Page 18 of Her Tiger of a Duke
They would come to know one another better, forge a friendship and, for a fleeting moment, she wondered if they might even find something more. The optimism in her heart was immense, and as she went to find him, she hoped that he would see it the same way.
He was in the drawing room, reading. She sat next to him with a smile on her face that he could not possibly ignore, and he put down his book with a grin.
“I see that you enjoyed the tour.”
“Indeed. It is such a fascinating household. I was wondering if there might be any documents explaining the history of it. Mrs. Forsythe believes that they exist, but she does not know where they would be.”
“The library,” he nodded, then paused. “I shall fetch them for you.”
“There is no need. I can find them myself, for I know that you are busy, and–”
“I will do it,” he repeated, far more firmly this time.
Beatrice did not argue. She was surprised by the way he spoke to her, for he had never done so before, and though he did not raise his voice she had to admit that it frightened her.
He left the room.
CHAPTER 8
Owen had not meant to respond in the way that he had, but he had to go to the library before she could.
He had forgotten all about the issue, therefore had not told Mrs. Forsythe to handle the matter. He cursed himself for the oversight, for it had led to him speaking unkindly to his wife, but he would mend things with her later.
For the moment, he had to hide some things.
They were in the same section of the library as the historical documents. Owen did not know why he had kept them, for he truly did want to be rid of them more than anything in the world. They were a reminder that he did not want to have, and they taunted him, but it was a betrayal to Lydia’s memory if he threw them away.
Young girl passes away aged fifteen.
He wished he had not glanced at the headline. He wished he had simply taken the articles and papers and moved them out of the way, but he owed it to Beatrice not to remove any of the papers she wished to see. Their home had an extensive history, and he wanted her to learn about it.
He also wished to know more about it himself, for he had not paid any attention to it before. He piled up the books, shuffling the papers into a pile ready to hide away in the attic. It felt unfair to Lydia, but he had to keep her life and death away from his wife. It was a conversation that he did not wish to have, not for a long time at least.
“Here you are,” he said brightly when he returned, presenting her with the documents he had put aside and meant to share with his wife.
Beatrice’s eyes lit up at the sight of them, and she took them gratefully with no mention of his behavior before. He was thankful for that, because there was no way that he could explain it without having to talk about why his reaction was so strong.
“There is so much here!”
“You shall have to dedicate your entire day to it,” he agreed. “Which is just as well, because I am needed in town. I am seeing a friend, and I will not be home until tonight. Do not wait for me at dinner.”
“Oh. I was rather looking forward to… never mind. Enjoy your day.”
He hesitated. A part of him was also looking forward to spending time with her, but he had already arranged the meeting and could not change it. He thanked her, leaving the household.
He was to visit his friend’s home and could have brought her with him, but he was positive that his friend’s wife would be absent and so there was little for her to do there.
“A married man,” Lord Stanton announced, raising his glass as they sat in his study.
“It is a shame that you missed the ceremony,” Owen replied, taking a drink. “I hardly knew anyone.”
“Well, had we been given more than a few days’ notice, we might have been able to. Unfortunately, it is difficult to arrange for a trip when there are five children to bring along.”
“Of course, and you would never leave them alone with your dear wife.”
Lord Stanton pulled a face, and Owen laughed. Lady Stanton was not the most pleasant lady that Owen had ever encountered, and he could not say in good faith that his friend was particularly happy in his marriage, but she was an incredible mother and that was all that mattered.
“To be fair,” Stanton mused, “I did attend your first wedding ceremony.”
