Page 59 of In Compromise with the Earl
“Oh, I’m starting to realize that,” Aphrodite replied. “He can fool anyone into thinking he doesn’t care but you see it in his eyes if you look closely.”
“Intuitive as well as kind,” Leo said, his warm smile emerging again. “I am glad you’re here. I have faith that you can win Aunt over as well.”
Turning to the trees where the sun was starting to dip over, she cocked her head. “I hope so too. I want us to be a true family, one without any hard feelings among us.”
From the corner of her eye, she spotted a peculiar look on Leo’s face; the warm smile was gone and replaced with a hard, stiff-jawed, steely-eyed look. A muscle was ticking in his jaw, and she saw his lips thin.
He must have seen her questioning gaze so he attempted a smile, but it fell flat. “I must say, I want that too, but Aunt can be a little stubborn and it angers me. You will have to prove to her, time and time again that you are not what she thinks you are.”
Brushing her hair away, she replied, “I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said while extending his arm to her. “Let’s go inside before Oswald comes barging down here to take you away.”
Giggling, she looped her arm with his and smiled when he rested his other hand on top of hers with his thumb making circles on the back of her hand. They went inside and just as they came to the front hall where the major stairs were—the front door opened and the Dowager stepped in.
Her eyes landed on Aphrodite while she removed her gloves. “You’re…here.”
The tension that she had hoped not to feel made her body rigid, but Aphrodite pulled away from Leo and curtsied. “Good evening, My Lady.”
“Hmph,” the Dowager snorted, “Leo, would you get Oswald for me? We have a few things to discuss.”
As the Dowager marched forth and took the steps without giving Aphrodite a second look; Leo gave her a pained one, as if saying,I told you so.Swallowing over the hurt in her chest, Aphrodite lifted her chin. The Dowager might be dismissive of her for the time being because of whatever biased ideas she believed about her, but Aphrodite was hell bent on proving her wrong.
But where do I start?
Chapter Twenty
Stepping into his mother’s drawing room at her summons gave Oswald another dollop of irritation to what already rested on his chest. First, Leo had interrupted them and now his mother was calling him to undoubtedly grouse about Aphrodite being there.
Ostensibly, he knew that this meeting was inevitable, and he hated knowing how it would end—no one was going to be happy. He entered the room to see her sitting placidly but her lips were thinned, and her brows knitted tightly together.
“Mother?” he asked. “You asked for me?”
“All this time I thought you were playing a cruel jest on me,” Henrietta said. “But seeing that woman in my Hall made it clear that you were not.”
“First, call Aphrodite my wife and address her thusly,” he said calmly, even while embers of anger simmered in his chest. “Second, she is going to live here as we are married.”
“You have made a mockery of yourself by marrying her,” she said.
“More than I already am?” he asked. “Mother, have you ever considered that I would prefer not to marry a lady who is only going to be a shadow for me?”
“But a lady who comes from a home of ill-repute?” the Dowager asked. “What sense is that?”
“Because I need happiness and light after all the darkness my life was months before,” Oswald snapped. “Aphrodite is that light, believe it or not and while I hope you will agree one day, I am prepared to accept if you will not. But I will not accept you abusing her in anyway.”
“She is not good for you,” Henrietta said. “One day her colors will show.”
Rubbing his forehead, Oswald said, “I cannot follow your logic, Mother. Claire was secretive and manipulative, making you believe that she was an angel in disguise, and you loved her, only to find that she was anything but. Now, my wife’s life is transparent, and you hate her? What are you afraid of?”
“That you are walking yourself into another trap and a docile—”
“Is my worst nightmare,” Oswald snapped. “Claire was docile, submissive and meek but she was a dagger in my back. Why would I want more of that?”
“You are not thinking straight,” she said.
“No,” his tone dropped to sympathy. “You are the one who is blind. Aphrodite might be different from what you consider ladylike but while she is different, she is still every bit a lady and I love her. She won’t betray me like Claire did and you need to bypass your fear and see what is plain before your face. Now, if that is all, please excuse me.”
He left the room unhappy that he had upset her, but she had to understand, he was not a boy anymore and he knew what he wanted…and that was Aphrodite.
