Page 61 of Dueling with the Duke
Bridget folded her arms and stared at her father. She wanted to defy him and insist he should go first, but she loved her sister too much to miss the opportunity. She had been nervous to face her father, but with the feeling in the pit of her stomach with the Duke leaving, she was prepared to do anything.
“Why have you come back, Father?” Bridget demanded.
“What sort of question is that?” Ralph asked. “I warned you before about treating me with respect, and?—”
“Don’t you think we are past that, Father?” Bridget cut in. “You are my father, but you have done nothing in the past few years to gain any of our respect.”
Ralph waved his hand in the air and walked over to the window. He was a little unsteady on his feet, though he tried to hide it.
“You were out drinking last night,” Bridget stated.
“What I do is none of your business. I am doing all I can to steer this ship, and you are not helping.”
“I’m not helping?” Bridget shouted. “Do you have any idea what I am doing for our family? No, because you are never here. Mother is doing her best, but it is me who is doing what you are supposed to be doing, and you are making that ten times harder for me.”
Ralph turned around and raised his hand, glaring at her.
“Are you going to hit me, Father? Will that teach me a lesson?”
Go on, do it! Make me feel something other than the desolation in my heart.
“I would be well within my rights,” Ralph hissed.
“And I am well-wishing my rights to tell Margaret exactly who you are,” Bridget shot back. “She still loves you.”
“Is that your way of telling your father you do not love him?” Ralph asked.
The look in his eyes almost made Bridget feel sorry for him.
“I will always love you, and so will Mother, but Margaret truly loves you for the man she thinks you are. I could tell her everything, but it would hurt her a lot more than it would hurt you. I can’t put her through that, and that is the only reason I won’t tell her. She will discover it for herself one day, and I will be there for her, but I will not spring it upon her.”
“You always were annoyingly noble,” Ralph snarled. “You are so wonderful, aren’t you? You speak about doing my job, but you gladly accept it, don’t you? You want to be in control of every aspect of everyone’s life, don’t you?”
“I only want to protect Margaret,” Bridget told him.
That was her sole mission in life now that she could not have happiness of her own.
“Go on, say what it was you came here to say,” Ralph instructed.
“I won’t let you walk Margaret down the aisle,” Bridget told him.
“Oh, you won’t, won’t you?” Ralph laughed. “You are my daughter, and I am your father, and you don’t get to tellmewhat to do.”
“Please,” Bridget begged. “She deserves the best wedding possible.”
“And she shall have that. She asked me to walk her down the aisle, and I shall accept that duty. If you have a problem with that, then you might take it up with your sister.”
“Father, please,” Bridget pleaded. “You shouldn’t even come to the wedding. You will get drunk if you are not already, and you will make a fool of yourself. You will ruin Margaret’s day.”
“Am I not supposed to enjoy my daughter’s wedding day? I shall drink however much I want, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
Bridget wished the Duke had not left. Not only for her sake but for Margaret’s, too. She could see that their father would not listen to anything she said, but he might listen to the Duke.
“Please don’t ruin this for all of us. I am begging you, Father. You have made a mess of everything, and you need to accept that. Doing this for your family will go a long way toward making amends.”
“Not attending the wedding will make amends?” Ralph asked.
“Yes,” Bridget confirmed.
