“Tell me.”
Josephine pressed her eyes shut. “It was Sir William. My own husband. I’d told him, without thinking. I never imagined that the very next day he would do something like this. I could kill him. He has no discretion whatsoever, and he called out in front of the entire house, what moral authority Fane could claim when he could not even manage his own household, given that he was about to become a father…”
The room tilted. “No.”
Viola sank onto the sofa.
“I thought he knew,” Josephine continued. “I thought you must have already told him! Good heavens, the poor man. Fane went absolutely white. He gripped the bench behind him as though it were the only thing keeping him upright. He opened his mouth to speak, and…” Josephine’s voice dropped. “Nothing. Not a word. The Slayer was utterly silent. The whole House just stared at him struggling for words. For the first time ever. It’s unheard of.”
Viola could not breathe. “And then?”
“And then he walked out. Not a word to anyone. Simply turned and walked out, and no one has seen him since.” Josephine looked toward the door. “I took the carriage immediately. He is not here yet?”
“No,” Viola whispered. He must have been so beside himself that he had walked.
“I am terribly sorry. I feel wretched that he was humiliated by none other than my fool of a husband. Make no mistake, William will receive a tongue-lashing like he has never had before.”
“But what happens now? What will they do to him?”
Josephine sighed. “I do not believe they will strip him of his seat. But they are talking of suspending him from his post as Chief Secretary. It’s because elections are happening soon, and his moral authority has been called into question. I daresay things might not have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the elections. There is much at stake, you know.”
“I have made him an embarrassment in front of Liverpool and the entire party.”
Josephine winced. “I would not put it precisely like that. But Liverpool will, in all likelihood, want to relegate him to the backbenches for a while. And Fane might decide to stand down on his own. Until it all blows over.”
“I ruined his career.” Viola’s voice was toneless. She had not only embarrassed him in the worst way possible, but she hadunmade him in front of his peers. Everything he had striven toward had crumbled like dust.
Because of her.
“It will blow over,” Josephine repeated. “Things like that always do.” And yet, she did not deny what Viola had just said. Her voice sounded overly forced and light, as if she herself did not believe in what she’d just said.
At last, Viola rose. “Thank you, Josephine, for telling me. If you will forgive me, I am exhausted and need to lie down.”
“Of course. Of course.” Josephine clasped her hands briefly. “But Viola, if you need me, please send word. At any hour.”
Sebastian did not returnuntil the evening. She heard his footsteps in the hallway, and she rose from the sofa, pressing her trembling hands against each other.
He darkened the doorway. She could tell at a glance that his face was pale, tired, and drawn.
“Sebastian.” She took one step towards him, two, then paused, casting him an uneasy look.
He stepped into the room, closed the door, and pulled a hand through his hair. There were shadows under his eyes, and he looked so tired that it wrenched at her heart.
The gaze with which he regarded her was courteous but withdrawn. “When were you going to tell me?”
The question hung in the air as Viola struggled for an answer. “Sebastian. Are you all right?”
He wiped her question away with a brusque hand movement as if it were irrelevant. “I want an answer to my question.” He took several paces into the room and remained standing in front of her. “I had a most irregular experience in Parliament today. One that I never thought I’d experience in my wildest dreams. One of my peers, one I am not even close with, informs the entirehouse that I am to be a father.” His gaze fell on her stomach. “Is it true?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Her hand rested lightly on her stomach.
He followed her motion with his eyes.
“I am glad.” He swallowed. “Truly, I am.” His voice was hoarse. Then he turned away, as if that were all he had to say.
“Sebastian!” Viola reached out to grab his arm. “I should have recognised the signs earlier, but somehow, I did not. Again. I am a dunce. It was Josephine who helped me realise…and I suppose she must have told her husband, and he had to blab it out thoughtlessly. Josephine was here to apologise, but what is there to do about spilled milk?” His expression did not change as he listened politely. She wiped her hands nervously on her dress. “I am rambling, am I not? I tried to tell you as soon as I knew. Truly, I did. But somehow the opportunity never presented itself. You were always busy and then gone, and I was too worried about the publication, and I tried to get Peregrine to stop it, but he couldn’t. It was all a terrible mistake. I am so terribly sorry they exploited something that was meant to be for you and me alone and embarrassed you like that. It was never meant to be like that. And now, your career…” Her lips wobbled.
He rubbed his eyebrow tiredly. “Well, yes. That.” He spoke as though it was not relevant at all.
