My Once Handsome Husband - Chapter 263

Delaney held her breath as the messenger walked forward.

“Here she is,” Sam announced breathlessly, “This is Lady Delaney Adair, Duchess of Edgewood.”

The little ratty man eyed Delaney suspiciously, “You sure?  She doesn’t look much like a duchess.”

“Excuse me!” Delaney exclaimed, offended, “My husband is the Duke of Edgewood, favorite cousin of the King.  I would guess that you wouldn’t want me to inform him of you insulting me.”

The man shrugged, “Why should I believe you’re the Duchess?  Why aren’t you at Edgewood Manor or one of the Duke’s other estates?  Why are you here drinking wine and playing cards?”

Delaney glared at him, feeling suddenly sober, “I do not have to explain my actions to a messenger.  Now I believe you have a letter for me.  Give it to me now before I call for my brother-in-law.  I assure you he is a much less forgiving person than I am.”

She held her hand out for the letter.  Her wedding ring caught the light and flashed.  Looking intrigued, the messenger reached out with his grubby little hands and caught her slim, fair one, turning it over.  When he saw the enormous, beautiful wedding ring his jaw went slack and he quickly let go of her hand.

“Y-You are the duchess,” he stammered, “I’m sorry!  Here you are.”

He shoved the letter toward her and Delaney snatched it from his hand.  She would have reprimanded him for his terrible behavior but she didn’t care about him.  This letter was all she cared about at that moment.

She turned away from the men and held the letter out in the light of a nearby torch so she could read it better.  When she finally saw it clearly her heart stopped.

It was not Vincent’s handwriting.

“There’s another letter here for the Duke,” the messenger spoke up now, pulling a second letter from inside his vest and holding it out to her, “Here you go.  Give it to him when you go home please.”

“Lord Miles Adair said she would be staying home tomorrow night,” Sam spoke up, trying to be helpful, “So she can give the letter to her husband when she gets home.

Delaney very slowly turned toward them and blinked as she looked at the letter he was holding out to her now that was addressed to the Duke of Edgewood.  She took it in trembling hands and gently tucked it away in her skirt.

“Thank you,” she whispered to them, “You may go.”

Sam nodded but looked worried seeing her expression.  The ratty, little, messenger didn’t look upset, going ahead and following the other man away.  Delaney moved back to sitting on the steps but now angled herself so the light shone down on the letter in her lap.

Gently she turned it over and studied the wax seal on the back.  It took her only a moment to realize who it was from.  She bit her lip to keep back her tears.  It wasn’t from Vincent.  It was from the Queen.

Closing her eyes she tilted her head back, not wanting to start crying because she knew she might not be able to stop.  She had let her hopes get so high thinking the letter would be from her husband.  She should have known better.  She should’ve known he wouldn’t write to her.  He had sent her away and told her to find a new husband.  Why would he write to her after that?

Delaney took deep breaths, steadying herself.  She didn’t care much about what Sophia had to say but since she was already holding the letter in her hands she knew she should go ahead and read it.  Using her fingernails, she popped off the wax seal and unfolded the parchment.

Her eyes moved over the letter slowly at first.  Sophia wrote that Daniel had received the letter from Vincent and she was so sorry to hear they had not been able to have a baby.  She said her heart ached for them.

Delaney sighed.  More pity.  Everyone felt sorry for them.

She continued on reading.

Vincent had written to Daniel asking that their marriage contract be dissolved and Delaney allowed to marry again.  He had explained, as he had to his wife so many times, that he thought she deserved a husband that wasn’t going to hold her back and could give her everything she’d ever dreamed of.  He said he knew he couldn’t do that.

The Duke had written that he loved his wife more than he had ever known was possible to love another person and it broke his heart to see her go but it was because he knew what she deserved that he was able to do so.

Delaney stopped reading the letter and closed her eyes to stop her tears again.  A few people walked out of the club and passed her, pausing to ask if she was alright.  She managed to squeak out that she was fine and thank them.  They stared at her a moment longer, not really believing her, but then decided it was not their business.

Rereading the last part of the letter, Delaney could imagine what her husband had written.  It was likely the same argument he had given her when she had tried to convince him not to send her away.  Her heart ached anew as if he had just sunk the dagger into it once more.

She took a deep breath and picked the letter up to begin reading again.  Holding it in the flickering light of the torch her eyes moved quickly over the parts she’d already read, feeling the sting of the words again even then.

Sophia wrote that she did believe Vincent loved Delaney completely and that she hadn’t forgotten her promise to the duchess.  She wrote that Daniel had been very conflicted about Vincent’s request and that was why it had taken him so long to reply.

The King wanted to give Vincent what he asked for because, now that Mason had vanished, Daniel felt like Vincent was really all he had left.  Not only that, he still felt terrible for all that had happened to them their last times in court.  He felt he would never be able to make it up to Vincent but he had to try.

Delaney felt her heart skip and she closed her eyes.  She knew it.  This was what she had feared.  The King loved his wife but he felt he owed Vincent so much.  She had prayed Sophia would be able to convince him but deep down she had always known the chances weren’t high.

She held the letter to the light again and brushed a stray curl off her face.

Sophia said she and Daniel had argued about what they should do.  They had talked about it nearly every day until they were quite tense because of it.  Then they heard the news that Vincent had sent her away to her Aunt and Uncle’s home and Daniel had felt like that was that.  He thought that relieved him of having to make the choice but Sophia had told him it did not.

“Delaney?”

Delaney jumped, not expecting someone to speak to her.  She looked over her shoulder and saw Constance standing there.  Out of all of them, she had had the least to drink so Constance had taken it upon herself to look out for her friends.

“Are you alright?  You’ve been out here quite a while and Sam said he thought you might be upset.”

“I’m fine,” she answered with a scratchy voice.

“He said… he said you had received a letter.  Who is it from?”

Delaney looked down at the letter in her hands, “It’s from the Queen.  She’s written about Vincent’s request to break our marriage contract.  The King sent one for Vincent as well.”

“Really?” Constance asked in surprise, “What does it say?”

“I… I haven’t finished it yet.”

“Well go on then,” her friend nodded to the letter, “Hurry up and let’s hear what they’ve decided.”

Delaney swallowed and looked up at her with teary eyes.

“I don’t think I’m going to like the answer,” she whispered.

Constance gave her a sad smile, “We won’t know until you finish reading it.”

Nodding, Delaney took a deep breath and held the letter up again.  She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself.  Opening them again, she began reading.

Daniel really wanted to let Vincent have what he wanted.  Sophia had asked him very seriously at last, “Vince says Delaney deserves better.  Do you think there is a better man in all the land than Vincent Adair?”

And that was what settled it.  Daniel said he had never met anyone better in all his life.  He knew how deep the couple’s love for each other was.

The King decided if there was anything he could do to make up for some of the terrible things that had happened to his cousin, this would be it.

He wouldn’t break the marriage contract.  Vincent would stay married to the woman he loved so deeply and who loved him.