“I do suppose you are right,” he spoke, beaming with pride, as he used the tips of his fingers to twist the left end of his moustache, which had obviously been his pride and joy. “I’m certain it will come to me. I just need to think about it for a little while longer.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Alexander smiled, grateful that his strategy worked. He had managed to save face in this unpleasant as well as unexpected situation he found himself in.
But even now, he struggled to concentrate on the discourse unfolding before him. The lively chatter of the guests and the melodic strains of the music became distant echoes, eclipsed by the tumultuous thoughts swirling inside his mind. Observing Phyllis engaged in animated conversation with Leonard and Lord Livingstone, Alexander couldn’t help but feel a pang of possessiveness. The radiant glow of the chandeliers above seemed to pale in comparison to the intensity of his emotions. Phyllis washiswife. She shouldn’t be smiling so affectionately to any other man apart from him. It was true that their marriage was not real in the proper sense of the word, but that did not mean that either of them were allowed to disrespect each other in any way.
At that moment, two gentlemen approached, asking for Lord Stanton’s attention. They spoke to him in a hushed manner, which was not all that polite, but Alexander didn’t mind. Once they were done delegating, Lord Stanton turned to Alexander.
“I apologize, I must leave you, Your Grace,” the man graciously excused himself, to which Alexander nodded with a smile, as they left him alone with his tumultuous thoughts, which he was still trying to make sense of.
Alexander endeavored to look about the grand ballroom, to find any other object of interest and focus. Perhaps he could find some other investor and discuss things in more detail with him. The question of his business which was aimed at reconstructing the financial status of his family should be of the utmost importance to him, and as such, a matter no other topic should take precedence over it. But finding anyone or anythin like that was an impossible feat. No matter where he looked, his eyes would involuntarily return to Phyllis, drawn to the magnetic pull of her presence and the anguishing fact that her smile was not for him. It was for Thomas Livingstone.
A surge of discomfort gnawed at him. His internal struggle intensified, and a seed of frustration took steady root. Unable to ignore Phyllis, he tried to convince himself that her engaging demeanor with another man was merely a deliberate attempt to provoke him. Yes, that made more sense than him being in love with her. The mere thought of him being in love with anyone, especially her, was preposterous. It was merely the fact that they were now husband and wife, and he was merely thinking about the image they were leaving in the eye of the public with such behavior. He would most certainly never break the vow he had given to himself by falling in love with anyone. Love would only bring heartbreak, and that was the last thing he needed, on top of all the other troubles he already had.
That was exactly why he reasoned that her smiles and animated conversation were designed to stir a reaction within him. She was probably upset as a result of their last conversation during the waltz, and now she sought to irritate him amidst this elegant backdrop of the ballroom. That unsettling chance that Phyllis might hold a sway over his emotions did not exist in his mind. He banished it for the simple reason that it was impossible. He had made sure of it a long time ago.
He had no idea how much time had passed in his silent, broody contemplation, during which he kept to himself in the opposite corner of the ballroom. He finished his drink, slamming it onto the table by his side. He didn’t care that the noise stirred a small group of ladies, who had up until that moment, been busy with their own chatter, but had now shifted their focus to Alexander. Their eyes questioned his action, and waited to see what would follow. He did not acknowledge them with a single gaze.
He had more urgent business to take care of and that was to take his wife home… where she belonged.
With that single thought guiding his every action, he had completely relinquished all reason other than this. He fought his way through the crowd, on his way to Phyllis, who was still chatting away with Leonard and Lord Livingstone, obviously enjoying herself immensely. That made Alexander even more jealous, which in turn made him even more furious, an enchanted cycle he could not break free from. He wanted to go home, to be away from all these prying eyes which seemed to be focused on Phyllis.
He had no idea why he felt this way. After all, theirs was just a marriage of convenience, nothing else. He shouldn’t care who she was talking to or what it was about. They had agreed that they would lead separate lives, that neither would encroach upon the happiness and the well-being of the other.
No!A small voice inside of him spoke up ferociously.
He knew what that voice was referring to. He wasn’t jealous. No. Of course not. It was a matter of respect. She was being disrespectful, which was not part of their deal. That was why he was rushing over there, to tell her that they needed to go back home, and then, once they were safely within the confines of the Woldaves estate, he would explain to her why her behavior was unacceptable and why it should not repeat itself ever again.
The thought was powerful enough to calm him down by the time he had reached the trio. He cleared his throat, but he wasn’t given the chance to speak first.
“Ah, Alex,” Lord Livingstone spoke up first, with Phyllis turning toward him immediately after. Leonard was not there any longer. The two were alone, surrounded by a myriad of faces and eyes, all of which Alexander knew, were watching at one point or another.
Well, as alone as one could be in a ball, but that did not make much of a difference, because Phyllis was speaking to another man, a man other than him, smiling at him, offering the solace of her melodious voice, and Alexander could not handle that disrespect. It made him more furious than ever, and handling the situation with grace and calmness would prove to be a difficult task.
“Thomas,” Alexander greeted him sternly, and the man immediately sensed that he had done something wrong. But Alexander wasn’t there for any clarifications. He was there to take his wife home. “Phyllis,” he uttered in a low, controlled tone, his hand extending toward her.
She looked at him, her eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and defiance. “Are we going somewhere?” she wondered, ignoring his offered hand.
“Yes, home,” he replied, without resorting to any explanations. He didn’t think he needed any, but as it turned out, he was wrong.
“But why so soon?” she wondered, sounding strangely surprised. “We have only just arrived, and I have barely spoken to my sister at all.”
He gritted his teeth barely noticeably as he responded. It was not because of her family that he was doing this. It was because of the man who was still standing by her side, refusing to leave, even though he could see that this was a private conversation. Thomas Livingstone had never been one of his favorite people, and he still didn’t understand why Leonard was still friends with him, when the man did not uphold any propriety whatsoever.
He lowered his voice, speaking only to her now. “It is time to leave, Phyllis. Now.”
“Come now, old boy,” Lord Livingstone decided to interfere in the wrong moment, patting Alexander’s shoulder in an overly familiar manner, which Alexander did not like one bit. “The lady is obviously enjoying herself. Why be such a spoilsport?”
“May I remind you that the lady is my wife,” Alexander snarled at the man, more than ready to defend what he considered to be his. “Which you seem to have forgotten…old boy.”
At that exact moment, Lord Livingstone knew that he had made a mistake and he immediately pulled away, realizing the tone of gravity in Alexander’s voice. Then, Alexander turned to Phyllis again, not wishing to delve any longer into useless conversations with unimportant people.
“You may say goodbye to your family. I shall wait, and then we’ll go home,” he informed her. For some reason, the termtheir homewas still foreign to him, and usually, it brought comfort. Not this time. But because of Lord Livingstone, he was more than happy to state it loudly, just in case the man had forgotten that Phyllis would be returning home with Alexander.
Her eyes widened in surprise and shock. He could understand that. He had never spoken to her in this manner. He had never shown her this part of himself, simply because there was no need to. But obviously, some more clarifications were needed, and he would be glad to voice them, once they were home.
Wordlessly, Phyllis turned around and went to find her sister and father. Alexander followed her with his gaze, when Leonard returned with two glasses of whiskey, one for himself and one for his friend.
“Alex,” he smiled. “We were just talking to your wife.”
