Chapter 92 - Army Of Two

The carriage rumbled back down the road and Delaney sat looking out the window as she was bumped around. She was still angry but slapping Ivy had helped release at least a bit of that anger. If her husband and Lady Michael had not been there she might have slapped her more than once, so enraged from the maid spreading rumors about she and Vincent.

"Delaney?" Vincent spoke from where he sat opposite of her in the carriage, studying his wife closely.

She turned to look at him and smiled at his expression. "You're so serious husband. Why are you so serious?"

"You didn't have to do that," he answered quietly, "You didn't have to defend me. I did those things and she saw them. I'm surprised she hasn't told more people about it."

"She told lies Vincent. You didn't drag me back to Edgewood that night or lock me in your room. You didn't nearly kill me the night of the storm either."

"She might have exaggerated about the night of our fight but you did run for fear for your life. And I could have killed you the night of the storm."

Delaney looked at her husband who was staring hard at his hands in his lap. He looked ashamed and it made her heart ache.

"My love the night I ran I'd had too much to drink and so had you. We were angry with one another and unhappy. Everyone behaves badly under those circumstances. We've talked about this. It was just as much my fault as yours."

"That may be true but I did nearly kill you the night of the storm. She was right about that..."

"Oh you did not," Delaney rolled her eyes, "Miles was there. He never would've let that happen. Besides even before he stopped you you were going to stop on your own. I saw it in your eyes."

"I'm not in my right mind when I'm like that."

"Maybe not but you love me and I know you wouldn't ever hurt me."

Vincent didn't look up. He opened and closed his fists, thinking over her words. Delaney moved over to sit beside him, taking one of his hands into her lap.

"They were lies. You never would've hurt me. And it doesn't matter now anyway. Ivy won't say anything to anyone ever again. It might be gossip for a while but it won't last. Besides, anyone who sees us together will know how much we love one another and they won't believe those stories."

Vincent turned to look at her with a defeated smile, "I'm glad you are my wife. I feel sorry for anyone who finds themselves your enemy."

Delaney giggled and leaned over to place a kiss on his scarred cheek. As she moved to lean back he caught her chin and held it so he could kiss her himself. He let his hand move until he was holding the back of her head, keeping her in place for more kisses.

When the carriage hit a bump they got knocked apart. Vincent breathed in sharply through his teeth against the pain of it. Delaney fell forward into his lap. He recovered first and instead of helping Delaney to right herself, he pulled her further into his arms.

Delaney giggled as her husband pulled her over until she was sitting in his lap. He kissed her deeply and she felt her head starting to get dizzy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

When they hit a bump that was very big they would come apart and she would bite her lip as she watched her husband close his eyes against the pain. Once he had recovered though he would pull her mouth back to his and continue where they had left off.

By the time they returned to her Aunt and Uncle's home, the sky was starting to grow dark and Delaney badly wanted to take her husband to their bedroom to finish what they had started. As the carriage began to slow, she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and gently tugged on it as she moved off of his lap. Vincent groaned and when she let go he leaned back against the seat with his eyes closed and breath coming quick.

Delaney smirked as she looked at his handsome face. She liked it when she was able to stir her husband into such a state.

They came to a stop and Delaney giggled as her husband swallowed hard, working to calm his racing heart. At last, he opened his eyes and winced as he got to his feet and got down from the carriage. He helped his wife down and together they walked towards the little manor.

Dinner was being announced right as they walked in and Delaney was thankful, her stomach growling from missing lunch. Felix and Flora were waiting for them. Flora smiled and said hello to them when they walked in but Felix's brows lowered as he studied Vincent, limping forward on his bad leg. Vincent noticed the older man watching him and looked down, his cheeks warming in his embarrassment which only made his scars look angrier.

Vincent sat across the table from Flora who paled as she looked at him. Delaney took her husband's hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, hoping to calm his nerves. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she smiled encouragingly at him.

The mood had been set for their dinner though and it did not improve.

"How was Selina?" Flora asked as they ate.

