Page 45 of Her Tiger of a Duke
When they reentered the room, they continued as though nothing had happened, but Owen noticed that they kept the children away from him. He had not said a word, and they knew that something was wrong and acted accordingly. He appreciated their discretion, and was pleased that his wife had such good friends.
He also felt fortunate that she was so willing to share them with him.
As they prepared for bed, he crossed Beatrice in the hallway again. She was smiling to herself, and she studied him quickly before opening her mouth to speak.
“You seem happier.”
“I feel it. I apologize for what happened. It was all very intense, I must say.”
“We can be a difficult group to join. We ladies have known one another for years, and our husbands have joined one by one. They are harmless though, as I am certain you have seen.”
“They are splendid.”
They remained side by side for a moment, not moving and not talking, and then he cleared his throat.
“I did not have any friends as a young man,” he explained. “I knew that anyone who spoke to me only had an interest in my title, and not who I was. It made for a difficult youth, and an even harder time as an adult.”
“I could never understand that, but you should know that I was rather lonely as a child,” she replied. “It made my father furious. The adults thought that I was lovely, but the children… they were cruel. I was a larger girl, and I did not like the same things as them, and they saw it as a reason to dislike me.”
Owen blinked, incapable of understanding what she had said. They had not met under the best circumstances, but even he knew that she had acted on behalf of her friend in a most heroic nature. She had been doing the best thing she could, and though it proved difficult to manage, he still had to see her sense of loyalty as a likable quality.
“I cannot imagine anyone finding something about you to dislike,” he said honestly. “You are kind, and you are so terribly gentle if one looks past your habit of ruining weddings.”
“I only did that once!”
“Once was all that was needed,” he chuckled. “And you should know that I have forgiven you for that.”
“I do. I suppose…”
“What is it?”
“It is rather ridiculous, I suppose, and nothing particularly worth saying.”
“If it is bothering you, then I would rather know.”
She took a deep breath, brushing her palms against her skirts.
“I have never been seen as desirable.”
He raised an eyebrow, and when she saw him, she laughed nervously.
“What I mean is, I have only ever been complimented on my kindness, or how quiet I am. Ladies are expected to be gentle, and I know that, but when my friends are spoken of, they arecalled beautiful and bold and intelligent, and I… I am Beatrice. I am so very nice, and nothing more.”
Owen rather thought that generosity and gentleness of spirit were the best traits a person could have, but he could see that such labels tormented his wife. She had spent her entire life being perceived as kind, and she had clearly taken that to mean plain, even if that was the last thing he thought of her.
“Could I change that?” he offered. “Is there something you always wish you could have been called?”
“Anything other than what I was,” she sighed. “Anything at all.”
He knew what he was going to say in an instant, but he thought she might think there was no real meaning in it if he simply blurted it out. Therefore, he decided to walk around her in a circle, studying her intently. He watched her melt under his gaze, and there was a brief satisfaction in it before he decided to tell her just what he thought.
“Simply put, I think you are brilliant. You can do things with sweets that I would never have thought possible, and when you love something, you do so with everything you have. I shall thank you not to insult my wife by calling her plain.”
He tilted her chin up to him, and her breath hitched. They were perilously close, and he craved closing the gap entirely, but it was not the time. He did not want her to think he was taking advantage of her vulnerable moment.
“I do not like it when people are unkind to my duchess.”
“Very well,” she whispered. “I shall ensure that no harsh words pass these lips again.”
