Just One Kiss (15 page)

“Anthony no!  If you lay another finger on him I’ll-”

“Daphne, it’s fine,” Edward interjected, his still calm, even voice so totally at odds with the siblings' furious and erratic exchanges.

“Oh!  But-” Daphne blurted uncertainly.  She really didn’t want to let both men out of her sight.  She had never seen her brother so angry before… well, maybe
once
before…

“It’s all right, Daff,” Edward promised her softly.  The used of her pet name earned him a look of true loathing from Anthony, while the half of Edward’s mouth that wasn’t battered and bruised quirked in a wry smile.  “I can handle your brother,” he murmured.

“I heard that Coventry!” Anthony barked.

“Anthony!” Daphne said sharply.  Her brother was completely unable to look in her d
irection, but he did a valiant
job of scowling at the foot of the bed.  “If you hurt him again I’ll never forgive you.  And you-” she turned her attention to Edward, who stared back
at
her quite unashamedly, in fact Daphne tightened her grip on the sheets; his gaze was so
smoldering
.  “If you let him hit you again I’ll-”

“He didn’t
let
me hit him!” Anthony railed.

“That’s rubbish and you know it,” Daphne snapped.  “And now, you may get out of my room!”

Edward rubbed his jaw.  He had forgotten what a powerful punch Anthony could throw; had he remembered that little detail, he might not have been quite so quick to play the martyr.  He followed after Anthony, who blazed his way down to the study – almost as if he knew the way better than Edward himself.

He probably did, Edward reflected.  Hadn’t Daphne said that Anthony helped out with the estate?  Hell, he had probably worked from the
Everton’s
study in the past! 

Once they were inside the dark wooden room, Anthony rounded on Edward again.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here, Coventry?” he snarled, slamming his fist against the top of the desk that dominated the room. 

He seemed to need to punch something, and Edward would have been an idiot not to be relieved that Anthony had chosen to take his anger out on the furniture and not his face.

“This is my home, Anthony,” he said slowly.  “I live here.”

“No,” Anthony barked.  “This may be your house, but it is not your home,” he reasoned fiercely.  “It’s Daphne’s home, it was William’s home, but not yours,” he shook his head vigorously.

“What’s your point, Anthony?” Edward frowned darkly.

“Why did you come back?” the other man asked bluntly.  “Why now?” he growled, and Edward knew that he wouldn’t get away with a lie.  Besides, didn’t he owe Anthony,
the man
who had once been his very dearest friend, the truth?

“I have an earldom to take care of now,” he replied, with equal bluntness.  He listened to his former friend curse beneath his breath.

“And Daphne?” he demanded furiously.  “You’ve had a wife to take care of for the last six years!  Didn’t that ever enter into any of your equations, Edward?” Anthony demanded, in the rawness of his anger he reverted to Edward’s name for the first time that morning.

“It’s hard to-”

“You know what’s hard?” Anthony interrupted.  “Watching helplessly as your baby sister slowly self-destructs.  You destroyed her, Edward,” he hissed.  “You ran away like a damned coward, but I had to stay here and watch as she was slowly torn apart.”  Edward turned away, unable to meet Anthony’s gaze.  He stared out of the window as he tried to master his emotions.  “You know, at first, every time a carriage would pass by, her face would light up because she hoped it might be you,” Anthony murmured.  “Every time she’d go out in public the whispers would follow her and I watched as she retreated further and further inside herself.  I-”

“What is your
point
,
Hargreaves
?” Edward interrupted raggedly.

“I won’t let you break her again,” Anthony said with a dogged shake of his head.  “If I have to take her away from you, God help me, I will.”

“Daphne is my wife!” Edward roared, as real panic rose in his chest.

Anthony’s expression was black.  “And don’t I curse the day that I forced you down the aisle instead of shooting you through the heart.”

“Anthony, that’s enough,” said a small voice by the door. 

Edward turned to see Daphne standing just inside the study, dressed in a pale blue day dress, her hair was swept back from her face simply, not appearing to adhere to any particular style.  She must have rushed down to join them.  He hadn’t heard her enter the study, but that was hardly surprising given the row that he and Anthony had been making; given the look on the other man’s face, Edward assumed his brother-in-law hadn’t heard Daphne come into the room either.

“Have your things collected,” he barked at his sister.  “We’re leaving.”

“We’re
what
?” Daphne gasped, looking horrified, but she was rather
drowned out by Edward’s roar: “SHE IS NOT!”

“Anthony, please?” Dap
hne implored, stepping forward
pleadingly.  “Don’t do this,” she begged.

“He has no right to do this!” Edward snarled, glaring at Daphne in obvious disapproval of the way that she was pandering to her brother.  “He
can’t
do this!  You’re my wife!  You belong here with me!”

“Just as you’ve belonged here with Daphne for the past six years?” Anthony spat. 

Edward clenched his jaw, hard, not knowing how to respond to that charge again, especially not with Daphne right there in the room with them.

“Anthony,” said Daphne, in a quiet little voice.  She looked down at her hands as she spoke hesitantly.  “You were going to stay here with me for the weekend anyway, weren’t you?  Why don’t you stay as planned, that way you can see that Edward isn’t… mistreating me?”

