Page 95 of A Misguided Devotion

Charlotte flopped into a chair. “Oh heavens! You know how Grandmama dislikes scandal and how protective she is of her husband. She’s forever saying that he’s borne too much already. I suspect that’s a skeleton she’ll want to keep shut away in the Duke’s familial closet. I doubt Grandmama will give her blessing to such a union.”

A sharp pain caught William unawares. His twin had stated the fear he had not wanted to speak aloud. That his family would struggle to accept his choice of wife.

Poor Kitty. She probably thought his silence was due to embarrassment at the dubious circumstances of her father’s birth. If only that were all they had to contend with.

She did not know what a blow it had been for him to learn that her grandfather was Lord Edward Hampton. She hadn’t known he shared a surname with the Duke of Wessex and could not have guessed he was the Duke’s brother.

How ironic. It was Kitty who had reminded him to value his family—yet it seemed likely he would have to fight against them in order to make her his bride.

Chapter 27

On their return to Rufus House, Kitty took Mrs Jenkin straight to her son’s room. The older woman wrapped her daughter-in-law in a warm embrace.

“There, there, my sweet. We must pray he’ll wake up soon.”

Laura sniffed hard, but when she raised her face from her mother-in-law’s shoulder, she was smiling. “He already did. Just for a few moments. The doctor said the signs are hopeful that he’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s wonderful news,” said Kitty. “I’ll inform Lord Droxford. He will be so relieved. Once your husband is fully awake, we’ll be able to find out what happened.”

Laura grasped her husband’s hand. “As soon as he is well enough, I’m going to insist that we leave. I don’t feel safe here. Papa was so angry—”

Kitty understood, but realised she would need to plan her own future—where she would go after her friend’s departure.

Mr Jenkin’s recovery meant that William was free, but the news that should have brought her hope left her weighed down with grief. The change in his behaviour was too pronounced to ignore. He’d hardly said a word to her since they’d examined the records at St Mary’s and had ignored what they’d discovered—that her father was probably illegitimate. Had he relied on a different outcome?

She could not blame him, but it hurt. He was a viscount—far above her in rank. Even if her birth had been respectable, he would have been marrying beneath him. Unless, of course, they could prove her grandmother had married Lord Edward, but there seemed little chance of that. Then she would be a suitable match for William. But as things stood, their union was out of the question.

Staying here with Hugh was not an option. She could not marry him after the way he’d behaved toward William. Should she beg Laura to take her with her? Ask her to recommend her for a position?

Or should she hold out for the impossible? She realised she’d answered her own question. It was impossible. She believed William cared for her, but that it could ever come to anything more had been a foolish dream. One that she should never have allowed herself to start dreaming.

Painting normally soothed William’s spirits, but not this afternoon. His heart was not in it. He stared at the portrait of Mrs Jenkin and then at the copy he was making. After dipping his brush into the brown paint he had mixed, he moved it across the canvas, but it became harder with every stroke.

Why was he even bothering? He didn’t know if Mr Barrington would let him display the original at the Royal Academy, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to if he could. It might be the best portrait he had ever painted, but it reminded him of his foolishness. How he had narrowly escaped being forced into marriage to the wrong woman.

Now he had to figure out a way to marry the right woman. Kitty. Why did it have to be so complicated? Charlotte’s voice still rang in his ears. I doubt Grandmama will give her blessing to such a union.

The brush stilled in his hand. So what? He would just have to do without it. He didn’t need his grandmother’s consent to wed Kitty, only his father’s. William would write to him at once. Ask for his permission to marry her.

Would he give them his consent? That was the problem. He didn’t know. The recollection of their last conversation did not instil him with confidence. Father had told him he wasn’t ready for marriage. But he would change his mind when he met Kitty and realised what a wonderful woman she was—wouldn’t he?

If the worst happened and he refused? William would have to be patient. He could rely on his sisters to look after Kitty until he came of age. They had been willing enough to help her before. It would only be for six months.

The door opened, and he looked up, hoping it was the woman he longed to make his bride, come to keep him company. It was not. It was the last person he wished to see—Mr Barrington.

“I hate to interrupt your work, your lordship, but I believe it would be wisest if you abandoned the second portrait. It seems out of place, whilst Laura’s husband lies on his sickbed.”

William could hear the rancour in his tone. The man was still furious with his daughter for marrying Mr Jenkin and upending his plans. Perhaps that anger had spilled over onto him for not preventing it.

The underlying message was obvious. Mr Barrington would not let him exhibit his daughter’s portrait. Part of him was relieved he didn’t have to make the choice himself. “As you wish, sir.”

“I understand you fetched Mrs Jenkin from Weymouth to visit her son. A kind gesture, but thoughtless of my daughter to put you to the trouble. If Laura had asked me, I could have sent a carriage for her mother-in-law.”

William bowed his head. “I was happy to be of service. Miss Lacey had some business to attend to in town, which she was able to complete in the same trip.”

Mr Barrington’s mouth tightened. “It is a sad thing indeed if you are forced to entertain my daughter’s companion. Such company is quite beneath someone of your rank.”

How dare he make such a disparaging remark about Kitty? Had he changed his mind about wanting to marry her, or was he seeking to eliminate the competition?