Just One Kiss (18 page)

Edward opened his mouth, but there really didn’t seem to be anything for him to say, so he just nodded his head obediently- and then he really
did
feel like a little boy!  So this was another part of the wonderful world of marriage was it?  Edward mused, watching as Daphne sauntered out of the bedroom with a satisfied little smile, being controlled and manipulated by one’s wife? 

Half an hour later, dressed, and relatively
calm
, Edward found himself standing in the hall of his late brother’s town house (he was certain that he would never get used to thinking of it as being his house) waiting for his wife and their carriage.  Edward almost audibly groaned when he caught sight of Anthony walked down the stairs toward him.

…
waiting for his wife and their carriage and his wife’s psychotic brother.
  How had he forgotten that latter little detail, Edward wondered?

“Good morning, Anthony,” he said evenly.

“Is it?” Anthony shot back coldly.

Edward sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling.  It was hard to remember, hard to even imagine now really, that once upon a time he and Anthony
Hargreaves
had been the very best of friends.  Other friends had come, and some had gone too, but no one had ever quite filled the void that had been left by the loss of his childhood friend.

“Oh Anthony!  Good, you’re just in time to join us.”

Edward and Anthony turned, just to see Daphne as she came walking out into the hall.  Edward was sure he caught his brother-in-law rolling his eyes, but the man sighed and nodded.  Edward didn’t quite know what Daphne was playing at this morning.  Perhaps she thought that they were all going to be overcome by love and forgiveness once they stepped inside St Paul’s?

There
certainly
wasn’t an outpouring of love and forgiveness in the carriage on the journey to the cathedral.  Anthony took every opportunity to shoot glances of pure loathing at his sister’s husband, while Edward himself silently fumed at this treatment as he worked hard at biting his tongue.  Anthony’s threat still loomed over him after all, although, Edward was slowly growing a little more confident that, if push came to shove, Daphne would choose him over her brother.  He didn’t really want to test that theory, however, and he had only one more day to endure
.

His eyes flickered across the carriage to where his wife was sitting, gazing out of the window.  One m
ore day,
and then he would have her entirely to himself, his lips twitched in a grin he
suppressed;
he’d have her to do with whatever he pleased. 

Perhaps marriage agreed with him after all? 

Edward was just giving his imagination full rein when the absent little smile that had adorned Daphne’s face altered into a look of pure horror.

“Daphne?  What is it what’s wrong?” he demanded, leaning slightly forwards in his seat.  Anthony tensed instantly too and shot a worried glance in his sister’s direction. 

Daphne meanwhile
colored
and gave her head a little shake, almost as if she was trying to clear it.  “Nothing, nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly,
too
quickly for Edward’s liking.  “I just thought I saw someone outside that I
recognize
d, that’s all,” she said airily.

Edward frowned.  “Who?” he demanded, peering out of the window, but the carriage had continued moving, passing whoever it was that had given his wife such a fright.  “Who, Daff?” Edward pressed, when his wife remained silent.  He was amazed when she continued to ignore him.  “Daphne!”

“No one important,” she muttered, and Edward’s frown darkened.  Who had she seen?  A man?  Someone she had been considering entering into an affair with perhaps?  His jealous mind whirred as the carriage rolled to a stop.

It didn’t cease whirring all through the Sunday service.  He wasn’t even sure what the lesson was on, and twice had to be prompted to stand by Daphne when the hymns came to be sung.  She started casting him a few furtive little glances after that, but she soon reabsorbed herself in the teaching, leaving Edward to silently stew.

Edward found it an enormous relief when they were finally bid ‘to go in peace.’  He was indeed so eager to be back outside in the fresh air that he completely forgot his hat.  He mu
ttered a curse, which earned him
several severe looks of reproach from people nearby, and darted back to get it, promising Daphne that he’d catch up with her in just a minute.

Daphne frowned, but nodded, accepting her brother’s arm as Anthony led her out of the cathedral.  Edward had been behaving most peculiarly throughout the whole service, most peculiarly in fact since Daphne had happened to
see
his mother’s coach heading for St Paul’
s.

She had been terrified of bumping into Lady Margaret, but fortunately the size of St Paul’s had enabled her to avoid her mother-in-law entirely, or at least it had… in the bustle to get outside Daphne unluckily came face to face with the older woman.  Her grip on Anthony’s arm grew so tight that he glanced down at his sister.  He followed her gaze, and encountered Lady Margaret standing only a few feet away from them.

“Ignore her,” he snarled, tugging Daphne quickly outside, but they weren’t to be so fortunate.

“I want a word with you, gel!” Lady Margaret’s voice carried over the soft murmurings of the general congregation.

Anthony insisted on pressing Daphne forwards, urging her towards the carriage, but Lady Margaret’s next shout of ‘
Lady Coventry, I insist you stop!
’ really couldn’t be ignored; people were staring to stare and point. 

