Chapter 139 - A Fight

After dinner, no one really felt like staying up for drinks and cards like they had been doing. Delaney and Vincent retired to their bedroom and she rang for Ms. Bird. Instead of ringing for Harris, Vincent kicked off his boots and dropped down on their bed in his shirt and breeches.

Ms. Bird came and helped Delaney from her elegant dress and into her nightgown. She removed all the diamond pins from her hair and brushed it out, leaving it for Delaney to braid and tie with a ribbon at the end.

Once her maid was gone, she turned to look at her husband who was still lying quietly in bed, staring up at the ceiling with one arm back under his head. He had barely said a dozen words at dinner after his mother had left and he had said nothing since returning to their bedroom.

Delaney walked across the room and slipped into bed, scooting over until she was beside him. She looked down at his scarred face, brushing black locks away from his eyes.

"What's wrong my love?" she asked gently when he didn't turn to look at her.

He sighed but didn't reply. She slowly brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. He caught it in his and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to it. He held it there a moment longer before turning his gaze to her sea glass eyes.

"She's right you know," he said quietly, "I couldn't be king if a time ever came when I was needed to be."

"Yes you could," Delaney shook her head, "You are a wonderful Lord and your people love you. You would do just as well as the King of the land."

"I couldn't. The people would fear me like many of the other nobles already do. Besides I couldn't keep up with the daily life of being a King without looking weak when I began to limp badly in the evenings."

Delaney sighed, "You would be a good King and your people would love you. They would never believe you were weak."

"I couldn't give them an heir," he said, looking away from her again, "You wouldn't put a King on the throne who you knew couldn't give the land an heir to take over when he was gone."

She felt as if he'd stabbed a pin in her heart and Delaney dropped her eyes. "It... It has been barely more than four months," she said quietly, "And we didn't share a bed at first."

"It doesn't matter," he replied coldly, "I should have been able to give you a baby by now. I'm a young man."

"It's just as likely to be my fault as..."

"You don't need to lie out of pity for me," he cut her off, his voice giving away his growing displeasure, "Of course it isn't your fault. You are young and healthy. I may be young but I am far from healthy. It's because of me that we aren't on our way to having a family. If I can't even give Edgewood an heir why would they ever trust that I could give the Kingdom an heir."

Delaney swallowed and kept her gaze down. "I... I could still get pregnant. There are things we could try and..."

"If you were going to get pregnant you already would be," he snapped, "And honestly it is probably better that you aren't. If we have children what can I offer them? A father who can't run and play with them? One who can't even spend a day riding in a carriage or else he might not be able to make it up the stairs to his bed at night? What child deserves that?"

His anger was growing now and he got to his feet, turning cold green eyes on her.

"Children fear monsters, Delaney. Any child we had would have to grow up in a house with one for a father. My angry red scars and the way my skin is so hot to the touch all the time! The way I limp around and can't always work my arm well, I'm probably worse than a monster I'm a damned cripple!"

"Vincent I..."

"What child deserves to grow up first fearing their father and then being disgusted by his weakness? If we have a son to be the heir he would need a father he could look up to and be proud of like my father was for Miles and me. I will never be able to be that!"

His voice was getting louder as his anger grew and Delaney shrank back against the pillows. His scars were a deep red and his eyes were flashing. He ran his hands through his hair and gave a loud groan of annoyance.

"Vincent what your mother said... you can't listen to her. She was wrong for saying that. Mace himself said you could be a good King."

"He said that out of pity Delaney as everyone does when they try to pretend I can do things we all know I can't. You more than anyone else should know I couldn't be King. You see how pathetic I am every day! And it's not just that I can't be a King. I can't be the brother Miles needs anymore or the friend for Bernard. I have never been able to be the husband you deserve and I will never be able to be the father any child deserves."

"Please," Delaney tried with tears filling her eyes, "I love you. You've been a wonderful husband to me."

"That is ridiculous," he hissed, "I am weak and pathetic. I say I can protect you but we know I can't. What could I really do now if someone came to hurt you? You are only safe with me because Ian is always nearby. You need to stop lying to yourself and to me Delaney. What my mother said was true. We've been fools for trying to pretend otherwise."

He turned then and snatched up his boots, pulling them quickly onto his feet.

"What-what are you doing?" she asked with tears in her voice and on her cheeks, "Don't leave please."

"Why not?" he demanded, "Should I stay here and make love to you? Should I waste your time and get your hopes up again that you will have a child only so they can be shattered once more in a couple of weeks?"

"No," she said quickly climbing over the bed and reaching out for him, "We don't have to worry about having a baby. We can just be together..."

"You should get used to being on your own again," he snapped, "We have less than eight months left in this marriage and then it will be over. That was the deal we made if I couldn't give you children and I can't."

No please," Delaney reached out and took hold of Vincent's arm but he jerked it free and turned towards the door.

"I should never have let things between us go this far," he shook his head, "I knew it would end eventually and now we will both suffer because of it."

Delaney called for him to stop but he left their room slamming the door so hard the windows rattled. She sank slowly to the floor, covering her face with her hands as her body shook with sobs. He had not been angry like this since they were first married and he had never shouted at her like this.

An urgent knocking came at her door and she heard a deep voice say her name but she didn't move to answer it. Hot tears poured down her cheeks and her heart ached from Vincent's attack. The knocking came again and after a moment the person did not wait for a reply and opened the door.

"Delaney, what's happened?" Miles asked urgently, rushing forward and dropping to the floor beside her, pulling her into his arms.

"We heard Vincent shouting and then the slam," Cora said quietly, quickly closing the door before coming to kneel by her husband, "Did you have an argument?"

"Did he hurt you?" Miles asked seriously, leaning back and tilting her chin up so he could see her face.

Delaney shook her head before covering her face with her hands again.

"Then what happened?" Miles questioned in confusion, "Why was he shouting at you?"

"He's-he's so angry," she managed through her tears, "He said your mother was right and he couldn't be a king but-but he couldn't be a father either. He said he knows he can't give me a family. He-He said he should never have let us fall in love because he knows he's going to... he's going to follow through with our deal."

Realization dawned on Miles's face and his gaze fell away from her.

"What is she talking about?" Cora demanded looking back and forth between them, "What deal?"

Miles swallowed and cleared his throat, "Uh... Delaney and Vince they... they made a deal that if Delaney hadn't gotten pregnant by the time they'd been married one year he would... well he would have Daniel dissolve their marriage so she wouldn't lose her chance at a family."

Delaney looked up through her tears, "And now I think he might be giving up on even trying."