He could not bear to look at her, for fear that the dejection in her voice might be mirror in her lovely face.
“It would be,” Lewis said. “Because if you let yourself forget for just a little while, you will find it all the more difficult to remember.”
“So you want to destroy any fondness or intimacy that we might have,” Bridget said.
He did not want that at all, but he could not trust her. Or himself.
Lewis sighed. “This is my fault. I erred in thinking that you would ascribe no meaning to our amorous congress tonight, but clearly, you have.”
“I—I did not,” she said, her voice quivering. “I only made the offer out of…”
She was a terrible liar. If he kept reminding himself of that, he would not care if Bridget was upset with him.
“Besides,” Lewis said. “I have work that I need to finish.”
“Of course.” Her voice was as cold as the Arctic. “I shall not keep you.”
“Very gracious.”
Lewis left the bed and seized his trousers, hastily pulling them on. Behind him, Bridget huffed in frustration.
“A becoming sound,” Lewis said dryly.
“You do not get to criticize me at the moment,” Bridget said. “I—I offered you an ounce of kindness?—”
He laughed. “Kindness? What about it was kind?” The remark was so silly that he turned around and stared incredulously at Bridget, who lay on the bed with an arm thrown over her face.
“Do not mock me,” she said. “I thought you might like some affection. I have solved you.”
He retrieved his shirt from the floor. “Solved me? What does that mean?”
“When we met, I thought you were simply a cold and heartless man,” Bridget said. “Then, I saw how you spoke to your grandmother, and I realized you are not heartless at all.”
“That proves nothing,” Lewis scoffed.
“No?” Bridget asked. “How is that?”
Lewis pulled on his shirt, eyes snapping to his wife’s face. “Because Iamheartless. I am not a good man, Bridget, and if you have mistaken me for one, you are a fool.”
“If you wish to see a fool, I suggest you look in the mirror,” Bridget said. “You visit your grandmother every day at the same time, so as to not disturb her. Those are not the actions of a heartless man.”
“You know nothing,” Lewis scoffed. “I have had so many uncharitable thoughts about her. I can scarcely count the number of days where I have wanted to miss our meetings. Sometimes, I am exhausted by her. So, you see? I am not good.”
“You are human,” Bridget retorted. “Everyone finds their relatives frustrating on occasion. You are not special in that regard.”
The words were like being doused in icy water. “What?” he hissed.
“You heard me.”
For a moment, they merely stared at one another. Bridget’s gaze was fierce, her eyes blazing with disapproval.
“You are ridiculous,” he said.
“No,” Bridget said. “Do not dismiss my feelings! I know this from experience!”
“Oh, yes!” Lewis snapped, his temper fraying. “Because our situations are precisely the same, are they? You have yourlovely family! Your brothers and sisters, who are strong and independent! Pooryou.”
“You cannot speak to me as if my feelings are worthless. I know what it is to suffer!” Bridget exclaimed.
