Page 70 of The Duke Who Loved a Widow
“Now, wait a minute …”
“Simon, a few minutes ago, you came to find me, yelling at me about something I’d done to offend you. You caused such a scene that the butler came to investigate what was happening. You need to tell me in simple terms what the problem is.”
“Mr Chalston came. I didn’t see him.”
“Well, you had your back to him and were in such an emotional state that I doubt you were aware of much going on around you.”
“Rosalind says you made a point of waiting for her on an isolated path, insisting that she stopped and spoke with you, begging her to take you back,” said Simon, finally getting to the point.
Robert couldn’t help it; a hollow laugh slipped out, but he quickly regained control.
“Ah, we shine a mirror on reality. How clever. It didn’t happen, Simon, at least not like that. I did meet Rosalind on the path from the lake, where it comes out of the wood and meets the moor. It is hardly isolated, as estate workers are often in the area. I left the boys at the lake, and on my way back to the castle, Rosalind accosted me. I can think of no other word for it,” Robert told Simon
“I don’t believe …” started Simon.
“You don’t have to believe me. I really don’t care what you think. I can prove that I left the lake and met Rosalind within minutes, and the Reverend Colbrooke can vouch for the time I left the lake, and Lady Farrington saw me meeting Rosalindwhile walking on the higher path to the village. So, I can hardly have been waiting for her. That much I can prove.
“I will add that she also seemed to stumble into my arms purposefully. It was very inconvenient and unpleasant. She told me she would like to resume our engagement. I don’t know where that leaves you. As I turned her down flat, you probably don’t need to worry,” Robert added with a grin.
“Of all the …” Simon was struggling to get any words out and respond to what Robert had told him.
“I have no idea why your fiancée is so preoccupied with me, and I certainly no longer have any interest in her. I can tell you that I now know what love is. It has taken me a long journey to find a pure, radiant love, and I hope to marry within the year.”
There, he had said it! He now knew he had found the place he wanted to be and the person he needed to spend his life with. Just talking with Simon and working through his feelings made everything clearer.
He realized that he’d been on a journey to love and had not been aware of it most of the time, but he recognized he had reached his destination.
Arabella, he thought. I nearly lost you after that moment with Rosalind. Robert took a swallow, feeling the dryness in his throat, before relief flooded his veins.
“If you have any influence, then tell Rosalind to keep her distance from me. I did not ask her to leave after this incident as she is your betrothed, and it would have upset Mama. I won’t be that tolerant in future,” Robert finished.
He always felt sadness that his relationship with his brother no longer existed. This conversation showed there was no hope for the future. He nodded curtly at Simon and strode towards the lake.
Only when he got to the wood did he realize he’d forgotten Mickle. It was too late to return for her, so he’d take the dog for a long walk later.
He heard voices, realizing he should have thought the boys would be working on their lake project. He called as he rounded the corner and saw they were already dripping wet. Nathaniel, Emma, and the boys waved a greeting.
As he turned, he noticed his sister Elinor and Lady Farrington sitting on a fallen log, heads close together over some paper. He’d expected to meet them later, and usually the lake was quiet at this time. He needed to get up earlier to swim.
They looked up and acknowledged him, and he walked over to join them.
Elinor looked at him with concern. “Is there something the matter Robert?”
“No, no, just an estate issue. I became so preoccupied by it that I forgot to bring Mickle out with me,” he replied, not wanting to involve Elinor in his dispute with Simon.
“Have you offered Judd the position as lake keeper yet?” asked Arabella.
“Jason Brown is speaking with your uncle now, and if he approves, then he’ll offer Judd the job today,” Robert answered her.
“I suspect I shall return to one very excited Tabitha. There is no need for them to wait to be wed if the cottage goes with the job,” said Arabella, smiling.
“I came across to ask what you were doing. You seemed absorbed in those papers,” confessed Robert.
“We’re writing clues for the treasure hunt based around the lake. It’s best if there is a poem or a cryptic clue. Arabella has the skill of putting an idea for a clue into verse.”
He picked up one of the clues and was impressed at the quality of the verse.
Where the otter lays her trail,
