My Bratty Wife
Chapter 73 - Seventy Three

Chapter 73: Chapter Seventy Three

A fever? The news sent a jolt through Suzy, scattering her thoughts like leaves in a storm. Why hadn’t Ryan mentioned anything last night? Was it serious? Her thoughts battled the lingering unease that Eleanor stirred within her.

Eleanor, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, rose from her seat, her purple dress swirling around her ankles. "Where is Ryan?" she demanded, her voice sharp with sudden urgency.

Davis, caught off guard, opened his mouth to speak, but Suzy interjected before he could. "Call Dr. Abernathy immediately," she commanded, her voice firm despite the tremor in her heart. "And tell him to see to the duke. I’m on my way."

Davis bowed, relief washing over his face as he hurried away to carry out her orders. Suzy turned back to Eleanor, her gaze unwavering.

"Ryan’s in his room, right?" Eleanor pressed, her voice a desperate plea. "Let me see him. Just a little bit of time..."

Suzy couldn’t help but notice the way Eleanor’s carefully constructed facade crumbled, revealing a raw desperation in her eyes. It was like watching a mask slip, exposing the turmoil beneath.

"Miss Montgomery," Suzy began, her voice laced with steel, "I don’t know what your game is, but it ends now. Please go home, as I won’t be available to host you anymore as you can see my presence is needed elsewhere."

Fury bubbled within Suzy as Eleanor continued. Even now, the woman dared to call Ryan by his first name, a blatant disregard for her position as Duchess.

"Give me the chance to take care of him," Eleanor pressed, her voice dripping with forced concern. "Let me nurse him back to health, be by his side."

Suzy stared at her, a mixture of puzzlement and outrage twisting her features. The sheer audacity of this woman!

"Nurse him back to health?" Suzy echoed, bewildered by Eleanor’s audacity. "Miss Montgomery," she continued, her voice laced with icy calm, "do you have any idea what you’re saying? do you have any idea how shameless you sound right now?"

Eleanor’s mask of composure faltered. A flicker of shame crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by a steely determination. "I know exactly what I’m saying," she hissed, her voice losing all pretense of kindness.

"And what exactly is that?" Suzy challenged, her posture rigid.

"Because Cassandra ," she retorted, her voice laced with a dangerous edge. "I know there’s no real relationship between you and Ryan. It was all an arranged marriage, a power play. You two don’t love each other – in fact, from what I’ve gathered, you despise each other."

Suzy felt a surge of anger course through her. How dare this woman make such assumptions about her marriage!

"And what makes you think you know anything about Ryan and me?" she challenged, her voice steady despite the tremor in her heart.

Eleanor’s lips curled into a smug smile. "Because, Cassandra," she purred, leaning closer, "I was the one Ryan truly loved. The one he courted before you were forced upon him like a political pawn."

Suzy’s breath hitched. Eleanor’s words, though harsh and true, held a truth that gnawed at Suzy’s heart.

Eleanor pressed on, her voice laced with desperation, "I know the truth, Cassandra. I know you were forced into this marriage, just like Ryan. You even tried to take your own life." A cruel twist of her lips formed a humorless smile. "Just as he was pressured into marrying you. It’s a loveless union for both of you, a mere political game."

Suzy’s jaw clenched. Eleanor’s words resonated with a raw pain she’d kept hidden, yet the woman’s audacity was infuriating. "And what do you propose, Miss Montgomery?" Suzy challenged, her voice laced with ice.

"That I simply step aside because of some past romance between you and Ryan? It hardly seems fair, considering you waltzed back into his life uninvited."

Eleanor’s eyes flashed. "Fairness is a luxury we can’t afford right now. Ryan is in danger, and I’m the only one who can help him. But I understand your apprehension," she continued, her voice softening to a manipulative purr, "public perception is a delicate thing. If scandals worry you, I can assure you I’ll remain discreet. Just let me be by his side, in secret if need be."

