Terrus raised an eyebrow, and his gaze became ironic. He smiled a little.
'So, I must leave her alone?'
'Yes.'
'And maybe it will be better if you leave her alone?'
'I can't and should not leave her now.'
'That's how...'
Granchester began to feel growing annoyance, these unspoken phrases, the look of this nonentity, so confident, self-satisfied, and generally, what does it mean, 'he should not leave her,' why, bless my soul, why?! What madness! Candy and this...
That won't pass!
He said aloud:
'It's all some kind of insanity! Candy and... you! At college, you...'
'Stop it! Yes, at the College we disliked each other, I was already tired of making excuses! I was fifteen! Now I'm an adult, and it's enough to discuss my previous childish behaviour. Are you immaculate? In the past, remember, and even not so far away, you was losing yourself into drinking like real...'
Terry hit mechanically, reflexively and not even because of these vicious words, he had such pain in his soul that it had to be thrown out, poured into this cruel world.
He wanted to scream, fight, yes, he was ready to know that Candy... gets married, fell in love again, he asked her to be happy, but... Neil... no, no, no!
Legan escaped a blow, and, strangely, he was always so afraid of fights and pain, but it turned out that there is no pain at the moment of blowing, but only the pleasant, tingling excitement when you feel that your enemy is so close and you can hurt him.
Daniel tried to hit his opponent, but Terrus easily dodged and hit Neil again, which led him into even more fury.
Neil felt ringing in the ears, and when Granchester grabbed Legan by the collar, he began to fall and then the men were already rolling on the grass.
Suddenly, probably obeying animal instincts, Neil's hands found the enemy's throat and... it was so easy!
Legan clenched his fingers, and Terry, loosening his grip, coughed deafeningly. Neil squeezed his fingers harder, and as a reward he heard the divine wheeze of a hated man.
'I'll strangle you, you damned hypocrite...' Whether Legan whispered, or just thought.
'STOP! You're crazy!'
Neil felt that someone was pulling his opponent away. Unclipping his fingers and, suddenly coming to himself, he also let them go.
Archie dragged Terry away, holding him under his arms, and Daniel tried to get up, but could not.
Now the pain came, the head throbbed, thousands of needles pierced Neil's temples, there was nothing to breathe, because the blood flowed from his nose and accumulated in his mouth.
Terrus's cough was very near, and the cousin's wailing further aggravated these suffering, and indeed, why did he do it? What if he could kill this actor right here, in his mansion, what a scandal would have been...'
'You are crazy! You absolutely have no brains!' Archibald was reprimanding, but neither Neil nor Terrus was able to answer him.
Not without difficulty Neil sat down and touched his face, his palms were all covered with blood, and blood ran down his chin, coloring his snow-white shirt red. Mechanically, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, trying to stop the blood flow from the nose.
'Candy!' Terry's husky voice was heard.
'What - Candy?' Daniel asked irritably. 'Do not pronounce her name!'
'Candy. This name is embroidered on this handkerchief - Candy.' Granchester freed himself from Cornwell's hands and, bending over, tore the handkerchief from the Neil's hands. He turned and tried to get up.
'Do not touch my things!' He shouted.