"What happened in there?" he demanded, his voice low and harsh. "Why were you so rude to Lord Brooke?" "Because he deserved it," Eleanor retorted, although she wasn't quite so certain of that anymore. His reaction hadn't been at all what she'd thought it would be, in fact he didn't seem nearly to be the kind of indifferent and uncaring brute that Grace had made him out to be. Would someone like that tell Edwin to go easy on her? Commend her loyalty to her friend? "Exactly what did he do to deserve your sharp tongue? He was nothing but polite to you when you were rude to him, and he even gave you a second chance to return his regard." "He treats Grace horribly," Eleanor said, the only defense that she had. "I saw her yesterday... she's an emotional wreck and it's all his fault!" Edwin wanted to bang his head against the carriage wall; the flickering lights of the streetlamps allowed him to see glimpses of Eleanor's face as they traveled. She was upset, he could see that and he knew that she meant what she was saying, but he was also frustrated with her.
