A Ring

Delaney felt the heat of Miles glare on her. She couldn't look at him. He wasn't wrong. Vincent had trusted her. She questioned now if she'd deserved that trust.

"He's in the hospital mostly alone trying to recover and here you are throwing a party at a gambling club."

"I own this club Miles. It was planned to open today long before your brother was injured."

"Oh you mean, while he was off at war, fighting to keep everyone here, including you, safe? That's when you were working on opening a club and planning a party?"

Delaney looked at him, not sure what to say. That was correct but what else was she supposed to do? Had Miles expected her to be sitting at home waiting for Vincent every single day?

"You're selfish," Miles spat, "Vincent deserves better than you."

"You're probably right," Delaney agreed quietly, making his eyes snap to her, "I don't think I can be what he deserves."

"Well, you'll have to learn how. You'll be married to him."

Delaney bit her lip for a moment and considered if it was her place to ask Miles anything about his brother. She felt like she'd given up that right when she had refused to go back to him.

"Has he... Has he had any improvement?"

Miles studied her, trying to gauge if her interest was genuine. "He seems to have," he took another drink but looked away, "The pain has eased some. He's able to be up and walk around now. He'll be leaving the hospital day after tomorrow.

His words made Delaney's stomach clench. He was recovering? She knew she didn't want him to die but now her heart raced.

If he was well enough to come home surely he would recover enough they would expect the marriage to take place. She swallowed hard as sweat formed on her brow.

"It's good to hear he can go home," she managed, "That hospital was horrible."

For a moment Miles's anger receded and he nodded, "It certainly is a sort of hell. It's not so bad in the spring and summer but in the winter it's a dungeon. Mother has been pushing the doctors to allow him to leave since she got there."

"Your mother is still there then?"

"She is," Miles sighed, "We have been living in the city house together. I haven't lived with my mother since I was young."

Delaney bit her lip to keep from smiling at Miles's obvious displeasure about his living arrangements. Their mother was something of a dictator and really always had been.

"I'm sure she's appreciated having so much time with her sons despite the circumstances," Delaney worked to sound polite now that Miles's anger at her seemed to be forgotten.

"I suppose she is. She has been wanting Vincent to get well enough to return to Edgewood. Now that the war is over she wants him to take his place there so she can retire. I suppose that will mean you will be taking up your position there as well soon enough. You turned eighteen so long ago, if not for the war I'm sure you'd be there with Vince already."

Delaney sighed. Miles did not mean that maliciously she knew. He just didn't know how much she dreaded the idea of marrying his brother at all now, let alone being trapped out at Edgewood.

"We never know what will happen," she sighed and he nodded. She knew he thought she was referring to the war. He had no idea she meant her future with Vincent wasn't as concrete as he thought. Or at least she hoped it wasn't.

"I told him I was coming here tonight and he actually sent something for you," Miles drained the last of his drink before putting it down and pulling something from his pocket, "I admit I've been rather angry with you and was considering not giving it to you but I suppose it was his to give not mine."

Delaney watched as Miles held out a small wooden box to her. She took it and carefully opened it, afraid of what it might hold. Inside she found a small silver ring with little aquamarine stones set in it. She took it out carefully to admire it.

"This is lovely," she smiled at the ring.

"I thought he should give it to you himself but he wanted you to have it as a gift to... sort of celebrate your club opening. It was our grandmother's ring. He has had it set aside for you for many years."

"Really?" Delaney asked in surprise.

"The day of my father's funeral, after the two of you had raced, he went to our grandmother and asked if he could have it for you. He told her the stones reminded him of your eyes so he thought it would look perfect. He's had it ever since."

Delaney felt a stab of guilt reach her heart again as she stared down at the beautiful ring. Vincent had had it for her for over ten years. He'd chosen it for her when they were just children. Now, because of the war, he was not here to give it to her himself and she wasn't sure she wanted to take it.

"It's so beautiful," she spoke, looking up at Miles, "But I don't think I should take it."

He frowned, "Why wouldn't you take it? You're going to be his wife and it's a family heirloom he's been saving especially for you."

"Because...because we're not married yet. I'm not his wife yet."

"But you will be."

Delaney looked down at the ring in her hands. He had saved it for her because he thought she would be his wife. Now, the guilt ate at her knowing she was actively trying to escape just that.

"Look Delaney don't you think the least you can do is accept his gift? I'm sure he would've rather given it to you himself but you're here living your life while he's there trying to get well."

His words were like a slap to her face. Delaney nodded quickly and slid the ring onto her finger, not knowing what else to do. Miles's words were cruel but there was truth to them.

"Please tell him thank you for me," she spoke, her voice cracking as tears stung her eyes.

"You can tell him yourself when you see him next," Miles looked out across the room until his eyes landed on Cora at her table, "I'm sure mother will have him on his way here in no time to go over wedding plans with you."

With those words, Miles left her alone at the bar fighting to keep the tears from coming.

"What was that about?" Selina asked quietly as she came to stand by Delaney. Seeing her friend's tear-filled eyes she took her hand and pulled her from the bar, back to the living quarters out of the sight of the patrons in the club.

Delaney told her friend what Miles had said about the ring and about Vincent recovering. When she told her of what he Miles had said about their mother soon sending Vincent to marry her, Selina's eyes widened.

"Go first thing in the morning to your Uncle and tell him. Then he can call for the lawyer and see what progress he has made. He has to have found something."

Delaney agreed and wiped the tears from her eyes. There was nothing she could do tonight but tomorrow she would do as Selina said.

Late that night after Delaney left the club in the hands of her workers, she lay in her bed and stared at the ring on her finger and imagined her once handsome Vincent as a boy asking his grandmother for the ring.

Delaney for the first time then wondered what Vincent must think of her not coming back to see him. Miles had said he'd understood he'd scared her and was sorry. Did he know she found him hideous? Could he guess she would try to break the contract?

She fell asleep at some point and her familiar nightmares came back with Vincent again, the star. She tossed and turned as the dream got uglier until it got so bad she suddenly jerked herself awake with a start.

Breathing quickly with sweat on her face she worked to calm herself from the horrible visions she'd seen.

Unable to calm down she got up and paced around her room, eventually winding up at the window. She looked outside to see fat snowflakes spinning their way to the ground and admired how beautiful they were

She pressed her warm face against the cool glass and looked down below. She thought of all the times she'd stood in this exact same place and looked down at Vincent in whatever carriage he had shown up with that day.

She used to be so excited to see him and go out for their fun together. Now, seeing her betrothed was the absolute last thing she wanted to do.