“She is behaving very strangely,” Frances began. “As if she is… in a very loud place all the time and is trying to hear every conversation at once. I do not know how else to explain it; she is distracted, dazed, and not at all herself.”
Henry furrowed his brow. “How is she usually?”
“Yes, well, of courseyouwould not know,” Frances remarked, in a tone that made Henry’s hackles rise. “Do you know how sad she has been, all these years you have been apart?”
The question halted the rebuke that danced on the tip of Henry’s tongue.Sad? Is that true? No, Frances must be mistaken.
“I am beginning to wonder if it is your sudden interest in her that has brought on these headaches and this peculiarity,” Frances continued at a clip. “I championed your new desire to be a proper husband at first, but now I have half a mind to tell you to leave her be again. After complete separation, this must be a huge shock to her, and shock manifests in many ways. Headaches, sickness…”
“With respect, Cousin, you will not be telling me to do anything,” Henry said sharply. “The understanding between my wife and I is none of your concern. For now, I will remain with her.”
Once again, Frances raised an accusatory finger. “You see, now I amcertainthat there is something more to this. In four years, you have had no inclination to be near her, and now you say you will remain with her? Is she very unwell? Is it something terrible?” Her voice hitched, her eyes beginning to brim. “Please, Cousin, if there is something wrong with my best friend, I must know of it.”
“She… bumped her head, that is all,” Henry replied reluctantly, and prayed it would be enough to satisfy Frances. “The physician said it was perfectly normal for her to have a few headaches while the bruise heals. That is all it is.”
Suspicion flickered across the young woman’s face, as she took a pointed sip of her tea. “You swear it to me?”
When Henry did not immediately answer, she added quietly, “I am sorry for being so rude, Cousin. I am just so very worried.”
Hearing the anxiety in her voice, seeing the sadness in her eyes, Henry wondered if he should be honest. Was it unfair of him to keep secrets? Then again, if Thalia herself had not informed Frances of her condition, it was not up to him to reveal the truth.
“I know,” he said more amenably. “But there is no cause for concern.”
James stirred a drop of cream into his tea. “What happens when the headaches have ceased?”
“Pardon?” Henry tilted his head, confused.
“When you are certain she is well again, what will you do?” James replied. “Do you mean to continue as you were, living apart in a most unconventional manner? Or is this the beginning of a more… customary marriage?”
Frances brightened, nodding. “Yes, does this mean you will stay with her indefinitely? A proper couple, at last?”
Wishing he had accepted Baxter’s suggestion to send his cousins away, so he would not have to field such nosy questions, Henry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was different with his friends; they understood when he did not want to speak on something anymore. His cousins had no such perceptiveness.
“Whatever is for the best,” he said diplomatically.
James made a noise of disapproval. “Icould never dream of being apart from my wife for long. You are missing out on such companionship.”
“Your situation is different,” Henry replied, his patience fraying. “You have a child together; it is natural that you would stay close by. Now, please, do not suppose to tell me how to managemymarriage. Any decisions are between me and Thalia. I realize you mean well, but it is unnecessary.”
Offering an apologetic look, James sighed. “I just… find myself wondering what your father would make of all of this. Like myown father, I know he instilled a sense of duty in you; it is how they were raised, it is howwewere raised. So, I cannot help but wonder why you seem determined to do the opposite?”
A bristle of anger pushed Henry up from the settee, his entire body tensing as if his father were in the room. There was nothing about that selfish, vice-ridden, cruel, manipulative man that Henryeverwished to replicate, least of all his way of conducting married life.
“If you will excuse me, I must prepare for the physician’s arrival,” he said sternly. “Please, take a moment to finish your tea and cakes. I will ask Baxter to bring the carriage around.”
Barely suppressing his frustration, he offered a polite dip of his head and walked out before he lost his discipline and said everything he had ever wanted to say about his wretched father.
As he made his way up the stairs, the thud of each step underfoot allowed him to quieten his ire.I never wanted us to live so separately. That was her proviso. That was my promise to her. She was content with it, until she forgot.
It exasperated him in a different way, to bear the responsibility of their detached union when she was the one who had asked for solitude. He had given it freely because he wanted her to be comfortable, because he felt he owed her that, at the very least.
But it was not how he had wanted things to be, especially after setting eyes on her for the first time at their wedding.Indeed, it was supposed to be a temporary measure that became permanent, at her request.
By the time he reached his wife’s chamber door, he was mostly calm again.
Taking a breath, he knocked.
“Come in,” Thalia called from within, her voice raspy, as if she were weary or in some pain.
