Page 50 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
“Oh, I can’t wait to see them both,” Catherine gushed. “And to hug little Rosie. I miss her so much. I feel like she is growing up so fast and I’m missing so much of it.”
“I know what you mean,” Reginald sighed heavily, burying his face into his hands for a moment, then locking eyes with her again. “Every day that I spend away from them it feels like a piece of my heart is being ripped away from me.”
She knew what he was referring to. “Still no news of the man?”
“No,” he shook his head. He exhaled loudly, as if he were carrying the burden of the world on his back and he was slowly cracking under the pressure. “I feel like we’ve exhausted all leads. I don’t know where else to turn.”
She felt heartbroken for her brother, because she knew how much this would mean to him. He would finally be able to obtain everything he had ever wanted. But that elusive man, Annabel’s husband, was standing in the way like an insurmountable obstacle.
The worst part was that he disappeared, and he was nowhere to be found. Catherine was certain that, if the man were to be found and offered some sort of deal, financial or otherwise, he would surely accept to divorce Annabel quietly and make everything all right. But life was rarely simple. She knew that herself. Her own situation was no less complicated, and she knew the pain of such insurmountable obstacles.
“I’m sure something will come up,” she tried to cheer him up.
He smiled. “I hope it will. But let’s not dwell on sad things. When you come back, we could all meet for a walk in the park. You, me, Annabel and Rosie.”
“I would love that, Reggie,” Catherine nodded, her heart filled to the brim. She yearned to feel Rosie’s chubby little hands caress her cheeks. She was such a sweet little girl, who was oblivious to the cruelty and complexity of the world around her. Catherine hoped that she would remain as oblivious as that for a very long time.
The siblings continued to talk long after their tea arrived. Catherine almost felt as if nothing had changed, as if they were still living together, sharing their lives, certain that they would be always there for each other. She listened to him talk about his political aspirations, but they were in the shadows for the time being, as he was preoccupied with assuring that Annabel got her divorce, so he could marry her and claim both her and his child as his family.
She couldn’t even imagine how difficult that must be for him, not to live with them, not to be able to publicly show his affection. After a while, Reginald announced that he had to return.
“Oh, must you?” Catherine asked, although she knew the answer to that.
“I have to admit, when your husband sent me the letter informing me of your mishap, I was ready to beat his face to a bloody pulp,” Reginald admitted. “That was partly why I came here. But then, I thought about it for a moment. If he didanything to you on purpose, he wouldn’t be inviting me over, allowing me to find out.”
He paused, raking his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure why I’m saying any of this. I suppose I wanted to say that I came here to see you were well. I’ve assured myself of that. As for your happiness, Cate… please think about it. You need happiness in your life. This man cannot be it. It… it’s impossible.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond to that. Instead, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it reverently.
“I will be waiting for your return,” he smiled. “Take care of yourself, my dear Cate. And write to me if you need me for anything.”
“I will, Reggie, thank you,” she whispered back, happy that she saw him, but sad to see him go.
“Don’t get up,” he instructed. “I shall go find the duke and bid him goodbye. Not that he deserves even that.”
“Reggie, don’t be like that,” Catherine caught herself defending him. “He helped me when I fell off my horse. And he sent for a physician immediately. He… he’s been tending to me.”
He frowned. “If he didn’t force you into marrying him, you wouldn’t be here in the first place and none of this would evenhappen… but that is my fault, more than anyone else’s.” He swallowed heavily, his Adam’s apple bobbing up, and then back down, like a heavy stone he was unable to swallow. “Goodbye, Cate.”
“Goodbye, Reggie,” she replied, watching him leave the parlor and close the door behind him.
She managed to suppress the onslaught of tears, which threatened to take hold of her. Her brother was right. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t married Dominic.
If you hadn’t been forced to marry him,a little voice inside corrected her. It was right. She was forced. But she felt that it was a choice that had to be made. She was where she needed to be. She was absolutely certain of that. As for her final destination, that was yet to be determined.
Chapter 25
Dominic knew that Catherine was still in the parlor, waiting. Yet, he hesitated in front of the door, after he had seen her brother off. He still remembered Reginald’s last words before he mounted the carriage.
You’d better take care of her, or else…
Dominic wasn’t frightened by that threat. On the contrary, it made him respect Reginald even more. Perhaps in another life, they would have been good friends. The best of friends. And Dominic himself would still be married to Catherine. Happily married. The thought made him smile.
He pushed the parlor door open and saw that Catherine was still seated in the armchair, with two empty cups of tea resting on a small table before her. She seemed lost in thought; she hadn’t even noticed him come in. He dared not disturb her. All he could do was stare at her in awe. She was a vision of ethereal elegance, her features bathed in the soft glow of the candles.
In that moment, Dominic couldn’t help but feel a stirring of desire deep within him, an undeniable attraction that pulsed through his veins with every beat of his heart. He longed to reach out to her, to draw her into his arms again and lose himself in the intoxicating embrace of her presence.
She was a lady in every meaning of the word, yet the primal urge to possess her, to make her his own, burned fiercely within him, driving him to the brink of temptation. She awakened every desire in him, every fiber of his being wanted her in ways he dared not even think, let alone express in words.
