Page 43 of His Abandoned Duchess

Charlotte dipped into a slight curtsey and nodded. “Certainly, Your Grace. I will call upon you at home shortly.”

They bid each other adieu, and Amelia gestured to Hugh, encouraging him to walk with her.

“Please, Lord Hugh, I find myself pressed for time. What is this about?”

He sighed, the understanding clear on his face, and Richard’s brother set a steady pace for them as he began to explain.

“I understand that my brother does not wish to speak with me. I would not be surprised if he went so far as to forbid you from doing so.”

Hugh looked over at her, and Amelia offered a knowing smile. “Perhaps.”

Chuckling lightly, Hugh released a long exhale. “I imagined as much. The truth is I am here to implore your assistance. I am desperate to speak with him again, and I know that I stand no chance of doing so without your help. It has been several years since I’ve spoken more than a few words to my brother, and I aim to change that.”

Amelia considered the man. She knew so little of Richard’s childhood, and the strain between the two brothers was as yet a mystery to her.

“Take no offense, Hugh, but I must ask why. Why, after all these years, do you seek out your brother’s ear?”

He offered another nod. “I understand your concern, and it is a pleasing sign to know that you care enough about my brother to be protective.”

Doing her best to school her expression, Amelia focused on the road ahead, letting Hugh steer the conversation.

“We did not part on good terms, and I feel no shortage of guilt about that. In truth, I had not known the animosity or strainbetween our father and Richard until after my mother had already taken me away.”

Amelia paused, emphasizing her words to prompt Hugh to continue. “Yourmother?”

“Yes. The late Duke married my mother after Richard’s own had passed. She remains Richard’s stepmother, and I, his half-brother. She had thought it a good match, but it was quickly realized that Richard’s father was a cruel and contemptible man. He was a distant figure in my life for many of my years. I was doted on to a degree in the beginning, having been healthier than Richard for a time. But when the Duke’s health improved, our father turned his wrath on Richard.”

Pieces of Richard’s past were slipping into place, and Amelia’s mind churned together the thoughts in an effort to see the overall picture.

“Your mother left the estate, then? Why? Why not take both children if the home was so terrible.”

“She had attempted. I was oblivious to all of this as a child, of course. It is only now that I have heard of it from her because she fares poorly herself. It appears that she could no longer keep ahold of the truth, fearing that she might go to her death without revealing it to me. My mother took me away for my own protection, and when she sought to do the same with Richard, our father forbade it. He was a forceful man, and I have to believe that he threatened her—or, in fact, harmed her—in order to keep Richard at Heartwick.”

“Hugh,” Amelia gasped, her hand going to her mouth on reflex, “that is awful. Richard is aware of none of this?”

He shook his head. “He does not. At least the half of which involves my mother trying to take him as well. I am of a mind to believe that Richard still feels like she abandoned him when that was never her intention. I know my mother can come across as a distant woman. Still, it is because she continues to suffer the after-effects of a lifetime of abuse. First her own father and then her husband.”

So much of Richard’s distance began to make sense in Amelia’s mind. She could see it as the protective measure it was, and Richard had been pushed into the marriage by the very man who abused him. It was no wonder that he found it difficult to trust her.

“I wish to speak with Richard so that I might apologize and…beseech him to visit my mother. She wishes to deliver her own apologies but is too weak to travel.”

Amelia stopped, turning toward her brother-in-law and putting a firm hand on his arm.

“I will help you as best as I can, though I may not be the appropriate or most advantageous choice as a conspirator. Richard and I are at odds at present, and I am unsure if that will ever change. Still, I will do what I can.”

Hugh sighed, his face melting into a relieved smile. “I am incredibly grateful. Truly. Whatever assistance you can offer ismore than I was granted before today. I will accept any and all of it gladly.”

“Of course, Hugh. I…I will send word to you as I can. Please, do feel free to call on me at the house when Richard is out for the day.”

They both smiled, offering a cordial embrace, and Amelia dipped down before straightening and angling herself toward the carriage that had brought her from Heartwick.

“I will speak with you soon.”

“Indeed. Again, my sincerest thanks, Your Grace.”

“We are family, Hugh. Please, call me Amelia.”

He smiled once more. Afterward, the Duchess hurried to her ride back to the estate. There was so much she wished to talk to Richard about. She only hoped that he would be of a mind to hear it.

---