“I’d hoped.”
“You are talented and ought to be proud of what you do, and if you do so as a duchess, so be it. Let thetontalk. Now, there’s something I need to do. Will you be all right?”
She sniffed and nodded, wiping her face before Lydia or Joyce could see. Her shame would reflect on them, too, but there was nothing she could do about it, and as always, she would protect Lydia as long as she could.
“I’ll be fine, Maxwell. Go.”
He squeezed her fingers and rose, striding to the door, abandoning both his breakfast and the newspaper he had been reading. Thalia watched him go, her heart aching.
There he goes. And I suppose that is the last chance we ever had of making something of our marriage.
He might have said he always expected this to come out, and perhaps he had, but that did not change the facts. She was now his scandalous wife, and that would, in time, come between them. What was acceptable in private was very not acceptable in public.
She wondered if he would go boxing again. Or if, once he had weathered this storm with her, he would shut himself off from her entirely all over again.
And if she would ever find a way of surviving it.
Maxwell strode from the house, his heart pounding raggedly in his throat. Someone had betrayed Thalia, but that would be a problem to solve later—and he had every intention of solving it. He would get to the bottom of this mess and discover who had acted against Thalia in such a vile way, and then he would punish them.
But first, he would organize a showcase. The biggest London had seen, featuring specifically Rossi’s sculptures. People were all too keen to rid themselves of Thalia’s work, were they? Well, he would buy it, and the world would see the magnificence of her talent all within his own home.
Let no one challenge or judge her again.
His first port of call was to see Simon, explain the situation, and ask for help. Simon, perhaps assisted by his wife, who by now knew everything and was eager to help, immediately agreed to do everything possible to restore Thalia’s standing in theton.
After that, Maxwell visited every household he knew had a Rossi sculpture, and either bought it off the owner or borrowed it forthe ball. Then he had his men collect all the said sculptures and begin assembling them in the ballroom, the drawing room, the hall, the saloon, and every room he could think of that guests might enter.
Meanwhile, Anna came to collect Thalia, taking her away so she might have some reprieve from the constant callers who were seeking some more gossip.
Not once did he allow himself to consider why he might be going to all these lengths to protect Thalia. She was his wife; that was his duty. Anything more, any other eagerness to protect her from the world, he would have felt if it were Lydia or someone else under his protection.
And he cared about her. That was utterly undeniable. It just was not love—it couldn’t be. For all their sakes, he could not let it go that far.
Not for the first time, he retired to bed alone. Thalia would remain with Simon and Anna until the ball, at which point she would enter her own house as though she were the guest of honor, and she would see everything he had done for her, the product of her talent, all in one place, in all the different forms it took.
She would, he hoped, be pleased.
The sheets were cold against his back as he slipped into the empty bed. Compared to the sofa in his study, this was positively a luxury now, but at least when he had been sleeping downstairs,he had known Thalia was up in this bed. Now she was in a different house, and the distance between them gaped further than ever.
He had been the one to cause this. It ought to be a good thing.
But just like her sculpting, he feared it might have repercussions beyond anything he could imagine.
CHAPTER 21
“You look wonderful.” Anna adjusted the rose in Thalia’s hair and stood back, admiring her from a distance.
She might have looked wonderful—and the mirror agreed with this assessment—but she felt as though there were snakes writhing in her stomach. “I feel as though I might be sick.”
“People can be cruel,” Anna agreed. “But you might be surprised at how many are on your side.”
“I doubt that.”
“Simon has it on excellent authority that many are very impressed with your sculpting, and that while it’s a shame Rossi doesn’t exist, the talent still does. Do you think you are the only female artist to adopt a pseudonym?” Anna laughed. “Don’t be silly. It has been done throughout history, and of course, some people are getting in a tizzy about it, but they are the same people who would throw a fit if a lady were to declare she wantedno children, or that she wanted no part in a marriage with a man who belittles her. There are plenty who support you, Thalia.Isupport you.”
Thalia cracked a smile, and Anna pulled her into an embrace. “Poor dear. I know it must be hard for you—but it will get better. And you can still sculpt. People will still purchase your sculptures, I’m sure. Elliot will help you, and so will I.”
“I’m fortunate to have a friend like you,” Thalia said, embracing her back.
