Chapter 9

" I can't believe that it has been three days, and he still has not let me know where he is or when he is coming back." Marina gingerly sipped her tea, having little to no appetite at all.

Cordelia seemed distracted as she stared off into the distance past the many beds of roses.

Realizing that she had been agonizing about her own situation instead of offering her friend some much-needed support, Marina placed her cup back on the tray. "How have things been with your mama? I know I can't be easy with your father's passing."

"Hmm?" Cordelia blinked a few times as if she were seeing Marina for the very first time.

"I was asking how things are with your mama now?" She tilted her head to the side in sympathy and pursed her lips.

"Oh, it has been quite a struggle navigating these new waters. I will say that." Her friend drew her lower lip between her teeth and applied pressure until the skin turned white.

It had only been a few months since Cordelia's father had passed. Her mother had since regressed into drinking as a way of coping with the loss. The recent spectacles she had caused at social events had become fodder for the gossip mill, creating even more uncomfortable situations for Cordelia to deal with.

"Have you tried speaking to her? Perhaps it is something that the two of you need to navigate together?" She tried making a helpful suggestion but quickly realized by the sadness in her friend's eyes that her suggestions were futile.

"That, and just about everything else I can think of. Whenever anyone mentions my father's death, she runs to her chambers and locks the door. If we are in public, she immediately seeks out something to numb the pain. Being a wallflower had the advantage of nobody ever paying me much attention, now it feels as if all eyes are on me."

Leaning over the table, Marina placed her hand over her friend's hand in a comforting gesture. "I know things are not easy for you. Unfortunately, the ton is not a forgiving entity, nor do they forget very easily."

"Of course, here I am complaining about my mother's behavior when you know what I am going through as much as anyone else. You lost your father as well; the rumor mill has not been kind to your family. Not to mention your uncle." Cordelia seemed to snap out of her daze as she forced a smile.

"There is no need to apologize, at least we can lament to one another. There is nothing more comforting than a listening ear and an understanding heart." She felt the weight of the world lifting from her shoulders as she and her friend exchanged an understanding smile.

Taking her hand away, Cordelia sat back in her chair. "Now that I have stopped being the most selfish person known to man, how are you holding up with the situation here? Has the duke still not sent word as to where he is or when he shall return?"

Biting the inside of her cheek, Marina looked at her friend with a guilty expression. "No, I wish he would send me a note, but half of me is relieved that he i's away for now."

"Why is that?" Cordelia asked with a frown.

"I am afraid that he might be very mad when he realizes that I have gone against his wishes." Her pulse raced slightly when she pictured his reaction to something she had arranged to be done.

Cordelia seemed at a loss as she tilted her head to the side, but Marina decided to keep things to herself for now.

Marina shook her head before reaching for her half-finished cup of tea. "Any indication of where he is would be appreciated……" Her words came to an abrupt stop as a feathery object suddenly landed in her tea, causing drops to splatter all over her face and dress.

Tea dripped from her hair and face, soaking her white dress with large, wet blotches.

"Was that a bird?" Cordelia leaned forward and craned her neck in an attempt to get a better look at the cup.

Marina felt too stunned to respond at first before wiping the tea from her face. "A bird?" She frowned and lifted one of the feathers between her fingers and thumb, holding it up in front of her face.

Dirtied tea dripped back into the cup as both women stared at it in shock. The small brown ball with a cone of feathers dangled helplessly in the air.

"Is that… a shuttle cock?" Cordelia asked almost incredulously.

"I think it is. That or a very, very unfortunate-looking bird." Marina held it away from her face just in case the object suddenly sprang to life.

"Where did it go?" A deep male voice suddenly made the woman look up with a frown.

"Is that…?" Cordelia's eyes widened with surprise.

Marina's heart skipped a beat as she let out a shaky breath. "It certainly sounds like my husband, yes." A moment of confusion ensued as she tried to determine where the voice had come from. It did not take her very long to discern that the duke and another man were playing a game just beyond the garden.

"Just what on earth is going on?" She shook her head in frustration more than anything else before placing the spoiled cup of tea back on the table and pushing herself up.

Cordelia followed suit and hurried behind Marina as they set off with the shuttle cock in the direction of the noise.

It did not take them long to come across a puzzling scene of Aaron and his brother battling furiously with two rackets over a net that had been fastened to two poles.

Their clothes clung to their bodies from the effort they were putting in as they ran back and forth from one end of the net to the other. Both brothers seemed equally skilled at the sport, each grimacing with a loud grunt of exertion when they volley the shuttle cock back to the other player.

Marina's heart skipped a beat when her eyes settled on the strong muscles of her husband's back. Yet the strange fluttering was quickly replaced by anger as she realized that he had come home without letting her know.

How long had he been there? And when was he going to let her know that he had returned?

Crossing her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips in disapproval, seething with anger as she watched them play.

"Do you suppose they will beat each with the rackets?" Cordelia whispered to her despite the fact that the men were quite a distance away from them.

Marina clenched her jaw until her teeth began to ache. "Oh, at least one of them should be bludgeoned with a racket. Or both." She felt her anger growing the more she watched her husband play.

Jumping into the air with a great display of strength and agility, Adam volleyed the ball in his brother's direction. A broad smile spread across his lips when it seemed as if Aaron would not reach the other end of the net in time.

Aaron, however, was too fast for the trick and quickly volleyed the shuttle cock back before Adam could regain his footing. The shuttle cock made contact with the tip of Aaron's racket, sending it flying back with great speed.

Everyone seemed to be watching in slow motion as Adam dived, landing on his stomach in front of the net. The shuttle cock landed on the grass, barely nicking the tip of his racket with a feather.

"I win. Happy now?" The duke gripped his racket with both hands and lifted it above his head in a display of victory.

