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“How is it possible for one man to be able to drive me as mad as you?” I whispered.
“I believe it is possible by the same manner in which you vex me.”
My head snapped up.
Tiredly, he smiled. “Good morning, wife.”
It might have been out of relief or exhaustion or anger, but I found my eyes filled with tears. With his good arm, Evander reached up and cupped my face.
“Why are you crying as if I am in real danger? It is but a flesh wound.” He grinned, and if he had not been injured, I would have sought to smack him with the pillow.
“I am not crying. I am merely tired,” I managed to lie, blinking the tears from my eyes. He caught my arm and pulled me on top of him. “Evander!”
“If you are tired, rest.”
“I cannot possibly rest in another person’s home. I must—”
“You must what?” He took my hat off my head, tossing it aside without a care. “It is still early. We are guests here, so nothing remains to do but rest. Now come, lie next to me.”
“But…”
“Listen to me at least this once.”
I frowned. “I have listened to you more than once.”
“And when ever has that been? For since we met, you have been rather formidable.” He chuckled.
“Did you not ask me to forgive you and offer a second chance? Here I am,” I said with my head raised.
“I do believe I had to ask a great many times before you did so, my love. Is that not formidable of you?”
I made a face but lay down in his arms. “Forgive me for being rather troublesome, then. Forgive me for—”
“Should you even burn all of Everely to the ground, I would forgive without question,” he whispered as he rubbed my back gently. “But promise me, Aphrodite, that you will never do such a thing again. No matter how important you believe it tobe.”
I hung my head for a moment and nodded. “I promise. I did not think it through and have caused even greater chaos.”
“Let us not dwell on it any longer,” he said gently. “Though I must say how it vexes me that I cannot even be cross with you for longer than an hour.”
“Good.” I grinned, hugging him tightly. Finally, I closed my eyes to rest, making a note to apologize to Verity as well.
Evander
When I awoke again, she was still sleeping soundly. I knew that she would be pained upon hearing the lie I had spread of the demise of Marcella, but I did not think she would forgo sleep or even food. This whole ordeal had taught me something I had not realized about her: My wife, the Duchess of Everely, was a crusader, a person who held overzealous campaigns on behalf of those she considered weak or downtrodden. So much of her vision became narrowed, and even if it meant exposing herself or our family to harm, she would go to any levels afforded to her.
But I should have known. How could she not be so with the mother who raised her to be all that was good and the father who fed her a diet of Greek philosophy and literature’s greatest heroes?
I had to admit that her morality and steadfast dedication to justice made me feel somewhat unworthy. Had Marcella not been Fitzwilliam’s wife, and therefore a useful witness, I do not believe I would have put myself at risk or even sought to be here, conspiring for her sake.
“Will this be enough?” Marcella asked as she gave me her letters. The poor girl was still bruised and tired.
“Yes,” I said as I read over them. “They shall do nicely.”
“Then what should become of me now?” she asked.
“I have spoken to your father, and we shall act as though you are truly gone. There shall be a funeral for you, and at such time, you will be taken to a distant relative of yours in France. There you shall start again,” I explained. It had come to me once I managed to lift her up from the edge of that cliff.
There was nothing to prevent her from returning to Fitzwilliam except death, so we would use death as a means to free her. In return, Fitzwilliam would lose the protection he had derived from her name, and with all the county now knowing of his misdeeds, I would once more use everything I had collected against him to have him thrown into prison for the rest of his days. I was sure the snake of a man had gone into hiding, but now, with the town on the hunt for him, he would be found sooner rather than later.
