Page 58 of Mentor to the Marquess
Lady Felix’s eyes grew distant and misty. “Because he loved me, not you.”
The final clue slotted into place. “You were my husband’s mistress.”
Tears dripped down Lady Felix’s cheeks. “He was the most caring man I had ever met. I begged him to leave you. I said I would be happy even if we were poor, as long as we were together. He refused. He said my reputation was more important, and I could not live without it.”
Olivia couldn’t believe they were discussing the same man. Her husband had never done anything without a purpose. Was it simply that he’d shared all his love with his mistress and there’d been nothing left for his wife?
“It was hard enough watching you go about your life for years after he died,” Lady Felix said. “Then you had to go and flaunt your happiness. I couldn’t stand watching you get everything you wanted when I miss the earl with every day that passes.” She walked over to the hearth and pulled out a fire poker, then brandished it. “It’s your fault he’s dead!”
Olivia stumbled back, but it took only a few heartbeats for her to recover. Lady Felix’s arm trembled so badly, she could barely lift the poker. The woman was not a true threat. She was letting her emotions control her, acting more like a young girl than the woman she was.
Olivia put her rifle away and snatched the poker. The other woman gaped, then rushed to her bed and buried her head in the pillows.
Olivia returned the poker to its place, then walked over to sit on the bed. “The man with whom you fell in love was not the same man who married me. I don’t know why you think I killed him, but I assure you he died of consumption.”
Lady Felix shook her head. “He wasn’t sick. I saw him days before he died, and he was as healthy as I’ve ever seen him. It was you who killed him, and once I have proof, everyone will believe me. You won’t get away with what you’ve done.”
Her words were cruel, but the tone she delivered them in was thin, as if she were grasping on to the last thread of her anger. She reminded Olivia of a feral kitten, hissing fiercely and puffing herself up to make herself appear more threatening. Lady Felix was to be pitied, not feared. Like Thel, she’d believed a falsehood.
“The earl did not want anyone to know he was unwell,” Olivia said. She remembered how he had barked commands the morning before he had taken to his bed, how he had shouted at anyone who’d come near. It had driven their housekeeper to tears.
“I saw him,” Lady Felix said weakly. “I spoke to him. He was fine.”
“You saw what he wanted you to see.”
Olivia fell back onto the bed with a sigh, shoving Lady Felix’s legs out of her way. “He was kind to me, at the beginning. I understand why you loved him. He could be wonderful when he wanted to be. But there was darkness in him.”
Lady Felix scooted down and lay beside her. It was distinctly odd, being so close to her nemesis. She could feel the warmth of Lady Felix’s body against her side. They had so much in common. In another life, they might have been friends, or even more.
“I miss him,” Lady Felix said, tears heavy in her voice. “I miss him every day. I can’t speak of it with Felix or anyone else. You truly did not kill him?” She sounded like she wanted it to be true, at odds with the violence in the articles.
“I didn’t kill him,” Olivia said. “But I wish I had.”
The truth sat between them like a dead thing.
“Why send Mr. Dawson after Constance?” Olivia asked. “The girl is your niece. Was that another way you intended revenge?”
Lady Felix sighed. “That wasn’t my idea. Felix committed the girl’s dowry to Mr. Dawson as part of a business deal. When Felix could not fulfill his end of the bargain…” She shrugged. “I suppose Mr. Dawson took matters into his own hands.”
Thel’s entire family had plotted against him. She did not look forward to telling him.
“You told him things, though,” she said. “Secrets the earl shared with you. My intention to divorce.”
Lady Felix winced. “I was lonely. He listened. Can you blame me?”
Olivia remembered how she had felt, trapped in her house, with only the occasional servant to speak to when the earl had been angry. Given a sympathetic ear, she would have done exactly what Lady Felix had.
“I’m sorry I wrote those things,” Lady Felix said. “I was… upset. I hid my correspondence in Constance’s room so Felix wouldn’t find out and used Thel’s title to convince the editor to publish them.” She twisted on her side and looked at Olivia. “Is your reputation damaged beyond repair?”
Olivia snorted. “Not nearly.”
She had to turn away cards from a dozen men every night. She would know she was truly ruined when the risk of being seen with her outweighed the benefit of her rumored charms.
“I’ll recant my statements,” Lady Felix said. “I’ll… I’ll tell Thel everything.”
Olivia rolled off the bed and stretched. The night had gone far better than she’d expected. Her reputation would be restored, and she could resume matchmaking. So why wasn’t she elated?
Chapter 24
