Chapter 145 - Cruel Truths

Delaney gasped and flung her arms out to try to regain her balance. Her eyes were wide and her heart pounding.

Suddenly a cold, boney, hand shot out and closed over her wrist, jerking her forward again. Delaney stumbled and nearly fell but the grip on her arm kept her upright. Once she was firmly standing away from the cliff edge she pulled her arm away and frowned at her savior.

"Violet," he crossed her arms over her chest, "You scared me half to death. I almost fell over the edge."

"I saved you from falling to your death," Violet Adair snapped, "Only a fool stands so close to the edge of a cliff."

"Vincent and I come here all the time."

"Well of course! With your husband it's different. He wouldn't let you fall."

Delaney had to bite her lip to keep from continuing to argue with her mother-in-law.

"What do you want Violet?" she asked, having all but forgotten the woman was still a guest at their house, "Why were you out here following me?"

"I wasn't following you," the older woman scoffed, "I just knew you'd had a hard night last night and a hard day today so when I saw you standing so close to the edge I wanted to make sure you weren't thinking of doing anything foolish."

Delaney paused for a moment in confusion before shaking her head, "Something foolish... like leaping from the cliff?"

"Of course." Violet rolled her eyes, "I would have grabbed you to stop you as I did just now when you almost tripped and fell over."

"You... You would have saved me?"

"Obviously! It's not as if I want you to die."

Delaney pursed her lips, looking at her mother-in-law, "I'm not sure I believe that. You hate me. You have since I was a child."

"What?" Violet gave a sharp laugh, "I do not hate you, you fool. Besides, even if I did, it doesn't matter. My son is in love with you and I'm quite certain you love him too."

"We love one another completely," Delaney eyed Violet suspiciously.

"And I love my son," she sighed, "So I couldn't let anything happen to you. It would break his heart. He has already had more pain in his life than he deserves. I intend to spare him any more if I can."

Delaney's mouth fell open in surprise at the older woman's words and she laughed coldly, "Violet you cause him more pain than any other person in his life."

The older woman frowned and pulled her cloak around her. The breeze had blown a few pieces of hair free from her long black and grey braid. Without saying anything else, she turned and headed back towards the house.

Delaney hesitated and considered just going back to her bedroom and trying to sleep again. Something about the look Violet had given her though made her curious to follow the woman. Everyone in the house was asleep so maybe this would be her chance to ask her mother-in-law some things without worrying about being overheard or interrupted.

She hurried after Violet, smiling and nodding to the guards when she passed. To her surprise, Violet didn't turn towards the main doors to the house but instead, walked to the opposite end towards the servants' entrance and the kitchens.

The kitchens at the ocean house were much lighter and airier than the kitchens at Edgewood. There was a big stove that was still fairly new and shiny brass pots hanging from hooks on the walls or stacked on shelves.

Delaney sat lightly on a stool that sat beside a big wooden counter and watched as Violet moved about the kitchen. Her mother-in-law started a kettle of water to boil and while it did she got two teacups. She vanished into the pantry and returned with a tin of tea and a bowl of sugar. She prepared everything and was finished just as the kettle began to whistle.

The dowager duchess then served them both tea, stirring in just enough sugar. Delany stared at the noblewoman who seemed to know her way around a kitchen.

"Don't look so surprised," Violet smirked, "You forget, my father was just a merchant and my brother married a lady's maid. I am only a duchess because my father found a noble family in great need of his wealth for me to marry into."

"But if he was so wealthy did you not have plenty of servants and cooks to take care of you?"

Violet smiled warmly as she spoke of her family.

"My father only gained his fortune after he and my mother were already married. My mother loved to cook. Even after we had servants she would often come to the kitchens and cook meals herself. She made sure I learned the basics in case something ever happened and we lost our money. She wanted to make sure I would have the skills to find work."

It was hard for Delaney to imagine her elegant, proud, mother-in-law as a servant working in the kitchens or anywhere in a house. She couldn't imagine Violet Adair bowing or taking orders from anyone.

"What a completely different life you might have led," Delaney said thoughtfully, "It sounds like both of your parents took good care of you."

"They did," Violet agreed, "They were very strict and stern but they made sure my brother and I both had a good life."

"As parents should," Delaney looked down at the countertop then, thinking of her own parents.

They had seen to it that she had a good marriage contract and was well educated but that was sort of the end of it. Then her mother had died and her father had drunk away their fortune.

"Your parents were good too," Violet said as if reading her thoughts, "Your mother loved you more than anything in the world. Your father loved you too but he was just so in love with your mother I think losing her sucked the life from him even before he died."

"Thank you," Delaney said quietly, dashing a tear from her eye.

Delaney sipped her tea and watched her mother-in-law curiously. Never once in her entire life had she been alone with Violet like this and not been arguing. Either that or sitting there while Violet said cruel things to her. She knew it was very unlikely that a time like this would ever happen again so she swallowed hard and looked up to meet the older woman's gaze head-on.

