Page 88 of A Duke Makes a Deal
“You slapped her?” he said, the words seemingly too hard for him to comprehend. He reached for her. “In the face?”
“Yes, Silas, in the face,” she said, pushing him away so that she could finish dressing.
“Because she threatened me?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“It’s hardly worth repeating,” Clara said, putting her arms through the sleeves of her travel dress.
“But—”
“Please, Silas, I just wish to be away from this place.” She paused, her heart aching for some reason. “Please.”
A cloud of worry passed over Silas’s face before he nodded.
“Yes. Of course.”
Within the hour, Silas, Violet and Clara were packed away in a silent carriage as it pulled away from the baron’s home. Uncomfortable and unsure, it seemed that no one wished to speak about the events that had transpired at Bairnsdale’s home.
Clara felt at odds the whole ride home. Unable to sleep, she spent the night replaying the entirety of their stay at the baron’s and wondering if she could have done something differently. Guilt seemed to be her only companion, for every time she tried to make eye contact with either Violet or Silas, they avoided her eyes. Perhaps Violet was too preoccupied with her own worries, but that Silas should be ignoring her carved at her heart.
Doubt like she had never known crept into her veins as the night wore on. Silas was probably ashamed that she had struck someone. It wasn’t something a lady in her position should ever do. There was no reason for her to stoop to such behavior. Surely, he was aghast at her conduct.
Falling in and out of sleep, Clara was tormented with dreams of Silas and Cynthia, locked in one another’s arms. Her words filtered through Clara’s mind. When they finally reached the halfway point to Greystone late the next morning, stopping torefresh themselves at an inn called the Fox and Horn, Clara could barely move her stiff body.
Silas left the carriage silently, while Clara and Violet waited patiently for him to return. After only moments, he returned and escorted both women inside the inn.
Upon entering the room, Clara saw a hip bath had been prepared and while she desperately wanted to wash herself, she wasn’t eager to do so in front of Silas. Thankfully, he left her alone, escorting Violet to her own room.
Tired and miserable, Clara slowly undid the front buttons of her travel gown, which was dusty and dirty from the tavern’s yard. She quickly removed the rest of her clothes and dropped herself into the hip bath. Taking a sliver of soap, she lathered a piece of cloth and scrubbed herself clean. When she was done, she quickly dressed in a chemise, lifted the covers, and dropped into the bed.
Clara closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep before they continued their journey.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Silas opened thedoor to Violet’s room, positioned just across the hallway from his and Clara’s. She brushed past him in a huff. While he was certain he had been fully justified in ripping Fredrick off of his sister, a pang of guilt shot through him at her distress.
“I was only trying to protect you,” he said gruffly, causing her to stop. “I don’t know why you think I’m constantly trying to ruin your life, but I promise you, my only intention is to preserve your reputation and possibly save you some heartache.”
For a moment she didn’t speak and Silas assumed she would continue with the silent treatment he had suffered from both women during their trip from Bairnsdale’s home. Turning to leave, he was halfway out the door when Violet spoke.
“I am not so fragile that I cannot suffer a bit of heartache, Silas,” she said over her shoulder, her eyes cast down. “If I was ever allowed to meet someone.”
“You met Lutz, didn’t you?”
“Yes, last year before you went into hiding,” she said, turning around to face him. “I’ve been kept up in Greystone with you for over a year. Don’t you think it a bit unfair that I should have to be locked away from the world simply because you refused to participate in living?”
Silas frowned.
“I didn’t stop living. I married—”
“Yes, you did,” she said pointedly, her eyes becoming expressive. “You went to London at the behest of Lord Trembley after being confined to your wing of the house for nearly a year. Then you returned home several weeks later married to a complete stranger.” She shook her head before he had a chance to open his mouth to defend Clara. “And I do not mean to disparage her. I quite like Clara and am glad of your marriage, but you cannot imagine how shocking it was, especially after your yearlong internment. Not to mention how unfair it was.”
Guilt hit Silas square in the heart. He hadn’t realized how deeply his actions had impacted his sister. She sat on the bed with a gentle plop and Silas drove his fingers through his hair. He had thought he was protecting her.
Coming forward, he shook his head.
