Chapter 5. I’m Already Such a Hassle

Ethan stared at her, slightly dazed. He had planned to present Jane with a challenge and let her take charge of finding a solution, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so straightforward.

Her soft lips pressed against his, and just like that, they were gone, leaving him with no time to react to their flavor.

“It is”, he said, helpless to argue.

Toby took in the sight of both of them, then the hideous burn scars littering his brother’s face. Disgusted, he lifted a hand to shield his eyes.

“That doesn’t seem right, brother. Can a mere kiss prove that this woman is your wife? If I take her to bed, does that mean I can start calling her my daughter-in-law?”

In the blink of an eye, Ethan’s expression darkened, his gentle gaze turning dangerous. “What did you say, Toby Harrington?”

 Bruce had served Young Master Ethan for years and he knew his master was truly enraged. He retrieved the knife Jane had discarded on the chopping board and seized Toby’s arm.

“You dare to disrespect my Young Master’s wife?”, he growled, “are you that eager to lose this arm of yours?”

Toby glanced at the knife glinting in the light and sneered, “I was just joking brother, don’t take it so seriously”.

He pulled himself free of Bruce’s grasp, taking care not to make any sudden movements, mindful of the danger he was in.

“I was merely curious when you had a change of bride”, he continued, as though explaining himself.

At the mention of her being a substitute bride, something flashed in Jane’s eyes. Feeling her tense up, Ethan patted her hand reassuringly.

“You and our father were the ones in charge of planning the wedding. Now that you’re telling me I married a different bride than the one you chose, what do you expect me to say?”

“We’ll...”, Toby sputtered. The wedding had been arranged by him, that much was true, but he didn’t know where this new bride had come from!

Unless it was the Harrisons behind this trickery!

Ethan added, “I married whoever I underwent the marriage rites with and so Jane Fitzergald is my wife... and your sister-in-law”.

Jane looked at him in surprise. Did this mean that he had accepted her?

Toby was on the verge of exploding in rage. He had wanted to find an ugly, overweight shrew as Ethan’s wife as an insult to that sickly bast*rd of an elder brother. Instead, his brother had gained such a beautiful woman out of the bargain!

“In that case, my heartfelt congratulations brother”, he gritted out, “but don’t forget, your wife still needs to visit her parents after the wedding. Since you’re in poor health, making it inconvenient to travel, why don’t I accompany my sister-in-law instead?”

He was going to send this woman back to the Harrison family and demand how exactly she had come to replace Stacy as a bride.

Bruce would have laughed out loud at Young Master Toby. How little must he value his life to infringe on his brother’s authority as a husband like that?

He was practically laying his own head on the executioner’s block.

 Hearing Toby’s offer, Jane objected fiercely, “ There’s no need to trouble yourself, Young Master Toby. If it’s inconvenient for Ethan to travel, I can go back myself”.

Toby eyed Jane with a gleam in his eyes. He truly relished this woman’s feisty spirit — especially with the added knowledge that she belonged to his brother.

“Sister-in-law, if you go back alone, people will whisper that the Harrington family have treated you unkindly and wronged you”.

“That’s fine, I don’t care”.

“I will accompany Jane when she visits her family”, Ethan said, “you don’t need to worry about anything, brother”.

No sooner had Ethan finished speaking that he suddenly broke down into yet another coughing fit. Jane patted his back anxiously.

Seeing how he was coughing violently enough to hurl up his lungs, Toby quickly pinched his nose.

“Don’t tax yourself, brother. All that repeated movement in and out of the car might cause you to end up in the hospital. If you need to make another visit to the ICU, who knows if you’ll make it out alive”.

Toby was essentially wishing misfortune upon his brother. A shadow fell across Jane’s face. “Aren’t you a little too worked up about this? Since when are our affairs as a couple your business?”

Seeing Jane’s temper flare to the surface, Ethan stroked her head in amusement. “It’s alright, he can come with us if he wants”.

Since her husband didn’t seem to mind, Jane swallowed the rest of her protests and stayed quiet.

She went upstairs to prepare for their return to the Harrisons’ household, putting on a breezy, pleated skirt and some light makeup. She looked elegant, as lovely as a fairy come to life.

Toby glimpsed Jane’s pretty face and her fair, shapely legs peeking out from beneath her skirt. His eyes burned with jealousy. What a waste of such beauty on a worthless piece of trash like his brother.

In the car, Jane explained to Ethan, “I’m not on the best terms with the Harrisons. I’m Peter’s illegitimate daughter but he took me in on basis of our blood ties.

So if you’d rather not waste your time with futile endeavors, we don’t need to go”.

 Ethan knew all this from his investigation into her past last night. He was also aware that Peter’s wife, Ursula Harrison, held Jane in contempt and didn’t acknowledge her as her husband’s child, claiming instead that she was the daughter of a distant relative.

But it was tradition to return home to the bride’s home after the wedding, and the Harringtons were not a family to make light of such things.

When they arrived at the Harringtons’ house, they found the door locked. Toby knocked on the door and a servant opened it.

“Where are your masters?”, he asked.

Eyeing Ethan’s expensive clothes, the servant responded cautiously, “Sir is at work, Madam went shopping and the Young Mistress is in school. No one is at home now”.

Toby kicked the wall angrily.

“Are your masters out of their minds? Do they know what day it is today? Call Peter Harrison this minute and let him know that the two Young Masters of the Harrington family are here. Tell him to get over here now!”

The Harrison estate paled in comparison to the Harringtons; had it not being for Toby’s scheme to make use of Stacy to humiliate his pathetic older brother, he would never have deigned to even speak to them. Upon hearing that it was Young Master Harrington in front of them, the servant fearfully nodded and scurried to make the call.

Jane pushed Ethan’s wheelchair into the mansion. She had never had good relations with the Harrison family, she might as well have been invisible to them. She couldn’t find it in her to be surprised at their behavior today.

“I want to bring back all my belongings from this place”, she told him. He nodded, “I’ll help you”.

Jane hesitated. Ethan covered his mouth and coughed.

“I apologize, that was thoughtless of me. I’m already a hassle, I’d only cause more trouble for you, I know”.

He had misunderstood her. Jane quickly explained, “No, it’s just that my bedroom doesn’t get any sun all year round. It’s not the most pleasant of environments. I’m afraid you won’t be used to it”.

“I’m not some porcelain doll”.

Hearing that they were going to Jane’s bedroom, Toby trailed behind them on their heels before he felt that something was wrong.

 “Wait, sister-in-law. Didn’t you say that you were bringing us to your bedroom? Why are we going to the basement?”