April 6th, 1890 — 12 Grimmauld Place, London

Having Phineas home for Easter had, thus far, been a living hell. It had only nurtured her resentment and rage towards him and thank Merlin he'd be gone very soon. He'd be back for the summer but by then she'd make sure she was in whichever house he was not and that was how she intended to live the rest of her married life. Today, however, she had one last conversation to have with him and hopefully it would be the last one until some incident forced them to break the silence.

The odds were that Phineas would be hiding in the next best place to hiding at Hogwarts which so happened to be his study so that was where she was now. Ursula raised a hand and knocked on the door. "Phineas, we need to talk." Ursula hesitated for politeness sake and then admitted herself, closing the door firmly behind her. "For both our sakes it is imperative that we do so, we cannot go on in this manner. It's unhealthy." The sheer volume of her resentment was making it very easy to be cold and composed about what ought to have been a very emotionally charged subject.

---

Phineas Black

The following 1 user Likes Ursula Black's post:1 user Likes Ursula Black's post
   Elladora Black

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

Truthfully Phineas hadn't even intended on coming home for Easter, but the dad guilt was real, and he supposed he should at least visit with the children and Ella, even if he wanted nothing to do with his wife at the moment. She had been thankfully mum since her recovery and Phineas was not complaining one bit.

However, just because he was home, didn't mean he wouldn't hide in his study for at least part of the day. Which he thought was his only safe place, but apparently not. The niceties of his office were hardly observed as Ursula came bursting in, demanding his attention. He wished was surprised, but in hindsight, should have seen it coming.

"If you're here to demand that I never remarry in the unfortunate case of your untimely death, you can march right back out of here." He sighed, already perturbed.

---

The following 1 user Likes Phineas Black [Bee]'s post:1 user Likes Phineas Black [Bee]'s post
   Ursula Black

---

Av by MJ

To her satisfaction his words, rather than wound her so easily as they once would have, only mollified her. After the way he'd treated her throughout her illness he had no right to speak so spitefully, he had wronged her, she had the moral high ground.

"Not at all." she replied tartly, biting back a barb that wouldn't do her any favors at this point. "You have made it abundantly clear, for many years but especially these last several months, that you care nothing for me even in death. I'm a thorn in your side, a terrible inconvenience. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd rather I had died, once the funeral was over you wouldn't have had to think of me again. But I digress. I'm not here to accuse or berate you, I no longer care whether you hate me or not." She might not care but that didn't mean she wasn't holding back a plethora of scathing remarks. "I'm hardly innocent myself, I've treated you appallingly in the past. My point is that we're terribly matched. We should never have married."

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

Phineas could not contain the exaggerated roll of his eyes as she ranted on. She wasn't wrong. Any affection he once held for her had dwindled to almost nothing, but the steady decline had been her fault to begin with, but pointing that out now seemed pointless.

Or, she at least recognized some of it. Shocking. Hardly innocent. That was one way to put it.

Scoffing quietly, Phineas supposed again, she wasn't wrong, but if she was here to demand a divorce, she was barking up the wrong tree. "If you're here to suggest we end it, again you can march right out of my study." He didn't have time for whatever it was she was going on about. She really ought to just cut to the chase.

---

The following 1 user Likes Phineas Black [Bee]'s post:1 user Likes Phineas Black [Bee]'s post
   Ursula Black

---

Av by MJ

"It seems there are still things we can agree on after all." A divorce! She'd rather fake her own death and at least be remembered well by society or actually die than go through a divorce. If he seriously thought she'd ever consider such a thing then he knew even less about her than she thought. She had to once again swallow her indignation though, handling this situation correctly could be the difference between obtaining her freedom and having to seek her happiness by sneaking around him. He had never been the most difficult husband to deceive but then if he'd been present perhaps she'd never have strayed...

Ursula took a steadying breath before finally getting to her point. "I have no desire to resort to a divorce, I should rather be miserable with you than an outcast. However, I do think it would be in our best interests if we released one another from all but a few bonds of our marriage." It really was a dangerous gamble. If he agreed then she might finally be able to find happiness without guilt, if he did not then she'd be stuck in the hellish purgatory of a union they called their marriage and he would only be more mistrusting of her. "Our interests should always align where the children and family reputation are concerned. As far as society would be aware nothing would have changed but we would see very little of each other outside of public gatherings, if you were to return here for the summer I would go to the country house and vice versa. I wouldn't make any demands of you nor burden you with my emotions; it would be of no consequence to me whether you took a mistress or never said a kind word to me again. I would only ask that you continue to support me financially and allow me the same freedom." The success of this hinged entirely on his apathy towards her, really it wouldn't change much for him because he did as he pleased now anyway, but hopefully the prospect of interacting with her even less than they did now would appeal to him. "It would be a near total severance from one another, a separation if you will."

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

Sometimes Phineas wondered if Ursula was in fact, from another planet. The outrageous notions she got sometimes, were purely ridiculous.

He listened to her full reasoning, had to stop himself from both laughing at her and being vaguely impressed by the thought she put into the situation. He leaned back in his chair while she rambled on, trying not to consider the benefits of what she was proposing against the sheer audacity of the suggestion. It did have merits, but it was the principal of the thing.

"A separation, in which we agree we can find companionship outside our marriage..." He wanted to make sure he was hearing this right. Phineas also wanted Ursula to hear out loud how ridiculous this sounded. "I simply need to continue to support you financially in the meantime?" Not having to be in the same house most of the time was appealing, but Phineas rather thought this was not going to work out in the end.

---

  

---

Av by MJ

Ursula wasn't sure whether he was being skeptical or genuinely considering it. "Yes." She had a feeling her anxiety was finally starting to show through. She had either put the last nail in the coffin of her marriage without making it any better, or she was about to gain some semblance of freedom from it. Which would it be? "Why not make the best of an unfortunate situation?"

