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."