Page 53 of An Arranged Betrothal with a Contrite Duke
“Lydia is gone,” he said.
Marcus looked at him, confused.
“Gone?” he asked. “I don’t understand. Did something happen to her?”
Michael understood what his cousin was asking and shook his head.
“No, she is alive and well,” he said. “But she has left. And she won’t be coming back.”
Marcus gaped at his cousin as he sat down across from Michael.
“What do you mean, Cousin?” he asked. “How can you be sure?”
Taking a deep breath, Michael handed him the letter.
“Read this,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Marcus frowned, but he took the letter. Michael wondered if he should have shown Lydia’s private words to his cousin. But it was too late to take it back now.
As Marcus read Lydia's words, Michael studied him. His spirits had been high enough when he entered. But he was squinting to read the words on the paper. And while he was leaning forward to read, he was clearly unsteady on his feet. He has been drinking, as well, Michael thought with a wild sense of relief that made Michael want to laugh hysterically.
“Michael, this is terrible,” he said with solemnness, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. “What did you do to elicit such a reaction from your brand-new wife?”
Michael turned away, grabbing a bottle of port and pouring two glasses. He didn’t know if he was ready to share his story with his cousin. But if he was going to, then he would need more than those couple of drinks.
“I was a fool,” he admitted, his voice heavy with remorse. He handed a glass to Marcus and took a large gulp of his own, allowing the liquid to burn a path down his throat.
Marcus hesitated before taking a sip, his eyes never leaving Michael's anguished face.
“I have never known you to be a fool,” he said, sounding a bit more sober now. “But for your own wife to be so resistant to the idea of even seeing you again, I must take your word for it. Tell me, Cousin. What has happened?”
Michael poured another glass of port, and then another. Then, he realized something. Marcus had arrived for a reason that had nothing to do with his troubles. Before he could no longer even see his cousin’s face clearly, he needed to learn that reason.
“What brought you here tonight, Marcus?” he asked. “I know news of my terrible mistake couldn’t have travelled that fast.
Marcus raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged.
“Needed to bring back your equipment that you loaned me,” he said. “I gave it to Patterson to put away. I hope that’s fine with you.”
His cousin’s statement was not a question. But he responded as though it were, just to buy himself a little more time. Enough time to let Marcus get so inebriated that he forgot to mention the subject again.
“That is perfect, Marcus,” he said. “I hope the equipment served you well?”
Marcus snorted. Michael raised an eyebrow, only to see that his cousin was looking at him with a rather suspicious expression.
“It did very well,” he said. “But that is not the subject of our discussion, Cousin. I believe we were talking about your wife, and why she is so upset with you.”
Michael sighed.
“I’m afraid that I’m ashamed to say,” he mumbled.
Marcus looked at him, putting down the glass that Michael had handed him. He studied his cousin for a moment before responding.
“Your secrets are safe with me, Michael,” he said. “You can talk to me, whenever you feel comfortable.”
Michael bit his lip. He felt it might do some good to talk to someone about his predicament. But he wasn’t sure he could speak through the shame.
“Shall we have another drink first?” Michael asked hopefully.
