consequence is really quite fine as far as I can see. And I’ll be damned if we will stand by and allow him to avoid it just as he has avoided so much more in his life.”
Gemma stood and moved toward her. “I don’t think—”
Annabelle shook her head. “No. I have a good head for people, Gemma Flynn, and I like you. I swear to you in this moment, we will fix this. And once Serafina is recovered from the birth, I know she will help us too.”
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Flynn said, but she stood and slipped a very comforting arm around Gemma. “The Flynn women against the world again?”
Annabelle laughed. “No, Mama. Just against the Flynn men. As it was always meant to be.”
Gemma stared at the two women. She had come here, resigned to censure and eventual ruin, but instead she had found welcome and what felt like membership in an exclusive and wonderful club. And though she had no idea still what to think of her husband, she truly wanted in that moment to be a Flynn woman.
Marcus and Rafe were staring at him, and never before had Crispin wanted the liquor on the sideboard behind the billiard table more than he did in that moment. They were shocked by his confession of how he had acquired his “bride”, but behind that shock was judgment. Frustration. Resignation that this was the kind of man he was. He could feel it oozing from his brother’s pores as he just stared .
“By God,” Marcus said, breaking the tension, or at least attempting to do so.
Rafe continued his silent observation until Crispin’s skin felt like it didn’t fit. He folded his arms and glared at his brother.
“Do you want to throw up in my face just how my drinking and gambling have come to get me? Do you want to tell me how right you always were that I should stop?”
Rafe’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “No.” The one word answer was so quiet that Crispin almost didn’t hear it. But his brother’s voice elevated as he continued. “You may see this as a punishment, Cris, but I see it as your greatest opportunity.”
Crispin looked at his brother, then turned to Marcus in an effort to find support for how ridiculous those words were. But his friend was merely standing by, arms folded. He actually looked like he agreed with such a stupid thing to say.
“What the hell nonsense are you going on about?”
Rafe shrugged. “I think a marriage would be good for you. No, the circumstances of how this came to be are not ideal, I will grant you that. And people will talk, but then it is us and people always do. However, on first glance the lady seems to be of solid character.”
Marcus laughed. “Indeed, when you were stammering and stuttering about telling us what had happened, she stepped in and saved you with her very forward introduction. There was a steel in her eyes in that moment that very much put me to mind of Annabelle.”
Crispin turned away, his breath short. The two of them acted like this was fine. That there would be no help from them except in terms of acceptance of the inevitable. Panic bubbled up in him, but he covered it with anger. Anger was easier.
“You would lay your life on me, brother?” he snapped, the words harsh and cutting.
When he turned, he found Rafe had not reacted to the jab. He merely said, “Because I was forced to marry Serafina? You think I would allow the same for you as some kind of way to make myself feel better?”
“Would you?”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “The situations are entirely different for a start. I didn’t drunkenly force some poor girl to marry me. If anyone should want out of the union, it should be Gemma. Does she?”
“I-I didn’t ask her,” he admitted after a hesitation while the question, and his shameful answer, sank in.
Rafe barked out a hard laugh. “Well, that’s typical. I love you, Crispin, but you have traditionally been one of the most selfish people I have ever known. The last year of pouting over spilled milk is proof of it.”
Crispin took a
Gemma stood and moved toward her. “I don’t think—”
Annabelle shook her head. “No. I have a good head for people, Gemma Flynn, and I like you. I swear to you in this moment, we will fix this. And once Serafina is recovered from the birth, I know she will help us too.”
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Flynn said, but she stood and slipped a very comforting arm around Gemma. “The Flynn women against the world again?”
Annabelle laughed. “No, Mama. Just against the Flynn men. As it was always meant to be.”
Gemma stared at the two women. She had come here, resigned to censure and eventual ruin, but instead she had found welcome and what felt like membership in an exclusive and wonderful club. And though she had no idea still what to think of her husband, she truly wanted in that moment to be a Flynn woman.
Marcus and Rafe were staring at him, and never before had Crispin wanted the liquor on the sideboard behind the billiard table more than he did in that moment. They were shocked by his confession of how he had acquired his “bride”, but behind that shock was judgment. Frustration. Resignation that this was the kind of man he was. He could feel it oozing from his brother’s pores as he just stared .
“By God,” Marcus said, breaking the tension, or at least attempting to do so.
Rafe continued his silent observation until Crispin’s skin felt like it didn’t fit. He folded his arms and glared at his brother.
“Do you want to throw up in my face just how my drinking and gambling have come to get me? Do you want to tell me how right you always were that I should stop?”
Rafe’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “No.” The one word answer was so quiet that Crispin almost didn’t hear it. But his brother’s voice elevated as he continued. “You may see this as a punishment, Cris, but I see it as your greatest opportunity.”
Crispin looked at his brother, then turned to Marcus in an effort to find support for how ridiculous those words were. But his friend was merely standing by, arms folded. He actually looked like he agreed with such a stupid thing to say.
“What the hell nonsense are you going on about?”
Rafe shrugged. “I think a marriage would be good for you. No, the circumstances of how this came to be are not ideal, I will grant you that. And people will talk, but then it is us and people always do. However, on first glance the lady seems to be of solid character.”
Marcus laughed. “Indeed, when you were stammering and stuttering about telling us what had happened, she stepped in and saved you with her very forward introduction. There was a steel in her eyes in that moment that very much put me to mind of Annabelle.”
Crispin turned away, his breath short. The two of them acted like this was fine. That there would be no help from them except in terms of acceptance of the inevitable. Panic bubbled up in him, but he covered it with anger. Anger was easier.
“You would lay your life on me, brother?” he snapped, the words harsh and cutting.
When he turned, he found Rafe had not reacted to the jab. He merely said, “Because I was forced to marry Serafina? You think I would allow the same for you as some kind of way to make myself feel better?”
“Would you?”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “The situations are entirely different for a start. I didn’t drunkenly force some poor girl to marry me. If anyone should want out of the union, it should be Gemma. Does she?”
“I-I didn’t ask her,” he admitted after a hesitation while the question, and his shameful answer, sank in.
Rafe barked out a hard laugh. “Well, that’s typical. I love you, Crispin, but you have traditionally been one of the most selfish people I have ever known. The last year of pouting over spilled milk is proof of it.”
Crispin took a
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