Chapter 8

London, 1820…

"Did you not expect her to get upset?" Johnny asked,asked, his hands on his hipsplacing his hands on his hips as he stood behind his desk. "Her father is on trial for murder, Jason. She was going to get emotional."

"She could barely walk home," he sighed, his heart tightening in his chest as he thought about how she'd acted the night before.

"Why did you walk?" he asked confused.

"She hadn't left the house in months and months. I thought she'd like to walk, get some fresh air. I thought it would be good for her."

"Well, it was," he replied, "but you can't see that because you're too focused on the fact that she was hurt."

"It was a horrible suggestion," Jason commented, shaking his head as he paced back and forth in Johnny's study.

"It was not," he replied, rolling his eyes as he sifted through papers on his desk.

"She's turned cold and distant again. It took days to get her to actually act as if she wanted to be around me."

"Which is an improvement seeing as you just showed up on her doorstep a little over a week ago, Jason."

"You have no idea what it's like to live with a woman who doesn't speak to you," he griped, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. "It was difficult enough before, but we started to make progress, and she seemed to enjoy being around me."

"She should probably see a doctor for that," Johnny snickered, sitting back in his desk chair and frowning at his friend. "You really know nothing about women, Jason."

"I've said it a thousand times," he growled, narrowing his eyes at him. "You marry one beautiful woman and you think you know everything."

"I do," he said smugly, his lips turning into a wide grin. "Did I ever tell you that Nadine didn't speak to me for nearly the first two weeks that we were married?"

Jason's pacing came to a halt and he turned to his friend, thinking that for the first time, Johnny may be able to help him. "No."

He chuckled, his face lighting up as if having his wife ignore him was actually funny. "She said I became too frisky on our wedding night."

"Oh, do I even want to hear this?" he asked, grimacing as he thought about his two oldest and closest friends in such a position.

"Well, she made me wait all that damn time," Johnny replied defensively, his eyes roaming over the papers in front of him. "I had a lot of frustration to get out."

"I don't want to hear this," Jason said, waving his hand at him. "The two of you – No." Johnny laughed, clearly enjoying this too much. "Besides I did nothing of the sort to Elizabeth."

"No, but I'm simply trying to show you that it's normal for the bride to get upset over things. Elizabeth is special because she learned in a matter of days she was going to be married, and she really didn't get to partake in any of the usual traditions. It was a lot for the young girl to handle."

Jason grunted, not wanting to agree with his friend, but damn Johnny if he didn't have to be right.

"I never did ask," his friend murmured with a smirk. "How did your wedding night go?"

"Nothing happened," he replied, not sure whether he was more annoyed that Johnny was asking about it or that nothing had in fact happened.

It wasn't that he expected anything to – after all, this was Jeffrey's daughter, and he had no intentions to take her to bed – ever. Unfortunately, it was still Jason's wedding night and he found himself somewhat confused by the fact that he'd actually gone as far as to get married, only to have none of the perks. He also wondered if Elizabeth had similar thoughts. It wasn't like she'd be married to anyone else after this, so she was losing her one chance to…Not that he would have done anything. This was Jeffrey's daughter, and he just simply could not.

"Maybe that's why she's so upset," Johnny joked, stifling his laughter only when Jason gritted his teeth, unable to form any real words. "I apologize. It's very rude of me to talk about the lovely Mrs. Morgan in such a way."

"Yes, it is," he agreed, taking a seat in the oversized chair on the opposite side of the room.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face, not quite sure what to do at this point. He hadn't come to his best friend to be mocked and ridiculed for his situation. He'd come for advice, though he had no idea why because everything Johnny said failed to work.

"I'm afraid – I'm afraid she's going to lock herself in her room again," he confessed, shifting his eyes to meet Johnny's. "I know that this is hard for her, but carrying it on her own isn't good for her either."

