Page 80 of The Devil's Accidental Duchess
CHAPTER 27
Philip had not bothered to look at the clock to check the time, but the half-empty decanter of whiskey was a rather good indicator of how long he had been festering in his foul mood.
In the opposite armchair, imbibing at a slower pace, Zachary had barely said a word since Mary departed. Yet his thoughts were loud and growing louder.
“Spit it out,” Philip grumbled, wishing he didn’t have the tolerance for liquor that years of war had granted him.
Hewantedto forget the unpleasantness of the maid’s interruption, but his constitution would require at least another few glasses or ten. And he was fast losing his taste for the whiskey on offer, the flavor too heavy and earthy.
“I didn’t say anything,” Zachary replied defensively.
“But you want to. I can see it on your face.”
Zachary swept a hand through his hair. “I think your anger is misplaced; that is all.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You are brooding about the maid, but it is not as if she said anything untrue,” Zachary replied.
“It was not her place to say such things. Those were private conversations, and the rest of what she said is not true anymore,” Philip snapped.
He reached out to refill his glass and wondered if he shouldn’t just drink from the decanter instead. It would save time in his desire for utter oblivion.
“Perhaps, but you should notbe in here with me, simmering as you are. You should go and find your betrothed and tell her everything before, heaven forbid, that maid does.” Zachary shook his head. “Sheis angry with you, that was clear to see, and there is no telling what she might say to Selina before she leaves for good. A parting blow to wound you, as you have obviously wounded her.”
Philip halted, his glass halfway to his mouth.Of course, Mary would do something like that. All of that talk about her not being bitter was evidently a lie, but his anger had clouded hisjudgment. He should have known that she would try to ruin things before she departed.
Why did you have to keep her around, Grandmother?
He cursed the old woman’s kindness.
It often baffled him that such a generous, compassionate woman had produced a devil like his father. She had been helpless to do anything to protect her grandson—or her daughter-in-law, for that matter—but she had always protected Lizzy. It helped that his father had barely acknowledged his sister’s existence.
“Tell her everything,” Zachary said. “She will respect your honesty, and what is more, shedeservesto hear your side of the story.”
Philip finally glanced at the carriage clock on the mantelpiece. His heart dropped as he noted the time. It had been almost two hours since Mary’s interruption. He hadwastedso much time wallowing in his anger instead of setting things right.
What a fool.
He set down his untouched glass of whiskey and rose from his chair. “You are right. Of course, you are right.”
He walked to the door, feeling a little more foggy-headed than he had expected. The whiskey must have had some effect, after all.
Across the quiet entrance hall, he listened for the sounds of activity. He assumed that most, if not all, of the guests had retired for the night. It was peculiar that his grandmother had not knocked to wish him good night, but maybe she was asleep in an armchair somewhere.
He lumbered up the stairs, pausing as his fingertips brushed the banister right where he had stopped Selina’s ascent what felt like an eternity ago. The moment she had discovered that there had been a relationship between him and Mary.
All of this could have been avoided if she had just been more discreet.
He could have paid her for her silence, and she would have kept her position while Selina stayed none the wiser. It was a mess, and only he could fix it now.
Continuing up the stairs, he finally reached Selina’s door and braced for whatever reaction he was about to receive. If Mary hadgotten to her first, this would probably not be pleasant.
He knocked lightly. “Selina?”
There was no response, which didn’t bode well.
“Selina? Selina, I just want to talk to you, if you will let me,” he said through the door, knocking again.
