Page 38 of Good Duke Gone Rogue

Shock must have scattered across Bernadette’s face, because Kat just chuckled. “Oh, Quinn was right. It must have been too late to mention it when you first arrived. Do you happen to recall the sleuthing agency I mentioned?”

“Yes, of course,” though she had no clue how it was relevant to her.

“Well, my good friend. Should you find yourself in search of a husband, do consider asking for help. We can look into him for you to make sure you get the best of the best.”

“Ah…well, now. That is something for me to consider.”

“Don’t dismiss it too quickly, Bernadette. There are more than enough men masquerading as dead weight. Don’t saddle yourself with it. For any reason. Choose love.”

“Love and investigate him?”

“Of course!” Kat patted her arm as if hiring a sleuthing agency to investigate potential husbands was de rigueur and marryingblindly was démodé. And more strikingly, as if she knew of Bernadette’s plan to do just that when the time came. “Marry for love, but know the man you’re marrying. Know him as well as you can. I’m lucky because I knew Quinn as a friend before we married.”

“Yes. That is lucky indeed.” Bernadette swept her eyes over Reggie’s faintly scowling face. He was in a poor temperament today. It was bound to be a dreadful ride.

Another pat from Kat shrugged her out of those thoughts. “Just remember what I said.”

And Bernadette knew she would remember the words Kat spoke. Only, the words that would ring through her head were likely not the exact sleuthing agency ones Kat had been referring to.

“Let’s go,” Reggie called out.

Another embrace and Bernadette said her final goodbyes. As she stepped up with Reggie’s assistance, her fingers trembled in his. He was upset with her, just as she was angry with him. Both for different reasons. But it was better this way. He wasn’t the one she needed in her future. He was all fire and no substance. She knew it a lie as she thought it, but she had to keep repeating it if she was to remind herself how temporary fire was. It burned, and it burned out. She didn’t need that in a future husband.

Upon sitting down, she knew it was going to be a silent trip. Reggie’s face was grim. She had never seen his lips pulled so tight. It almost made her want to attempt to pull a smile from him. Almost. But she held onto her self-restraint and pulled out a book instead. A book that she flipped the pages of but didn’t actually read. The silence was thick enough to choke on, but if she focused only on her book and the spontaneous questions Jacob asked, she could bear it.

A few hours into the trip, almost unbearable devolved into almost impossibly unbearable. The carriage lurched to the side,and she was flung onto Reggie’s lap. In that split second, he had grabbed Jacob and held them all tightly to his body. Protecting them both. Herandher son. Her. And. Her. Son.

In that instant, her anger toward him dissolved. Any rebuttals she had for not choosing him dissipated.

Tears were brimming at her eyes. He was a good man. Doing his best to protect the people he loved in his life. She saw it with how he was there for his father and Kat. He couldn’t be in two places at once, but he had been. While he was with his father, he had sent someone trustworthy after Kat. And here he was, protecting again. Those he loved…she could only guess.

At the knock at the door, she stumbled off of his lap and plopped into her own seat, leaving Jacob on Reggie’s side.

“Broken wheel.” The driver mopped his forehead with his sleeve. “I’ll walk back a mile into the last little town we passed and ask for help. Shouldn’t be long.” He beckoned Reggie toward him. “A quick word, my lord?”

“Of course.”

Reggie closed the door behind him, but Bernadette moved as close to the door as possible.

“What’s going on, Mama?” Jacob asked with more than a little concern in his love.

“Nothing to worry about my little cherub.”

“I hate it when you call me that.”

“Jacob, please hush. I’m trying to listen.”

“I thought it was impolite to eavesdrop.”

“It is.”

“Well then what are you doing?”

“I’m being impolite. Just this once.” And when she shushed him for the second time it worked. Miraculously.

But by then Bernadette had missed the quick word. She pulled back the curtains just in time to see the driver slip a flintlock into Reggie’s hands. She covered her gasp with her hand.

The carriage door flung open, not giving her enough time to scoot back to her spot. Reggie gave her a wary eye.

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