Damien's jaw flexed. He turned his gaze back to her, though only briefly.
"I am beginning to question that," he muttered, the words rougher than he intended.
Thalia's expression gentled at once, and she reached out to touch his sleeve.
"No." She stepped closer. "I lived beneath Father's roof just as you did." Her voice became quiet. "You stood between him and me more times than you realize. You were only a boy," she said softly, her hand still resting on his arm.
"I failed Mother," Damien muttered, looking away.
"No," Thalia replied at once, giving his sleeve a gentle squeeze.
"I failed you," he continued, the words rougher this time as he stared at the floor.
"You most certainly did not," she answered, her voice firm as she stepped closer to catch his gaze. She smiled sadly. "Damien, Father never worried about whether he resembled a monster."
He looked back at her.
"You do," she said. "That alone makes you different."
His throat tightened, and he looked away for a moment before forcing himself to meet her gaze again.
"You love Seraphine," Thalia continued.
"I know," he said at last, the words clipped but honest.
"You are trying to protect her."
"I am." He drew in a slow breath.
"But protection offered without trust feels remarkably like imprisonment."
Every word landed with uncomfortable accuracy.
"You cannot build a marriage upon secrets forever," she said, her gaze steady on his face.
"I sincerely hope to prove you wrong," he said, though the words sounded thin even to his own ears.
"You won't," Thalia replied, lifting one shoulder in a small, knowing shrug. "Women do not require perfect husbands," she said.
"No?" Damien asked, one brow lifting despite himself.
"No," she said, with a faint smile tugging at her mouth. She smiled. "We simply want honest ones."
Damien stared at the floor.
Honesty. The one thing I cannot give her.
If Seraphine ever learned how many laws he had quietly broken to preserve the fortunes of Wexford… Would she still look at him with love? Or would she see only another man capable of disappointing her?
"I cannot tell her everything," he murmured.
"I know." Thalia nodded with understanding. "But when this mysterious business is over..." She smiled knowingly. "...you had better spend the rest of your life convincing that poor girl she was worth fighting for."
Then, Damien allowed himself the smallest smile. "I suspect," he said quietly, "that may take rather a long time."
Thalia laughed. "My dear brother." She reached for her gloves. "That is precisely how long a good marriage lasts."
Folding her gloved hands tightly before her, Seraphine quietly instructed, “Please be careful with the smaller trunk. It contains my books.”
