Page 52 of Marry in Secret
Rose swallowed her temper. He was right. “I should have told you,” she admitted.
“I appreciate that alady”—an ironic two-edged cut aimed at both Rose and George equally—“might feel toodelicate to speak of such matters as virginity, but your guardian had no such excuse. There was no mention of such a thing when we were drawing up the settlements.”
“Cal didn’t know,” she said quickly.
A dark brow winged upward.
“I never told him, never told any of my family.” She swallowed. “I married in secret, and just a few weeks later my husband was reported dead. Cal was away at the war at the time, and...” She made a vague gesture. “By the time he came back there didn’t seem to be any point in telling him.”
“And Lady Salter? Am I to understand that all the while she was promoting the match, she was also ignorant of your true state?”
“Yes. Nobody knew, nobody at all. I am the one to blame—the sole person responsible. I deceived everyone, including you. I’m so sorry.”
There was a long silence. He crossed one long, booted leg over the other and contemplated his foot. “Secret from everyone? To what purpose?” he said eventually, sounding less sardonic and more curious.
She shook her head, not knowing how to explain, especially to such a cold man. But she was here to make amends, so she forced herself to try. “It was too painful to speak of. I tried to put it out of my mind.”
“Successfully, I gather.”
Remembering her thoughts during the first part of the wedding ceremony, she said nothing.
There was another long silence. Coals hissed and settled in the fireplace.
The duke rose to his feet. “So you came to apologize. I accept your apology. Was there anything else?” He was reaching for the bell pull as he spoke, clearly intending to end the interview.
“Well, actually...” Rose fished in her reticule. “I wanted to give you this, in person.” She handed him a folded note. “It’s about the ball. The one we planned for the week after next.”
His brow rose. “Canceled, I presume.”
“No, it’s going ahead. We’re going to use it to introduce Thomas, my husband, to the ton.”
He didn’t even glance at her note. “And what has that to do with me?” The cutting tone was back.
She took a deep breath. “I’d like you to come.”
Her words hung in the air.
“Let me get this straight. The ball that was intended to celebrate my wedding—the wedding that ended in a debacle before it even started, the wedding that was touted as ‘the wedding of the season’ and is now being spoken of as ‘the scandal of the season’—that ball? And you want me, the jilted groom—is that the right word?Jilted?Or perhapsspurnedis better. Or what aboutsupplanted? Yes,supplantedwill do nicely—so you want me, the supplanted groom, to come and give the newly reunited happy couple my blessing? In front of all the ton?”
Rose swallowed. Put like that, it did seem rather outrageous. “Yes?” she said in a small voice. “Please?” It would help smooth things over wonderfully.
He gave a harsh bark of laughter and rang the bell pull.
“If you came, you could demonstrate to the ton your supreme indifference,” George said helpfully. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He gave her a cutting glance, but otherwise ignored her.
Seconds later the butler appeared in the doorway. “Show these ladies out, Fleming,” the duke said. “Good day, Mrs. Beresford, Lady Georgiana.”
***
“So you think someone’s been masq’rading as you?” Ollie, sprawled almost horizontally in an armchair, regarded his wineglass somewhat muzzily. They’d eaten their dinner at Ollie’s club and had now retired to Ollie’s apartment to drink port. Quite a lot of port, after a very excellent claret at dinner.
“Forging my signature and stealing my money, certainly.” Thomas was as much bemused by the fact that hisuncle had continued paying his allowance as by the knowledge that someone else had been systematically robbing him for the last four years. Who could it possibly be?
And why would his uncle keep paying an allowance into his account when he knew for a fact that Thomas couldn’t touch it? Because as far as Uncle Walter was concerned, Thomas was still rotting on the other side of the world. He’d gone out of his way to ensure it.
It made no sense.
He was going to have to go to Gloucestershire and confront him. He wasn’t looking forward to it.
