He did so, but Spencer had to use every bit of his restraint to hold himself back. He had never felt such anger as he did when he saw Anna so afraid. Even after she was released, she wascowering, terrified of what had happened. She knew the rumors as well as he did: that she was a wanton, and she saw many men in his absence.
“She is yours again,” the man smirked. “You know where to find me when you want something new, yourGrace,” he added to Anna.
“She will not be coming to look for you. My wife would never stoop to your level, no matter how much you might want her to.”
“She already has, many times. She has enjoyed almost every man here, including that friend of yours.”
Spencer smashed his glass against the wall, and it shattered. Shards flew across the floor and into his hand, but he did not notice. He took two steps towards the man, and it was enough to take his smirk away entirely.
The man cowered, but Spencer felt no satisfaction in that. All that he cared about was his wife and her knowing that she was safe with him.
“You have never once laid a hand on my wife,” he said, taking the man by the collar. “Nobody has. She would never allow it, which is precisely why I heard her telling you to stop. Now, if you go now and keep this to yourself, I will not have to take this any further. Should you cause us any further issues, however, it is more than my glass that will be broken.”
As he said it, he glanced down at the man's nose, causing him to flinch. Spencer dropped him, and he ran away. At last, he felt the sharp pain in his palm, but he ignored it. It did not matter that he was hurt, not when Anna was so visibly shaken. When he looked back at her, however, he realized that her expression had gone from fear to anger.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“What do you mean? I was helping you. One might have thought you would be grateful.”
“I am, but– after all of the lectures you have given me, I would have thought you would be better at handling matters such as that.”
“It was settled, was it not?”
“Youthreatenedhim!”
“And what else was I supposed to do? After what he tried to do to you, can you blame me for being furious?”
“I– I know that it was not what you expected to see. I assure you, he was lying, and I was honest with you. I have never… I have never done anything with another man.”
He took her in his arms, pressing her to his chest. She was clearly not calm yet after all that had happened, and she was out ofsorts, and so though he wanted to promise her that he believed her, he did not want her to say anything further.
They remained still for a moment, and he waited for her breathing to steady. When he was happy that she had settled, he pulled away, wincing as his hand returned to his side.
“What is it?” she asked, taking his hand in hers.
“I cut my hand on that glass. There is no need to worry, for it is not deep.”
“All the same, you ought to listen to your own instruction. You know that our reputation is important to guard at the moment.”
“Yes, our reputation matters, but you matter more. I will not have you threatened, nor will I allow men to speak to and about you as if you are lesser than them. It will not happen.”
She smiled, thanking him and trying to walk past him, but he took her wrist suddenly.
“I mean it,” he pressed. “I cannot allow you to feel as though you do not matter when you do. You may not think that you matter to me, but you are wrong.”
Even as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. He could not allow himself to make her believe he had no intention of leaving, but he could not help himself. Even if he had to leave, it did not mean that he did not care about her. It was not that he dislikedher, but that he had no other choice. There was no changing what had to be done, and he had to tell her as much.
And yet, when she looked at him with such hope in her eyes, he could not bring himself to ruin it.
Suddenly, she reached up and kissed him. What she lacked in practice, she more than made up for with enthusiasm. He wondered just how many times she had read a scene and imagined him kissing her, and the thought of it made him hungry for more. He did not know if it was appropriate, given where they were and what had happened, but she did not give him the time to think on it.
With one hand entwined in his hair, her other drifted to his waist, pulling helplessly at his clothing in an attempt to slide under the fabric. There was a desperation in it that he had liked when they had kissed before. It was what he had always craved: being wanted more than anything else in the world. He allowed her to continue for a moment more, savoring the feeling of her eagerness, before taking off his coat.
His waistcoat followed, and then he began to undo his shirt. She had seen his bare chest before, but she responded just as she had done the first time, with a feverishness that he had never known.
“We may be seen,” she gasped as he kissed her neck. “Perhaps we should–”
“If you want to stop, I will,” he promised, “but given what I said to that man, nobody will be coming this way for a long time.”
