by Abigail Agar
Thomas said, “Yes. An uncle of mine passed away and left me some land and his mantle of count. I have been trying to sort out if that makes me still myself or am I someone else now?”
“Titles do not change men,” Jules told his old friend.
Thomas’ blue eyes came up and locked onto Jules’ darker eyes. “You know very well that they do,” Thomas practically growled out in a low whisper.
Jules was taken aback by his friend’s anger. “That is true,” Jules admitted. “Titles and property can make men forget themselves at times, but not you, Thomas. I would never imagine that of you.”
“Nor I you,” Thomas said with a hard edge in his voice.
Jules could not bear to look at his friend. He knew that most of society held him at the gallows for his mother and father’s deaths, but to see the accusation in Thomas’ eyes was too much even for Jules. As ready as he had judged himself for this, Jules would bet that not even the gaze of Hades would be as cold as the look in Thomas’ eyes.
“I did nothing to my parents,” Jules whispered as he trembled with outrage that he held in check behind the iron bars of his will. His voice was soft, but it would not stand to give an inch.
Thomas whispered back as he stepped a bit closer, “Would that you had died instead of them.”
Jules could do scarcely more than breathe. Thomas looked right at him, into his very core, and had judged him guilty as all the others. Jules’ torment was that he agreed with Thomas. He should have died instead of his parents. That poison should have killed him. It was his to take, and he abstained. Of all the nights, Jules chose that moment not to drink the spirits, and his parents were taken from him as punishment.
Jules was barely aware of Thomas’ departure. He stood there a long while tormented by his own demons. How they laughed at Jules’ agony as they salted his wounds and drank his tears.
Finally looking around Jules found himself alone. A couple of ladies nearby regarded him with damning glances. How long had Jules been standing there? He did not know.
Thomas and Lord Portland were gone. Jules forced himself to walk on to the door that let out into the hallway. He might have lost Lord Portland entirely, but he had nothing to lose in trying to find the man.
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