"You want her to talk to you," Johnny grinned, scratching his chin. "You want her to confide in you and to trust you and to-"

"So what if I do?" he interrupted, glaring at him. "She is my wife and-"

"In order for her to do any of that, she's going to have to like you, Jason," he cut in exhaustedly, shaking his head. "It takes more than a few meals and conversations. You remember how short Nadine used to be with me?"

"That was different," Jason replied seriously, frowning heavily at the mention of the past. "Nadine was a special circumstance. She had every reason to want nothing to do with you."

"Perhaps Elizabeth has a special circumstance of her own," he shrugged, leaning forward as he slid a paper across the desk to him. "Lucas Spencer was murdered in her home, and neither of us believe her father did it."

"You think she knows who does," he muttered, sighing heavily as he thought about the weight his wife must be carrying.

Even if she didn't know that her father wasn't innocent, it was burden enough thinking he'd committed murder. And if she knew he was innocent? Then she knew the truth and was obviously torn between confessing or not, which her father may or may not have played a part in.

There were just so many questions and answers he needed.

"Don't you think the same?" Johnny asked, motioning for him to come take the piece of paper. Jason didn't bother to reply, so his friend went on knowing it was a sensitive issue. "I've gathered a list of the staff that was on hand for Jeffrey during the time of the murder. Surprisingly enough, only one person was in the house."

"Who?" he inquired, pushing himself up from the chair. He crossed the room to the desk and braced his hands against the edge as his eyes roamed over the paper. "This isIs this the entire staff?"

"Yes. It isn't much, but as you know, Jeffrey always was a private person, and he kept to himself, not wanting very many people in his business."

"A maid, three servants, and a cook," Jason confirmed, not sure exactly what any of it met. "What about this Carly woman?"

"Completely dreadful," he croaked, rolling his eyes.

"I thought I was the only one who felt that way," he smirked, shaking his head at the thought of the rude blonde, who had been hanging around Elizabeth's – his home. "She's so damn loud."

"And bossy."

"And self-centered," Jason laughed, knowing they shouldn't really be talking about the woman, but it felt so good to finally say how he felt. "She obviously wouldn't know a thing, right?"

"I wouldn't think so," he agreed, turning his attention back to the list. "I have no idea why Jeffrey kept Lulu on hand for so long. He must have pitied the poor girl because she's very inept. When Elizabeth let the staff go, Nadine asked that we hire her on. She's an only child, forced to take care of her alcoholic father, and well, you know how my wife is about helping others."

"Sounds like they had similar backgrounds," he said, knowing immediately that Lulu would be of no help.

"Very close," Johnny frowned, "except that it was Lulu's mother who suffered from madness, not her sister, like Nadine's. She thought she could help the young woman, but she was so damn annoying that Nadine had no choice but to let her go. She hated working and was faor more interested in other members of the staff than doing her actual chores."

"I assume she wasn't there the night of the murder," Jason muttered, waiting for Johnny to give him something.

"Not exactly," he corrected, lowering his voice as if someone would actually hear them. "Lulu told the authorities that she was out on the terrace – you know, very busy with another servant, but she swears she didn't hear a thing."

"Which servant?"

"Logan, though rumors were that she let them both frisk her anytime they were on the job."

"Jeffrey knew this?" Jason frowned disgustedly.

"I would believe so. Nothing ever got past that man," he replied, leaning forward and pointing at a name on the list. "Robin, the cook, wasn't there, so she is completely clueless about what may or may not have happened."

"And Sonny?" he asked, lifting his eyes to Johnny's. "Sonny Corinthos was inside the home?"

"Yes," he answered, nodding slowly. "He told the authorities he saw the entire murder – that it was Jeffrey."

"I don't understand," Jason said, balling the piece of paper up into his fist. "If Sonny says he saw him – he's Jeffrey's oldest servant. If anything, I would think he'd want to help Jeffrey and Elizabeth in anyway that he could."

"Maybe he is," Johnny replied excitedly, getting up from his chair. "What if this supposed devoted servant is just that? So devoted to the extent that he'd be willing to lie?"

