Page 19 of Tempted By the English Marquis
“Are you going to post them to Mama?”
Clifford raked his fingers through his already tussled hair. “I can’t go on like this.”
Much as it pained Gideon to hear those words, they at least gave him a flicker of hope. Perhaps his father had accepted his wife’s decision and was ready to take the first steps toward his new life. One without the duchess.
“No, you can’t go on like this,” replied Gideon. “At some point you are going to have to get dressed and leave this room.”
And face the world.
“When I say I can’t go on, I mean I can’t live without her. Your mother and I have had a passionate marriage. Lord knows we have fought some bloody battles. But it was always with the understanding that we were together. That nothing would ever tear us apart. I knew she was angry with me when she took that trip to Italy, but if I am honest about it, when am I ever in her good graces?”
His father’s words sent Gideon’s mind into a whirl of panic. If the duchess was going to make their separation a public one, the last thing they needed was for the duke to fight it. The disgraceful scandal would seriously damage the marriage prospects of all the Kembal children. No good family would want to be associated with such a sordid disgrace as a failed union. The only things which would save his own chances of a smart match were his title and future role as duke.
He had to protect his brothers and sisters. Even if it meant standing up to his father and demanding that he not fight his wife’s request to live separately from him.
For a minute or two, Gideon struggled to put his scattered considerations together, to form a strong, coherent argument. One which he would have to use against his father. And while he feared what his words would do to Clifford, his concerns for the future of the entire Kembal family proved the stronger emotion.
“I know you are in pain. And I can’t begin to comprehend your heartache, but you cannot fight her. If Mama has made up her mind, then we have to focus on saving this family. And when I say we, I mean you and me. I can’t do this on my own,” pleaded Gideon.
Clifford motioned toward the pile of letters. “I don’t intend for this to ever get to the point of it becoming a legal matter. There won’t be a formal separation, nor would she give me grounds for a bill of divorce. I cannot believe that my wife would ever let another man touch her. We have always been faithful to each other. In her heart, she knows to whom she belongs. That is why I wrote those love letters to your mother. I have many more to write before you leave.”
Leave?
“I don’t understand. How do they help us to deal with this situation? And by leave, do you mean you want me to take Victoria and Coco to the countryside? I’m not sure if Richard or Matthew would go, but I can ask them.”
Gideon shifted out of the way as his father struggled to his feet. The duke swayed for a moment. His feet and legs must have been numb from all the hours he had spent on the floor. He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs, then finally righted himself.
He turned to Gideon. “The girls and Matthew will go to Mowbray Park. Richard will remain in London with me. It’s time he began to earn his keep. He is not completely useless; he knows how to fill in a ledger and write letters. Your brother will take on your work while you are gone.”
Leave. Gone. What on earth is he talking about?“Where am I going?”
His father met his gaze, and for the first time in a long while, Gideon recognized the glint of hope in the duke’s eye. Perhaps the worst was now behind them.
“You, Lord Holwell, are going to Rome. There you will locate your mother and sister, and you will put them both on a boat and bring them back to England.”
Gideon gasped. A few months ago, he had offered a jest to his cousin Clare Radley about doing just that, but it had been before the arrival of the duchess’s letter. Now it appeared his joke was about to become a reality. Rome?
Gideon fell silent for a moment. Going to Rome would mean more than just seeing his mother and sister. They were staying in Serafina’s home. He hadn’t seen her in almost a year and a half, but the regret he had felt at letting her go hadn’t faded.
What will I say to her when I see her once more? And what changes in her life has time brought?
He pushed the thoughts of Serafina to the back of his mind. They would no doubt resurface later when he was alone. At this minute, there were other more pressing matters.
“But what if Mama won’t come back?” The question had to be asked.
Clifford nodded. He had clearly considered that option. “Augusta must return to London. I am her father and legal guardian. You will have letters of instruction from me to make sure that no one in Rome can attempt to argue the legality of your sister’s custody.” He pointed to the letters. “If your mother is still adamant that she is not coming back, then you are to give them to her. I’ve left nothing unsaid in those pages. Not a private sentiment or intimate memory held back.”
“And if they don’t change her mind?” said Gideon, his voice rusty with emotion. He couldn’t even begin to imagine that conversation. Of what he would do if his father’s pleas failed.
“I will give you a signed letter of credit. Your mother will be able to live out the rest of her days quietly in the comfort and social rank that is due to her. But if she decides to press ahead with making our separation formal in the public’s eye, she will receive nothing.” There was coldness in his father’s tone. It spoke of a man who had accepted his fate just before throwing the dice one last time.
A line had been drawn. A black fracture, chasms deep. On one side of it stood the hope of their family being reunited while on the other was the heartbreaking notion of his mother spending her life in exile.
“I know my words may seem harsh, but I won’t have the Kembal name dragged through the mud in order for your mother to seek vengeance for some wrong I have caused her, though Lord knows what I did to deserve this. You are right; our family has to come first. No member is more valuable than any other.”
Gideon had a world of reservations about the likelihood of his journey’s success, but he understood he had no choice. He was duty bound to do all he could to save his family.
And despite his growing resentment toward his mother, he was genuinely interested in what the duchess had to say. She might have been hot tempered, and at times a touch melodramatic, but she rarely did things without at least some cause. Lady Anne Kembal had always been a loving, supportive mother, which made her decision to remain in Rome that much harder to accept.
