“No. You do not. You think he’s just another villain but he’s not. He will doanythingto save himself.”
Silas took a deep breath, trying to calm down and speak rationally but he was seething, angry at Helena for not trusting him, for almost getting herself hurt or, God forbid, killed, and for what?
She wasn’t capable of rescuing her brother on her own, but she insisted on acting as if she could.
“Can you not understand that you are not alone? Is the concept too much for you to grasp?” He poked at his own head in illustration.
She reared back, looking hurt. “Can you,just for one minute, see this as anything other than a commentary on your abilities? Are you unable to do that?”
He blew out a breath, looking around in anger. “We will not get anywhere like this.”
“Yes, we cannot seem to hear each other clearly. Perhaps we never could.”
He gave her a look. “I married you to keep you safe.”
“Yes, well, maybe I don’t care about safety. Did you ever bother to think about that? About whatIneeded?”
“AllI think about is what you need!”
“No. You don’t,” she shook her head sadly.
He was unable to believe his ears. “Fine. Perhaps we should both worry about our own needs, rather than bothering the other.”
She nodded firmly, crossing her arms. “I agree.”
They stared at each other, both stubborn, both smarting from the words the other had said.
“Fine,” he said, storming out of the room, heading to his office.
He did not look back to see if she was following or not.
That was what she wanted. To do things her own way.
So, he would let her.
Shoulders slumped, misery making her eyes water, Helena moved to the corridor, and was immediately accosted by Amelia.
“Helena!” Amelia grasped her around the waist, “What happened?”
Helena sighed. “Nothing. Just…. nothing.” She gently put the girl away from her, “I’m tired. I need to rest. We’ll talk later.”
She sighed before going around Amelia and hurrying up the stairs.
She could feel her sister-in-law’s eyes on her the entire way, but didn’t look back. She didn’t have anything to say. All she wanted to do was lie down and forget for a while.
She was halfway regretting the fight she had with Silas. It wasn’t his fault that Uncle James was holding Charlie hostage, but she’d lashed out at him because he was the closest.
She knew she should apologize, but she had no desire to. She still felt upset, and angry, and scared. She wanted to know what Silas’s plan was, but she did not feel like speaking to him just yet.
She knew he wouldn’t want to speak toher.
She sat up on her bed with a sigh, staring out of the window. The rain had dissipated, giving way to sunlight and cloudy blue skies. It was ironically shaping up to be a lovely day.
She decided to go outside and sit in the sun, maybe read a book.
Nodding to herself, she got up and put on her slippers and a shawl. She snatched the book on her bedside table and headed for the door.
To her surprise, there was a footman standing right outside. He turned when she stopped short, staring at him in surprise.
