“You do know that it is perfectly acceptable to fall for your wife, yes?”
“In normal circumstances, but you know what I am against. If Sophia thinks that she is a burden, she will leave, and I will be left unable to help her and my nephew. You know as well as I do what happens to young ladies with no security.”
“And that choice is hers to make, Spencer. She is older than you are. If you are able to make decisions, then you have to trust that she is too.”
“That is not fair,” he replied, placing his glass down with a heavy thud. “She is not in her right frame of mind. She has a young child and is unable to care for him, and it has practically driven her mad. She cannot see reason, nor can she make her own decisions. I need to be there for her.”
“And your wife, who pretended you had been eaten by lions, is of any saner mind?”
That did not feel like a fair comparison, for Spencer knew that Anna had been perfectly lucid when she had done that. It was done in desperation, knowing that something had to bring him home, and it had worked. She was not like Sophia; she did notneedhim.
But he needed her, and he could not allow his own ridiculous feelings to cloud his judgment.
“I fulfill my duties to my wife. As long as I continue to do that and no more, all will be well.”
But his friend chuckled, pouring him another drink. Spencer knew that Alexander saw him as a child at times, and he hated it. He had done more than his friend had in order to protect his title; he was not running off with any lady that looked in his direction, and he was faithful to the wife he had taken.
“The two of you passed mere duty long ago,” Alexander pointed out.
“All men must consummate their marriages.”
“Yes, but that is not what you did, is it?”
Spencer did not answer, for he did not want to give his friend the satisfaction of it. The truth was that it did, indeed, mean far more to him than he dared admit, and that was precisely the problem.
“I shall not be accepting any judgment from a man with no wife of his own,” he said simply. “You do not understand my position, and you will not until you do what is expected of you for the first time in your life.”
He had not intended for it to be as cutting as it was, but he did not regret it. Alexander simply gave him a half-smile and pushed the glass toward him.
“If you think I was passing judgment, you are mistaken. I am merely trying to tell you what I think is best for you, and lying to yourself and your wife is anything but that.”
“You do not know what is best for me.”
“If that is what you want to think.”
Spencer took the drink in one again, wishing he could be honest without feeling like a fool.
“How are they both, then?” Alexander asked. “Your wife and sister?”
“Anna seems to like Gilbert, at least. I do not know how the two ladies will be with one another, for Anna likes to mend things, and Sophia hates the thought of being mended. They are to spend time together this afternoon, and I do not know how it will go.”
“Perhaps Sophia does want to be helped, just not by you? I do not mean to offend you, but it is different when it is a fellow lady.”
“I hope that is the case. I also know that my wife is most persuasive when she wishes to be, so if anyone can get through to Sophia, it is her. I only wish that my sister trusted me more.”
“Can I suggest something, if you promise not to take it badly?”
“You may.”
“Do you suppose that, when she looks at you, she sees him?”
Spencer faltered, his fingertip tracing the rim of his glass.
“It is entirely possible. I have never asked her. I do not suppose that she would tell me even if it were true. It is not how we are.”
“Well, I believe it should be. Spencer, I do not take pleasure in telling you this, but I want what is best for you, and sometimes that means saying things that you do not want to hear. Your sister has been taking advantage of your kindness for some time now, and it is affecting what could be a blissful marriage.”
“My marriage not being what you expect is not the fault of Sophia. It is my own, for I am the one who made the decisions.”
