“I thought this was what you wanted, Clarissa,” came Michael’s unmistakable voice of derision.
“Thiswas not what I wanted. I wanted you to put aside your foolish quest, not marry someone on nothing but lies and deceit. Especially not someone like Elaine.”
“Well as you can see, Clarissa, I am given no choice in the matter. I must right my wrongs and this is the only way to do so.”
“That is an excuse and you know it.” The sharpness in Clarissa’s voice surprised Elaine. “Perhaps that is the reason you must marry her but there is no reason for you to do so without first telling her the truth.”
Elaine inched closer to the door and realised that it was ajar. She could see a bit of Michael’s profile, his face contorted in frustration.
“The truth will not make this go away, Clarissa.”
Clarissa scoffed. Elaine could barely see her, only a hand flailing in exasperation. “You were the one who deliberately approached Elaine because you wanted to seek the truth. The truth is as important to her as it is to you. You simply do not want to admit it because you are beginning to realise how wrong you have been this entire time.”
“It is too late for any of that, Clarissa!” Michael hissed under his breath. “Tomorrow, Elaine and I will be married. That is the beginning and the end of it. She does not need to know that I only befriended her to learn more about her father’s involvement in the scandal, nor does she need to know that I intend to use it against her and her family. If you cared about her, you would know that she is better off without such knowledge.”
“And if you cared about her, Michael, you would see how wrong you are.”
Elaine didn’t hear his response. Blood roared in her ears, the world tilting around her. She staggered away from the door, desperate to get away yet unable to do anything on her suddenly leaden feet. She didn’t realise that tears had spilled over her cheeks until she felt them drip onto her chest.
Then the door opened fully. Michael’s eyes went wide with shock at the sight of her, then horror dawned. “Elaine, did you—”
“I cannot marry you.”
He started forward. “Elaine—”
“I cannot possibly marry you!” Her scream cut through the drawing room. Elaine flinched away from him, shaking. The despair in his eyes was unfair, she thought. He had no right to look at her like that.
“What is the meaning of this?” James was suddenly before her, shielding her from Michael. Sobs racked her chest and sheturned in her desperation to get away. She collided into Lorna’s chest as her aunt’s arms went around her.
“What happened?” Lorna asked her. “What is the matter?”
“I cannot marry him,” Elaine repeated. She said it over and over again. She pulled herself out of her aunt’s arms, unable to stand there any longer. The only thing she felt was the pound of her heart and the sharp twisting knife lodged into the centre of her back. She couldn’t be near him right now.
Elaine hurried towards the door, ignoring her aunt’s calls. This morning, she’d thought that she couldn’t possibly feel any worse. Oh, how wrong she had been.
***
It had all been one big mistake.
That played over and over in his head like a dull roar as Michael watched Elaine race out of the drawing room in tears. The others moved around him like vague blurs in the background while his mind sunk further into the deep pit of despair and regret. He kept thinking about how she’d flinched away from him, how she’d looked at him with such betrayal, and it felt as if he was losing a piece of himself every time.
“Answer me!” Lord Abney seized him by the collar, jerking him out of his thoughts. “Or I shall make you regret that you were ever born.”
“Unhand him!” Clarissa lodged herself between them and successfully managed to push the viscount off him. Michael staggered back, dazed. “Violence is not going to solve anything. We should all sit down and talk about this like reasonable beings.”
“That would be a wonderful idea, Clarissa, if the duke was inclined to talk at all.” The sarcasm dripping from the viscount’s voice would have bothered Michael had it not been for the fact that he registered his words a few seconds too late.
“Right,” Michael murmured, running his fingers through his hair. “An explanation.”
“I believe we are owed one,” said Lady Abney. She stood by her son and crossed her arms, looking serious for once. Behind her, Beatrice hovered with a frown of worry and confusion while Henry simply looked sad.
“I had to,” he said at last.
Clarissa slowly turned to face him, her face crumpled in complete outrage. “You had to?” she repeated incredulously. “After everything that just happened, Michael, you still think you are justified in your actions?”
“Clarissa…”
“No, I do not want to hear anything more!” she cried. “It is clear to me that you are a lost cause. I begged and pleaded with you not to go down this path and you did not care to listen to me. Now, look where it has gotten you, Michael. Your selfishness and your unwillingness to see past your hatred has turned everyone you love against you.”
