Page 63 of The Duke and his Hellion
“No, no,” Charles interrupted gently. “You have every right to ask, Abigail. And I am glad you did. I want there to be honesty between us.”
He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts before he continued. “I won't lie to you. I have had my fair share of… let's call them flirtations… in the past. But none of the women you've seen me act with were past… liaisons. I enjoy a bit of harmless flirting now and then — or at least I did. But that's all it ever was. Harmless.”
“But they all seem to know you so well. They seem so… familiar with you,” Abigail pressed, her brow furrowed. “Like that barmaid at the inn or Lady Constance at the party…”
Charles sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose I have built up something of a reputation over the years and… perhaps I have managed to make some women feel a tad too comfortable with my demeanor. But Abigail, I want you to understand… it was never more than playful banter. I've never taken it further with any of them.”
“And now?” The question left her lips before she could help herself and Charles smiled, a hint of warmth in his eyes.
“Now I am married. And I have stopped. To be honest, it is not even fun anymore.”
Abigail tilted her head, curiosity overriding her embarrassment. “Why not?”
Charles shrugged, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I am not sure,” he admitted at last. “It feels… unnecessary. Besides, I have a wife and as unconventional as this marriage may be, I intend to be a loyal husband.”
Abigail smiled hesitantly and she looked up, her eyes meeting Charles's. A jolt of electricity ran through Abigail, the air between them crackling with unspoken emotion.
It was Charles who broke the intense gaze, his smile turning playful. “Well,” he said lightly, “I hope that puts your mind at ease, my dear wife.”
Abigail nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “It does,” she admitted lightly. “But I cannot help but wonder… these rumors about your past are quite… well, widespread. Does it bother you? What people say about you?”
Charles was quiet for a moment, seemingly considering her question. “I suppose it should,” he said at last. “But I have learned over the years that people will talk no matter what you do. I cannot control their gossip, but I can refuse to let their gossip dictate my actions.”
Abigail could not help but smile. “That is… quite impressive,” she said at last, surprised by his approach and Charles laughed.
“You sound surprised,” he teased. “But you ought to know by now that I do have my moments.”
Abigail could not help but laugh, and she found herself studying her husband with new eyes. The longer they were married, the more human and approachable he started to seem. Where he sat now, his cravat loosened and his hair slightly mussed after a long day, it was a far cry from the stiff man in the top hat that had visited her at her brother's manor the first time.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I appreciate your… well, candor.”
Charles reached across the table, taking her hand in his. “I am glad you spoke to me,” he said now. “Should anything trouble you in relation to us… to our marriage… it is important that we talk about it. We are in this together after all.”
Abigail smiled at this — the thought of them being in this marriagetogetherwas one that heartened her.
Still, as appreciative as Abigail was of Charles's candor, there was still something nagging at the back of her mind — one last piece of the puzzle that she needed to understand.
“Charles,” she said earnestly, setting down her fork and looking at him. “There is one more thing I wanted to ask you about.”
He looked up from his dessert, his brows lifted. “Yes?”
Abigail swallowed hard, steeling herself. “I… I heard about your previous engagement, too,” she said softly. “I was wondering… what happened? People say… that you practically left the girl at the altar, that she was heartbroken and…”
The change in Charles's demeanor was instantaneous. He pursed his lips and the warmth in his eyes faded to a guarded look.
The relaxed atmosphere that had settled between them vanished.
“I prefer not to discuss that,” he said, his voice clipped. Abigail blinked, taken aback by his sudden coldness.
“I am sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn't mean to pry, I just thought…”
“It is not a topic I wish to revisit,” Charles interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Please, Abigail. Do not ask me about it again.”
Abigail felt a flicker of frustration. “But you just said that it was important to talk about things,” she said with a frown. “Surely I have a right to know about your past — especially something as significant as a broken engagement.”
Charles's jaw tightened and he shook his head. “Some things are better left in the past,” he said coldly. “This is one of them.”
“But why?” Abigail pressed, unable to let it go. “What could have happened that was so terrible that you cannot even speak of it?”
