Cloaked Heart

.·:*¨༺ Twenty-Three ༻¨*:·.

As Win watched the girl scamper out of his room to return to her nursery, he followed her for a moment to ensure of her destination, not wanting her to read his accursed novel in secret, but as he glanced over the banister rail and saw the marquis striding into the hall, he hurriedly went back to his own bedchamber not wanting to be seen. A maidservant dozed by the fire when he returned and Win dismissed her, wanting only to be alone. But even when the maid has gone, Win made no attempt to prepare for bed. He felt utterly exhausted and sank down onto the sofa before the fire, but it would have been useless to go to bed for he knew he could not sleep. Peace of mind, it seemed, was lost to him forever.

When there came a knock at the door, he became tensed but ignored it. However, the maid had left the door unlocked and a moment later it opened and the marquis came in, displaying what was for him an uncharacteristic diffidence.

"May I speak with you for a few moments?"

Win continued to stare into the flames of the fire. "There is nothing left to say."

Despite his discouragement, Bright came into the room to stand by the fire in front of him. "You might want to know that Sir Luke Harley has withdrawn his offer of marriage."

"That does not surprise me."

"It does not seem to distress you."

"I only regret the outcome of tonight's fiasco. Uncle Emrys will definitely tell my Aunt Luisa what he saw and by tomorrow, news of my indelicate behavior will be all over the town. My reputation is in tatters. I don't suppose Sir Luke is much in favor of defending my honor any longer, and I can only be glad of that. I want no bloodshed on my account."

"You are uncommon in that, my dear. Most people feel honored when gentlemen of the Vermillion Empire, especially of noble line duel over them."

"I do not think you need to go so far. I have it in mind you will send away any suitor with a flea in his ear."

Bright looked startled at his terminology and then, recovering some of his urbanity confessed, "I am bound to admit that is true but only because I have found myself madly in love with you, Win, and would want you to be mine," Win looked up at him at last and could discern nothing but sincerity in his demeanor. "I am fully aware of your hatred towards me and I cannot blame you for that," Bright went on, "You have good reason to be resentful of me..."

Win continued to stare in disbelief and for a moment, he felt that familiar sensation in his heart when he first saw him at that gathering way back when they were children. He recalled Bright so well, even then, he always looked at him as an arrogant prick. However, that one time when he had to save Gun from the bullies of the court, the young future marquis stood up in their defense despite knowing that it was Win's temper that inflamed the situation. He had thrown his reputation and even warned the other nobles to never speak of the incident again. And even when they rarely exchange words back then, slapped him across the face, and even vowed never to speak with him, Bright was uncommonly kind to him, he would tease him but would give him what he always wanted. This rare character was something that Win had kept in his thoughts for a long time and would not dare share with anyone even as he became an adult, for he only wanted the people to witness his anger towards him. It was also at that point that he became convinced that his feelings towards the marquis were simply more than just anger.

From childhood, he always watched the young heir of the Vanderveer House from afar, reasoning that he could not get along with the kind of circle Bright had chosen. It was no secret to anyone that even then, the heir of the Baron of Montgomery dislike the nobles of the ton for their haughtiness, but he knew...he knew from observing that Bright was different. There was something about him that sets him apart from the elitists of the beau monde, and yet the marquis had not the slightest clue that he broke his heart that day at the lawyer's office when it was revealed that he was the one responsible for his father's ruination.