Page 83 of The Unwanted Duchess

“You told him that there would be no need to tell my father.”

“I told him that there was no reason for your brother to say that he told us. I did not say that your father does not deserve exactly what is coming to him.”

“Oh, Graham, don’t. It is bad enough that I must live with this knowledge. Do not make it worse by going there yourself.”

“I do not intend to go alone. I want you to come with me.”

“No. This is not your concern. It is mine.”

“Your father blackmailed you into marrying. That makes this my concern. I am not very pleased that your brother has told us all of this as I would personally have much rather lived in ignorant bliss and blamed my brother for it, but we are here now. We need to do something about it.”

“We do not. I could go myself and ask him why he did it. There is no need for you to go out of your way.”

“You will not be alone with that man so long as I am still breathing.”

“I would not be alone. I would be with Adam.”

“Another man that I do not trust.”

“Graham, I — you believe that I am capable, do you not?”

“Of course I do, but that does not matter. You are my wife, and you will not be alone with people that I do not trust. I will not allow it, not when I can be there to take care of you.”

“But this isn’t something you ought to do. I did not insist on confronting your brother, and so why you believe you should do so to my father is something that I do not understand.”

“My brother is dangerous as is your father. That is precisely why I will not allow it.”

“And so now I must do what I am told?”

“Samantha, why are you making this difficult? I am telling you that I want to help you.”

“I do not need your help!” she snapped. “I have lived my entire life without needing you to help me and over a year without Diana being there each and every time that I needed her. I did not need your help then, and I do not need it now.”

“I did not say you need it. I am saying I want to help.”

“And I am saying that I do not want you to. He is my father. This is an issue in my family, not yours.”

It was an unkind thing to say. She knew that. She also knew that she did not truly mean it; she had been considering Graham and herself a family for the past while, and she had been hoping that he had felt the same.

Regardless, it was the only thing she knew to say that he would not have a response for, and she was right. He fell silent in an instant, and though it pained her to see him troubled, she was at least pleased to have made him see things her way.

“I shall speak with my brother,” she continued, “and see what he believes to be best.”

“Do as you please,” he replied.

She left the study. She knew that she should have been pleased about it; he was no longer telling her what she could and could not do, but she still felt immeasurable guilt. Thanks to her father, she had trapped Graham into a marriage that he did not want, and now, he felt forced to defend her. She could not allow it. She knew what it felt like to be forced to care for someone that one did not care for at all, and she could not allow the same fate to befall her husband.

“You seem unhappy,” Adam observed as she entered the room.

He had already eaten most of what was on the tray, and he cast his gaze down onto it.

“My apologies,” he said quickly, “I lost my appetite at dinner.”

“It is perfectly fine,” she replied. “And yes, I suppose that you could say I am upset.”

“I apologize for that. Had I known you would have rather not known —”

“No, I needed to know. I have never much liked my — our father, but I had never thought him capable of this.”

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