Page 51 of The Wicked Duke's Convenient Bride
His entire evening felt as though it were a strange and terrible dream. Lord Fatherton’s story could not possibly be true. Rosemary would never betray him in such a cruel and selfish way. She would never abandon him like that, much less take their daughter and seek someone else’s affections.
“Ridiculous,” he muttered.
But his mind kept returning to the watch, desperately searching for some plausible way that it might have come to be in Lord Fatherton’s possession. The watch had been missing for about twelve years; he had noticed its absence shortly before Rosemary’s disappearance, and Matthew had assumed that he had merely misplaced it.
When the watch failed to reappear, he suspected that one of the servants must have stolen it, but even after his townhouse was thoroughly searched, the watch had not reappeared. At last, he had been forced to conclude that he had either lost it while out in town or else that an especially brazen thief had stolen it.
But no, he could not believe that Rosemary had an affair with Lord Fatherton, much less that she had given him that watch. Surely, the likelier explanation was that the watch had been stolen, and the thief had pawned it for a small amount of money. Lord Fatherton must have found it by chance and, rather than return it to its rightful owner, had chosen to involve it in some pointless and mean-spirited scheme to spite Tabitha or Matthew. Perhaps he was angry at them both.
Matthew took a shuddering breath. That was surely what had happened. Rosemary could not possibly be alive after all this time; she could not have left him in such a callous way. Matthew would not believe it.
Chapter 23
Her husband looked exhausted. Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes, and he stifled a yawn as he endeavoured to eat breakfast across from her. Tabitha said nothing, sipping her tea to avoid conversation. Matthew made no attempt to coax her into speaking either. The meal was nearly finished when Matthew cleared his throat. Tabitha paused, her teacup pressed against her lips.
“We should discuss our conversation last night,” Matthew said.
Tabitha lowered her tea. “Are you certain this is how you wish to begin our morning, Matthew?”
“Yes. Lord Fatherton is a liar, and I want you to know that,” he said. “There are some things I need to look into, but nothing he said is remotely true. It cannot be.”
Tabitha slowly nodded. She felt as though she ought to be relieved by Matthew’s declaration. This was proof that he did not believe Her Grace would return. Maybe she and Matthew could return to the semblance of peace they had before.
Still, even with the news that he did not believe Cassius, Tabitha could not quite make herself believe that all would be well between them. She felt as though she and Matthew quarrelled more often than they ought, and it was impossible to ignore that if Her Grace did return, as unlikely as it seemed, Matthew would surely prefer his long-lost wife to her.
“I am glad to hear that,” Tabitha said, unsure what else to say.
“He will bother you no longer,” Matthew added.
Tabitha’s gaze drifted to Matthew’s hands, noting the bruising across his torn knuckles. She had not asked where he had gone that night but knew he had left the townhouse. After he stormed out, Tabitha had cried before falling into a restless sleep. When she awakened around midnight, she had searched for Matthew and found him gone. She had wondered if that might be the one time he left and did not return, but by morning, he had.
She hoped Matthew had not done something regretful that night, but she knew there was evidence he had. Tabitha sipped her tea. “I am glad,” she said honestly. “I would prefer that he never speak to me again.”
Matthew nodded. Tabitha waited to see if he would add anything further, but he did not. Instead, he seemed suddenly fascinated with his food and drink.
“Is there something I should know?” Tabitha asked at last.
“Only that I spoke with Lord Fatherton.” He paused, seeming to consider something for a long moment. “There were some strong words exchanged.”
Tabitha’s eyes snapped to his hands. “Strong words,” she echoed. “Is that all?”
“Mostly.”
Tabitha furrowed her brow, unsure how to respond to the surge of emotions that rose inside her. She was distraught that he had potentially fought Cassius; that was true. But Tabitha also felt that if Matthew had fought Cassius to defend her honour, she might have been charmed by the gesture. It was more likely that he had fought Cassius for Her Grace’s sake, though. No matter how hard she tried, Tabitha doubted she would ever earn such devotion from her husband.
“I see,” Tabitha said.
“I did not hurt him badly if that is what you fear,” Matthew said. “I merely made certain that he knew I would not tolerate disrespect towards my wife.”
Which wife?
Tabitha wanted to ask but feared she would not like the answer.
“I managed to retrieve my watch,” Matthew said.
“So, it is yours.”
Matthew nodded. “I am uncertain how it came into Lord Fatherton’s possession, but I intend to learn that. I am sure there is a rational explanation.”