Delaney paused, her face unreadable. Vincent looked at her now, also interested in that answer after they had left so abruptly.

"She is unhappy in her marriage," Delaney answered and Flora coughed, nearly choking on her drink.

"Delaney," Vincent scolded quietly, "That isn't our business to share."

"I don't see why not," Delaney shrugged, "She saw fit to share details of our marriage with others."

Vincent's brows sunk lower, "We can discuss this later."

"Delaney dear even if she's said inappropriate things about you, you can't let yourself sink to that level," Flora explained after recovering from her coughing.

"Selina has been in your life longer than any of us," Felix reminded her with a look of disapproval.

"That may be true," Delaney replied simply, lifting her chin in the air, "But I doubt there will be a need for us to see her again."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Flora demanded.

"Delaney," Vincent frowned, his eyes serious, "Stop it now."

Flora and Felix looked back and forth between the two of them in confusion. Delaney's eyes met her husband's gaze head-on and for a moment, considered defying him. In the end, however, she decided he was right and went back to her dinner. The last thing she wanted was for her Aunt and Uncle to come to Selina's defense over the comments.

Vincent gave her Aunt and Uncle a quick answer that Selina and Duncan were doing fine and their family had done well that year with the horses. They asked a few questions of him and he answered but Delaney didn't comment again.

Later, when the couple had retired to their bedroom for the evening and were getting into their bed, Vincent broached the subject with his wife.

"So what did Selina say that made you so angry? Clearly, it had something to do with the stories Ivy has been telling."

Delaney sat in bed, braiding her hair over her shoulder. She glanced over at him before dropping her eyes to the bed. After a few minutes, Vincent realized she didn't intend to answer.

"Why don't you just tell me? Whatever it was, it obviously bothered you a great deal. You would probably feel better if you talked about it."

"It's nothing worth discussing Vincent. She is not the person I thought she was and we aren't friends anymore. I don't think there's anything else I need to go over."

"It was about me then. If was anything else you would tell me so it must have been something she said about me. What was it?"

"I don't want to talk about."

"She said I was ugly. Or something along those lines. She said I was a hideous monster. You can't stand it when that gets pointed out so I'm assuming that's it."

Delaney turned to look at her husband in surprise as he laid on his back staring up at the ceiling. He moved to look at her face and when he did she nodded.

"I guessed as much."

"H-how did you know?"

Vincent laughed coldly, "My love she didn't invite her best friend to her wedding because she didn't want the ugly, embarrassing husband to come along. She told nearly everyone that was how she felt. I was told by several people."

"What? You were?" Delaney asked in shock, "When?"

"When I was traveling to the other estates. Some of my men that are higher ranking thought I shouldn't continue to make horse trades with Duncan after they'd heard some of the things his wife had been saying about me. Of course, I wouldn't hold it against him though."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this? I wouldn't have insisted that we go to visit her and surprise her!"

"I thought about telling you last night but you were so excited. I wanted you to be right about her so the two of you could go back to being friends again. I had thought she would at least set aside her hatred for a day of catching up with you."

"She didn't," Delaney sighed, "I asked her to stop saying things about you and she wouldn't. I don't have an interest in keeping a relationship with her if that's how she's going to speak about my husband."

Vincent was quiet as he studied his beautiful wife. He reached out and caught her hand, pulling her down into bed next to him. Delaney curled up against him, marveling at his muscular frame. She ran her hand over his abdomen and up over his chest.

"My love," he spoke quietly as he let his fingertips run up and down her back, "You know there will always be people who aren't afraid to tell us they think I'm hideous with these scars. When I limp on top of that it seems to just encourage them all the more. You can't make enemies of all of them."

Delaney moved to prop herself up on his chest and frowned down at him.

"I absolutely can. I won't stand for it. You're my husband and I love you. You wouldn't stand for anyone insulting me."

He smiled fondly at her, "I suppose that's true."

Delaney leaned down and kissed him, holding his scarred face in her hands. When she sat back he smiled up at her.

"Well then," he chuckled, "I suppose we'll be an army of two."