The Path Least Expected: It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn

It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.

Author’s Notes- Warning, this is angst. Pure angst. I realized that along with giving Liam a happy ending, I also need to touch on his feelings over losing Eleanor. This is set on Eleanor and Dante’s wedding day, part of my The Path Least Expected universe. I borrowed the idea of Drake and Liam drinking whiskey and talking about Eleanor the night of the masquerade from callmetippytumbles.

Pairing- Minor Liam/Eleanor, Dante/Eleanor

Summary- Liam and Drake drink the night of Eleanor’s wedding to Dante.

Words-1134

“What are we drinking tonight?” Drake asked as he joined Liam in his study after dinner.

Liam held out the bottle and Drake whistled when he got a look at the label. “Damn, that’s the good stuff!” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “It’s not my birthday, usually the only other reason that you bring our the stuff this good is because you want something from me.”

“Just your company,” Liam assured him, pouring the whiskey into two glasses, “I don’t want to be alone.”

His tone must have betrayed him, because Drake hesitated, his hand resting on his glass. “You know about Sloane?”

Liam sighed, picking up his own glass. “I do.” He took a sip of the whiskey, but it could have been motor oil for all he cared. All he could taste today was bitterness and regret. Because today was Eleanor’s wedding day.

“How did you find out?”

“My brother told me,” Liam admitted, “he will be attending, along with Maya.”

Leo had sounded guilty about attending the wedding. Of course, Liam had assured him that he didn’t begrudge Leo attending the wedding of his oldest friend. Besides, this would be a ridiculous thing to suddenly start resenting Leo for when there were so many other better reasons.

Drake swore. “I’m sorry. I know I should have told you, I just didn’t know how.”

Liam nodded, taking another sip of whiskey. “I understand. I also assume that the wedding is why the Beaumonts and Olivia are absent from court?”

Drake nodded reluctantly, “they didn’t want to hurt you, but…”

Liam nodded, “I understand.” He wondered how many times he would say that tonight. Or in general. It felt like he was always understanding things, even when he didn’t want to.

There was a long moment of silence, the two men just holding their whiskey glasses and staring into the fireplace. One of the things that Liam liked about Drake was that he never pushed Liam to talk, but he was willing to listen if Liam needed him.

“I guess some part of me hoped…” He said after a moment and then shook his head. “It’s foolish.”

“Maybe a little,” Drake agreed, “but you loved her, Liam, of course, you hoped for a happy ending.”

“Yes, but I knew that clearing her name wouldn’t matter, not now, not after everything,” Liam commented, finishing his first glass of whiskey and pouring another one, “she’d already made her choice. I couldn’t expect her to change her mind and come back.”

He might have hoped for it, but he knew it wasn’t reasonable. Six months had passed between Eleanor departing for London and the exposure of Madeleine’s deceit. Six months in which he had put aside his feelings to do what was best for Cordonia and in which, Eleanor had presumably built a life with Dante Nevrakis.

Which was why he was drinking with Drake and Eleanor was exchanging wedding vows with another man.

“Why not?” Drake countered, “she did it once, why couldn’t she do it again?”

Liam sighed, he knew Drake meant well, and part of him wished he could be angry at Eleanor but… “She chose the life that was best for her,” Liam said quietly, “and it wasn’t the one I could offer her. Maybe I should have listened to you, at the beginning, and saved us all a lot of pain.”

He and Drake had sat in this very room drinking whiskey the night Eleanor had arrived in Cordonia and Drake had warned him about getting too attached to the American. Liam had dismissed Drake then, wanting to believe that it would work out, wanting to hope for something for himself for the first time.

“I wanted to be wrong,” Drake told him quietly, “and for a while, I thought I was.”

“You know, I don’t regret it,” Liam said suddenly, “any of it.”

Drake was silent, obviously waiting for him to continue.

“I never thought I would have the chance to fall in love,” Liam continued, “and then I did. Eleanor… She changed everything for me, even if… Even if it wasn’t meant to be.”

He wondered if those words would ever stop hurting.

He paused, picturing Eleanor in his mind. He thought of how beautiful she’d been the night of the Coronation, how happy he’d been and how close he’d been to having everything. He thought of the white gown she’d worn that night and suddenly wondered what her wedding gown looked like. He was sure she looked beautiful, she couldn’t be anything else, but she wasn’t his.

Liam downed the rest of his drink at that thought and then poured himself another.

“If you’re going to be drinking like that, you could have picked the cheap stuff,” Drake commented, but there was no censure in his voice.

“Perhaps,” Liam agreed, “But I figured at least one of us should enjoy it.”

They sat in silence after that, Drake sipping his,

Liam rotating between staring into his glass and taking large gulps whenever he thought of what Eleanor was doing at that very moment, the way she was probably smiling up at Dante Nevrakis, making promises that Liam had never been able to ask of her.

“You know this isn’t the end,” Drake said suddenly.

Liam raised an eyebrow, “the woman I love just married someone else, that feels pretty final to me.”

“Maybe Sloane wasn’t your destiny,” Drake told him, “maybe there’s someone else out there.”

“Since when are you an optimist?” Liam asked, taking another sip of the whiskey.

“I’m just saying, the last year and a bit havebeen intense,” Drake told him, “but you’re not in the same position you were the last time we were here drinking expensive whiskey and talking about Sloane. You don’t have to choose a suitable bride, you have more options.”

That was true, after the disaster of his marriage and the resulting scandal, Liam had made it clear he would not endure another social season. He would eventually have to marry again, Cordonia would demand it, but it would be on his terms.

The question was would he ever feel about someone the way he had about Eleanor? At this moment, it seemed impossible. Eleanor had been the great, unexpected love of his life and he couldn’t imagine feeling that way about anyone else. Yet, he also couldn’t bear the idea of another loveless marriage like he had endured with Madeleine and Eleanor was gone, lost to him forever.

So, maybe Drake was right, maybe he had to hope that the universe still had plans for him and that there was somewhere out there for him and that he’d get his happy ending someday. But for tonight, he’d sit and drink and mourn the one he’d lost.

• End