Page 85 of The Rules of Matrimony
Lord Kellen shook his head. “Please. Sit down.”
The emphasis on the wordpleaseshocked her into listening. She sat with the glass of water still in her hand.
He stared at her for some time, but she knew not what he was searching for. Surely her revelation could not have surprised him into so much silence? Was he being racked with guilt or disappointment that his son cared so much about something he dismissed so easily?
“You must not care about my son if you eagerly betrayed him for my approval.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart dropped into a pit in her stomach. “Pardon? I did not come to get your approval.”
“Then, why did you tell me this?”
She huffed, suddenly exasperated. She had told herself that she wouldn’t react to anything he said, but this was a terrible accusation. “Because your son suffers because of your behavior, my lord. The history between you is spilling over into other areas in his life.”
“Perhaps the reason he was so against marriage?” he supplied.
She shifted to the edge of her seat. “Can you not tie the two together?”
“You did not come for my approval after all?”
She shook her head. “I know you will never give it. The only approval I seek is from God and my husband.”
“Is that so? Ian will not take lightly to you speaking to me about this.”
She dropped her gaze to her lap, pretending to study the tiny floral pattern of her skirts. “No, he will not. But if there is any way for the two of you to reconcile, I beg you to contemplate the matter.”
Lord Kellen guffawed. “He will always see me how he wants to. He’s been that way since he was a boy.”
“You’re wrong,” she said, surprised at her own tenacity. “He is more open-minded than you might think. Oh, he is stubborn enough, but he is also compassionate. I cannot ask you to change your own habits, but I can ask you to consider the feelings of your wife and son.” She ducked her head. “Forgive my impertinence. I must take my leave.”
She shouldn’t have come. Nothing she’d said had changed anything. She’d given stress to a sick man and betrayed Ian in the process. Regret lanced through her chest as she pushed to her feet.
She set the glass down and hurried to the door. Before she quite reached it, it swung open. Ian stood on the other side, his brows knitted together. “Why are you in here, Amie?”
She swallowed. “I was just leaving.” She needed him to move his large form out of the way so she could run past him and flee the problems of her own making.
“What did you say to upset her, Father?” Ian glared at Lord Kellen, eyes filling with fire.
“I suppose I did upset her in the end, which is a shame, because I was just starting to like her.”
Amie froze and turned her head to see if the man was as deranged as she thought.
Lord Kellen appeared perfectly sincere. “You have mettle, a quality I cannot disparage.”
Ian reached for Amie’s arm. “You don’t get to care for her,” he said. “Just stay away from her.” He pulled Amie through the door, but before he could shut it behind them, his father spoke.
“We need to talk, Ian. Come see me this afternoon. It’s about an important matter you cannot dismiss.”
Ian didn’t answer but shut the door, his chest heaving. He blinked a few times and looked at her. “To the library.”
She gave a reluctant nod. It seemed they were going to have their own talk first. The library was the best location. There was a rather large Bible in there. It seemed almost sacrilegious to argue in front of sacred texts. Perhaps she would remind Ian of its presence before she told him any details about his father.
Dread kept pace with her all the way down the stairs. She had to confess what she’d done and beg for his forgiveness. Or maybe this was the opportune time to plead insanity. With her thoughts bouncing wildly in her head and Lord Kellen’s strange declaration that he liked her, she was feeling quite mad indeed. Maybe Cousin Robert was on to something.
Chapter 41
“You what?” Ian couldn’t believeit. Had Amie left her head at home this morning?
Amie put her hand on the oversized Bible on display in the corner of the library. It was a rather rare edition, with gleaming brown English leather and gold-leaf embossing, and it looked like it hadneverbeen touched. Yet she had fled directly to it when they’d entered the room. “I wanted to start a conversation between you and your father.”
