Page 34 of Yours Truly, the Duke
As soon as the children were halfway up the stairs, Wyatt said, “We need to talk, Fredericka. Let’s go to my book room.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head as she untied her bonnet and took it off. “I’m not up to talking any longer tonight. I need time to think. Something I should have done before I came here.”
Wyatt’s heart started pounding. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears. That made him feel even more like a monster. “I want to explain. You don’t understand about the evening.”
“You’re wrong,” she murmured in a disappointed tone. “Of course I understand. We had an agreement that you could continue to live your life as you please. I’ve broken that by coming here. I allowed worry to get the best of me today and did something I shouldn’t have done.”
“What?” he asked, feeling her obvious concern and believing she was finally going to open up and let him know what brought her to London.
“Make a hasty decision. That seems to be something I’ve been doing ever since I met you. I know better. I should always study on big decisions for a few days and think out all the possibilities before committing to an answer. You were right when you said I shouldn’t have come tonight. Please get back to your party.”
Fredericka turned away. Wyatt reached for her arm to stop her but caught her hand instead. It was soft but cold. When she turned back to him, he quickly let go. “I don’t give a damn—I don’t care about the party, Fredericka. I care about whatever it is that brought you here in the middle of the night.”
“My cousin, Jane, and it’s not something that can be solved tonight. Probably not for some time and maybe not at all. You may not care about your guests, but I care about the children. I’ve upset them by coming here. Especially as hastily as I did. It’s late. I need to be with them and reassure them all is well. Besides…” She rubbed her arms as if she were cold.
“Besides what?”
“If you return to the party now, you may be able to quell some of the gossip about us that must be going on right now.”
Wyatt scoffed, “It doesn’t matter. There will always be gossip about us. I’m not letting you go to bed thinking I was going to hurt you or the children when I took hold of your arms. I only wanted to—” He caught himself and paused. He almost said he wanted to hold her. That was the last thing he needed to say right now. “It’s true I was upset you had been on the road so late.”
With a steady, serious gaze, she offered, “I never thought you were going to harm me.”
“Then why did my action prompt Elise to act as if I was the devil himself? Why did she beg me not to hurt you? You haven’t ever been—?”
“Watch what you say, Your Grace.” Fredericka inhaled a deep, heavy breath, her eyes flickering in outrage as her shoulders drew up tight in defense.
“I’m trying to understand why they were so frightened.”
“You can’t do that by offending me.”
His gaze held true and unwavering to hers. He had to ask. “No. That wasn’t my intention.”
She relaxed and looked down at the bonnet in her hand for a moment before lifting her somber gaze to his once more. “I suppose there’s no reason I can’t tell you. Their father was sometimes harsh… with Angela. Not the children, she insisted.”
“Bloody blackguard,” Wyatt whispered in a low tone.
“I don’t think it was often,” she said with vague reassurance, and then added, “I always hoped it wasn’t. But at times, the children were witness to his anger. More than once, I believe. I don’t think Bella remembers much about her parents at all. I assume that when you took hold of my arms, it must have brought back memories for Elise. She’s been so fragile since her mother died. I never thought you were going to be rough with me. I wouldn’t have married you if I had believed you capable of that kind of behavior.”
He nodded with relief. He despised men who used their strength on women or children. “I’ll have to make sure Bella, Elise, and Charles know that too.”
“They will, in time,” she said in a soft whisper. “I’m tired and ready to go up, if you don’t mind. The road was bumpy and the carriage cold. I would rather wait until morning when I have a clearer head to carry on this conversation. Go, finish your dance.”
He started to snap at her and say again he didn’t give a damn about the dance, the party, or anything else, but he could see in her face she was weary and needed to rest. “I’ll be waiting for you in my book room in the morning.”
She nodded, turned, and started up the stairs.
Wyatt looked back to the closed doors of the drawingroom. The music and hum of chatter had returned, but he had no desire to rejoin the merriment. It was one thing to enjoy the carefree life of bachelorhood when his wife wasn’t in the house. When he’d seen her in the doorway, all of it had felt wrong.
What a hellish night doing a simple favor for Grant had turned into.
How could he have ever imagined Fredericka would come to London unexpectedly? Or that the children had been traumatized not only by their parents’ deaths but also by their father’s ill treatment? Children and women should never feel the strong hand of a man, whether father or headmaster.
Wyatt swore under his breath again and shook his head. He knew a wife was going to be trouble. His father had warned him about it many times over the years.
Now, it appeared he would find out for himself just how much trouble, and if he was up to the challenge.
CHAPTER 10
