Page 80 of Duke of Silver
“This has nothing to do with me,” Percy replied evenly, though his gaze was unwavering. “It has everything to do with your obstinacy and cowardice.”
The words hit Alexander like a slap, igniting a fire of anger within him. “Cowardice?” he spat, stepping closer to his brother. “You dare?—”
“You love her,” Percy interrupted, his voice calm but forceful. “Yet you hurt her. Because you refuse to let go of your own pain.”
“Get out of my way,” Alexander demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
But Percy didn’t budge. Instead, he continued, his voice steady as he spoke the truth that Alexander had been unwilling to face. “You’ve been clinging to your guilt, to the past, and it’s stopping you from seeing what’s right in front of you.”
Each word Percy spoke only fueled Alexander’s frustration. He felt as if every accusation, every truth his brother pointed out, was another blade twisting in his chest. He shoved Percy aside, his temper boiling over. “Enough!” he barked. “I’m bringing her back.”
As Alexander reached for the door, Percy’s voice followed him, quiet but piercing. “She’s unhappy, Alexander.”
He froze, his hand still on the door handle.
“Last night, after dinner,” Percy continued, “she told me about her decision to return to her family. She needs time to sort through her emotions. Don’t force her back into the storm. Not now.”
Alexander’s breath left him in a slow, painful exhale. His entire body felt as though it had gone limp, the fire inside him extinguished by Percy’s words. He turned slowly to face his brother, the weight of everything finally crashing down on him. “I’ve failed her, haven’t I?” he whispered, his voice strained with guilt.
Percy’s expression softened slightly. “It’s not too late to seek her forgiveness,” he said quietly. “But you need to give her space. She needs time, Alexander. And so do you.”
Alexander stood there, feeling utterly lost, hating himself for every ounce of pain he had caused Elizabeth. His heart ached in a way he hadn’t known was possible, and he hated that he was the reason for her suffering.
The next two days without Elizabeth were perdition for Alexander. The house felt empty, hollow, and every moment was a reminder of her absence. He spent most of his time in his study, drowning his sorrow in brandy, the glass never far from his hand.
It was late in the afternoon when the butler announced a caller. Colin stepped into the study, taking one look at Alexander and immediately frowning. “You look a damned wreck,” he said bluntly.
Alexander barely had the strength to respond. “I’ve ruined everything,” he muttered, running a hand over his face. “I love her, Colin. And I might have destroyed our marriage. I’ve broken her trust completely.”
Colin sat down across from him, his expression sober. “You’re right. You’ve screwed up. But what matters now is what you do next.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Alexander admitted, the weight of his guilt suffocating him. “She’s gone. She’s left me.”
Colin leaned forward, his gaze serious. “Percy’s right. If she needs time, give it to her. You owe her that, Alex. After everything, it’s the least you can do.”
Alexander stared into his glass, feeling as though he were being ripped apart. “But what if I lose her?” he whispered, the fear gnawing at him. “What if I never get her back?”
Colin’s voice softened. “If you love her, you’ll give her the space she needs. And maybe, during that time, you’ll realize just how much you’ve jeopardized. How much you almost lost.”
Alexander’s chest tightened, the thought of losing Elizabeth unbearable. “I don’t need time away from her to know that,” he muttered bitterly.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say,” Colin offered with a small shrug.
But fondness wasn’t what Alexander felt right now. It was a deep, wrenching pain. A hollowness that consumed him entirely. Would she ever forgive him? Would he ever have the chance to make things right?
“I can’t lose her,” Alexander said, his voice barely audible.
Colin watched him for a long moment, his face thoughtful. “I’m hosting a soiree before the season ends. Perhaps that’ll give you the opportunity to see her.”
A thought struck Alexander, cutting through the fog of his despair. The soiree—it was a chance. A chance to see Elizabeth again, even if it was just one more time. He clung to the idea like a lifeline.
“Will you come?” Colin asked, concern in his voice as he glanced at Alexander’s disheveled state.
Alexander lifted his head, a glimmer of determination breaking through the haze of his misery. “Oh, I shan’t miss it for the world,” he said, setting his glass down with finality. “And I have every intention of showing up with my wife.”
The days without Alexander had been torturous for Elizabeth, each hour stretching longer than the last. At first, she thought that time away from him would allow her to collect herself, to think clearly. But as the days slipped by, the reality of her situation settled like a lead weight in her chest—she had truly lost him. Her resolve to keep her distance, to protect herself from further heartache, began to crumble with each passing day.
She moved through her family’s home as though in a haze, barely able to keep herself together. It had become impossible to ignore the aching void left by his absence. Every morning she awoke with the hope that maybe today, something would change—that he would send word, come after her, anything. But nothing came.
