It was Edward’s half-naked body that did it. His muscular shoulders. His thick chest, and the hair that covered it. He shook as he paced, his body flushed red, his muscles tensed and pulsing. It was not the right moment to have such thoughts, but Celestine felt her own body turn warm… her eyes roaming him, her mouth salivating, her heart racing.
“I do not think that is such a smart idea,” she said, shaking her head and tearing her eyes from his body.
“I do not care!” he snapped. “I will not sit back and watch as Lord Grundon of all people…” He growled as he shook. “He does not care about Millicent. He is not trying to court her because he fancies her. This is about me!”
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe.” He turned on her, his eyes red, his teeth bared. “He has been the one spreading rumors about me and what I do, just as he is the reason for all that has happened. I do not know why, but he means to break me. I will not allow it! As I will not allow him to ruin Millicent.”
Despite his anger, Celestine could not help but smile.
He cared so much for his niece. At his heart, he was kind and loving, and it mattered not what people said of him, or what they thought. All he wanted was for Millicent to be happy.
“Let us think about this.” She went for him, holding out a hand to calm him down. “I have just spoken with Millicent and as you can probably guess, she is not very happy with you.”
“I do not care.”
“Yes, you do.” She reached him and rested an arm on his thick shoulder. “That is all you care about. And if you do try and banher from the rest of the Season, what has started as a natural reaction to what you did today will grow into something real. She will end up loathing you.”
“Let her loathe me,” he sneered as he shook. “So long as she does not end up with Lord Grundon.”
“Which she will do anyway, if you try and keep them apart. You know this.”
“What am I to do then?” he barked and shoved his shoulder away as he started to pace again. “Nothing? Sit back and watch him ruin her life so that he might ruin my own? I cannot do that!”
“Nor should you,” she said calmly. “But there is another option here.”
“Which is?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. Just as I know that such ideas will not be found when you look as if you might tear someone’s head off. You need to calm down.”
“I am calm,” he snarled.
She scoffed. “If this is calm, I would hate to see you in a rage.”
“I –” He went to bark at her but caught his tongue. “I am failing her, Celestine…” Slowly, the rage faltered and she saw the desperation in his eyes. “After all I have done, if I cannot protect her, then what is it for?”
“Come here.” Celestine took his hand gently, and he did not pull back. Then she led him to the bed, directing him to sit down. He did so, his body collapsing, his shoulders dropping. “Today was not well handled,” she began.
“I had no choice.”
“You did…” Edward sat on the edge of the bed and rather than sitting with him, Celestine chose to kneel. She spread his legs, she shuffled between them, and she rested her hands on his thighs as she looked up. “But it is done now, and there is nothing that can change that.”
“When I saw him speaking to her…” His brow furrowed as if he was trying to find his rage again. “I lost control. I…”
She laughed as she left her hands on his thighs. “You tried to protect her, is what you did. Not done very well, but your intentions were right.”
“What if it is not enough?” he asked.
“Then we will find a way together to stop him. Why does Lord Grundon hate you so? There must be a reason?”
“Truly? I have no idea. I think…” He bit into his lip. “I do not think it is me he hates, so much as what I represent. I swear I have done nothing to him.”
“What do you mean? What do you represent?”
He sighed and bowed his head. “You know of the gaming establishment that I run?”
“I do…”
