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“What Frank gets up to is his affair, not mine,” Benedict pointed out, pulling out a chair at a side table. “I felt sorry for Maggie, true enough, but she needs to grow her own backbone, you can’t take that role on for her.”

Lizzie was a little taken aback. She dropped into her seat. “Well, no but – ”

“And I’ll not have her running to you constantly expecting you to dry her eyes and take up the cudgels for her.”

“What makes you think she’ll do that?”

“Because that’s what she was always doing before with her little friend. The plain-faced one who used to work for Connie.”

“Because I’m the plain-faced one who works for Connie now, you mean?” Lizzie answered before she’d had chance to bite the words back.

“What did you say?” Benedict looked incensed.

“Oh, nothing,” Lizzie tried to fob him off. She had been rattled and spoken the words in haste.

Mercifully at that moment, someone came over to take their order. As soon as they’d gone, Benedict leaned in closer.

“Repeat to me what you just said,” he seethed.

“I suppose you mean Aggie, the human skull,” Lizzie replied, avoiding the eyes boring into her own.

He shook her arm. “Tell me!” he repeated.

“I don’t want to!” Lizzie burst out hotly. “It’s just that no one saw fit to mention how beautiful Maggie is, that’s all!”

“So, what if she’s beautiful!” Benedict thundered back. “I’ve never looked twice at her in that light, and if she’s going to cause trouble between us, then I’d just as soon she hadn’t shown back up at all!”

“Cause trouble between us?” Lizzie echoed mystified. “How would she do that?”

“She already seems to have!”

Lizzie looked away as the server appeared and fiddled with her wedding ring as the pitcher of beer was sat down and the glasses.

Benedict poured the beer out and scowled at her. He lifted his glass before setting it back down again untouched. “I don’t think of you as plain,” he said abruptly. “You should know that by now.”

Lizzie colored hotly. “I don’t know why I said that,” she mumbled. “Can you please just forget I said it?” He took a sip of beer and Lizzie tried again. “Maggie has not caused any trouble between us, Benedict,” she said reaching for his hand. “And you’ve never said anything to make me feel insecure. Please don’t be cross.”

He was still a moment and then turned his hand to tighten his fingers about her own. “I want you to let this business between Maggie and Frank play out now without interference, Lizzie. You’ve done your part in writing that letter. We need to iron out our own grievances.”

Lizzie stared and he lifted an eyebrow. “We do?” she asked uncomfortably.

“If we didn’t, you would not have just made that comment,” he said grimly.

Lizzie raised her glass with a hand that was not entirely steady. “Very well,” she said, though when he looked at her a little impatiently, she lowered it again. “Now?” she asked, casting a glance around the busy beer tent.

“It might be easier than in that box on top of one another,” he shrugged, looking away.

Lizzie drew her hand out of his and straightened her shoulders. “My uncle said when you offered for Betsy you promised to set her up in her own home. All this time I thought you must have exaggerated your prospects. Now I find – ” She glanced down at her hands. “That is not the case.”

She paused a moment, mustering her courage to voice the next part. “I suppose at my lowest ebb it occurs to me that maybe you meant to use me on the road for twelvemonths and then trade me in for a better prospect when you settle down to your prosperity. My uncle mentioned the word revenge in connection with our union.”

She heard his swiftly indrawn breath. “Is that it?” Benedict asked harshly. “I want you to get it all off your chest once and for all.”

Lizzie looked up meeting his cool hazel eyes. She felt her own color must have drained away leaving her very pale and plain. She bunched her hands together, hard. “I know you did not admire my looks or personality at Sitwell Place, Benedict. And let us be frank, I thought you were a dreadful man, but we married anyway,” she concluded painfully. “Due to circumstance.”

“Circumstance?” he echoed. “Is that what you think?” He gave a bitter laugh. “I brought about my own change of circumstances, Lizzie. And let me tell you plainly, your own prospects changed the minute I saw you face down that table full of smug hypocrites. That changed everything for me.”

“What do you mean?” Lizzie croaked.