“Yes, you do,” Alexander continued. “You are falling for your wife, and it is terrifying you.”
“I am not. All that I care about is that I will not be here for long, and when I leave, I want to do it in a better way this time.”
“For your wife’s sake, yes?”
“Of course. She does not deserve to be abandoned without warning again. It is unfair.”
“Then why, pray tell, are you leaving?”
Spencer eyed his friend carefully. Alexander knew precisely why Spencer had to leave for so long, and he had always been supportive before. Since he had returned, however, it had changed. Suddenly, he seemed to care for Anna as much as Spencer did himself, and he did not know how to feel about that.
“I shall assume you had a lengthy conversation after that ball, in any case,” he continued. “I cannot believe that she did that to your cousin. I never would have expected that from her.”
“I was not surprised, given the reputation she’s created for herself. I had a feeling that something would happen that night.”
“So you were proven correct?”
“No, which was the problem. I had assumed that there would be an issue because of my wife, but it was not her fault at all. It was entirely due to my cousin, and… well, I will not claim to be disappointed in how I handled matters.”
“What do you mean? She threw her drink over the man.”
Spencer then explained what had happened and why she had done it, and watched as his friend’s face fell. Alexander was not a friend of Walter’s, but he did respect him. When Spencer explained their meeting and how it had ended with him throwing a punch, Alexander could only give him a nod of approval.
“Removing his role is not enough,” he scoffed. “You ought to have him ruined in society, too.”
“And if it were not his word against my wife’s, I would. Unfortunately, with my reputation, it would not end well for us. I have enough revenge for now. Should he try anything further, I will not let him off so lightly.”
“Nor will I. I admire your wife and how she has been in the last year. I cannot stand the thought of someone hurting her any more than you can.”
There was a sense of comfort in knowing that he had not overreacted. Spencer had worried, at first, that he had taken it too far and that it was a sign that he was falling for Anna after all, but that had to be proof that he was not.
That was what he told himself, at least.
“I also received a letter yesterday,” Spencer explained. “Fortunately, I managed to hide it away before Anna saw it.”
“A letter? Was it a warning from your cousin?”
“It was from Sophia’s friend.”
Alexander fell silent at once, eager for the explanation. Spencer had not wanted to receive it; he wanted to spend his time with his wife, enjoying their time together before he would leave again, and the letter only served as a reminder that that could not happen.
“She says that Sophia is asking after me incessantly, looking most troubled. She is asking when I will return.”
“And how is the boy?”
“Unmentioned, so I can only assume he is well.”
“So she has written to you only to ask when you plan to return to her?”
“It would seem so.”
“And when do you plan to do that? You have only been home for two weeks, and already a letter has arrived. I can only imagine how many more will arrive.”
“As can I, which troubles me greatly. I was hoping to do all of this as smoothly as possible for all involved, but it is not as simple as I hoped.”
“Why, are you afraid that your wife will cause another scandal to summon you home?”
“No,” Spencer replied, realizing that he was being honest.
