Page 26 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“Might there be any left?” he asked. “Stanton would appreciate them, I rather think.”
“Indeed, I shall fetch them for you. The staff have asked me to give you their thanks, too.”
“They are most welcome. It would seem that they shall have sweets more often now.”
And so, when he met Lord Stanton, he was not empty handed. They took their drinks, and then Owen presented his friend with the treats. Stanton looked at him with uncertainty and then bit into one. In an instant, a smile spread across his face.
“You have changed already, Pantheris.”
“It would appear so. Who would have thought that I would spend my nights in a kitchen, rather than a gentlemen’s club?”
“This wife of yours is having a good effect on you. I knew I liked her when I saw her.”
“I fear that I thought the same. I want to say that she aggravated me, especially given the circumstances, but when I look back on the day I met her, I cannot help but think that I knew then and there that she should be my wife.”
“And now she is,” Stanton reminded him, chewing.
“And now she is.”
“As for the lady that almost was?”
“She is well. Beatrice and I will see her soon, and I already have the matter of her finances in hand. She will be well taken care of.”
“Very well,” he replied before taking another bite of a biscuit.
Owen wondered what his friend was thinking, for they did not have the sort of bond where they kept things from one another. He was tempted to ask him directly, but he knew it was best to continue as normal and if Stanton had something to say, he would eventually tell him.
“We are to visit the village tomorrow,” Owen continued. “The people will like her, I think, especially if she brings them sweets as good as these, and–”
“Does she know?”
Owen fell silent, his blood turning cold.He comprehended instantly in what way his friend’s mind turned and sought to stamp out the conversation before it truly began.
“No,” he replied. “I have not told her, and if all goes well, she will never learn of it.”
“Surely you understand that she will find out eventually. She deserves the truth.”
“If she finds out of her own accord, I will tell her what happened, but until then I do not want her to hear a word about it. She likesthe household, and knowing such a tragedy happened within will only ruin it.”
“And is that, your wife’s impression of the household, the only reason you keep this old story to yourself?” Stanton asked pointedly.
“I do not know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. You are keeping it from her because you do not wish to discuss the matter. The last thing that you want to do is tell her something so awful, but it is better that she hears it from you than from people in the village. Believe me, someone will say something.”
“Of course they will not. What sort of person would want to mention something so terrible on a happy occasion? They will only wish to greet her and accept the gifts. It shall not go any further, and I will not allow it.”
But his friend was not so convinced, and Owen could see that Stanton wished to argue. He also knew that there was a chance, however small, but that changed nothing. He was not going to tell Beatrice what happened all those years before, because no good would come from it. All that it would do was make him vulnerable to judgment, acknowledgement that what happened had been his fault. It was a risk that he could not take, and so he would not mention it.
“You cannot push her away forever. You are already failing at it by spending your nights in the kitchens with her.”
“How do you know we baked at night?”
“Well, it is either that or you were restless, and in any case that would be because of your new wife.”
He cursed his friend for being so perceptive.
“I am only spending time with her. There is nothing wrong with that, given that we are married.”
