Page 51 of Deposed

“They married in Chelsea Town Hall. Bridal wear was optional.”

“Oh. Were they married for long?”

He glanced down into his clasped hands. “Until the beginning of my second year.”

I would have said I was sorry, but some divorces were actually beneficial. For example, Dad didn’t realize he had a drug problem until the moment he discovered Mom left and had taken me with her.

“My father’s mental state deteriorated when my mother befriended the prince.”

I swallowed. During our supposed captivity, Henry had mentioned something about Blake’s promiscuous mother driving his father to drink. I kept silent, not wanting to probe. Since the man had died in an alcohol-related car accident, I let it up to Blake to decide if he wanted to continue on the subject.

He rested his forearms on his knees and blew hair out of his eyes through the side of his mouth. “My father described her as the kind of woman who drives men wild but not away. She’s a free spirit, I suppose, but he couldn’t see that until it was too late.”

“I’m… sorry.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I’m not,” he said in a tight voice. “He pinned all his hopes on the one woman who would never stay faithful. And even when she divorced him and married the prince, he couldn’t move on. A man should be dignified about these things, but he fell apart in front of the nation.”

I chewed my lip. It seemed a little uncharitable to judge someone harshly for being heartbroken, but I held my silence. I’d never seen Dad drunk or high on drugs, or if I had, I couldn’t remember, since Mom took me away when I was five. If Blake’s family had stayed together until he was twelve or thirteen, he must have witnessed some ugly, scarring scenes.

“I was at school when the worst of it happened. Every time he got into a drunken brawl, it would be emblazoned on the front pages of the tabloids. He lost everything. His wealth, his health, his reputation, and when the palace couldn’t do anything else to stop him from self-destruction, he lost his life.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I reached out for his hand. “Do you remember what he was like before things went wrong?”

“It’s hard to tell,” he said with a rueful smile. “He was always controlling, and if she didn’t listen to him, he’d resort to violence. I don’t blame Mother for leaving, although I wished she had done it sooner.”

I winced and gave his hand a squeeze. One evening with the likes of Mr. Carbuncle was enough for a lifetime. It was hard to imagine being in that situation for years.

Blake shook his head. “Before I went away to the academy, he would tell me never to get married. That it was the death of all men. I’d probably been too young and wrapped up in myself to notice the cracks in their relationship until I saw evidence of it in the paper.”

“Were you friends with Edward and Henry in your first year?”

He smiled. “I got close to Edward when he lost his mother. Our housemaster asked me to drop by his room after prep to keep him company. That was around the time the papers published pictures of Mother and the prince. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall and thought we might need to support each other during the years.”

“What about Henry?”

“He was more Edward’s friend than mine at first. They both had sports in common. But Henry came through for me a year later, when the papers printed pictures of my mother… in a compromising position with the prince while she was still married to my father. The three of us would fight anyone who dared call her a trollop.”

My head snapped up. “That’s why you never joined in on the name-calling.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I should have stopped them. I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head. “How can I hold a grudge against you after what you did for me?”

“If I’d gotten there sooner—”

“They might have knocked you out and held you for ransom, too. Then who would have saved us?”

Someone knocked on the door, and Blake rushed to answer it before they turned the doorknob. It was a woman who spoke in hushed tones, asking if she could come in to vacuum. The man from breakfast was with her, demanding to be let in to check the room.

I closed my eyes and sighed. What were they looking for? Drugs? I didn’t understand how Blake could tolerate so many interfering busybodies. When Blake tried slamming the door on them, they didn’t budge. I rolled my eyes. If whatever they were looking for was a big deal, they would have brought one of the armed detectives.

While Blake bickered with the servants, I studied the picture of his mother and father. His mother stared ahead at the camera, striking a fierce pose, while his father cast her an adoring look that said he was lucky to have married someone so stunning. My heart sank at the thought of how tragically the relationship had worked out. Eventually, Blake told the servants to fuck off, which worked, and they backed away and let him lock the door.

He strolled back with a sheepish grin. My gaze lingered over his strong biceps, prominent pecs with dusky nipples, and tight eight-pack. He didn’t have the same bulk of Henry or even Edward, but his muscles rippled tantalizingly with every breath. Instead of sitting back on the chair, he joined me in the bed. I lay on his chest, breathing in his spicy, sandalwood scent and ran my fingertips over the tight ridges of his abdominal muscles.

“I would think that after your mother’s infidelity, you wouldn’t be interested in sharing me with anyone.”

The corner of his lip curled into a smile. “The others each have their reasons for wanting to share a girl, so I can’t speak for them. But if I was going to pin everything on one woman, I’d rather have one I shared with my best friends. Henry and Edward are the two people I love most in the world.”