“Rhoda is gone!”
Sophia and Cecily swept Emily onto Sophia’s private drawing room as soon as she and Marcus arrived back at Eden’s Court. Emily was surprised at the empty feeling in the pit of her stomach she experienced when her new husband disappeared with the duke.
They’d been together so much over the past few days. She felt as though a part of her was missing as she sat in the drawing room catching up on all that had happened since their departure.
“When? Oh, no! Has her mother sent her packing to the country?” It was all Emily’s fault. She had stolen her friend’s prospective bridegroom.
“Just a few days ago.” Cecily took Emily’s hands in hers and held them comfortingly. “And she’s not gone back to the country. She’s engaged to Lord Carlisle!”
Rhoda and Carlisle? Her friends filled her in on what little details Rhoda had shared before leaving and then demanded to know all about Emily’s adventure with Lord Blakely. Since both Cecily and Sophia had been lucky enough to marry men that they loved—eventually—they seemed to expect no less for Emily.
What could she tell them? Although she experienced moments where she felt certain she loved Blakely, he’d made it quite clear that, although they found pleasure with one another, and although they were friends, the marriage itself was one of convenience.
And yet, she didn’t want to see pitying looks upon their faces. She’d see enough of that when Marcus eventually abandoned her to her own devices. She’d deal with it then.
“We are friends… who enjoy one another physically.”
Sophia and Cecily looked at one another and burst into fits of laughter.
“Oh, Emily!” Cecily wiped a tear from her eyes, trying to bring herself under control. “Only you would ever think to put it that way.”
Sophia was shaking her head. “Ever the practical one!” Except she leaned forward and embraced her impulsively. “I am just so very happy that you will have your own family and home. Mr. Nottingham has told Cecily it’s not far from their own estate. You’ll be able to see each other regularly.” She pouted then. “And I’m all alone up here. I’ll have to talk Dev into taking us to visit often.”
“You won’t have to go to Wales! You’ll never have to defer to your aunt’s every wish again.” Cecily knew this was most important.
“I’m just so happy for you!” Sophia exclaimed. “Perhaps our daughters can all be friends.”
Their excitement, their giddiness, pushed her too far.
“It isn’t the same!” Emily couldn’t allow them to assume her marriage was the same as theirs. “He doesn’t love me! He’s gone out of his way to make certain I understand that he never will. As soon as I’m settled, he’s going to resume his travels.”
And then she burst into tears.
Cecily pressed a handkerchief into her hand. “Oh, Em.”
“Are you sure?” Sophia asked, ever the optimist.
“I’m so stupid.” Emily tried to bring her tears under control. “I know I promised in the beginning that I’d be perfectly fine with this. In fact, everything about it sounded wildly promising. But then all this other stuff happened and… I know how I’m supposed to feel, but I just can’t seem to stop myself from feeling… so…”
“Disappointed?” Cecily asked.
“Brokenhearted?” Sophia added.
Emily nodded. “Yes. To both. And I’m not in love with him! I swear, I’m not! It’s just that…”
They all sat silently for a moment, filling in the end of the sentence for themselves.
“Oh, we know,” Cecily finally acknowledged.
“I’m sorry for acting like such a ninny.” Emily sniffed loudly. “I just… I don’t exactly know how to do all of this. We’re supposed to travel to London, so his father knows of our marriage, and then Marcus said we’d travel to his estate. I’m terrified one minute, enraptured in those other minutes, and utterly confused in between.”
Sophia was shaking her head. “Waters departed from London last week. Dev mentioned it to me the just today. He asked if I thought Blakely might be received in London since the duke has left town.”
A maid stepped into the room quietly. “Pardon me, your grace.” She curtsied toward Sophia. “His grace wishes to meet with Lady Blakely if she’s not indisposed right now.”
Cecily and Sophia scrutinized her even closer than before. Emily shifted in her seat and then rose with a tight smile. “Likely he has a few words regarding Lord Carlisle. I did, after all…”
“Before leaving for Gretna Green, you requested I make some inquiries for you.” Prescott stared at her knowingly.
The duke sat across from Emily, behind the ancient desk used by generations of dukes before him. Although worn and scarred, the wood gleamed from polish.
Emily straightened her back at his words. She’d been preparing herself for this meeting since the day they departed. And yet when she’d first been summoned, she thought he might take it upon himself to reprimand her for her scandalous behavior while a guest in his home.
After all, she’d trapped Lord Carlisle and then failed to present herself for his proposal the next morning.
“Did you find anything then, your grace?” It seemed odd, sometimes, to refer to him so formally when Sophia spoke of him as though he were the sweetest man to ever live. But sitting in his office, watching his black eyes as he perused the papers before him, she had a sudden desire to cower in her seat.
“I deliberated inviting your husband to this meeting, considering the matter concerns him. But I wasn’t certain you had informed him yet, as to the nature of your inquiries.” Disapproval set an edge to his tone.
Emily bit her lip and shook her head. “I have not.” Oh, no! What had he found? His demeanor seemed to indicate that he may have discovered something of note.