Daphne cringe
d
,
not again, not now, not in front of everyone,
she glanced around desperately for Edward.  Surely he would have to save her from his wretched mother?  But her husband was still nowhere in sight.

“Lady Margaret,” Daphne said, turning and forcing her lips to assume a bland little smile.  “How can I help you?”

“I don’t think you really want to hear my answer to that, young lady,” Edward’s mother sniped.

“Now just a minute-” Anthony growled.  He wasn’t given to arguing publicly with ladies, especially not well thought after ladies of Lady Margaret’s social standing, however, there wasn’t a lot that he wouldn’t do for his younger sister.

“Yes quite, what I have to say will only take a minute, Mr
Hargreaves
,” Lady Margaret declared sternly.

Anthony opened his mouth to speak again, but Daphne cut him off.  She was all too aware of their audience and desperately didn’t want to cause anything approaching a scene. 

“What is it, Lady Margaret?” she said, scanning the crowd for Edward, willing him to arrive soon.

Lady Margaret huffed.  “I see your manners still require improvement,
” she sniffed.  “However, given
your other failings a lack of social refinement can hardly be
surprising,
I suppose.”  Daphne stiffened visibly.  “The scene that you caused at the Butterworth
’s
ball – explain yourself.”

Daphne opened and closed her mouth several times without managing to make a sound.  Anthony was beginning to look thunderous, but now a portion of that anger seemed to be directed towards his sister.  No doubt he was wondering what she’d done
this
time.

“I don’t know what you mean, my lady!” Daphne managed to splutter at length.

“I mean
that I have heard that you spent
most of the evening on the arm of a man who is not your husband.  I have also heard moreover that my son was forced to escort you home after witnessing your disgraceful
behavior
,” Lady Margaret said, utterly scathingly.

“That’s not true!” Daphne blurted.  Oh not exactly at any rate… she hadn’t wanted to be accosted by Harry Beckham, and Edward’s anger had shocked her as much as anyone else.

“Are you calling me a liar, Lady Coventry?” Lady Margaret asked, in a great booming voice that Daphne was certain
everybody
heard.  In fact, people seemed to be lingering all around them, putting off getting into their carriages so that they could hear what was being said.

“I think my sister-” Anthony began.  His voice was a low growl, however he was interrupted once again by Daphne’s mother-in-law.

“Edward!” she called.  “There you are.”

Daphne sagged in relief when her husband appeared.  He glanced between the two women, a confused frown on his face, and asked what was going on.

“Your
wife,” Lady Margaret hissed.  “h
as just publicly accused me of lying, Edward!”

“What?” Edward frowned turning on Daphne.

No…
she thought,
no, no, no… this was all wrong!  He wasn’t supposed to be looking at
her
like that!  He was supposed to take
her
side!

“Daphne is this true?” he demanded.

“No,” she croaked.  “I didn’t mean-”

“Everybody heard her,” Lady Margaret said accusing.

“Daphne,” Edward sighed, and
she could hear the reproach in
his voice,
everyone
could hear it, oh god, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her!  It wasn’t fair!  It just wasn’t fair!

“Anthony,” she said quietly.  “I think I’d like to go home now.” 

Daphne’s brother turned to look down at her, and the second he saw her face she knew that he understood exactly what she meant…  He gave his head a resolute nod. 

“Of course, whatever you want, Daff,” Anthony assured her, and then, taking her arm again, he guided her through the throng of people towards their carriage.

Behind them Daphne could hear her mother-in-law sn
iffing haughtily, and saying: “Y
ou see the
caliber
of these people, Edward?  No good-breeding or manners whatsoever!”  She didn’t hear her husband’s reply; Anthony had moved her too far away from the crowd.

“Ignore them,” he hissed bitterly, helping her inside.  Daphne planned to do just that.

Chapter 19
 

Daphne was not surprised that Edward didn’t rejoin them for several minutes, nor was she surprised that the coach wouldn’t leave without him, (despite Anthony’s almost violent urges to the contrary.)  A week ago the driver might have followed her commands, but now his master was Edwa
rd. N
ow
her
master was Edward
. H
e was going to find out that she wasn’t quite the docile little wife that he had been expecting
.

Daphne tensed, glaring in the direction of the opposite seat when her husband
climbed into
the carriage and they finally rolled away from the front of St Paul’s. 

“Well then?” Edward said, casting his eyes about the inside of the coach.  “Is anyone going to explain to me what just happened?”

Daphne remained resolutely silent.

“That was you making your first and last mistake, Coventry,” Anthony spat. 

Daphne refused to even turn and look at her husband as her brother made this proclamation.  She heard Edward move though, imagined the fleeting look of confusion that might have crossed his face as Anthony’s words sank in.

“What are you talking about?” he asked quietly.

“I told you that I’d take her home if you gave me the smallest hint of a reason to do so,” Anthony growled in disgust.  “I think you just gave me a bloody huge one!” he swore, forgetting, or not caring, that he was in the presence of a lady, then again, perhaps he didn’t count his sister as such.