Page 106 of The Formation of Us
The smell of the resinous balm that was splattered on the floor and across Faith’s feet rose to her nose and made her nauseated. She looked at her aunts, and not one of them would meet her eyes. They were guilty of every sin Duke accused them of. Duke knew, and they were ruined. It was over with him, and over for them, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“I’ll leave.” Iris descended the last few steps and crossed to the counter. “You’re right to despise me for what happened with your niece. My carelessness and inconsideration are unforgivable. I should never have come here.”
“You can’t leave.” Faith reached across the counter and grasped her aunt’s hand. “You’re my family. Adam and Cora love you. You can’t leave us.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Anger etched deep grooves in Duke’s face. “But all this bathing and massaging and philandering upstairs stops, and it stops right now. Not one more person outside this family uses that bathtub. Not one man climbs those stairs or enters the bathhouse.” He looked at Aster. “That includes the doctor.”
Aster nodded. “I presume that will change when the doctor becomes my husband?”
Faith was as surprised by Aster’s announcement as Duke seemed to be, but his eyes narrowed as if Aster said something extremely important. “Are you marrying the doctor?”
The woman nodded. “Paul asked. I said yes.” She whacked dirt off her apron as if they were discussing plants and not her future, but Faith saw a happy spark in her aunt’s eyes.
“Would you marry him tomorrow?”
They all gaped at his odd request.
Duke looked at Tansy. “I asked Cyrus to marry you in the Common tomorrow. A public wedding should silence the rumors about why you two were kissing in the greenhouse.” He pinned Aster with his stony stare. “I’d like you and Doc Milton to do the same.”
“Makes no difference to me when or where I marry the man,” Aster said. “I didn’t realize his visits were causing trouble or I’d have stopped them myself. I’m sorry. I’ll go talk to Paul now.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Tansy said, plucking at her apron. “I was so overcome when Cyrus said he hadn’t been in the war and asked me to marry him, I kissed him like a darn fool.” She lowered her lashes. “I didn’t mean to start any nasty rumors.”
“I don’t fault your intentions, but I am holding each of you responsible for your actions.” He turned to Iris. “As long as you and Patrick conduct your romance in private and away from this business, you can stay”
And with that, he blew out the door like strong wind, leaving everything in his path trembling.
And that was that. Faith’s fist was still pressed against her stomach, where nausea returned full force. Her husband had just walked out, without a word, without a tender glance, without a single assurance that he would ever forgive her. She’d ruined everything for him and for their marriage. She’d married a tender, considerate, passionate man, and she’d single-handedly killed those parts of him, the best parts of him.
She’d shattered their marriage as swiftly and completely as she’d crushed the dried herbs in her hand.
o0o
Duke unlocked the door to his holding cell, regretting his harshness with Adam and with Faith and her aunts. Faith would never forgive him if Iris left. Adam probably wouldn’t forgive him either.
“Come on out,” he said, swinging the door wide.
Adam stalked out, chin high, eyes blazing with anger.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were with Rebecca last Sunday afternoon?”
“It wasn’t your business.”
“Maybe not, but there’s more at stake than solving the mystery of the stolen fishing rod, Adam. Rebecca is a beautiful young lady, and I can see why you would like her,” he said, “but there are consequences for giving your heart away when you’re too young. Ask my brother Kyle. What if Rebecca changes her mind about you someday?”
“We haven’t made any promises,” Adam said.
“Good.” Duke closed the door and leaned against it. “I’m not condemning you for caring about Rebecca, but you’re causing trouble between her and her father. Radford has forbidden her to see you, Adam. You either respect his wishes and stay clear of Rebecca, or I’ll put a stop to it myself.”
Adam’s scowl deepened. “Is this lecture over, Sheriff Grayson?”
Duke’s breath shuddered out and he nodded. The lecture was over because he was out of energy. He was out of answers.
Adam stormed out, and Duke went to his office. He sat at his desk, head in hand, missing the time in his life when he didn’t question his character or actions. He’d strayed so far from his ideals, he no longer knew what was right or wrong, or what he stood for.
Exhausted, he rubbed his aching shoulder and read through the list of names and comments in Faith’s mother’s guest book that spanned three decades. It was only a list of names, dates, and amounts, but Duke knew each name represented a man that his wife’s mother had sold her body to, and it disgusted him.
Two names stood out because they appeared frequently. Lawyer Steven Cuvier’s name was noted many times in the early years, then so infrequently Duke would have missed its next occurrence if he hadn’t been looking for the name. It disappeared altogether six years ago.