He grunted. “It might have been simpler if you had.” And then he returned his attention to the papers once again. “Miss Meggie Thistlebum apparently was not at all what, or whom, she presented herself to be a decade ago. And the man living with her was not her father. He was, in fact, her husband. The investigator I sent to look into these matters located the magistrate who removed them from Waters’ estate. My man followed their trail to a small village north of Manchester where they lived openly as man and wife until Mr. Thistlebum passed away two years ago. The couple was notably childless.”
“And the woman?”
“Has moved to town where she has found work in a brothel.”
Emily swallowed hard.
“Marcus’ father didn’t lie to him, then.”
Prescott shook his head wearily. “It would seem he did not.”
What did all of this mean? She’d suspected that Miss Thistlebum might have taken advantage of Marcus but to have lied about a husband! And a child! Marcus did not have a son living in squalor somewhere, nor was his dear, sweet Meggie pining for the child’s absent father. She’d taken advantage of the unchecked passion of a randy youth in order to line her own pockets, it seemed.
The Duke of Waters had been telling the truth.
“I expected there might have been a few discrepancies, but nothing like this.” She looked to Prescott in shock.
At that moment, his eyes flickered with pity.
Of course, Sophia would have informed him of the nature of her and Marcus’ marriage. Prescott had to know that her husband had married her simply to defy his father.
And Prescott had uncovered information that changed everything. Marcus had been estranged from his father, mother, and sister over nothing. Marcus didn’t have an abandoned child, living or dead. And he’d been betrayed by a woman he thought he’d loved.
“You will tell him?” Prescott’s brows furrowed.
Emily’s future would unfold so much easier if she did not.
And yet.
He needed to know the truth. He needed to know the truth about the child—that there wasn’t one.
Perhaps he could reconcile with his family.
Except… for his marriage to her.
Emily’s very existence could ruin everything for him. The Duke of Waters was a proud man. He was a man who would not take kindly to Marcus’ defiant act of marrying such a nobody as her.
And an annulment was out of the question.
Prescott awaited Emily’s answer.
“I must. Is not the truth always best?”
At her words, he winced ever so slightly. His eyes dropped to the papers before him and then he took a deep breath. “I will leave the decision to you.”
A thought occurred to her. “Does Sophia know?” If she decided to keep the information from her husband, she’d want to be certain as few individuals knew the truth as possible.
Black eyes stared back at her. “It is your secret to tell. I have not discussed any of this with Sophia.”
Emily shivered at his words. Such an intimidating man. And yet, she’d seen the other side of him with his child and wife.
Being a duke likely shaped a man.
Marcus would one day be a duke.
Emily swallowed hard.
“Thank you, your grace.” He’d accomplished more than she might have imagined in such a short amount of time. Or his investigators had anyhow.
But that she’d never asked him.
At this moment, she wished her curious nature to perdition.
The duke nodded, and Emily rose. A life-changing decision had been placed in her hands.
She closed the duke’s door behind her and drifted along the corridor. Was there any decision to be made? Male voices floated out of the billiard room.
Marcus and Mr. Nottingham’s.
“…get it over with and then bring her down to Southampton. Your property is close enough to mine. I know Cecily will be more than happy to take your wife under her wing.” A clacking sound followed Mr. Nottingham’s suggestions.
Emily huddled beside the wall. She knew better than to eavesdrop. It was rude. And yet, if she could learn some of the workings of Marcus’ brain…
“Convenient that.” But Marcus did not expand on his thoughts. Men! Would it kill them to share something of themselves with even their dearest of friends?
“Never thought I’d live to see the day.” This from Nottingham. “Regrets?”
Emily’s breath caught. Please say no. Please say no! But there would be regrets. As soon as she told him…
More clacking of balls. “Aren’t there always?”
“Where my marriage is concerned. No.” Lucky, lucky Cecily! Mr. Nottingham would even admit this to a newly married fellow. “Too late for you now, Marcus.” An ironic chuckle followed the statement.
“She entered our arrangement with a clear understanding…” Marcus did not sound nearly as sure of himself as normal. “…messier than I would have it.”
She ought to stop listening this very second. No one ever heard good things about themselves while eavesdropping.
“Perhaps this will end this stand-off with your father once and for all. It’s taken a toll on all of you. That’s to be certain. The duchess, Corinne… Lady Hartley. Your niece and nephews will not recognize you.”
“Father’s going to hate her.” Emily squeezed her eyes shut. That had been the idea all along. How would he feel now? Knowing he’d been mistaken as to his father’s crimes.
“He won’t hate her. He’s going to hate that you’ve caused him to break his contract with Lord Quimbly.”
“True.” Another hard click and more clacking. Maybe she didn’t want to hear this.
“It’s going to be priceless.” More glee in his voice. “Em, er… Lady Blakely and I will make an appearance together in London and then travel south. Quimbly and his daughter traveled to town with them. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.”
At that moment, she realized that Prescott hadn’t given her a choice, really. There was no other decision, in fact, but for her to tell Marcus the truth. No man ought to harbor so much hate in his heart.
She would tell him the facts and be done with it.
Unfortunately, he might choose to be done with her.