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

So he hadn't misunderstood, but she clearly could not see past the end of her own nose on this. He was willing to let her argue for it a bit more however. Phineas was interested in seeing just how attached to the idea she was. "See, the thing is, I have never needed to find comfort outside of the marriage, Ursula, so tell me how this works for me?" Her past indiscretions were not forgotten, though he tended to not think about them as a rule, he had to wonder if they were not perhaps, as far in the past as he would have liked. Would he be surprised? No. Did it truly bother him? A little. Would he openly let her continue right under his nose? Probably not. He did want to watch her squirm about it just a little bit however.

---

  

---

Av by MJ

Ursula's heart sank and all her hopes with it. She felt a touch nauseous. She hadn't convinced him of anything, he had no intention of freeing her nor even considering her proposition, did he? Was there even any part of him that could be prevailed upon to merely consider it? Nor have you ever sought comfort inside our marriage!" That wasn't going to help her cause but at that precise moment she couldn't help herself. "Unless you take pleasure from the misery you cause me then you cannot prefer the way things are to the peace of a separation! As an intelligent man you oughtn't need me to spell it out for you, you can pretend to yourself I died without having to deal with any of the inconveniences that might have come with it. Doesn't that please you?" She had fully intended to keep her composure but when did her intentions ever resemble the reality?

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

Unable to find it in himself to rise to meet her level of desperation, Phineas remained unnaturally calm with her accusations and insinuations.

"You were the one who could not control yourself long before this marriage truly headed south." No, the infidelity was certainly the nail in the proverbial coffin of what could have otherwise been a comfortable and somewhat affectionate marriage. "The lifestyle and comfort this marriage afforded you simply wasn't enough and that is on you, not me." How many other women would kill to be in her shoes?

"Do not mistake the apathy for anything other than a consequence to your actions. I get no joy out of your misery as it is not my fault." As the saying went, she made this bed and now she had to lie in it.

---

  

---

Av by MJ

She could feel herself rapidly losing her composure but it was all she could do in the face of his infuriating apathy. "I take full responsibility for my part in destroying our marriage but it is a shared burden, Phineas. My sin was straying but yours is denying any responsibility, behaving as though your sole duty is being Headmaster of Hogwarts. You've failed so egregiously that your sister is more of a husband than you! I've tried to make it up to you, to make amends but you've never even tried to forgive me. You'd rather sweep me under the carpet than try, you choose to be a coward by blaming it all on me." This wasn't going to get her what she wanted but she now seriously doubted that he would ever have agreed to it in the first, what did she have to lose now? He'd be a fool to divorce her and if he was going to make her life more hellish than it already was he'd have to put more effort in to that than he'd seemingly put into their marriage in years so that seemed unlikely. Perhaps he might hate her more but what did she care now?

"Well I've had enough. I've done everything I can. I won't apologize for my behavior again, I've spent the last ten years in penance and for what? I wash my hands of you and all responsibility of our marriage going forward, if you don't care to do anything about it then I shall take my freedom whether you like it or not. You can trust me in that, I have so little left to lose." Ursula turned her back on him without missing a beat and headed briskly towards the door. If he had anything more to say she didn't care, as far as she was concerned it was no longer a conversation and it was very much over.

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3

Listening to her rant and rave now was half-amusing, half vexing. He was not going to rise to the bait, though he could feel his blood starting to boil, he wasn't going to just let her spew vitriol all over his desk. Pride was the only leg he had left to stand on here and he would not bend; he refused to be disrespected in his own home.

Standing now, watched her flee with his hands flat on his desk, eyeing her dangerously, voice low and full of contempt. "My only regret is that Ella has had to deal with you all of these years in my stead." Not quite true, but for the moment it would do. "You cannot take what is not yours to have. I was not the coward who disrespected this marriage because you felt unloved. You had, and still have everything a woman of your station could want and if you put one toe out of line, flash your ankle inappropriately or speak to the wrong person about this, you will lose everything and everyone you care about." Phineas, though not thrilled about the scandal it would cause, was no coward and he was not afraid to solve this, if this was how she wanted to play.

"I will not be tried again, Ursula. That is your penance. Deal with it or don't, but be prepared to suffer the consequences either way."

---

The following 3 users Like Phineas Black [Bee]'s post:3 users Like Phineas Black [Bee]'s post
   Charles Macmillan, Fallon Gillespie, Lachlan MacFusty

---

Av by MJ

Ursula paused in the doorway, her handing tightening around the doorknob as she fought the urge to lose it completely. Whether she'd burst into tears or lose her temper she wasn't altogether certain. What he said didn't frighten her, as far as she'd been concerned those had been the stakes all along. She'd hoped he might grant her permission to take a lover without living in fear of discovery by him as well as society but there was probably nothing she could have done to talk him into that. Nothing had changed. He wouldn't love her and he wouldn't free her, he was going to hold on to her out of spite rather than out of want.

"So be it."

She closed the door behind her. This was almost the worst case scenario, the worst case being that he suspected her of further infidelity and retrospectively punished her for every dalliance since the first. This hadn't been unexpected. Damn him she'd do as she pleased nonetheless, did he honestly expect to catch her if he was never there? She could manage Elladora one way or another, she was far more reasonable than her brother and as devoted as she'd been recently Ursula doubted she'd be in a hurry to betray her to Phineas if she knew what he'd do.

One thing had changed for the better though - she'd never feel guilty betraying him ever again. In a way she had gained the smallest shred of freedom after all.

---

  

---

Thanks to Bee for this magnificent set <3