Croft nodded.“I don’t see why not.”
Refusing to ask for Edward’s permission in this, Melody pulled away from him and went to the door.The orderly who answered her knock considered her briefly, then pulled the door wider and granted her entry.
* * *
Edward watched the door close behind Melody and instinctively clenched his fists.The way he’d treated her was unforgivable, yet the pain in his heart kept insisting that she deserved to suffer his wrath.
“You don’t look happy,” Adrian said.
Edward turned to him in surprise.“Under the circumstances, I think it would be rather odd if I did.Indeed, I believe you’d pummel me if I were smiling right now.”
“That’s not what I’m referring to.You can be worried and concerned for others while still conveying a deeper happiness thanks to the life you are living.That seems to be lacking, however, as it did for me in the weeks that followed my wedding.”
“I can’t seem to get past the lies.”
“You forced her into marriage,” Adrian reminded him.“Would you not say that makes you more than even?”
“Maybe.I’d rather not talk about it.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like the distraction.”
Edward heard Samantha’s groans and saw the impact the sound made on Adrian.“Very well.”
“Her deception was necessary,” Adrian said when he’d found his composure once more.“The effect it had upon you in the larger scope of things would have been brief had you chosen to cut ties with her.Instead, you retaliated in a way that will impact you both for the rest of your lives.”
“You’re saying I acted wrongly?”
“Impulsively and with anger would be my way of putting it.However, I also don’t think you’d have done what you did unless you truly wanted her as your wife.Not as an act of revenge, but because you care for her and found an excuse to make her yours.”
Edward stared at his friend and acknowledged the truth in what he was saying.Yes, Edward had known making Melody his would prove a challenge.Was that his true motivation for kissing her in the park where Moorland would see, then declaring their engagement so there was no going back?
He’d been so consumed by heartache, disappointment, and rage, he’d not taken time to think it through.But the truth was…
He longed for her.Desperately.Though his actions these past two days would make their relationship hard to mend.He’d wrecked their marriage before it began.After all, she’d been right, had she not?He’d given her no cause to think he would ever make her his countess, had not even told her he loved her.
And the worst part was, he feared he could not find the means by which to stop lashing out at her.
“How did you get past Samantha’s deception?”Edward asked.“How did the two of you manage to make amends?”
“We fought.Viciously.Until she managed to pin me down.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Later, when I’d cooled off enough to listen, she told me everything about Harlowe and his plan to destroy me.From that moment onward she strove to prove her loyalty to me, and her efforts paid off.Especially when she helped me escape the hangman’s noose.I’d trust her with my life now.”
“So what you’re saying is—”
Another scream split the air, this one louder than the previous ones.
Edward’s heart shuddered in response to the sound — at the sight of his friend’s despair.His friend.They’d known each other forever, yet this business with Melody had put a wedge between them.The hurt Edward had felt when he’d learned that Adrian knew all along who she really was but had kept it from him…
Is there anything you’re not telling me about her?
Of course not.
A deliberate deception that crushed him.He still couldn’t forgive Adrian for it, even though time had provided him with the clarity needed to understand why he’d acted as he had.
He was glad Samantha had sent for Melody.It gave him the chance to work on mending the rift between himself and Adrian.Oh, how he’d cursed Adrian these past few weeks, how he’d sworn never to speak with him ever again.
