Mina jumped at Simon’s tone and volume. Though it was not loud enough for the house to ring with it, anyone in the hall would certainly overhear.
“After our discussion this afternoon, you take up with her?” Simon swung his arms wide, his voice climbing upwards. He continued to rail against Oliver, and Mina turned her gape to his uncharacteristic display of temper. Grabbing her husband by the arm, Mina forced him to look at her; his jaw was clenched tight, a fire burning in his gaze.
“Calm yourself, Simon. This isn’t helpful,” said Mina before turning her attention to her son. “Oliver, might you give us a moment to talk in private before we discuss this further?”
But her son straightened, his unflinching gaze holding hers. “There is nothing to discuss, Mother. I did not come to this decision lightly, but it is mine to make. I came to inform you of it. That is all.”
Turning, he strode from the parlor with the same determination he’d shown upon entering, and despite the circumstances, Mina felt a glimmer of appreciation at seeing her son showing such strength and purpose.
The parlor door shut behind him, and Mina turned to face Simon, though he had stepped to the mantle, staring into the empty fireplace.
Coming up behind him, Mina rested a hand on his shoulder. “Speak to me, love. What is bothering you so?”
Whipping around, Simon scowled. “Our son has taken up with that woman’s daughter. What else is there to say?”
Pressing a hand to her stomach, Mina shook her head. “I am sickened at the thought, but your reaction…” Words failed her, but they were unnecessary as Simon’s gaze said clearly that he understood her meaning. He turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he did not elaborate, Mina stepped to his back and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder.
“Please speak to me. No secrets.”
His hand came up to rest upon hers, holding them close to his chest for a moment before he turned to face her. Mina looked into his face, but Simon did not meet her eyes.
“I am watching my son make the same mistakes I did.” Simon held her gently in his arms, but his muscles were so taut and strained that it felt as though she were held by granite. Pressing a hand to his cheek, Mina nudged his face up and waited until he finally looked directly at her. Despite his protestations, it was there that she saw the truth.
“Dearest,” she murmured, her thumb brushing across his cheek. “There is no need to carry the burdens of the past. It was long ago—”
Simon sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I know, Mina. I do. And it’s not that I…” He paused, his head dropping once more.
Nudging his chin upwards, Mina held his eyes, imbuing her gaze with all the certainty she felt. “The mistakes of the past do not need to be resurrected, Simon. Nor need you be burdened by those long-ago actions. You behaved carelessly back then, but you have proven yourself worthy of my trust time and time again. I do not doubt you.”
There was a hint of a question in his gaze as though he hardly believed it himself. Taking his hand in hers, Mina held it close to her heart.
“You do know that, don’t you?” asked Mina. “Whatever else I’ve been struggling with, not a bit of it has to do with doubting you or our marriage. I trust in us.”
Lifting her hand to his lips, Simon pressed a kiss to her palm, the light in his eyes confirming that he’d needed her words. The bonds of marriage connected them as tightly as any two could be bound, and Mina felt his unspoken love flowing through it and filling her to bursting. And she gave back with equal measure.
“I do apologize, Mina. But with that woman here, I feel as though I’ve been transported back to those awful days, and I cannot seem to think straight.”
Mina grabbed him up in an embrace, holding tight to him for his sake as much as hers. “I feel the same, Simon. I am not the trembling, timid thing she knew back then, yet when she looks at me, I feel all my hard-earned composure evaporate.”
“Perhaps we should reconsider a trip,” murmured Simon, his voice muffled as his face buried into her neck.
“Do you think Oliver is likely to join us? I cannot stand the thought of leaving him in their clutches—”
“Ridiculous!”
The couple both jerked, flying apart as they turned to see their daughter stepping clear of her high-backed armchair, which had been turned away from Mina and Simon.
“How long have you been hiding there?” asked Simon.
Lily straightened and her lips pinched together in prim disapproval. “I wasn’t hiding. You didn’t notice I was there when you entered, and I chose not to make myself known, but I cannot stay silent when you are making a grave mistake.”
Mina opened her mouth, but Lily did not allow them a chance to speak.
“I shan’t stand idly by and allow you to speak so cruelly of Sophie. She is my friend!” Those last words wobbled as Lily’s expression fell, and though she attempted to curtail the gathering tears, they were clear for Mina to see. “Perhaps one of the truest I’ve ever had.”
And with that, her breaths became jagged. Lily bit on her lips, but it would not stop the tears. Having been born with a tender soul apt to feel everything deeply, Lily was quick to empathize, but this reaction was more than sympathy for Sophia Banfield. True pain shone in her eyes, and Mina rushed to her daughter’s side, leading her to a sofa as Simon sat opposite, watching the pair with a worried pull of his brow.
With a little prodding, Mina drew out the story from Lily, though it came through broken breaths. Mina’s own heart ached at the pain her daughter had suffered at the hands of she who claimed to be Lily’s friend, drawing forth sympathetic tears from Mina’s eyes. Meeting Simon’s gaze, she saw the same concern, though mixed with a fair bit of righteous anger on Lily’s behalf.
