Alexander stared at them, his expression solemn, grave. “Is this truly what you want?”
Leo didn’t want to side against his brothers, but he hoped they would understand given time. “It is.”
“You choose to be with her?” he asked somewhat incredulously.
“I do.”
“It will be hard for Elliot to accept it.” Alexander swallowed audibly and focused his attention on Ivana. “Do not mistake my calm countenance for approval. I want to kill you with my bare hands for what you’ve done to me. But I recognise the truth in your words. The man I used to be was not capable of love. Sometimes we must experience our darkest nightmares for us to appreciate the beauty of our dreams.”
“You too have found love then,” Ivana said with a look of wonder. “It is a precious gift to be treasured. In time, you might come to understand why I had no choice but to hurt you.”
“Elliot’s experience in the mausoleum still haunts him, though he suppresses the feelings. There was something cold and cruel about the way you behaved with him as opposed to us, which is why he will never forgive you.”
Leo sat up. The need to defend her was strong. “You don’t know all she has done for him, for—”
Ivana put her finger to his lips. “Hush. Now is not the time for confessions or revelations.”
She could have let him blurt the truth as a way of defending her actions. She could have made Elliot feel foolish, cold-hearted. Calvino had taught him that one sees the true nature of a person when they are under attack. There were cowards. There were men quick to boast as a way of disguising their fear. And then there were those whose integrity commanded respect. Ivana cared for the children more than she cared for herself and Leo’s heart swelled all the more for her.
“I had my reasons,” she said addressing Alexander. “But I was not myself that night. The tainted blood I’d drunk had affected my mind. Bitterness and resentment caused me to attack Elliot in such a brutal manner. But I cannot go back and change what happened.”
Alexander looked to the floor. “I should go and find him. He has always been the strongest, most reliable one of us. He has never failed in his duty to the brotherhood, and I owe him a debt of gratitude for all he has done for me. You must give him time, Leo.”
Alexander inclined his head and left the room.
Ivana threw her arms around him. She was shaking with suppressed emotion. “I thought he was going to kill me. My life flashed before my eyes and all I saw was pain and misery.”
Leo took hold of her chin and tilted her face so he could look into her eyes. “What just happened between us was heavenly, Ivana. What you do for the children is the work of an angel. I am not saying what you did to us was right. But it’s done with. And I can see you are working to readdress the balance.”
“I fear the worst is yet to come.”
He attributed her cryptic words to the guilt she felt, to the shock of being threatened with death for the second time in so many days. He supposed she never thought to see them all again, especially not together.
“I should go and speak to Elliot. Try to make him understand. He has been a huge part of my life for the last three years, and I would not be here without his support.”
“I too must go,” she said. “It’s too late to read to the children, but I will call and see Herr Bruhn. I hate to think of him sitting alone all night, and I would like to check on Frau Bruhn.”
Ivana kissed him once softly on the mouth.
“Will you go with Sylvester?” he asked fearing what Elliot would do in his irrational state if he caught sight of her going out alone.
“Of course,” she said offering h
im a smile though it did not light up her face as it usually did. “You do not think I would walk through the forest while there are men intent on murder.”
“Alexander will not hurt you.” In truth, Leo was shocked at the earl’s reaction. Alexander had no patience; his short temper made him volatile and often unpredictable. “He is angry, but then I have never seen him any other way unless he is with Evelyn.”
“Evelyn? Is she the love he refers to?”
“Evelyn is his wife. I have known her for a short time, but I think of her as a sister.”
Ivana sighed. “It eases my conscience to know that they are loyal, loving gentlemen. That they love with their hearts, not their anatomy. To marry takes a great sacrifice and commitment, and it pleases me to know some good has come of it all.”
Perhaps one day soon he would be ready to marry. Would he marry Ivana? He could not envisage sharing his heart or his bed with any other woman. Indeed, he could imagine them living together in the castle. He would buy another house, somewhere in France, somewhere where all the brothers and their wives could spend the winter months.
Leo shook his head. Even in his wild imagination, he had never expected to dream of such things. Indeed, he rarely ever suffered from bouts of sentimentality.
“Marriage does not seem so daunting to me anymore,” he said in a bid to gauge her reaction. “Since witnessing the pleasure gleaned from such a union, I find it has some appeal.”