For Adrian, it had always been about saving that which nobody else saw the need to save. Better that these objects held no feelings, had no family and nobody to care for them, and would not be mourned if he somehow made things worse. It was a way to make it appear as if he was doing some good, while able at the same time to tell himself that it made little difference to the world or anybody in it.
Nobody would know. Nobody would care. And nobody would thank him.
Perhaps my words to Lady Delacourt were truer than I realized…
Was it not enough to help others, while not wanting praise or gratitude? Why did good deeds always have to come with a need to brag and own them so that others would know what was done? Was the good deed not enough?
He sighed and shook his head at the thought, not wishing to go down that path. Better that he stuck with what he knew, fixing that which was both broken and which would be missed by no one if he somehow made it worse…
As to what he had just fixed? It was an old brooch that he had found at the bottom of a drawer just last week. He’d asked Mr. Watley about it, and while the valet could not say for certain, he hypothesized that it must have belonged to Adrian’s mother.
The brooch was a simple thing, which was likely why Adrian had never seen it before. But the jewel which sat at its center, a ruby no bigger than a fingernail, had been cracked down the middle. Not worthless, but not something to be worn and shown off. Thus, it was abandoned.
Adrian winced at that thought, but he could not say why.
Fixing it had been simple enough. The crack was filled delicately, and he had used a special mixture tinted with red to cover it so that one would need to look closely if they had a chance of seeing its flaw.
Such a simple thing to fix. But as is the way, most would rather toss it out than take the time…
What came next was always the same, and it always left a bitter taste in Adrian’s mouth. Every piece that he fixed, every item that he mended, was still imperfect in a way, and he did not want the staff to know that he had gone out of his way to mend them. Thus, they could not be displayed openly, which meant that they needed to be hidden.
He had a cupboard filled with such trinkets, and the brooch would join them…
Only, as Adrian scooped up the brooch, he was struck with a sense of wrongdoing. It did not seem right that his mother’s brooch was locked away. And when he looked closer at the brooch, noting the way it glowed like fire in his hand, he could not possibly condone hiding something so beautiful.
Imperfect, perhaps, but still deserving to be seen.
That was when an idea came to him. It was one that made him wince as if from pain, although he knew it was nerves that did it. His stomach churned, and his hand started to shake.
It was such a small thing, the idea that he had. But it felt hugely significant, something that would have been anathema to him just one week ago. And while the old version of himself fought gallantly, begging him to change his mind, Adrian pushed that side back.
He wanted to do this… he wanted to prove that he could.
So, with the brooch in hand, he hurried from his office and went to find Ophelia before he lost his nerves and changed his mind.
As he knew she would be, Ophelia was in the nursery with Harriet as she readied the baby for bed. She stood over the cot, making strange noises at which the baby giggled. Adrian stood in the doorway and watched her for a moment, a smile on his face, one that he was glad that she could not see.
How is it that she has not grown to hate me? To resent what has happened to her? She really is too good for this world… for me.
Despite how hard he had tried against it, Adrian found that he was slowly coming to enjoy married life. Or perhaps being content with it, was a better word to use? He liked that Ophelia relied on him and even needed him at times. And he liked that she no longer pushed against her.
What was more, he liked how it made him feel. He watched Ophelia a moment longer, his heart grew, and that smile remained on his lips. This is what it meant to be needed by others, to care for someone else. This was what it meant to have a purpose, which was something that Adrian had never known.
As Harriet stopped her giggling, Ophelia stood up straight, at which point Adrian announced himself by walking into the room.
She turned and smiled when she saw him coming. “You just missed her”
“Excuse me?”
She frowned. “You… you’re not here to see Harriet before she falls asleep?”
“Why would I be?” Adrian said before thinking. He saw Ophelia’s face drop, and he hurried to explain. “I mean… that is not… I did not mean it like that.”
Thankfully, Ophelia chuckled and shook her head. “In truth, it would have surprised me. A man can only come so far in such a short time.” She continued to smile, and while Adrian did not like to admit as such, her smile warmed him in ways he refused to consider.
“So, what are you here for?” she asked when Adrian said nothing. “To see me, I have to assume.”
“I…” Adrian blinked, almost forgetting what he had wanted to show Ophelia.
