The Resilient Lady Collins

"My Lady, I think that it is time to let go of your husband. There is no reason why a woman like yourself should hold on to a man who doesn't enjoy your company. I know that it is not my place to offer you advice as I am the woman stealing his time, but I wish for everyone to be happy."

Scarlet picked up the porcelain cup filled halfway with her tea which was not long delivered by a young waiter. She inspected the brown colour of the mix which was just as she liked since she was a regular here. 

It was unfortunate that with the owners letting just anyone come in she would have to start over with finding someone who could make her tea how she wanted it to be.

Scarlet had been ignoring the woman since she sat down shamelessly before her without invitation.

She liked to be alone when having her tea—everyone knew that. She had never brought even her husband or friends to this teahouse before. 

So where did this woman get the audacity to make herself Scarlet's first guest?

Her guards were quick to rush to remove the eyesore, but she raised her hand to stop them. It was only a matter of time before Jack's lover would appear before her, no longer satisfied with being some married man's little secret.

Scarlet smiled as she brought the cup to her lips. She had to enjoy it thoroughly since this would be her last time here. 

"Lady Scarlet-"

"Go back to where he keeps you," Scarlet replied flatly, already tired of this woman chatting like they were friends. Her presence and behaviour were attracting attention Scarlet didn't want. "Continue to wait patiently for me to be done with him."

She had already initiated divorce proceedings, and her lawyer was working diligently to ensure she would leave the marriage with everything she had brought to it. She saw no reason to rush him, especially not because her husband's mistress couldn't wait to be flaunted around.

"For you to be done with him?" Beth echoed, incredulous at the delusion of her defeated rival. "Your husband is ready to leave. He is only stuck with you now because you are overcomplicating things."

Scarlet paused for a moment. "I see that my decision to divorce has Jack filling you with dreams. Regardless of what he says, you cannot marry him until I let him go. There is nothing else you can do but wait for me to give him to you." 

They had both caused her great headaches. The least they could do was hold their tongues until the lawyers were done sorting out the paperwork.

"The assets could've been divided over one meeting. You're dragging out the divorce on purpose," Beth accused. "But it's not up to you to control your husband's movements. He already comes to me whenever he wishes."

The older woman did not reply, surely silenced by the humiliation of losing her husband to a younger woman. Beth tried to be understanding of this stubborn fool. "I know it is hard for you to let go of your first love, but prolonging the divorce does not mean you have more time to win his heart back." She reached out to hold Scarlet's hand in mock comfort. "After all, I already have him." 

Scarlet wished Jack had picked a woman with more sense and enough shame to know a mistress shouldn't bother a wife. 

"If I wanted to," she began as she put her empty cup down, "I could've ripped up the divorce papers and insisted on making my marriage work. I could've prevented you from ever truly having him, but I did not. Do you know why?" 

"Bec-"

"Because that would be a waste of my time. You see, I have no interest in keeping a disloyal husband around. Believe me when I say you can have him. You only need to wait."

With that, Scarlet stood up, straightening her black dress as she did so. Her hair cascaded down her back in red waves. She truly did not understand why Beth thought she'd cling to the man who had wasted her time. 

In truth, she wanted him out of her life as much as Beth wanted him in hers. 

"I am afraid that our conversation ends here. I have no interest in seeing my face plastered all over the news tomorrow. It would be impolite of me to leave my guest hungry, so order anything that catches your fancy. Take your time. I know you're unfamiliar with the menu." 

She turned to leave. "Don't worry about the prices. I will take care of that. Consider it a treat for keeping my husband entertained so I don't have to bother with him." 

"Lady Collins!" Beth exclaimed after regaining her voice. "This is not over yet!" She got out of her seat, intent on following Scarlet. 

Scarlet did not even spare her a backward glance. As she descended the stairs towards the exit reserved for the most important customers, she couldn't help but note the irony of Beth chasing her like she had stolen something from her. 

Her guards, already waiting for her, were quick to block Beth from reaching her. 

She walked towards the exit at a relaxed pace, as if unable to hear the delusional woman screaming behind her. She knew that she would be all over the news tomorrow, but she was not going to give the other customers the satisfaction of seeing her distressed or angry. 

If not for enjoying her favourite tea one final time, she would have left the moment Beth appeared before her. 

"Mrs. Humphrey," the restaurant manager greeted as she approached. "Your carriage is arriving."

"Thank you," she replied smoothly, as if her heart did not sting when people addressed her with her husband's surname. 

She left the teahouse as gracefully as she had come in, but she understood that by evening everyone would be gossiping about how her husband's mistress had angered her into storming off. 

Every day there was a new rumour about her marriage. Her marriage often felt like it consisted of more than two people. 

Scarlet stood outside of the restaurant, ignoring the stares of guests excited to see the young heiress. She had been too busy with work to leave her estate often, but gossipers claimed that it was because she was too embarrassed by her husband's affair and their divorce to show her face in public. 

Scarlet longed to move on from her husband and his mistress, not caring about either one. She had brought up divorce immediately after her husband had revealed Beth's existence during a heated conversation. 

She could vividly remember how offended he had looked at her suggestion as if her refusal to save their marriage was insulting to him. 

The argument ended with her soon-to-be ex-husband calling her a cold-hearted bitch and storming off. 

Scarlet had little interest in figuring out what else he wanted from her when he had already gotten together with someone else. She was not stupid enough to try fixing something so broken. Instead, she was going to get out of this marriage before she could lose more time, energy, and money.

Soon she would be Scarlet Collins again. 

Lost in thought, she didn't notice her carriage pulling up to her until her driver Harry offered her his hand. He had been nearby, knowing better than to go far when Scarlet never stayed at the teahouse for longer than twenty minutes. 

"My lady, your guards?" he asked as he helped her up the carriage's steps. 

"Should be on their way soon. Find somewhere else for me to have tea for next week. Somewhere that is more… selective when it comes to customers," Scarlet instructed as she disappeared into the black carriage marked with the symbol of a falcon. 

As Harry closed the door, he wondered what had prompted this sudden change. Scarlet had been coming here weekly for nearly three years now. Every Wednesday around one in the afternoon. Like clockwork. 

"No!" 

Harry turned towards the cry. His eyes widened at the sight of Scarlet's guards trying to hold back the homewrecker without hurting her.

A small crowd was starting to gather, eager to watch a confrontation between a wife and a mistress.

Harry knew he had to get Scarlet out. Fast. 

"No! She must listen. How much longer will she try to hold on to the father of my child?" Beth shrieked for everyone around them to hear. 

Harry could scarcely believe his ears. Scarlet's childlessness had always been a sore point in her marriage, and now her husband's mistress was rubbing salt into that old wound. 

Scarlet leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, trying to block Beth out. Tomorrow, the tabloids would have a field day. Everyone would know that Beth was giving Jack the child he had longed for years. "To the estate," she muttered tiredly.

"Right away," Harry replied from the driver's box.