“I am aware,” Sebastian spat, both hands now holding him by the collar so his feet dangled off the ground. “And if you think you are going to keep it –”
“A deal!” Lord Ashcombe stammered, sputtering and shaking. “I… a deal! Let us make a deal.”
Sebastian frowned, unsure what to make of this. “What are you saying? Speak!”
Lord Ashcombe had been beaten into a bloody pulp, but he wore a smile as if he had won a great victory. “I will… I will return the loan…” He spat blood on the ground. “No questions. No lawyers. I will return it happily.”
“And?”
His eyes flashed. “All you need to do…” He coughed up more blood. “Annul your marriage to Margot. Give her to me. Make her mine, and you can have your money back.”
Sebastian leaned back in disgust. “That… this is why you did this?”
“She is mine,” he seethed. “You do not love her or care for her. Take the money, walk away. Be happy.”
It was then that Sebastian saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He had been so incensed with beating on Lord Ashcombe that he had almost forgotten about Margot! But she appeared in the doorway, her expression horror-struck, the midday sun shining on her as if she were an angel appearing before him.
Still holding the sniveling lord, Sebastian looked at his wife. But not her body, that which he coveted. Not her lips, that which he relished. He did not think of her beauty in that moment, how much he wanted her. Rather, he met her eyes. Held them. Saw through them as if he was looking into her soul. His heart beat – no, it sang. She was not smiling, but her eyes somehow were, and he knew in that moment that no amount of money or anything would ever be enough.
They said nothing, but that single look confirmed everything. For so long, Sebastian had denied a chance at happiness, thinking it would ruin him and bring him pain. But what he felt in that single second was such an elation that he thought his heart might burst.
Even a single second, a feeling like this one, is worth all the pain in the world. Now, I understand why my father was so angry and bitter. To lose a feeling like this… I would probably be the same.
Still, he knew it would be worth it.
“No,” he growled in Lord Ashcombe’s face.
“Wh – what?”
“I said no!” Sebastian then set Lord Ashcombe on his feet, allowed the man to find his balance, and once he had, he curled his fist into a tight ball and punched him so hard in the face that he was lifted off the ground, flew through the air, and then crashed into the dirt.
And there he lay, passed out cold.
Sebastian’s breathing was up. His temper flared. He thought his body might explode! But Margot, seeming to sense what he needed, stepped from the carriage and rested a single hand on his shoulder. The effect of this brought instant calm like a tonic. It saved him from himself.
“You… you came,” she said softly, as if she could not believe it.
“Of course I did.” He took that hand and held it to his chest. “Did you think I would not?”
She winced and looked away with shame. “I… I was not sure. And Lord Ashcombe… his offer… I… I…” Her chin trembled. “I am sorry, Sebastian. So sorry. I should have told you. I should have –”
“Stop it,” he spoke over her, although he did not raise his voice. He still had her hand pulled into his chest, and he fixed his eyes on her so she could see the love he bore for her. “This is not your fault. None of it.”
“I should have told you.”
“It makes no difference.”
“I should not have doubted you.”
He laughed. “You had every right to.”
“I –”
“You had no reason to trust me,” he cut her off again, stepping in close, his other hand cupping under her face. “None. Since we wed, I have not given you a reason to. I have run from you, Margot. I have fought against you. I have lied to you – to myself. Everything that has happened has been my fault.”
“You…” She looked as if she did not believe him. “Truly?”
His smile grew, and he kissed her hand. “The fool I was, I thought love was something to be avoided. That the pain it might bring was worth avoiding at any cost. But now I know…” He shook his head. “Ironically, Lord Ashcombe made me realize that the opposite is true.”