"Why would he lie and say that Jeffrey-" he stopped, getting up from the desk and scrubbinged his hands over his face. "No."

There'd been no doubt in his mind that Elizabeth had more knowledge than she was letting on. She was more than just distraught over her father being in prison, but he imagined that she'd simply seen the murder take place – that maybe there'd been some confusion, a fight with Lucas regarding Elizabeth, but…

"No."

"I think we should look at this from all sides, Jason," he said hesitantly, walking around the desk so that he was standing beside his friend. "We need to figure out how much Elizabeth knows."

"I don't like what you're implying," he growled, his eyes filling with fury.

"If you want to figure this out, you have to look at all possible suspects," Johnny muttered, his face darkening at the prospect of Elizabeth being involved. "I wouldn't like to imagine my own wife capable of such, but…"

"Was Elizabeth in the house?" he asked, clenching his shaky hands into fists at his sides.

"She was upstairs," he answered, looking as if he didn't believe it.

"I don't…" his voice trailed off, thinking of how withdrawn and terrified Elizabeth had been. Not to mention the fit she'd thrown while visiting her father.

What if she was the reason it wasn't fair?

"She's the last possible suspect," he said firmly, not giving Johnny the chance to argue. His voice trembled as he spoke, seething from just the sheer thought of this. "I'll talk to the staff – to this Lulu woman – to Sonny – but Elizabeth – I can't believe it."

"I'm so pleased you came with Jason today," Nadine murmured, after shooing the boys from the parlor room, Amalia tucked safely in the crook of her arm.

"He thought I might like to get out of the house for a while," Elizabeth replied, sitting stiffly on the sofa, her ankles crossed uncomfortably, but she just wasn't sure how to sit around company. It had been so long.

"Or perhaps you needed to get away from him," the blonde teased, sitting down across from her and rocking the baby in her arms. "I know how unbearable men can be."

"You should," she laughed quietly, grinning at her. "You have enough of them in your life."

She couldn't help but admire Nadine's ease about life. She hadn't spent much time with the woman, but it was clear that she did her best to keep her head about her amidst all the chaos. She didn't strike Elizabeth as the type to be over emotional or disturbed by things that went on around her, and she couldn't help but appreciate that when she was such a mess herself.

It'd been less than twenty-four hours since visiting her father, and despite her failed attempt at holding herself together, Jason had been so kind, which only infuriated her more. He'd all but carried her home in his arms from the prison, stroking her hair as he told her over and over that he would fix this, and she'd been truly awful in return.

Upon arriving atto the house, she'd headed straight for her room, slamming the door behind her, and she'd barely spoken to him this morning. She had no idea why she was acting this way. She knew she could trust him, or rather that she should, but that didn't make it any easier. It was difficult to not be so upset with the man who was promising to make everything better when she just couldn't understand how he was going to do it.

No one except her father had ever promised to take care of her and to make her happy, and the idea of Jason thinking he was so capable of it frustrated her to no end. He may be wealthy and have plenty of power, but that didn't mean he ran the world and would always get what he wanted.

Or perhaps she was just infuriated that she wanted to trust him and that she wanted him to fix this. Her father was hell-bent on her allowing Jason to replace him, and she didn't want to trust him when she knew he was just going to go away eventually.

"Are you happy?" Nadine asked, grimacing when Elizabeth looked at her with wide eyes. "I realize it's a rather personal question to ask, but I – I was a newlywed once. I know how impossible husbands can be." Shaking her head, she dropped her eyes to the baby and frowned. "Forgive me, I should have never asked. I have this horrible habit of asking the wrong questions and saying the wrong things. Johnny assures me it's endearing, but I know he's only trying to coddle me."

"No, it's quite alright," Elizabeth replied, smiling softly. "I just cannot remember the last time someone asked me how I felt."

It was an awkward confession, one that she wished to immediately take back, but Nadine took hold of it immediately. "You're used to being alone, and now you have Jason in your home, and his presence bleeds into everything. Suddenly, you're sharing more than your home. He's paying no attention to the china that you love so much or he dislikes a painting on a wall."

