Page 81 of The Duke of Ruin
He rushed down the stairs and when he reached the bottom, an odd sensation stole over him. That was the first time he’d come down without hesitating, without feeling a cold rush of guilt.
Not wanting to contemplate that too deeply, he stalked toward the drawing room. He was shocked to find his mother taking tea with his in-laws. It looked far too…pleasant.
He surveyed the room and its inhabitants with a frown. “I’m glad to see you’ve enjoyed some refreshments. Now get out.”
His mother looked aghast, particularly when her gaze dipped to Simon’s lack of a cravat, but it was Sir Barnard who responded. He stood from the settee and glowered at Simon. “I should have left that house party the minute you arrived. You poison everything you touch.”
Simon rounded on the man and gave full rein to his ire. “Actually, I think that’s probably a better description for you. Just look at your wife. She would clearly prefer to be anywhere other than here. Every time you speak, she flinches.” Simon turned his attention to the woman, whose eyes were wide with shock and perhaps a bit of fear. “If you ever require a place to stay, you are welcome here.” He hoped he wasn’t making an offer Diana wouldn’t support, but he had the sense her mother, while complicit with her husband’s abuse, had suffered too.
Simon returned his icy gaze to the baronet. “You, however, are not welcome. You’ll leave now and not return unless you are explicitly invited. If you try, I shall have you forcibly removed. Do I make myself clear?”
“You can’t do that. My daughter won’t allow it.”
“She not only allows it, she endorses it. She is no longer your daughter. She is mywife. The duchess you always wanted her to be, and as such, she can decide whom she wants to see and when she wants to see them. You are not on that list. Now, do remove yourself, or I shall call my staff to assist you.”
Lady Kingman stood slowly and lightly touched her husband’s arm. He pulled away from her and sent her a nasty glare. She jerked away, giving Simon a sad look. “You’ll take care of her. Thank you. Come, Barnard.”
Sir Barnard’s throat worked, and his eyes blazed. “I will not be pushed out.”
Simon’s mother jumped into the fray. “She married a duke. What more do you want? If it’s to have the dukelikeyou, I think you’ve missed that opportunity. Off with you, then.” She waved him away as if he were an annoying insect.
When it appeared the baronet wasn’t going to leave, Simon called for Lowell.
Sir Barnard looked as though his head might explode. Even his ears were red. “I’m going. For now.”
“Forever,” Simon corrected. The butler appeared in the doorway, and Simon inclined his head. “Please show Sir Barnard out. Permanently. If he tries to return, you may not admit him. Lady Kingman is welcomeifshe arrives alone.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The butler escorted Diana’s parents from the room, and when Simon heard the distant sound of the front door opening, he allowed his muscles to relax.
But only for a moment.
Then he turned to address his mother. Before he could speak, she said, “That was very well done. Your father would be proud.”
Simon could’ve said a dozen things, but ended up blurting, “Whatever were you doing down here with them?”
His mother arched a sardonic brow. “Having tea. Wasn’t it obvious? Don’t think I wasniceto them. For the most part, I ignored Sir Barnard, and he was content to simply sit and seethe. Lady Kingman is actually a decent sort—she clearly cares for her daughter. She apologized for her husband’s behavior, which earned her a glare that would strike fear into the bravest of men, and said she was happy her daughter had made a love match. I’m happy too. You’ve been very lucky when it comes to love, my boy.”
Lucky? Was she mad? “How can you say that after I lost my first wife?”
“Because I see you with your second wife. Ask yourself this, if you could turn back the hands of time and have Miriam, would you be willing to say good-bye to Diana? Could you?”
That was a bloody nonsensical choice. And he couldn’t make it. But even as he thought that, he already had an answer. He simply couldn’t imagine his life without Diana in it, whereas he’dhadto move on without Miriam. “Thank you for making me feel horrible again.”
She got up from her chair, causing Humphrey to stir from his nap. He stood up and stretched, turned in a circle, then settled himself in the center of the cushion where it was warm.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel horrible. You know I speak plainly.” She always had. “I was only trying to point out that you’re a lucky man to have found love twice, especially after losing Miriam.”
He eyed her skeptically. “You sound sympathetic. What happened to the woman who blamed me for her death, who turned her back on me after the funeral?”
“She realized life is too short and that she knows her son.” She stepped toward him. “It was an accident. You wouldn’t hurt her, even if she was carrying a bastard.”
“Do you think she was?” The pain of that possibility was less now that it had been earlier. He didn’t know why exactly, but he’d welcome the improvement.
She shrugged. “We’ll never know. Mrs. Dodd confided the rumor to me, and I didn’t tell you because you were in such bad shape.”
“And yet you told me today.”
“It’s time to put it all to rest, don’t you think?”
