The hallway was filled with the guests from the party. Every single one stood with their eyes wide, their mouths hangingopen, looks on their faces that shifted from horror to judgement to a sense of knowing as if such a sight was expected. Those gazes shifted from Adrian to Ophelia, and while they did not say it, she knew what they were thinking.
This was their fault. Adrian the beast, Ophelia the harlot, and some things simply did not change.
Ophelia winced as Adrian took in the scene. She leaned back slightly, fully expecting him to come into himself, to look away with shame, and to storm off as he had done in the past. This was exactly what Adrian had wanted to avoid, and it was thus proof beyond anything else that their marriage could never work.
Only then, a change came over Adrian.
He straightened up. He stepped forward. And he took Ophelia’s hand and brought it to his side. Next, he made sure to be standing with her, together, staring down the guests as if he dared them to question him or pass judgment.
“What have I done?” Adrian said calmly. “I did exactly as I had to, as I will always do. And if any of you have a problem with that, you know where to find me.”
Ophelia gaped at Adrian, unable to believe her ears. But when he turned to look at her, when she saw the regret he had, as well as the determination for her to know that he was with her no matter what, she realized suddenly that she ought not to have been nearly so surprised.
He did care for her. He always had. And all that he needed, the only thing, was a final push to make him finally admit it…. A chance to prove once and for all how much he loved her.
“I think it is best that we leave,” he said to her.
She just smiled. “After you.”
With that said, Ophelia and Adrian turned and walked down the hallway, promptly leaving behind the other guests without so much as a final glance or word spoken. It did not matter what they thought, nor did it matter what they would do. All that mattered, at least to Ophelia, was what her husband was willing to do to save her.
And as they walked, he kept hold of her hand, refusing to let go for even a moment. That, as much as anything, told her the truth of it all. That, as much as anything, was proof that their marriage might not be in nearly as dire straits as she had feared.
There is still hope…
CHAPTER 35
Adrian did not speak for some time. Mostly, that was because he did not know what to say. Also, he was not sure if anything he said would make a difference.
He had been so wrong… he had hurt the one woman whom he loved because of it… and while he was desperate for her forgiveness, he did not know if he deserved such a thing.
Thankfully, Ophelia seemed to recognize the struggle that weighed Adrian down. So, rather than saying anything, she sat in silence, happy to give him time to come to terms with it all. Again, he did not deserve it, but that she was willing… that told him all that he needed to know.
She is too good for me, as has always been the case. Now, I must ask that she give me a chance to prove that I deserve her.
The carriage vibrated as it slowly made its way from Lady Miranda’s estate. With the curtains drawn, the interior was dark.Ophelia sat across from Adrian, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes on him but not in a way that made him feel any pressure. Rather, when he dared to look at her, it was as if she were seeing him clearly for the first time.
She wanted to forgive him, he was sure, and that gave him the strength to finally speak.
“You are wrong,” he started, bowing his head again, unable to look at her for too long. Whenever he did, shame spiked through him. “About… the reason that I pushed you away. It is not what you think.”
She said nothing, still watching him. But when he glanced up again, he saw a smile on her lips; soft, forgiving, and so warm that he felt it in his soul.
“You think that I want to avoid a scandal,” he continued, still looking away as he spoke into his chest. “And that I fear if I stay with you, such scandals will follow us. In truth, I thought the same… I told myself that was the reason. My entire life, I have lived alone, hidden from the world, believing that being forgotten was the only way to find peace.” His breath rattled in his chest.
Still, she said nothing.
“The truth is…” He hesitated; a sharpness felt in his chest that made him wince. “Did I ever tell you about my father?” Adrian pivoted as he decided on the best and only way to approach this.
“Your father?” Ophelia blinked at the randomness of the question. “No, I do not think so…”
Adrian nodded. “He loved my mother as if she were the sun and the moon. For her, there was nothing he would not do, and he was sure that she knew it. As a boy, I assumed they were in love, for what else could possess a man to act that way? What I came to learn was…” He grimaced. “She did not love him back. An undeniable fact, as she left him for another man.”
Ophelia gasped.
“But my father, even then, refused to stop loving her. He was obsessed, driven to madness over it. Worse still, when people started to question why she left him, he refused to speak ill of her. He was happy to take the blame, to be ridiculed and mocked throughout theton, and all because of love that was not returned.”
Adrian breathed in deeply and then Ophelia reached across the carriage and took his hand. He started at the gesture, almost pulled away, but found himself clinging to her hand as if for safety.
