Page 73 of Her Tiger of a Duke
CHAPTER 29
Beatrice was glaring at her husband, but inside she was terrified of what he would say.
There was no denying that Helena was the prettier friend. She had the beautiful blonde hair, the softer features and the slimmer frame. She was what gentlemen wanted, and all of that came alongside a lady who never put a foot wrong. Had she not fallen for George, she could have had any man she wanted.
Any man, Beatrice knew, including Owen.
“You are tired,” Owen sighed, only confirming her accusation.
“I am correct,” she replied. “You wanted to marry her because you had fallen for her. That is why you could never do the same for me, is it not?”
“Beatrice–”
“No. You have had more than enough time to tell me the truth of your own accord. If I have come to my own conclusion, and you cannot prove otherwise, then I can only assume that it is because I am–”
Without warning, she felt his hand take her waist and pull her in, then his lips pressed to hers. Her eyes were wide for a moment, and then they closed, as a rush of affection hit her at once. It was not gentle, but that was not what she wanted. She wanted to feel needed, desired, and that was what he gave her.
When at last they broke apart, Beatrice knew that she was scarlet and she did not care. She waited for Owen to smile at last and swear that she was more important to him than anyone in the world, but he did not.
Instead, he looked terrified.
“That is why I keep away,” he said breathlessly. “I cannot control myself around you.”
“And what if I do not want you to?”
“That is not for you to decide. You do not know what I am capable of, Beatrice, and if you did– if you knew what I had done, you would not be able to look me in the eye, and I cannot allow that. I will not.”
There was an undeniable warning in his voice, and suddenly she felt a chill. She no longer wished to be in the hallway with him.Instead, she wanted to be far away from him. She had not truly been afraid of him until that moment, and she hated it.
“If you cannot tell me what you have done,” she said shakily, “then I cannot stay.”
“Beatrice, if you would only understand that I am doing this for you.”
“No,” she laughed sadly, stepping back. “No, you are doing this for yourself. Everything that you do is for your own benefit. You were going to marry Helena because you needed a wife. You married me to save yourself from the scandal, and now you keep me as far away as you can because…”
“Because?”
She looked him in the eye, trembling. If he were to be believed, then there was a very good reason for her to fear him, even if she did not know just what it was.
“Because you hate me,” she whispered.
She did not wait for a response. She could not bear the idea of him agreeing, as even though she was so certain of it, she did not want the confirmation. Instead, she turned and walked toward her room.
“I’m responsible for a death,” he said suddenly, and Beatrice turned back.
“I do not understand.”
He raked a hand through his hair, breathing shakily. Beatrice wondered if that was the awful secret that he had kept from her, and if that were true then perhaps it was for the best that it remained unknown.
She shook herself. This was what she had wanted to know, after all, and she could not be afraid now that she was finally getting just what she wanted.
“Do you recall those pictures that you saw?” he asked. “The clippings from articles.”
“Of course.”
“And the painting?”
“The one that seemed to disappear just after I saw it? Yes, I remember that portrait well.”