Suzy scoffed internally. Eleanor’s "understanding" felt more like a thinly veiled threat. It was clear the woman envisioned some future where she and Ryan would be together, as if Suzy’s marriage was a temporary hurdle.

"Your demands are unreasonable, Miss Montgomery," Suzy stated, her voice firm. "You barge into my life, make accusations about my marriage, and now expect me to simply hand over the duke to you? It won’t happen."

Suzy clenched her jaw. The audacity of this woman! Eleanor spoke as if a divorce decree was just around the corner.

A whirlwind of emotions swirling within her. "Do I really care about Ryan?" she thought, the question echoing in the empty space left by Eleanor’s silence.

"No, of course not," her mind argued back. "He’s just a husband by duty, not by choice. Even if he’s lying in his room feverish or whispering sweet nothings to his ex-lover, it shouldn’t concern me. I don’t care. I shouldn’t care. I won’t care .

A forced calmness settled over her features, but a nagging voice in her head refused to be silenced. "She’s right," it taunted. "You don’t have feelings for him. You still despise his pompous, overbearing, self-important attitude."

Yet, a flicker of something akin to irritation flared up within her. "Why do I feel so... bothered? So irritated?" she questioned herself. "Why do I want to slap Eleanor for calling him ’Ryan’ so possessively? For saying all that to me? Why has my mood soured like curdled milk?"

The answer hit her like a bolt of lightning. It was the same infuriating feeling she got whenever Ryan went into his lecture mode, dictating her every move with that insufferable air of self-importance. Why was the same feeling triggered by another woman talking about him?

Suzy’s brows furrowed in confusion. Was it possessiveness? Jealousy? The very notion sent a jolt through her. Impossible! She had no claim on Ryan’s affections, nor did she desire them.

But then why the surge of anger? Why the sudden urge to defend him, even if it was just against Eleanor’s outrageous claims?

Suzy shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. Perhaps it was just the situation.

A wry smile played on her lips as she watched Eleanor sitting down. "Miss Montgomery," she called out, her voice surprisingly calm, "you surprise me. An interesting woman indeed. Aren’t you?"

Eleanor turned, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice defensive.

Suzy tilted her head slightly, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "Your knowledge of my marriage, for one," Suzy countered, leaning closer. "You seem to be quite well-informed about its... arranged nature."

Eleanor’s confidence faltered slightly. "Everyone knows," she replied, gaining back her confidence.

"Everyone might know," Suzy pressed, "but not everyone would dare barge in like this, making assumptions about a marriage they have no part in."

Suzy straightened her posture, a regal air settling upon her. "And regardless of the history between myself and Ryan, or between you and him," she continued, her voice firm, "one fact remains clear: he is my husband. My vows are to him, and his to me."

Eleanor’s eyes flashed with a hint of defiance, but Suzy persevered. "I choose to believe your actions today were borne from misplaced concern," Suzy said, her voice softening slightly. "However, given your..." she paused, searching for the right word, "closeness to him, I find it a bit reckless."

Eleanor opened her mouth to protest, but Suzy cut her off with a gentle yet firm gesture. "No further explanations are needed, Miss Montgomery." She rose to her full height, her simple floral dress a stark contrast to Eleanor’s fading confidence.

"You should go home at once," Suzy continued, her voice leaving no room for argument. "I will arrange for a carriage to be prepared. There’s no need to concern yourself with Ryan’s well-being any further. I, his wife, will be by his side."

With that, Suzy turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Eleanor sitting alone in the garden, her grand plans shattered by the unexpected defiance of the Duchess. The vibrant blooms around her seemed to mock her now, their beauty a stark contrast to the emptiness within her.

Suzy entered the castle, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. A whirlwind of emotions swirled within her – anger at Eleanor’s audacity, surprise at her own newfound resolve, and a flicker of something she couldn’t quite define – a possessiveness towards Ryan. Suzy knew she hadn’t addressed all the complexities of her relationship with Ryan, but she had established a boundary.

Shaking off the confusing mix of emotions, Suzy marched towards her chambers to get things to take care of a sick person.