"You never know," Joyce said, voice filled with hope, "Sometimes love turns up in ways we least expect it."
Daphne smiled, albeit sadly. Despite the heartbreak, she really did feel lighter. The weight of her decision was not so heavy now that she knew her sisters were by her side.
"Thank you," she whispered again, squeezing their hands.
And in that moment, surrounded by her sisters, Daphne let herself take a deep breath. She had her family, her strength, and her resolve. She had made her choice, and for the first time in a long while, she felt at peace with it.
CHAPTER 24
The soft crackling of the fire had become the most familiar sound to Ambrose in the past few days, for he had scarcely left his study or spoken to anyone since the guests' departure.
It was no surprise then that the sudden, loud knock on his study door startled him, having grown accustomed to the quiet.
"Ambrose?" Richard's voice called out from the other side of the door, "Brother of mine, are you in there?"
Ambrose had half a mind to ask him to go away, but the door swung open before he could articulate his words to reveal Richard, lingering by the doorway. His shoulders were slumped, and an uncharacteristic frown etched itself across his lips. Seeing his brother so deflated and far from his usual self made Ambrose change his mind.
"Mind if I join you?" Richard made his over to the sofa where Ambrose was sat, his steps sluggish. He brandished a glass bottle filled with whiskey from behind him, and set it on the table in front of them. "I need company."
"At this hour?" Ambrose narrowed his eyes at him, his earlier annoyance having given way to an almost paternal concern.
"Especially at this hour," Richard chuckled mirthlessly and poured himself a drink. He gestured at the bottle, "Would you like one?"
Ambrose clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I am fine."
"Come on, brother," Richard urged, "I do not wish to drink alone. Especially since I've come to lighten the load on my heart. Just one – for me."
Reluctantly, Ambrose agreed. "One, then. But no more."
Ambrose was not much of a drinker. But he would be lying if he said he didn't indulge in more than a few these past few days to get his mind off everything. It was the oldest medicine, as they say, when it came to matters of the heart.
"Splendid," Richard poured his brother a glass and gulped down the liquid in his own glass with impressive speed, his nose wrinkling as it reached his throat. "This is just what I need."
"You're acting quite unlike yourself," Ambrose asked, his curiosity growing by the minute. It was not often that he saw Richard upset about anything.
"Am I?" Richard took another large gulp of his drink. The slight slur in his speech indicated that this wasn't his first glass of the night. "I suppose that's only fair, given how I have just faced rejection."
"Rejection?" Ambrose leaned forward, suddenly alert.
Richard passed him a smile – one that did not reach his eyes. "It seems that Lady Daphne was not on the same page as me when it comes to marriage. She declined my proposal this afternoon."
Ambrose felt a strange mixture of both relief and concern at the admission. His heart rate shot up, but he tried his hardest to keep a neutral expression. "She declined?"
Richard nodded, too absorbed in the drink in his glass to notice how Ambrose had suddenly sat up straighter, "She did. And I have to say, I was not expecting it."
Neither was I."How do you feel about the whole thing?"
What Ambrose actually wanted to know was howDaphnefelt about the whole thing. He had not expected her to decline the proposal altogether, as it was very rare for ladies to do so. But of course, Ambrose should have known better that Daphne was not like the other ladies. She had never been.
"Shall I be honest?" Richard passed him a hollow look, "Not only is this a surprise to me, I never expected it would escalate to the point of a proposal to begin with."
"Ridiculous," Ambrose grumbled, "You chose to enter into a courtship with her. What else did you expect to get out of it?"
Richard was quiet for a moment, as though considering his next words with great care. "Well, in the beginning, I chose to court her only to spite you."
"Spite me?" Ambrose retorted eyebrow raised.
"Yes, well. You were not too happy with the idea of me marrying her if you remember and I wanted to prove to you that you could not control my choices. But as I got to know her, I thought that it would make for a stable marriage, perhaps. She is pretty and from a good family. It should be enough."
