Page 69 of His Highland Duchess
“Father…” Aurelia pouted. “What is wrong?”
Margaret’s heart began to race as Lysander’s dissociated tone settled on her. He was as cold as she had ever seen him. It was as if she were not there, or rather that he wished she wasn’t.I am too late. How could I have been so foolish?
“In a few days’ time, Margaret will be returning home to Scotland–”
“What!” Aurelia cried.
“No!” Lenora joined in.
“Father! You can’t!” Aurelia continued. “Margaret, tell him that he can’t!”
“Lysander…” Margaret reached for Lysander’s hand, but he flinched and pulled it away. That crushed her as much as anything. “Perhaps this is something that we can discuss later?”
“We will discuss it now,” he said coldly, still not looking at her. “And girls, I understand this is hard to hear, but Margaret is needed back home, and I expect the two of you to –”
“Why are you doing this, Father!” Aurelia pleaded angrily, her eyes welling as she looked between Lysander and Margaret for an answer. “Margaret, tell him he can’t do this.”
“He can’t! He can’t!” Lenora echoed.
“That is enough,” Lysander said stiffly, a warning shot at both his daughters. “This is not an argument, nor do I expect to be spoken to like this in my own home.” Another warning aimed at his daughters. “It is a decision that…” He grimaced, and his eyes flicked to Margaret quickly; in them, she saw pain and sadness and misery, and it broke her like nothing else could. “… that we have agreed upon together, and our minds will not be changed.”
“Father –”
“Enough!” Lysander barked, letting his anger get the better of him. “It seems that I was wrong to treat the two of you like adults. To your rooms, girls.”
“But –”
“It was not a question…” He raised his eyebrows at both his daughters, each of whom looked positively bereft. Tears in their eyes. Disbelief was written across their faces. They wanted to push the matter, but knew better than to argue with their father. “To your rooms,” he repeated.
They did as they were told, but not before throwing their father a most filthy look. The pitter patter of their feet followedthem through the house, softening and then dying out, leaving behind a void in the breakfast room that was as tense as it was unbearable.
Margaret felt the tension like a knife cutting her. Lysander had never been the warmest of men, but she had never seen him this angry before either. She had hurt him, she knew, and this was his attempt to protect himself so that she couldn’t hurt him again.
It was a mistake, what I said. The right intentions, but the wrong action taken. And now, Lysander hates me for it.
“Lysander…” Her tone was soft and unsure, for she did not wish to set him off again. “About what I said yesterday –”
“We don’t need to speak of it again,” he cut her off sharply. “In fact…” Still not looking at her, he picked up his knife and fork and proceeded to cut into the pork slice on his plate. “I have been giving it some thought, and I have decided that you are right.”
“You… what?” She leaned back as if struck.
“Although this fresh bout of rumors is by no means a death blow, it does prove exactly what my fears have always been.” He took a bite off his fork, chewed, and then swallowed. “Concerning your influence on my daughters. We have been married for a few weeks, and already I am forced to protect them in ways I never had to do before you came into their lives. In many ways, we might consider this a blessing.”
It was like a knife stabbing through her chest. “A blessing…”
“That it occurred when it did,” he explained simply. He was speaking with a distance to his voice, as if talking to himself rather than to her. “This marriage was always going to cause trouble, Margaret. We both knew that. Better that we accept it now and do what we can to move on.” He reached for the glass of juice and took a sip. “For the sake of Aurelia and Lenora, as you said.”
“I…” She gave her head a shake. “I was wrong when I said that, Lysander. Please –” She reached for his hand again, and again he pulled it away. She winced at the action.
“I know that yesterday I suggested that you remain here for the rest of the Season also, but I have been giving it some thought, and I have decided that the risk is too great.”
“Lysander –”
“Best that you remove yourself from this home quickly, again, so that Aurelia and Lenora do not get the wrong impression. This is all very sudden, I know, but it is by far the best outcome. I know, as do you.”
There was a bitterness to his tone as he spoke now. She could feel it like poison dripping from his tongue. Her words yesterday had hurt him even more than she had expected they would, and he was doing all in his power to protect himself.
“Nae,” she said. “Yesterday, I misspoke, Lysander. I dinnae mean it. I… I want to stay. Please…” She was looking at him with a pleading stare, praying that he would see it. “And I ken that ye want the same.”
