Blind with rage, Adrian swung around, prepared to fight his friend off next, only to spot the woman who stood behind him with an unhappy infant in her arms.
Sympathy shone in Samantha’s eyes, even though she was probably frustrated by the effect the disturbance was having on Alexandra.The result was a sudden flood of exhaustion that sapped Adrian of energy.He dropped his hands to his sides, felt the fight leave his body.
“Forgive me,” he said to his wife, to Lady Marsdale who stood at her side, and to Edward.
None of them deserved to see him like this or to have him ruin their peaceful afternoon.So he stepped past Murry as though he didn’t exist, and entered Edward’s study where he proceeded to help himself to some brandy.
He’d already taken a couple of sips by the time he sensed the presence of the two men behind him.For some absurd reason, Edward didn’t think the altercation in the hallway had been enough.He clearly expected it to continue in here.
“I understand your fury,” Murry said to Adrian’s back.“Expected it, but—”
“—chose to face it anyway,” Adrian muttered.He turned, frustrated by this addition to his problems of the day.
“You should talk,” Edward said to the two of them, as though speaking to children who couldn’t agree.“Properly and without resorting to violence.”
Adrian ignored him, his attention on Murry whose face was already showing signs of bruising.Good.He deserved it.“You know what I do to those who betray me.”
“And I expect no less for myself,” Murry said, his voice calm albeit a bit gruff.“It was wrong of me to cross you.I can think of no reasonable excuse.”
Adrian snorted.“Then I would suggest you try harder, because if you did what you did without good reason, then I truly have no further use for you.”
Something flickered in Murry’s eyes.A hint of pain so sharp it drove its way straight through Adrian’s heart.He bolstered himself against the emotions that followed, slamming the door on sympathy, regret, and loss.
“You weren’t there when I saved Lady Edwina,” Murry said with a hint of bitterness in his tone.“You did not see her incapacitated by the opium her captors forced upon her, or watch her shove a blade through a man’s throat out of pure desperation.”
“Good God,” Edward murmured, echoing the outrage that settled in Adrian’s chest.“Is she all right?”
“How can she be after what she went through?”Murry shook his head.“She’s in shock and dealing with the effects of opium withdrawal.”
Adrian recalled all too well the illness Murry himself had suffered when he and Adrian met.A wretched business that left him bed-ridden for at least a week.
“I…was able to relate with her plight,” Murry said.
“You still had no right to defy me.After all I’ve done for you – everything we have been through together – your decision to keep me in the dark on this, to oppose my will, is not to be borne.”
“I hoped you might think differentlybecauseof our history.You and your wife both owe me your lives.”
It took great effort for Adrian to let that comment stand without lashing out and reminding Murry that this had been his sworn duty from the beginning.
Posture rigid, yet forcing himself to speak calmly, he said, “You forget yourself, Murry.You are a servant with a damn good wage.Protecting me and my family is your job, not a favor that I need repay.”
“You’re right.I just… Lady Edwina worries how Wrengate will react when he sees her,” Murry said, returning to the cause of their disagreement.“She fears he’ll marry her off to the first available suitor.To stop her recent experience from ruining not just her but the rest of the family’s reputation.”
“If that is his wish,” Adrian said, his control beginning to waver, “then that is his bloody right as her brother.Heis her protector, Murry.Not you.And don’t you dare tell me you fancy yourself in love with her.”
“Of course not,” Murry said, though there was something in his voice that suggested he might harbor some sort of tender feelings for the girl.
“Are you quite certain?”Adrian asked, his anger slipping past his defenses.“Because that is frankly the only thing that makes any sense.It would explain your irrational decision, though you’d have to be out of you mind to think you could ever build a life with a duke’s sister.She is out of your reach, Murry, and shall remain so forever.”
“I know,” he clipped, so bluntly Adrian knew he’d touched a nerve.
So, his valet had indeed met a woman he fancied, even if he’d not yet realized as much himself.Adrian huffed a breath.Poor bastard.He almost felt sorry for him.
Except…
“Has it not occurred to you that in choosing to heed her wishes, you’ve worsened my relationship with a man who has the power to crush me?”
“I’m sorry, Croft.Truly.”Murry had the decency to look Adrian straight in the eye as he said this.“I expect Lady Edwina to make a full recovery within the next few days.Once she does, I’ll give you her location so you can pass it on to Wrengate.”
