why would he do that?

What on earth was going on in his head?

As Violet"s nerves got the better of her, she began to panic that perhaps she had over stepped some boundaries. He did say he did not want anything physical to happen between them, but he certainly did not act upset last night.

She stood outside of his study, willing herself to knock on the door, to try and force him to speak with her, but she had not yet worked up the courage to do so.

The fear that he would out right tell her that she had crossed a line terrified her. It would ruin everything just as their marriage was starting to take a good turn.

Come on,she tried her hardest to convince herself. Just do this.

Much as it was not the easiest to hear the truth, and Violet knew that it would crush her, she also knew deep down that it would be best to hear the truth. At least then she would know what to do moving forwards.

Even if her marriage was never going to be what she wanted, it was better for her to know.

Just as she finally lifted up her fist to knock on the door, to get the answers that she so desperately needed, she was interrupted by the foot man.

"There is a visitor here for you…"

Before he even got the chance to announce who had come to see her, an all too familiar face burst around the corner. A bright red angry face which made Violet"s heart sink.

"Where is my bride?" Mr. Cook yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth. Even if he had been aware of polite behavior, today he was far too fired up to care if he was doing the right thing. "Where is my wife? I go away on a business trip for one singular month, and I lose her…"

The moment Charles saw her, the rant halted for just a moment. A glimmer of what appeared to be genuine hurt flickered across his expression.

"Miss Lambourne, what on earth has happened? You are my bride. We had an agreement. I do not understand what has happened."

Violet parted her lips in an attempt to explain everything, but fear balled up in her throat and she was far too afraid to get any words out.

She never expected to find herself in this position.

Violet was under the impression that Paul had informed Mr. Cook about the change of plans.

Her brother truly did nothing.

It was shocking.

"We are supposed to be getting married now." Charles threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I am stunned…"

His words trailed off the moment William"s study door open and he appeared. Charles"s expression was unreadable as he looked up at the man who had stolen the woman that he clearly believed belonged to him.

"May I ask what is happening here?" William demanded in a cool, but stern tone of voice.

"Your Grace, I cannot believe that I am here…"

"And yet you are." Violet found William"s manner a little shocking. It was very clear that he was not messing around. Mr. Cook seemed to spot that as well. "Yelling at my wife in my home. Please, explain yourself."

William folded his arms defiantly across his chest as he narrowed his eyes at Charles.

"This is not the way that things were supposed to go, Your Grace, that is why I am so upset. Paul promised me his sister"s hand in marriage, and I expect a baron to keep his word. I did not think that he would be the sort of man who would steal from me and leave me stranded."

"Steal?"

Violet was grateful that William had picked up on this word, because she had noticed it as well. What on earth had Paul done?

"I do not know what you have been told about the arrangement, Your Grace, I was under the impression that Paul wanted to keep it a secret, but I paid him handsomely. We had a man-to-man agreement. I did not expect to go to Italy, to come back finding out that I have lost everything." Charles shrugged helplessly. "And now on top of everything else, Paul is nowhere to be found. He has not been seen in about a month. I do not think I am ever going to be able to get my money back."

Mr. Cook"s eyes met Violet, and a wash of helpless guilt washed over her. She had never been sure of what Paul"s deal was with this man, but that did not mean she agreed to it.

She did not think it right that either of these men treat her like she was merely an object to be sold off. Surely Charles could see that she was a human being with her own wants and needs.

She wanted to be married to William.

That was a much better outcome for her.

"So, money exchanged hands?" William mused as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, that really does change things."

Violet"s heart skipped a beat.

What did that mean?

Did he now not want to be married to her anymore because she had been promised to someone else? But he knew that. There was no way he could end their arrangement now. She simply would not have it!

"Come in to my office, Mr. Cook. We can talk there."

"Wait…" Violet did not want them to leave her out here alone. Not when this affected her life in such a dramatic way.

But the men did not seem to hear her.

They slipped into the office, closing the door on her before she could say another word.

Violet paced up and down outside of William"s office as she waited for her husband and Mr. Cook to reappear once more. Since she could not hear arguing from the other side of the door, she could only assume that things were going well. Calmly at the very least, but that did nothing to calm her anxiety.

How could Paul do this to her?

Why did she allow herself to trust him for even a moment?

But how could she have resolved this?

She did not have the same rights as her brother, and he was the one who had arranged all of this, but Violet was still flooded with guilt. She felt dreadful that everyone found themselves in this position.

She wrung her hands around, her brain racing at the speed of light, the tick of the clock constantly irritating her.

Why did William refuse to have this conversation in front of her, so that she could be a part of it? It was so annoying.

After what felt like a lifetime, the door clicked open, and Violet froze to the spot. Her eyes widened as she waited with bated breath to see what was next in this unnecessarily dramatic saga of her life.

"Thank you, Your Grace," Mr. Cook said in a coy voice as he left the room. There was a new air to him now. Something had definitely shifted within him. "I will take my leave now."

Violet could not help but notice that Charles would not even meet her eyes as he walked by her. Sure, he was likely incredibly embarrassed by everything that had just happened, but that did not give him the right to completely ignore her, did it?

Perhaps she should have said something to him, but truth be told, Violet could not think of a thing. It was as if his brain had gone completely blank.

Hopefully that was the last time that she would ever have to see him because Violet did not want to cross Mr. Cooks path again. Now that she was never going to be his wife, there was no need for them to ever see one another again.

It was over.

Or so she hoped.

"Oh my," Violet finally managed to get out once Charles was gone. "What happened there? You have certainly calmed him down."

William glowered, still half hiding behind his study door. "We must find your brother, Violet. We cannot allow things to continue as they are."

Before Violet could respond, the study door closed once more.

William was locking her out of his life again.

Was this ever going to end?

She did not want to take it, not again. It did not feel right. She could not stand the idea of being left out in the cold again.

I will not continually be ignored,she thought angrily to herself as she balled up her fists by her side. I will not let William keep shutting me out. No matter what…