Re: Shepard and Darcy
"Yes, that's right," he nodded, assuming that she meant for the children. He wasn't all that interested in what she got up to with Colonel Crawley, as long as they were discreet about it. It wasn't as though any of his staff would know if she was married to him or not.
Then there was a hand on his shoulder and he flinched slightly at the unexpected human contact before relaxing as he realised it was just a moment of empathy. "Thank you. That is very kind of you to say," he told her with a little nod, and then he cleared his throat slightly to get rid of that annoying little lump that had formed. No need to get all emotional about it, for goodness sake.
He frowned, perhaps a little more sulkily than he had intended, tilting his head slightly as he listened to what she had to say on the matter. "She hasn't told you what? I assure you, there is nothing more to tell," he said quite lightly, not thinking for a second that she could still be talking about their engagement. Considering she'd had a wedding invite, and was currently at their wedding reception, he didn't consider that something that hadn't been told anymore.
But then the lightness was gone, and he felt himself bristle just a little. "If she was wielding the knife, it was not against an unarmed civilian. There were wounds inflicted on both sides," he said, picking his words carefully. "You have willingly admitted as much to me. Perhaps it is not the time or place, but I hope you will consider offering her the same courtesy eventually. You may be surprised by how much she is willing to take responsibility for in turn," he added, imploring her to reconsider. "I do not think either of you are likely to forget easily, not without a difficult conversation."
He sighed a little. He really hadn't intended to get that far into it all at his wedding reception. He;d expected a little more forced civility and a conversation later, but as it was being laid out on the table he had to take it as it came. "Are you really sure we should be trusted to handle firearms around each other?" he asked, with a bit of a teasing smile. They had enough trouble controlling their tongue.