"Why are you so cruel to Vincent?" she asked quietly, "You haven't always been. I used to think of you as a fiercely protective mother."

"I still am," Violet snapped, her green eyes flashing like her sons did when he was upset, "You seem to think that the things I do are to hurt Vincent but it's not. I say the things I do in order to protect him from a worse pain in the future."

"What are you talking about?" Delaney shook her head, "You say horrible things to him. You're always bringing up his scars and talking about things he can't do. You say he's ugly Violet. How is that protecting him from pain?"

"Delaney, do you honestly think the things I say are the worst he will ever hear? I went to court before coming here. Talk of my scarred and crippled son is still circulating and you left ages ago. The nobles at court have much worse things to say than I do."

Delaney felt her heart drop with that information but she lifted her chin to her mother-in-law anyway.

"We left court so we won't have to hear things like that."

"Don't be a foolish girl. He is a duke! He can't hide out at Edgewood with you forever. He will have to go to court and hear much worse things than what I say. When he spends this time wrapped up with you it's as if he forgets his injuries and he can't Delaney. It will make their cruel words hurt all the more when he hears them."

Delaney frowned, "So you think I should ruin the happiness he has now to protect him from pain in the future? Is he to never be happy?"

"He can be happy while remembering his limitations," Violet shook her head, "Like that nonsense about him being King. Mason knows as well as I do that the people would never let Vincent be King. If Daniel were here I'm sure he would agree but Mason has always been obsessed with trying to make people like him so he'll ignore the truth."

"Why bring it up?" Delaney asked, "Why bring up the fact he won't be able to be King? Why not let him just have that dream?"

"Because I am his mother and as I said, I want to spare him as much pain as I can. Wouldn't it be worse to let him believe he could be King and be excited by the idea only to have the time come and have his heart crushed when the people reject him? Wouldn't it be better for him to hear now that it's not in his future so he never hopes for something he can't have?"

Delaney was quiet as she let her mother-in-law's words sink in. She realized then that in her own backward way Violet was actually trying to help her son and protect him. The realization surprised her.

"Isn't there a better way to help him?" Delaney looked at her seriously, "Couldn't you do these things without being so cruel?"

Now Violet was quiet, looking down at her tea on the counter. After a moment she sighed.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to talk to him anymore," she answered, "Miles and I have always butted heads but I never had that trouble with Vincent. After the war though he came home angry and impatient. He would shout at me when I tried to tell him things would be alright and he was furious with me when I made attempts to bring the two of you together."

"You-you tried to bring us together?"

"Well of course," Violet smiled sadly, "I pretended not to know but who do you think convinced him to go to your club the night of your party? I had told him it would be a terrible idea because I knew if I did he would go. And then I went to talk to your Aunt and Uncle and set a meeting with them he would have to go to and where you would be as well."

Delaney stared at her in surprise, "Both of those meetings went so badly. They made things worse between us."

"Yes," she sighed, "He is my son and I suppose I didn't want to believe that seeing him in such a state would be so hard for you. I love him so it was hard for me but not scary as it would have been for you. You were a beautiful, spirited young girl and you had just learned you would be marrying a scarred and quite angry seeming man. I should have guessed that wasn't going to go well."

Delaney thought over those times and remembered the meeting with her Aunt and Uncle. She remembered how heartbroken Violet had been when Vincent suggested the year deal. As his mother, she had fought tirelessly, even with him, to try to secure their future together. The only reason she had lost was because Vincent was so good and wanted only the best for Delaney even if it meant a loss for himself.

"Delaney?"

The sound of a third voice made both women jump. They turned to see the subject of their conversation standing in the doorway in his breeches and a robe that was untied, leaving his scarred chest exposed. Delaney looked from him back to Violet and saw the woman go pale as she looked at the marks.

"I'm sorry love," she got to her feet and went to Vincent, leaning up to kiss him, "I couldn't sleep and your mother came across me so she made us tea and we've been talking."

"Talking?" he questioned, looking at his mother suspiciously.

"Yes," Delaney smiled, "It's actually been quite pleasant. I think I'm ready for bed now though. Do you want to go wait for me by the stairs?"

Vincent stared at Violet a moment longer before nodding and leaving the room. Once he was gone, Delaney stepped quickly back to the counter and met the sad eyes of his mother.

"I'm truly sorry things have gotten this way between you and Vincent," she whispered, "But I promise I will help you if I can. You must do something though."

"And what is that?"

"Stop calling him ugly and being so harsh," Delaney said seriously, "Be kind in the way you say things to him, even if he gets angry. I can promise you Violet, your son is a strong man and the hurtful things random people say to him don't cut him nearly as badly as the words of his mother."

Violet looked back at her with tear-filled green eyes and nodded.

Delaney grabbed her cold, boney hand and gave it a quick squeeze before hurrying after her husband.