Page 81 of Her Bear of a Duke

She wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but she did not want to lie. She could have stayed. She could have forced those around her to be honest about what had happened, but that was not who she was. It was, indeed, easier to leave and be done with everything. Morgan was happier with Lady Annabelle, and as far as Dorothy was concerned she could not compete with her.

She belonged in Scotland with the plump barmaids and the farm girls.

"I do not know what more I can do," she sighed. "I tried everything in my power to be a good wife, and I failed. Perhaps Lady Annabelle was right, and I should request an annulment and be done with it all. I was able to play the part of a duchessfor a while, and I should be content with that. It is far more than I deserved."

"You are doing it again," Eleanor snapped. "Dorothy, do you understand how difficult it is to make one see sense when they are so blinded by their own self-hatred? You talk about yourself as though you are some loathsome little toad, when in reality you are a beautiful and intelligent lady that has passions and interests of her own. That is why you have friends, and why the Duke agreed to marry you in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he is a man. If he did not want to marry you, then he would have changed his mind and not had thetonhear about your match. It is what they do. He did not, and so you can assume that he married you because he wanted to."

"It was his duty. He did not want to leave me with Mother and Father."

"Then why did he spend so much time with you? Truly, Dorothy, I know that you are unhappy, but that does not mean that you can be impossible to reason with. Come now, you know as well as I do that he is happy with you. If he was not, then you would have arrived here long ago."

"Then why–"

"Stop asking why! Sometimes, things simply are. Regardless of his reasoning, he cares for you. You have come to a difficulty, yes, but that does not mean he hates you. You may stay here as long as you need, but eventually you shall need to face him."

Dorothy went to protest that she did not want to, but she could not make the words come. The truth was that she did want to see him, for she missed him terribly. She wanted nothing more than to return home and find him in the drawing room and sit beside him and talk as though nothing had happened. It was the one thing that she wanted more than anything, and yet she could not bring herself to do it.

"I do not mean to be a burden," she whispered, and her sister put an arm around her gently.

"You are not, and you have never been. Nobody says that marriage is easy, especially when there are children involved, but that is when it becomes all the more vital to do what is right."

"But I do not know what that is. Perhaps it is right that little Catherine has a real family, related by blood rather than a marriage of convenience. I know what I want, which is to go to my husband and mend everything and go back to how we were, but what if that is not what is best for the child?"

"The fact that you are already considering how she feels proves that you are what is best for her. Children do not invent such awful things themselves, Dorothy. Someone had to have influenced her to make such accusations."

"You do not understand. She is a very bright girl. If she wanted Lady Annabelle rather than me, she would have known what to do and say to make it happen."

"Yes, but is she cruel enough?"

Dorothy paused. Catherine was not a cruel child, far from it. She was a kind little girl, though tempestuous at times, and though she had a very smart tongue she was never wicked. Something had caused her to accuse Dorothy of terrible things, but Eleanor was right; she would never have done it of her own accord.

"What do I do?" Dorothy asked. "I have to fix all of this, but I do not know how."

"You will stay here for the night and collect your thoughts," Eleanor explained, "and then in the morning, I shall force you into that carriage and you will go home. You will find the truth of what happened, and you will come to your own conclusion. If you do not like it, then you may ask for an annulment. If everything is explained, and you are happy, then I shall be even happier for you."

It was precisely what she needed to hear. There could be no more hiding, not when she knew what she wanted. Her marriage was not perfect, but it was hers, and she would do everything in her power to protect it.

Even if it meant going home to it.

CHAPTER 30

Not knowing where else to turn, Morgan went to the one place he never intended to see.

It was the stately manor of the Duke and Duchess of Lupton, and it was vast. Catherine held his hand tightly as they approached it, and he instinctively took her in his arms as they reached the door.

The butler answered, and looked him up and down.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe so. I am the Duke of Ulverston, and this is Catherine Lockheart, my niece. I was wondering if my wife was here?"

"The Duchess has guests today, but the Duchess of Ulverston is not one of them. May I help you with anything else?"

Morgan knew, of course, who the other guests would be.

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