"I wonder what would you do Sibella if I were to marry?
Forbid it.
You think that would be effective?
If it were not I should never speak to you again."
She didn't go to the ceremony but she had read about it in all of the papers.
It was the marriage that everyone was talking about.
She had read that it had been a grand ceremony, with hundreds of people, some of who had been friends of Phoebe's family, others were people who wanted to see the new Earl of Highhurst in the flesh.
She knew Monty had been hurt when she had declined their invitation, since he came to her wedding, but she couldn't bring herself to watch Monty get married.
The blonde knew she should have gone, that she should have supported Monty in his marriage to Phoebe but she was too spiteful, too angry that she had lost him to go.
Instead she had sulked in the bathtub with one too many glasses of wine until her head spun, and the pain faded enough for her to finally stop sniffling.
It was a stupid and rash decision on her part, and Lionel was not too keen nor happy when he came home to find her stumbling and muttering to herself as she walked along the hallway to their bedroom in her bathrobe with her hair still wet, dripping onto the floor.
It took him half a second to figure out why she was upset, since he saw the wedding invitation from Monty and Phoebe ripped up into pieces on the floor by her desk.
"Let's get you to bed," he said as he took both of her hands and led her to their room.
She followed reluctantly, too inebriated to do otherwise.
"You're angry, aren't you?" she asked softly, looking up at him after he got her into bed.
"I expected this," he stated without hesitation.
"You did?" she asked questioningly.
He nodded, "Yes." He paused, looking at her.
In that moment, Sibella didn't despise Lionel as much. She was actually glad that he was here… glad that he was comforting her instead of Monty.
"I know you love Monty," he told her. "And I know that him getting married to Phoebe is upsetting to you… but," at this his grip on her wrist tightened just a bit so that she winced, "that is no excuse for you to behave like this."
"You can't tell me how to-"
"You are my wife!" Lionel interrupted her harshly.
Sibella was silent after that, her eyes refusing to look at Lionel.
He let go of her wrist.
"I expect you to behave like one, not this woman who cries and gets herself drunk over a man she can't have."
It was then that the anger and resentment in marrying Lionel returned, and Sibella found herself glaring at her husband.
She got out of the bed clumsily, threw on a simple dress, and wrenching her arm from Lionel's grasp as he tried to reach for her once more, she climbed down the stairs and had their driver take her to Highhurst.
She knew that he wouldn't be there, since he was probably already on his honeymoon with Phoebe, but she did not want to stay in her house with Lionel berating her and arguing with her.
It looked suspicious, Sibella knew that for certain, but she couldn't help herself. She was comfortable at Monty's…
The driver dropped her off and she walked to the gate where the servants let her in.
She was surprised to see that numerous lights were on and that the servants were still here.
She opened the door and Phoebe came rushing towards her, a flurry of dark blue and purple.
Sibella narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Phoebe, what on earth are you doing here?" she asked.
Phoebe started to cry.
"It's Monty… he's been arrested!"
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
Phoebe nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh, Mrs. Holland, will you help me? Will you stay with me, I'd rather not be alone tonight…" she begged.
The blonde bit back a sigh. She nodded.
Phoebe gave her a watery smile and embraced her tightly.
"Oh, thank you!"
Sibella felt guilty, here she was hugging the woman whose husband she wanted to steal away from her and marry.
But she didn't know what else to do. She wanted to help Monty, and she really had no way out of this situation now that she was in it.
"Oh, Monty," she sighed, "What have you gotten yourself into now?"