"Do you suppose they will bludgeon each other now?" Cordelia shot Adam a cautious glance as it seemed as if he were about to burst with anger.

"I demand a rematch!" Adam jumped to his feet, gripping the handle of his racket until his knuckles turned white.

The smirk on the duke's face only broadened. "We can have a rematch until the breath leaves your lungs, it will not make you any better."

Adam narrowed his eyes, clenching his jaw until it seemed as if a vein in his head would pop. "I do not accept this!" he raised his voice as anger seeped from his very being.

The duke simply shrugged, pulling the corner of his mouth to the side. "You can refuse to accept it for as long as you like, the outcome will remain the same. I told you; I am tired of playing these games with you. Now leave me alone."

His words seemed to hit a nerve with Adam as a racket went flying past his head.

Moving to the side, Aaron stepped out of the racket's way just as it zoomed past his face.

Cursing under his breath, Adam turned from the net and stomped off in the direction of the house.

"Well, that was very mature, I think you may have dodged a bullet when he jilted you at the altar. I had better take my leave before any more sporting equipment goes flying through the air." Cordelia teased her gently before bumping her arm and heading back toward their abandoned tea.

Marina felt conflicted as she stood looking at the man who had left her on the morning after their wedding.

He seemed utterly unaware of her presence until she came forward and picked up the racket that Adam had abandoned.

"I am glad to see that you have returned home safely, Your Grace. And that you seem to have regained your mirth. Care to venture an explanation as to where you went?" She came up straight and tapped the edge of the racket against her palm.

Turning around, Aaron looked at her with a veiled expression. "We had an agreement, my business is my own, no questions asked. I do not need to clarify my absence during the day when all I need are your nights."

The hungry look in his eyes as they swept over her body, sent a wave of confusion coursing through her veins.

What is he thinking? Does he find me attractive or not?

She wondered again for the hundredth time why he had left her bed so abruptly. The racket in his hands gave her an idea.

"Well, since I do not seem to be entitled to the nights either, how about a game?" She lifted the racket along with her shoulders and pursed her lips with raised eyebrows.

"I said I am tired of playing games. I will be at my study."

"And yet you indulged your brother quite willfully, Your Grace."

"You are saying that because you do not know Adam. It was the only way to get him off my back."

"Well, you do not seem to know me either, Your Grace. It will be the only way to get me off your back as well."

The duke seemed to be considering her words before nodding toward the net. "As you wish."

Her heart skittered a little as he crossed the net with a single jump, using the pole as leverage. Taking up the position that Aaron had just abandoned, Marina readied herself for the game.

Aaron waited until she was in place before sending the shuttle cock in her direction.

Marina batted it easy back before starting her plan. "Has the relationship with your brother always been so strained?" She gently probed for information.

"What makes you think that the relationship is strained?" Aaron kept his eyes on the game, avoiding looking at her.

"Anyone with two eyes on their head can see that the two of you have a… troubled relationship. There was the argument on the night of our wedding, and he did not seem to take the loss very well just now." She watched his face carefully as they played.

Aaron's jaw tightened a little before he answered. "Let's just say life has not been very easy for us."

"Life is not easy for any of us." She ran a little to the left as Aaron gave his shot just a little more pressure.

"It has been harder for Adam and myself, trust me."

Marina began to regret her decision to challenge him as her corset pressed against her ribs. She had not worn the correct clothing for badminton, yet now that she had him talking, she felt compelled to carry on. "Why don't we make this game more interesting, then? Every time the shuttle cock is on your side of the net, you have to state something about your life that you think is worse than mine."

"And when it is on your side?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I shall say something that I feel is equal, or worse than what you said." Her breathing began to deepen as he picked up the pace, forcing her to exert more effort.

Aaron volleyed back and forth for a moment before nodding. "You start."

Licking the corner of her mouth, Marina jumped at the chance. "My father died beneath his mistress and left us to fend for ourselves against the rumors." She placed more force behind the shot, thinking of the predicament that their father had left them in.

Aaron reached the shuttle cock with ease and smacked it back. "My father used to pit me and my brother against each other for his own amusement." His admission caught Marina off guard as she almost missed the shot, reaching it just in time.

"I was jilted at the altar by your brother!" A few strands of hair came loose as she placed all of her weight behind the shot.

"I fought in a war that scarred me for the rest of my life!" He bared his teeth in a fierce grimace, making Marina's heart pound with fear.

"I had to leave my family behind and start a new life!" She almost tripped as she scurried to make the shot.

"I was rejected by my betrothed because of my scars!" he placed so much force behind the shot that the shuttle cock went singing past her head and missed her ear by inches.

Panting for breath, Marina placed her hands on her hips and looked at the shuttle cock that lay on the grass in the distance.

He was engaged before!

A strange feeling of jealousy and pity clutched at her chest as she turned her head back toward Aaron. She had not even realized how much he had been through in his life. His father had pitted him and his brother against one another. He had fought in a war, and that war had left him with scars.

"Aaron, I'm…"

"Don't you dare pity me." His voice was tinged with hurt and anger as he allowed the racket to fall to the ground at his feet.

"No, I did not mean to…" Her words trailed off as she watched Aaron stalking away from her.

A slight breeze picked up, whipping the loose strands of her hair about her face.

She had come so close to seeing a glimpse of him that she had never seen before. Yet it was her pity that had made him withdraw. She could not help but wonder what else he would have told her if the game had gone on for just a bit longer.

How had he gotten those scars in battle, had he lost? Who had he intended to marry before he had come along? It suddenly made sense to her why he had accepted the arrangement. The woman he had intended to marry had rejected him.

Did he love her?

Panic suddenly surged through her body as her chest ached. There were so many questions, with no answers in sight.