Page 60 of An Arranged Betrothal with a Contrite Duke
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Where is she? Please, help me find her. I must make things right with her.”
Her mother sighed heavily, seeming to soften toward him.
“Lord Strawbridge, Lydia is at the new school,” she replied hesitantly. “She wanted to see if things were going well in the trial runs before the official opening.”
Michael felt as though his heart was being tossed around a horse track. If she was at the school, that meant that she was back on the grounds of Strawbridge Manor. But how had he not passed her on the road? Had she been there when he had raced for Tockenham Castle?
“Thank you,” Michael said, nodding curtly. He turned to leave, but Mrs. Greenfield called out.
“Lord Strawbridge, be gentle with her,” she said. “Lydia has been terribly hurt. I do not wish to see her suffer anymore.”
Michael swallowed, fighting back tears at the confirmation of his suspicions that she was hurt. But dwelling on that would only make him start feeling sorry for himself. And right then, his wife needed him to do the right thing by her and make things right between them.
“I shall be,” he promised. With that, he raced back and mounted Midnight once more and galloped away, determination blazing in his eyes. He will declare his feelings for his wife, and he will plead with her forever if he must, to get her to come back. And he didn’t care who knew about it. He loved her and that was all that mattered.
As soon as he reached the Strawbridge grounds, he rode straight to the new school building. It was a foolish thought. But if she was willing to return to the grounds, perhaps, all wasn’t lost for him, after all. If she was willing to come herself, rather than send one of her friends, perhaps, he could find some way back into her heart.
Chapter Twenty-nine
When the tranquil atmosphere of the schoolroom was shattered by the sudden, forceful opening of the heavy oak door, Lydia could do nothing for a long moment but stare blankly. Michael stood there, his face flushed and eyes wide with desperation, burst into the room, his gaze locked on Lydia. As Lydia stood at the back of the classroom with Miss Carrick, her eyes met Michael's, and a wave of vexation surged through her. The sight of him, audacious enough to present himself after his betrayal, was like a bitter draught, and she clenched her jaw to keep the bitterness from spilling out.
She debated on ignoring him, trying to keep her composure in front of Miss Carrick and the innocent eyes of the young pupils, but his presence was a distraction, an insult to the decorum that Miss Carrick had worked so hard to uphold in her classroom. It was the epitome of audacity, and it was almost too much for Lydia to bear.
As she looked at her husband, his gallant form standing out in stark contrast to the grey, uniform buildings of the school, the hurt was palpable. How had it come to this? That he, the very man who had won her heart with his charm and wit, could so willfully shatter it with deceit.
She had loved him, had given him her trust and loyalty, and in return, he had lied to her. And worse, he had not had the decency to let her come to terms with the deception privately, instead forcing her to confront him, to see his remorse, in the very place she sought refuge - her school.
Her gaze met his once more, and she saw the familiar pleading in his eyes, begging for forgiveness. But Lydia was not ready to forgive. Not yet.
Was she angry? Yes. But more than that, she was disappointed. She had expected more from him, had believed him to be a man of honor and integrity. How wrong she had been. She glanced at Miss Carrick, who was watching her with a concerned look, and her embarrassment struck her anew. Lydia forced a small smile, hoping to alleviate any suspicion of her internal turmoil. After all, she could not let her personal life affect her professional duties.
“Forgive me,” she said weakly, feeling bitter for having to apologize for her clearly inconsiderate husband. “Please, carry on.”
Deep down, she knew that she should leave, so that Michael would follow her out of the classroom and leave the students and Miss Carrick alone. But she did not want to speak to him. She secretly hoped that he would just decide to leave, rather than to embarrass himself, and her, any further. Yet he stood firm, not moving, and Lydia wrestled with herself as to what to do.
She pointedly turned her back to Michael, giving Miss Carrick an apologetic smile.
“I do apologise,” she said. “Please, continue with your lessons. This will not disturb you any longer, I assure you.”
Miss Carrick glanced at Michael, then back at Lydia. Lydia knew, deep down that, until the two of them left, the classroom atmosphere had been ruined. She cursed herself, and she cursed Michael. But she was determined to try to ignore him until he finally understood that she would not speak to him.
“Lydia, I beg you, please let me explain,” he said after several long moments of silence. “I will do anything for a moment of your time. I understand…” he paused, and a look over her shoulder caught Michael glancing around at their small audience, which sat staring agog at the pair. Then, he took a deep breath and tried again. “I understand. I assure you. But please, give me a chance to speak with you.”
Miss Carrick chewed her lip and the children’s eyes widened in anticipation of the unfolding drama. Lydia's heart raced as another mixture of anger and embarrassment washed over her. She was furious that, after all the lies and deceit, and after she had made herself clear that she would have nothing more to do with him, he would show himself at the school.
Albeit part of her was afraid that if he would do that, and if he didn’t get his way, he might take the school away from her out of spite, like she had been fearing. Still, she was determined to ignore him. She looked at Miss Carrick again, praying to melt through the floor with humiliation.
“Lydia, I am begging you,” he said, and she heard him take a few steps toward her. “I cannot leave unless I speak with you. Please, just hear what I have to say.”
More anger surged within her, and at last, she whirled around to face him. It wasn’t fair to continue to allow this nonsense to distract the children. What would people say about their school if such drama was going to unfold where they were forced to directly witness it?
“How dare you, Michael?” she asked, momentarily losing her cool. “You have lied and deceived me, tricking me into marriage, and now you have the audacity to barge in here and make a scene in front of these innocent children.” She quickly remembered herself when she noticed some of the children flinch at the rising of her voice. She narrowed her eyes, pointing to the door and glaring at her husband. “Leave, Michael. I will not speak with you. Certainly, not here, in front of these innocent souls, and this angel of a teacher. This is not the place. Go now, Michael, please.”
With that, she turned her back on him once more. She prayed that would be enough to send him away. But when she heard him take another step toward her, she knew she had failed. There was another long moment of silence, and Lydia waited to see what Michael would do. But she turned her gaze out the window, refusing to look at the man who had tricked her into marrying him.
“Oh Lydia, I do apologise for bringing this to your school,” he said. “I know how much this place means to you. And I certainly do not mean to upset the children, or the teacher. But you weren’t home when I travelled there, and I could not risk missing you if you left here before I could speak with you.”
Lydia pretended that he hadn’t said anything, though he had said something very important. For all his lies, he had clearly realized that the school was special to her. She resisted the urge to soften, choosing instead to fiddle with a book on the nearby bookshelf, instead.