Edward balled his fists.  Why did it hurt so much that Daphne wasn’t instantly and whole heartedly taking his side over Anthony’s?  But then… what had he ever done to earn her loyalty?  He’d given her one night of passion and lust… a night that had maybe been tinged with something that Edward wasn’t ready to examine.  Anthony, on the other hand, had stood by Daphne through everything.

Don’t make me love you again…

Daphne’s plea echoed in his ears.  She really
had
stopped loving him then.  It was the only explanation that made sense.  It was no less than he deserved perhaps.  Oh, but he had been so arrogant!  He’d never imagined that he’d come back to England and find that Daphne didn’t want him anymore!  That had never factored into any of his reasoning.  She
was supposed to be the impulsive girl of his memories, not a strong, intriguing woman who threatened his heart.

But he could fix it! 
Don’t make me love you again…
  Didn’t that mean she was already in danger of falling?  He’d woo her, he’d seduce her, he’d do everything in his power to win back her heart- Edward didn’t know why that was suddenly so critical, but
he
knew that he needed it.

“Fine,” Anthony growled.  “I’ll stay for the weekend as planned, after that-” he shot a pointed glare in Edward’s direction.  “If, for any reason, I don’t think that Daphne’s safe, or appreciated, or happy here, I’m taking her back to Coventry with me.”

“Well, I- I suppose that’s fair enough,” Daphne nodded slowly.

“What?” Edward choked.  “It is not-”

“Now, now Edward, object and you make it sound like Daphne
isn’t
safe here,” Anthony interrupted harshly.  “Give me
one
reason and we’re out
the
door-”

“I won’t be dictated to in my own house,” Edward snapped furiously.

“Well, it looks like you don’t have much of a choice,” Anthony smirked.  It took every ounce of self-control that Edward possessed to prevent him from throwing a punch in the direction of his former friend. 

“I- I
think that breakfast should be ready by now, maybe we should-” Daphne began, trying to calm the explosive situation.  She was still so achingly hesitant that Edward felt a little of his anger melt away, although only a little, for he interrupted with a rough: “I have business to attend to here.”  Daphne’s face fell.

“Well, I for one am starving,” Anthony glibly announced.  “And if we
are
staying here for a few more days I suppose we may as well eat,” he said, nettling Edward further.

“You go on, Anthony.  I’ll join you in a moment,” Daphne murmured softly. 

Her brother frowned, but the sharp glare that Daphne shot his direction was enough to get him to leave her alone with Edward, albeit grudgingly.  The moment that Anthony was out in the hall Daphne shut the door after him and hurried over to Edward. 

Chapter 15

“Are you all right?” Daphne asked breathily, lifting a tentative hand to caress Edward’s poor cheek.

He had all but forgotten the pain throbbing in the left side of his face, but it seemed to return with a vengeance when Daphne lifted her concerned eyes to meet his own.

“I’m fine,” he sighed gruffly, unable to help but like the way that Daphne was fussing over him.

“I’m so sorry about my brother!” she blurted.  “He’s just, well, he’s rather overprotective,” she mumbled feebly.

“I remember,” Edward chuckled darkly.

Daphne looked away and shifted uncomfortably.  “He really had no right to behave that way in your house, but he’s just trying to look after me.”

“I know that, Daff,” Edward said softly.  He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so that he could again look deep into her eyes.  “Do you think that you need protecting from me?” he asked gently.  Daphne’s eyes widened, but Edward couldn’t fail to notice that she didn’t shake her head.

“I hope not,” she whispered.

“I would never mean to hurt you, Daff!  Not again, not like before!” Edward said desperately, unable to stop the words from spilling forth.

Daphne privileged
him with
small, sad smile as she squeezed his hand.  “I believe you think you mean that,” she murmured, which really didn’t do anything to comfort Edward at all.

“Daphne-” he rasped.  It wasn’t just his face that was hurting now.  The pain seemed to have spread throughout his entire body.

“It’s all right,” she murmured softly, her lips quirked upward in a little smile.  “Just don’t do anything to upset Anthony while he’s here.”

“You wouldn’t really leave me?” Edward choked, and then an icy shiver trickled down his back. 
Why wouldn’t she; he’d left her after all.

Daphne licked her lips, he
sitating, no doubt thinking the
same thing as him.  “You won’t give me a reason to,” she said at length.

“No,” Edward sighed in heavy agreement.  He wouldn’t, because he couldn’t stand the thought of Anthony taking her away.  “Daphne,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to her lips and kissing her soundly.  “I’ve been such an idiot,” he growled in self-disgust.

“What do you mean?” Daphne gasped, but Edward didn’t reply.  He simply returned to worshipping her lips, thrusting his tongue between her teeth and gorging on the sweetness that was his wife.

When they were both panting and breathless, Daphne wriggled reluctantly out of her husband’s arms.  “If I don’t go to breakfast soon Anthony’s going to come back and collect me,” she grimaced, knowing what her brother could be like.