Page 65 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke
Then, he bowed at her and marched down the hallway, leaving her wondering about the man behind the Talleystone title.
Chapter Nineteen
“We don’t often let Hector dine with the adults, Duchess,” he admitted. “The dinner after our wedding was a special occasion. So, we allowed him to be there with us.”
Gerard found his new wife different. He realized that what she had been showing everyone was not an act; it was her real character.
“Ah, I understand,” Wilhelmina said. “However, I come from a large family. Even though the children eat their meals in the nursery, we have company. Hector has nobody?—”
“He has his governess, Miss Elliot,” Gerard reminded her.
“I know. But wouldn’t it be better if he had his family, too?” she reasoned.
Gerard took a long, deep breath. He didn’t like changing any of his routines, but he had to admit that Hector looked happier since Wilhelmina had moved in with them.
“I like eating dinner with you, Papa,” Hector said with a big smile.
Gerard sighed. He looked at his new wife and his little boy, and grudgingly said, “I suppose we can eat a little early so Hector can still go to bed early.”
“Thank you, Papa! You will not regret this!”
He had to listen to his son chatter about his day. At first, he thought he would be annoyed—maybe he was a little—but he soon found himself appreciating the moment.
Then, Hector knocked the salt shaker. Gerard tried his best to ignore it, focusing on his food, while Wilhelmina smiled and reassured the boy.
After dessert, Miss Elliot took Hector to the nursery. The boy was already dragging his feet, trying valiantly to stifle his yawns.
Once the governess had gone, Gerard found himself alone with his wife.
“Please remember that what we have is an arrangement, nothing more,” he said, his tone clipped. “I am gratified that Hectorenjoys your company, and I have given you a safe home in return. That is where it ends.”
Her eyes flashed, though her smile was deceptively mild. “So, you did not mean it when you said we’ll move dinner to an earlier hour?”
“We cannot argue in front of the child,” he countered.
“Oh? Is that because you fear looking like the villain?”
His jaw tightened. “This household has rules. They are not altered at every whim. If I must bend to every small preference, Hector will cease to respect my authority.”
“I am not asking you to change everything,” she countered, her voice rising. “Only to make a few adjustments—ones that would make his life easier, happier. He is a child, Duke! Not a soldier in the field.”
Heat rose up the back of Gerard’s neck. Did his wife think she was the only one who cared for the boy?Hewas Hector’s father—he had spent years ensuring the boy had everything he needed. But she spoke as though he were negligent.
“You will consult me before making further changes,” he insisted, the warning clear in his voice.
Wilhelmina furrowed her brow. “But I thought eating dinner together was already settled! Surely it is reasonable. You arebusy with estate matters during the day, and Hector must learn independence. But dinner is the one time you can speak with him, show him that he matters.”
Gerard gave a noncommittal shrug, though his chest ached with the truth of her words.
“Do not shut him out, Duke,” she added softly.
The title slid between them like a barrier. She still refused to call him by his Christian name. He could hardly blame her, and yet… he wanted it. Wanted her lips to form his name.
There were far too many things he wanted that he had no business desiring.
“Once again, Duchess, you overstep,” he said coldly.
It was true; Wilhelmina had been everywhere of late, worming her way into Hector’s heart and, worse, into his thoughts. Irritating him at every turn. Irritating him, because she was right about the boy. Irritating him, because he could not banish the image of her from his mind at night, lying just beyond the adjoining door, he sometimes stared at it until sleep claimed him.
