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Father must have taken notice of the terror he’d inflicted on his daughter with this sudden rage. He made a visible effort to gain control over his emotions. When he returned to his seat, his jaw was still locked tight, but at least the maniacal, fury-driven fire had left his eyes.
“As you well know, Evelina, that besides our family’s business, the Russells have long been the most prominent company in Britain when it comes to the import of textiles from the Far East.”
“I am aware of the trade,” Evelina admitted, desperate to know what that had to do with her and Thomas.
“Well, not so long ago, movement was made to merge our two entities and establish a monopoly. I invested a significant amount of money and energy into the endeavor.” He ground his teeth loudly at the memory. Evelina flinched at the discomforting sound. “All of it was for naught, of course, because at the last possible minute, the Russells pulled out and merged with an ‘anonymous third party’ instead.”
Evelina sat there, shocked. Her thoughts were sluggish, uncooperative, but she knew she had to say at least something. “Thomas would never—”
“Thomas?Thomas?” Father blustered, suddenly just as angry as he had been at the peak of his previous rage. “Evelina, what business do you have by referring to the young Duke of Elvington by his first name?”
“N…none…I forgot myself—”
“You most certainly did, and not just in regards to the name. How could you have exercised such poor taste in prospective husbands to begin with? Surely, your Mother and I raised you well enough to take note of a snake in the grass.”
Evelina’s own anger ignited. “Lord Elvington is aDuke, Father, and I knew none of this. Why wouldn’t I consider him a prospective match?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, however, Evelina knew they had been a mistake. In all her nineteen years, she could remember talking back to her father only once, as a very, very young child. The result had been a horrifying cold shoulder that lasted nearly two months. He would ignore her at dinner, he would not humor her questions, and she was barred from entering his office. It had been one of the worst times of her life.
Father looked her dead in the eyes, all his fire turned suddenly glacial. “No daughter of mine will marry a Russell. Evelina, you are never to speak to Lord Thomas again. That is all I have to say on the matter.”
Evelina opened her mouth to respond, but the protest died before it reached her lips. A single sob wracked her body. She fled the room before the tears began to flow.
