Page 39 of Her Tiger of a Duke
The following day, Beatrice wandered the household again, so that she could remember what it looked like before the changes. When she went to the gallery, however, there was a patch where the wall was brighter than the rest of the spaces. It was where she had seen the painting of the girl.
It had been removed.
CHAPTER 16
Owen knew that he could not keep the truth from his wife forever, but he needed to do so for a short while longer.
His memories made him miserable, and it had taken him a long time to find peace. He could not lose it for the sake of telling her what had happened all those years before.
Fortunately, Beatrice was so preoccupied with changing their home that he hardly saw her in the three days that followed. He locked himself away, thankful that no changes were to be made to his study even if part of him wished that there were.
He saw her the night before her friends were set to arrive, her hair a mess and her dress spattered with paint. She was grinning, pleased with herself, but all that Owen could think of were his plans.
“I had planned to take you to the village tonight,” he explained, her face faltering.
“Ah. I could bathe, and I would soon be ready to leave.”
“Do not worry,” he chuckled. “I can see that you are enjoying yourself. We can do it another time, when you are not otherwise occupied.”
“Would you like to help?” she suggested. “I would like for you to make your own mark, just as I am.”
“There is no need. I have an entire study to myself that is to my tastes. It is your household to run, and so it is only fair that you make the decisions about it.”
He was being distant, and he knew it, but he could not help it. Once again, he had allowed her to get close to him and been frightened off. He needed to see his friend, for though he did not want his advice, he knew that he needed it.
“You cannot avoid her forever,” Stanton said as they drank at their club. “If you are to be married for the rest of your lives, there are things that she deserves to know.”
“And she will, eventually. I certainly do not want to tell her on the eve of her friends’ arrival. It shall be an enjoyable week, and it would only be ruined if she were to become aware of my past.”
“And are you certain that is all it is?”
“I am, as a matter of fact, and I do not like what you are suggesting.”
“Settle yourself,Panther.”
Owen rolled his eyes at the nickname.
“You know as well as I do that you cannot keep secrets. She is bound to learn of the truth sooner or later, and it is better that she hears it from you, rather than a servant or a mistake that you have made.”
“Well, thus far, she does not suspect a thing, which all things considered would suggest that she will not figure it out of her own accord. She has read articles and seen a painting of her, and still, she is clueless.”
“And does that make you proud?”
“It makes me more at ease.”
Owen wanted to be honest. Beatrice did not have to tell him her conjectures about her dubious parentage, but she had because she felt it was the right thing to do. In return, he had continued to keep a monumental secret from her, and he knew it was unfair, but he did not know what else to do.
“I will tell her, but only when the time is right. Knowing that your husband has blood on his hands is not something you should hear before a celebration.”
“You do not have blood on your hands. You made an honest mistake, and there was nothing that you could have done. Inany case, forgive my assumption but will you not say that indefinitely?”
“What do you mean?”
“As of right now, you do not want to spoil the event that you have planned. Next, will you say that you do not want to spoil Lady Helena’s wedding?”
Owen grimaced, knowing that it had been an idea that he had had.
“Precisely,” Stanton continued. “I do not know your plans, but I do know you, and I know that you are an honest man. From what I know of your wife, she is very understanding. If you keep all of this from her for too long, however, and she is furious, I will not have much sympathy. We all make choices.”
