Page 88 of The Moonstone Marquess
Phoebe’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Divorce? But her husband is an earl. Would he do this and destroy all hope of siring a legitimate heir? Would the church sanctify a union if he remarried?”
Cain shook his head. “Possibly, if he can convince the church to grant him an annulment. He may have found the grounds.”
“Goodness.” Phoebe turned to her sister. “Go on, Hen. I’m sorry. I did not mean to interrupt you.”
“Well, apparently one of the things he mentioned—and I’ve heard this third-hand, so please take it for what it is—is that they were screaming at each other quite loudly and overheard by their servants. We all know how they sometimes gossip. Well, we had let a townhouse in the Royal Crescent, and it was not far from theirs.”
Phoebe leaned closer. “Go on.”
“One of the maids in their household happened to be the sister of one of ours, and she repeated everything to me. It appears Seline’s husband was furious over one of the latest of her cruel antics. He said he should have realized what a cold… I cannot repeat what he called her. Anyway, he accused her of being cold as ice and cited her response to Cormac when he came back wounded as an example.” She turned to Cormac. “Whitford considered you a war hero. Apparently, he is a great admirer of yours.”
“So that’s what set her off? Gad, how could Whitford not hate me? I gave not a thought to his feelings.” Cormac groaned. “Well, my encounters with Seline mostly occurred before they were married. I wasn’t at my rakehell best when returning with a shattered arm. Then it became hopelessly infected and had to come off.”
Phoebe reached out and took his hand.
Cormac gave a mirthless laugh. “Since I wasn’t at my best, I suppose Seline took on other lovers. Her indiscreet infidelities must have added to Whitford’s humiliation. By that time I had my own struggles to contend with in trying to save my arm, and was not among the parade of men who warmed her bed.”
Hen pursed her lips and frowned. “That is nothing for you to be proud of.”
“Indeed, I am not proud of it at all,” he said with a wince. “It shames me more, since he held me in high regard. A war hero? I did nothing more on the field of battle than a thousand other men did throughout the war. Every soldier who fought deserved the same honors. More so, because they were more valiant in their daily lives than I ever was.”
Hen shook her head. “You and my husband are surprisingly modest in this regard. Quite surprising, considering how arrogant you are in most things.”
Both men chuckled.
“Cain is always humble when people come up to him and call him heroic.” Hen cast her husband an admiring smile. “You are both valorous men and deserve praise for your deeds. But Seline’s husband specifically made mention of Cormac. This must have left her with quite a bitter taste, especially if the divorce rumors prove true.”
Cormac shrugged. “He is well rid of her. That woman is poison.”
Phoebe emitted a sigh. “I think she must have been in love with you. Even if you were honest about your intentions not to marry her in those early days, a woman can still dream. Even one as casual about her liaisons as she obviously was. You are irresistible, you know.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I am a stubborn idiot who does not deserve someone as fine as you. But I am sure as hell not letting you go. You are a gift to me and I will treasure you always.”
He turned to Cain. “I meant what I said. Will you give your consent to marry Phoebe?”
“I love him, Cain,” Phoebe added. Despite their being best friends, Cain would refuse the request if he had any doubts about Cormac’s qualities. He took his responsibilities as guardian seriously.
She held her breath, awaiting his answer.
No one knew Cormac better than Cain did, and this could work against them.
But she needn’t have worried, for Cain grinned and walked over to slap Cormac on the back. “When do you intend for the happy event to take place? Blessed saints, I cannot believe it. Well, I can with Phoebe. She’s a gem. And you had better be good to her.”
Cormac winked at Phoebe, his smile breathtaking. “She’ll keep me in line. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of her grappling hook.”
“I would never…” She laughed and shook her head. “Mr. Bedwell is afraid to allow me back into his shop.”
“Phoebe and I discussed it,” Cormac said, once more taking her hand. “My brother and his wife will arrive next week to pick up their girls. We’d like to marry once they are here. I won’t drag you from home today, but I hope you’ll come with me tomorrow to obtain the license. We can discuss terms of Phoebe’s settlement tomorrow as well. I’ll make it easy for you. Write up whatever terms you deem fair. Make certain she is generously provided for when I am no longer around.”
Cain’s grin broadened. “Come by after breakfast and we’ll ride to the parish church together. But there’s another thing we have to think about, and that is Chloe. She cannot live alone at Moonstone Cottage.”
“Oh.” Hen exchanged a glance with Phoebe. “Cain and I will take her in, of course. He is her legal guardian, so it makes the most sense. But I hadn’t thought of a Killigrew no longer living there. It will feel odd to have the house empty.”
“Nor had I,” Phoebe admitted. “We’ll figure out something. We met a lovely young man in town a few weeks ago, a soldier assigned to scout locations for an army hospital. Not that I would want our beautiful home torn down, but it might serve the wounded soldiers in some other useful way. Just for the few years until Chloe is old enough to reside there on her own. However, the house must stay intact.”
“Agreed,” Hen said. “And we mustn’t ever sell it. Brioc and Aunt Hen are there, and it wouldn’t feel right to abandon them. But does it not strike you as odd that our aunt and Brioc have remained? I think they must have a purpose—perhaps to see us all happily matched first?”
“Yes, that must be it. I know they are going to look after Chloe and protect her.” Phoebe grinned at Cormac and Cain. “Not that she won’t have plenty of protection with you two ogres scaring all her suitors away. As for now, we are also happy to have Chloe settle in with us at Westgate Hall. She may not want to because Cormac and I will be newly wed. But we’ll set aside one of the nicest bedchambers for her so she can stay over whenever she likes.”