"Something like that," she agreed, relieved to have someone who understood her.

For months, her home had belonged solely to her and now it actually belonged to Jason. She valued her assets and her ability to keep her home the best she could, none of which seemed good enough for her new husband. She cooked poorly, her folded linens wrinkled, and he glared menacingly at a vase in the foyer every time he walked past it.

"Don't tell anyone this," Nadine muttered, her blue eyes sparkling as she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "but I firmly believe they never really do grow up. I should know, I have three sons and a husband all at very different age levels, but their capacity for understanding and behaving is one in the same."

Elizabeth laughed, genuinely amused for the first time in a while.

"Tony tests his limits just as much as his father does," she continued, shaking her head as she clucked her tongue. "Of course, my husband's interests are far different. He might say they have matured, but he's still like a little boy, always demanding more. And well, it's just exhausting after a while. There was a time when I wanted it just as much, and I suppose I still would if I wasn't trying to keep up with this bunch all the time."

She furrowed her brow, listening intently to the blonde, contemplating exactly what she was talking about before it clicked.

"Goodness," Nadine sighed, holding a hand to her mouth. "There I go again – talking without really thinking. I didn't wish to make you uncomfortable. Every time I bring it up to Johnny he tells me that a lady shouldn't have such a strong opinion about the matter – teasingly of course. But I'm afraid that I've never been much of a lady. Men don't have rules so why should I?"

"That is a bold way of looking at life," Elizabeth replied, appreciating the raw honesty of the woman.

"Well, my aunt Rayleen always said that a man wants a strong woman. One who weeps and whines and doesn't fight her way through life is such a bore," she sighed, talking more to the baby than to Elizabeth. "It's good to have opinions and desires, and it's even better to voice them."

"I've never been very good at that," she confessed, dwelling on Nadine's statement.

Perhaps that was the biggest issue between her and Jason; Elizabeth had been weepy and whiny, a total and complete mess, and maybe he wanted her to fight for her father with him, but it honestly wasn't feasible.

"Women are stronger than they think they are," she said seriously, settling back against her chair. "We bear children, we raise those children, and we worry about sending them out into the world, all the while dealing with our husbands. If that doesn't make us strong, then the other incidents that occur along the way surely will."

"Other incidents?" she inquired, worrying that she was being too intrusive, but she had the feeling that with Nadine there was no such thing.

"Sometimes terrible things happen, but it's how we grow from them that matters, Elizabeth," she answered, sighing heavily as if recalling something terrible of her own.

"But some things are just that terrible," she stressed, sounding more defensive than she meant to.

"They are," Nadine agreed, nodding as she smiled at her, "but regardless of how horrid they might be, you have the power to control the outcome."

Elizabeth nibbled her lip and let out a shaky breath. "What if it's bigger than you are?" she asked, returning Nadine's apologetic smile, knowing they were both thinking of Jeffrey.

She shifted the baby in her arms to cradle her against her chest. "Then you have to believe that you're strong enough to get through it."

Jason braced his elbow against the door of the carriage and scratched his brow as he looked over at his wife from the corner of his eye. She hadn't said much since they'd left the Zacharra estate, only commenting that she really did hope she and Nadine could be friends. Afterwards, she'd turned towards the window, appearing completely content with the silence.

He kept replaying his conversation with Johnny; upset that his friend would suggest something so terrible, but more infuriated that it may be true. Forget that Elizabeth was his wife and she should at least honor that in some way. Jason was attempting to free her father, and if she knew something, the least she could do wasould tell.

Unless…

He swallowed hard, taking in her petite frame and quiet ways. She would be weak against a man, unless…

The carriage came to a halt as it pulled up in front of their home. Elizabeth turned slowly in his direction, giving him a weak smile as she waited for him to climb out. His eyes dropped to her hands, suddenly recalling how her hand had trembled around the knife. He assumed she was thinking of her father, unless…

No, he refused to believe his wife was capable of such.

He simply refused.