Page 47 of The Duke's Wicked Widow
Ellie focused on her tea which she held atop the saucer before her. “I am afraid that is impossible. Rufus fell sick long before Father, but by Father’s attack, we knew there was no cure for either. They both lingered too long, and their passing was a blessing in many ways.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d said the words, but she meant them, every time.
Father had never been a loving parent to her. Food and shelter and social standing, yes, but he’d never offered her affection or praise. In fact, just the opposite; she and Georgia were expected to follow his dictates quietly and perfectly, never allowing gossip to tarnish the title.
When Georgia did, he’d made her life miserable.
Ellie had always been quieter, more timid…and when Rufus had proposed, Father had been genuinelyproudof her, for the first time ever. He’d bragged that, despite her flaws, she’d attracted a viscount and avoided scandal.
No, he’d never made her feel loved, but when he’d fallen ill, she’d been the one to oversee arrangements even as her husband’s health deteriorated. She’d done her duty to both of them.
And now they were gone.
Their deaths lent a sense of freedom…and terror.
What will you do if you are not pregnant?
Best not to worry about that. Ellie sipped the tea and resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes closed.
“Oh, I think there is,” Uncle William announced, and Ellie’s gaze flew to his. “I cannot bring either of them back,” he said gently, “but I can take care ofyou.”
Slowly placing her cup back on the saucer, Ellie shook her head. “I…”
“Am I correct in assuming that, with no direct heir, Rufus’s title will revert to his brother, leaving you without a place?”
Without a home.
Did Blackrose even know about Merida?
Resolve hardened. She would not let anyone hurt Merida.
“That…is correct,” she finally admitted. There was no use hinting at a possible pregnancy, not with him.
“Come home with me.”
When her gaze flew back to his, her expression must have shown her shock, because his lips curled ruefully as he bent forward to return the cup and saucer to the table. “Despite your inadequacies, Danielle, you are an acceptable hostess. Youmustbe, in order for a viscount to overlook your defects and make you his wife. Now I am the Earl I need a hostess, even if the household is technically in mourning.”
She was still staring at him, eyes wide, trying to decide how to respond. Yes, shedidneed a new place, but… She would rather drag Merida to Scotland and beg Georgia to allow them to stay, despite her advanced pregnancy, than move back to Bonkinbone with Blackrose.
Her uncle took her lack of response as a good sign, apparently.
“And although it seems hard to believe now, youwillneed to remarry. Women need a man to manage their lives.” With a flourish, he smoothed down the lines of his mustache. “I imagine, as I take my place in Society and politics, I will have plenty of men asking for the gift of your hand.”
A gift. A reward. He wanted to use her as a reward for a man who pleased him. In politics? She hid her shudder, unable to imagine the harm he could do in politics, with his traitorous past.
“Danielle,” he prompted softly, shifting to turn to her once more. “I need a hostess, and you most definitely need me. Please consider it?”
Her nod was jerky and not entirely believable.
A few weeks ago, standing at Rufus’s gravesite, she thought her options were nil. She was about to be kicked out of Cumnock House, and with Demon rightly protecting her sister from any upset or worry or visitors, the only chance at maintaining a roof over Merida’s head was to become pregnant, and fast.
But now her uncle—who seemed so sincere and caring, while parroting his brother’s opinions about her flaws—was offering her a place. The small catch would be that she’d have to live with a traitor. Have to support a man who’d done horrible things in his past, and pretend she didn’t know.
Her hands shook as she placed her tea on the table beside his, her attention focused on the liquid. “Georgia is—"
He cut her off with a slash of his hand, but he seemed to realize it hadn’t helped his petition, and turned it into a gentle pat of her knee. “I heard the shame she brought to the family, my dear,afteryour father forgave her earlier scandal and allowed her another chance. I know you might still care for her on some level, but my brother’s decision to turn her away was a good one. I want nothing to do with them.”
Was that because he was as cold-hearted as Father? Or because he knew Demon could identify him as a traitor?
