Page 55 of To Enchant a Rakish Viscount

Chapter 22

Love was hard. Just like feeling pain after one’s first fall in life, or being chased up a tree, there were parts that would be tremendously uncomfortable. And hard. Love was one of those things. And there wouldn’t be any shortcuts. That was a part of it that Brian learned. You cannot take the easy way out when it comes to love, because there simply is no easy way out.

It’s an endeavour that requires patience, honesty, vulnerability, a little bit of suffering, and hope. Those were just a few ingredients out of hundreds, and Brian learned that if he wanted to be not only a good husband but a great one, then he would need to learn the full recipe that made love an eternal dish.

When he looked at Harper in that tension-filled room, he saw the woman that he wanted to share that dish with for the rest of his life. And when she saw him, she began to cry. Knowing tears, he knew what type they were. The enormity of the situation had finally taken its toll on her. And she was simply happy to see her husband back where he belonged despite the conflict that was taking place before them. He never planned to be her saviour. It was an outdated notion to him. Women did not need saviours. But in that moment, where he clasped the cold and ruthless minded hand of Marianne, he was hers.

“What has happened here that had made you,” he said as he looked to Harper, “and Marianne almost come to blows?”

Leah let out a small noise as if she was going to answer the question but then she must have remembered just how tense everything had been, and she halted her words. Brian shared his glances between Marianne and Harper who both stared at each other with daggers in their eyes.

The only thing that he could place the blame on for being the cause of hostility was the moment he had with Marianne. He had tried to forget it and it had also been mixed with the fact that he was drunk. So, the memory itself was pretty foggy to him. But he remembered the important parts. And they were the only reason he could see for their spat.

It was also a very odd thing to bear witness to as they had never been that enraged towards one another. Their friendship had always been so calm. To see it almost turn violent spoke volumes to the importance of what had happened. Both the girls’ emotions were at an all-time high which meant he needed to tread carefully with his own words, a skill that Leah had picked up on quickly, in the moment.

And then, just as Brian had expected, Harper put the answer in the room, said in a defeated tone that expressed just how much it hurt her. Just to say it out loud seemed to hurt to her as well. “It was over you kissing Marianne.”

Bryan watched the muscles in her face grow all the sadder. She was completely wrong in what she saw. But what she believed that she saw, if true, it would end the marriage for her right then and there.

And what that proved to Brian was just how much she really did love him. If she hadn’t cared for him, she wouldn’t have cared about the kiss. It wouldn’t have bothered her. Standing there before Harper and her two friends, there was no hiding the heartbreak that lived in her eyes.

Brian thought back to his father’s words and the lesson that he had learned from him. In a way, Harper was learning that very same lesson. Love hurt. There was suffering in love. Just as Brian’s mother’s death nearly broke his father, he considered it all worth it for the time he did get to spend with her. There would be terrible times in love. There would be times where the strength of one’s heart is truly put to the test. Brian knew that now.

But he laughed at the absurdity of her response.

The once saddened look on Harper’s face completely shifted to one that was annoyed. Marianne looked perplexed as did Leah. Brian gave Marianne one quick glance to give her the opportunity to confess and justify Brian’s laugh but all he received in return for that look was her reddened cheeks.

“Marianne and I never kissed,” Brian finally revealed. “She had come over and acted rather strange. I was as drunk as an Irishmen on his birthday, and she got close to me as if to try to kiss me. But even as drunk as I was, I still pushed her away. That’s what happened, Harper. You know that I am only honest with you. If I had kissed Marianne, you would have been the first to know. But as annoying as you are, I would never be unfaithful to you, Harper.”

Leah let out a little chuckle.

Harper looked at Marianne’s angry, embarrassed mask and Brian could tell that Harper just knew that his words had to be true. Marianne looked as though she was filled with so much shame that there was no way that the truth was otherwise. Brian had never seen her look so embarrassed.

“So, what was your plan then, Marianne? Were you going to try to seduce my husband again?” Harper said with a face full of rage.

Brian found it cute when she called him her husband. It made their marriage feel all the more real.

Marianne did not say anything in response to Harper. She just stood there speechless. Whatever her plan had been, it was thwarted, and she knew it. Not only was it completely thwarted but everyone knew, and it was out in the open. But it did leave Brian as curious as Harper. “You’re not going to say anything, Marianne? What did you expect? You’d come over here and I’d fall in love with you? Why? Why did you go to such lengths to make Harper’s life this miserable?”

Still Marianne did not say a word. And that was when a collective consensus washed over the room. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that Marianne had taken enough verbal punishment for the moment. There was no fun in it for Brian any longer.

“Well, um…” Leah started. “I think maybe it’s time that Marianne and I took our leave, what do you say?” She turned to Marianne who immediately turned her back to everyone and made for the door.

“Sorry for the trouble,” Brian said to Leah, who wore her first tinge of frustration.

“It was not your fault,” she replied.

“Thank you for being a good friend,” Harper added, and Leah’s frustration evaporated.

Leah then gave Harper a nod. “Always. Thank you for being as strong as you are.”

Harper gave her a hug before she left. Once they broke up from their hug, Leah took her leave and the door shut, leaving both Brian and Harper to themselves. He felt a mix of calm and excitement.

Somehow, in that moment, even though they had been apart for only about a week, he felt like an entirely new person. His perception of their marriage had drastically changed, and he wanted to share that with Harper in every way possible.

When they looked into each other’s eyes, he pulled her in for a tight embrace. He could feel her warmth and watched a slight smirk grow beneath her nose.

“Will you look at me differently if I confessed to you that in our time apart…I missed you?”

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