Page 50 of Her Tiger of a Duke
She backed away slightly, clearly not wanting to hurt him.
“You are happy with our marriage, are you not?” she asked. “You would not want it to change.”
He did, of course. He wanted to tell her the truth, for one, and to allow himself to give her the affection that she deserved. He wanted to be a better husband, for even though he provided a better life than her family did, he knew that there could be more between them.
“I am very happy with you,” he assured her. “But I will say, we need to discuss something when we are alone.”
He saw her light up, and his guilt was immeasurable. He wondered if she was expecting something romantic, which wasthe worst possible thing, but he knew her better than that. She knew what their marriage was every bit as much as he did.
Beatrice won the game, in the end. Levi and Leonard let their competitive natures get the best of them, which led to a brawl between them as they continually knocked each other out of the way, meaning Beatrice could steal the win for herself. Owen could not believe the joy in her face as they applauded her again, and he vowed to find other ways to make her feel as successful as she did at that moment.
That evening, however, they met in his study. He could not allow the party to continue with her not knowing what was being said of her. Her friend had done the right thing by confiding the truth in him, and he now had to do the same and explain the situation to his wife.
He passed no judgment over her, of course. He had spent much of his own life wishing that he was not his father’s son, and so in spite of what society thought he did not care very much.
“You seem rather serious,” she mused as she sat across from him, teacup in hand. “Have I done something wrong?”
“Not at all, and you should know that I am not blaming you for anything. What happened, or at least might have happened, is not your fault at all.”
She raised an eyebrow, then placed her teacup in front of her. He hated that he would have to be the one to tell her, but he was also the best person to do it. He could not let her go even a moment thinking that he was passing judgment over her.
“Your friend told me something today,” he began. “Dorothy. She told me that there is a rumor about you back in London.”
“Ah. Is it about me disrupting your first wedding?”
“Not this time. It is something else, and you may see it as either better or worse than that.”
She turned pale and her eyes widened.
“But I have not done anything!” she spluttered in a frantic tone. “I do not understand. Until that day, I had never done a thing wrong, and suddenly it is as though I cannot do anything right.”
“Beatrice, I already told you that you are not at fault.”
“That does not mean that the ton will care about that,” she sighed, leaning back. “Very well, what have I supposedly done?”
“It is not something that you have done. Tell me, did your parents always like one another?”
“As well as any parents do, I suppose. They had their arguments, but they had a strong marriage.”
He took a sharp inhale. He was not expecting them to have kept it from her, not when she was an adult.
“And your father, was he always a miserable man?”
“As miserable as any other man,” she nodded, laughing softly. “I never knew quite how to make him happy, though I assume that now I have left he certainly is. Why do you ask?”
“Because, according to gossip, he has left your family home.”
She quietened, looking at her hands, which she had folded neatly in front of her.
“You know the truth, then,” she mumbled.
“I am not too certain of that, which is why I wanted to speak with you. Dorothy told me that the ton thinks you are not his daughter.”
“And that is where thetonand I differ. They only believe they know the truth, where I am certain.”
She sat straight, looking him in the eye. The warmth in her face from her victory had abandoned her, and she could only have been described as stoic.
“They believe I am not my father’s daughter, whereas I know it for a fact.”
