Page 78 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“I can see that,” George agreed. “You look the way I did when my wife was considering marrying you.”
“It is awful. Every minute that she is not here, I feel as though the worst is happening to her, and I cannot do anything to help.”
Suddenly, the pounding in his chest stopped, replaced by a sense of calm. The truth was that he could help, and he had every power to do so that a man could. He had to stop hiding away, blaming everyone else for what he had done. He did not have to wait until morning to find his wife and confess that he loved her; he could do it then and there.
“I must go,” he declared. “I will leave now, to find a carriage, and bring her home.”
He rose from his seat, and George and Helena did the same.
“This will all be fine,” Helena promised. “Speak from the heart, and she will understand.”
And, though Owen did not fully believe that he let himself have the slightest bit of hope. If it meant having Beatrice back, he would have clung to any amount of hope that he had.
He ran out into the night, knowing precisely where he would go first.
CHAPTER 31
“Beatrice, what happened?”
Beatrice had been enjoying the laughter of the children when she arrived at Emma’s house. She had been taken to the drawing room, and at once was overcome with a desire to sleep. There had been very little rest for her of late, and her friend’s home brought an immense sense of comfort.
“Everything happened,” she sighed. “All you need to know is that the Duke and I have gone our separate ways, and we will remain as such.”
“But that does not make any sense. I saw the two of you. There is a lot of affection between you.”
“You did not see things correctly, I can assure you. He has never felt any form of affection for me, and he never will. He told me as such last night.”
“That cannot be. You have always tended to see things that are not there Bea, but-”
“It is true! His sister died, and because of that he believes he can never love anyone, me included, and so that is how it is. I will not force his hand a second time.”
Her friend still seemed uncertain, but her husband entered at that moment, and she did not press any further.
“Ah, Beatrice!” he greeted. “What a pleasure to see you. Is His Grace with you?”
“No, he is with the other lady he wanted to marry,” she replied.
It was more biting, crueler, than she had wanted to say it. The statement was unfair, too; she had never once expected Owen to do anything against her with Helena, not only because Helena was her friend but because Owen had always made his feelings about Helena known. She was a friend; someone he wished to help.
Someone, she winced, that he thought of as a sister.
“Oh, Beatrice,” Emma sighed. “You must not do that. You know as well as I do that he likes you, and that is not even the extent of it.”
“It is, especially after last night.”
“Does he know where you are?” Levi asked.
“No, nobody does but the footman. I suppose, if he cared, he would ask him upon his return, but I doubt that. He will likely be pleased to have his home to himself once more, for I am no longer in charge of it.”
“And why did you not return there?” Emma asked. “You are more than welcome here, I have always told you that, but what made you come here instead of there?”
“Because you were closer,” she lied.
The truth was, she wanted to go to Emma because she wanted to be searched for. If Owen truly did want her, he would have to show her by doing more than following her home. He had to try, and to prove himself. She did not expect him to do so, not even for a minute, but it was what she wanted even if that was foolish of her.
“Have a room prepared for her,” Emma said to Levi, which made him leave the room again. “Beatrice, I have known you for years. You cannot lie to me and have it go unnoticed. I know that you built a bond with your housekeeper, and that you would not leave her without saying goodbye. Something has brought you here.”
Beatrice looked away for a moment and then explained her true reasoning.
