Page 94 of The Scottish Duke
“Are you sure?” Nan asked, glancing toward the dressing room. “Matthews is here.”
“What does that mean?” Alex asked.
She turned to him. “He hasn’t been the most pleasant person to Lorna, Your Grace. Her first day here he made it clear he was an enemy, not a friend. Now that he’s back I’m sure he’ll find a way to insult her again.”
“I’m here,” he said, feeling an odd need to prove his loyalty was at least the equal of Nan’s. “I won’t tolerate his bad behavior. Has anyone else at Blackhall been rude?”
“You have, Your Grace.”
That certainly put him in his place.
He didn’t know how to define the emotion washing over him. Was it shame? Surely not. He hadn’t done anything for which to be ashamed. Surely there was another bridegroom who’d deserted his bride the day after she’d given birth?
She stared straight at him, as if defying him to discipline her.
He’d never been chastised by a maid. No, that was wrong, wasn’t it? Lorna had done the same. What kind of punishment could he mete out to her now for telling the truth? Or for being so loyal to Lorna?
The women in his life were rendering him speechless. At least his child was a boy. He looked forward to having reasonable and rational conversations with his son in the future.
“I’m here now,” he said. “I have no intention of leaving again.”
Nan looked at him as if she didn’t believe him. Words wouldn’t matter right now, would they? What counted were his actions.
She nodded, once, then left the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Matthews?” he asked when Nan was gone and Lorna was settled in the overstuffed chair.
“What was I supposed to do, Alex? Whine that your valet hasn’t been nice to me? You’ve known him a great deal longer than you’ve known me.”
He was trying to wrap his head around that statement when she unbuttoned her dark blue dress, revealing a shift that was devised to separate in the middle.
“You aren’t wearing a corset,” he said.
“No.” That was all. No explanation. No embarrassment.
He’d thought her natural before, but now she’d acquired a smooth competence in nursing their son. She smiled down at Robbie, her left arm cradling him, her right hand gently guiding him to her breast.
She ignored his presence, the two of them a complete unit that didn’t require an outsider—him.
It had never occurred to him that he’d ever feel unwanted at Blackhall. The castle was his home, his heritage. He knew every nook and cranny, had played as a boy in every unused room. He’d explored the attic and the dungeon, knew the secret of the revolving bookcase in the library, had even carved his initials on the keystone of the gate. Yet ever since he’d walked in the door, he felt the aura of disapproval, as if the bricks were turning their backs on him.
He’d made a mistake, a bad one, and he was going to have to pay the price for it. How his punishment would be meted out, he wasn’t sure, but he was certain it would come.
He had to do something about Matthews and any other servant who’d seen his departure as reason enough to make Lorna’s life miserable. But he couldn’t expect them to treat Lorna with respect if he hadn’t.
She put Robbie to the other breast, remaining silent, increasing his discomfort. He wasn’t familiar with this feeling, but it was one he’d experienced with her from the beginning. She kept him off balance, did things he didn’t expect, and acted in ways he couldn’t possibly anticipate.
He’d never met a woman like her.
“What else has happened since I’ve been gone?”
“Nothing,” she said. A note in her voice bothered him.
“Nothing?”
“Not one thing, Alex, that would interest you. Robbie learned to sleep the night, your mother and I’ve become friends, Nan has become a genius at removing stains from my clothes, and the days have been very pleasant.”
“Perhaps I should leave again, then,” he said.
