Page 54 of A Dangerous Little Scandal

He made arrangements for carriage travel from Gretna Greento Broxbourne. They would be staying a few days at her father’s old hunting box. At first, he’d been resistant to the idea, but he decided now that it might be a good idea, as it might help to lay some of those previous demons to rest. They could face the past together and finally allow her heart to break free of the confines she’d placed around it.

However, as he returned to their rooms, he froze the moment he stepped over the threshold, because he knew that something was wrong. She was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and ready to depart, but her face was ashen, as if she’d just read some dreadful news.

That’s when he noticed the letter in her grasp.

The one Lady Grace had given him.

He cursed inwardly, thinking that he had tucked it more securely in his jacket, but it must have fallen out of his pocket when he’d gotten dressed that morning. He didn’t say anything but waited for her to speak. He just prayed it wouldn’t shatter everything he had managed to piece together thus far.

“What is this?” she asked softly. When he didn’t immediately reply, she lifted her condemning gaze to his, betrayal writ in the stiff way she held herself.

“It’s a letter from your aunt to mine.”

He should have known such an insipid reply wouldn’t placate her. “Yes, I can see that. But why?” She shook her head. “What reason would Lady Grace have to question my past this way?”

He swallowed heavily, but he intended to face this issue directly, just as she would. He answered evenly, “Because I asked her to.”

She blinked, as if unsure she had heard him correctly.

“I wanted to know the truth about the mysterious Udell, and since you weren’t forthcoming with the information, I took it upon myself to—”

“Invade my privacy?” she snapped. She stood up and shook the paper in her fist. “You didn’t have the courtesy to be patientand wait for me to trust you. Instead, you had to go behind my back and involve your family in my personal affairs. You even contacted this Lady Kontayne, whom I’ve never even met, and yet, who I now find is responsible for the baron’s rejection.” She put a hand to her forehead and started to pace the room. She paused once again and demanded, “How long have you had this letter?”

“Lady Grace gave it to me when we departed the Palace, but I didn’t read it until last night.”

“Last night?” She jerked as if he’d struck her. “Before you thought to seduce me in such a manner?”

He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t say it was right. And I apologized for my actions.”

“Did you?” She held up the letter. “You still kept this in your possession.”

“I had intended to tell you about it once we reached Broxbourne.”

She snorted. “Am I to believe that?”

“Whether you do or not, it’s the truth.”

“The truth,” she echoed. “I’m not sure I even know the meaning of the word as it applies to you now.”

“Isadora—”

She held up a hand. “No. I don’t want to hear anything else.” She walked over to him and handed the letter back to him. He silently took it. “I need some time to think. Until we reach Broxbourne, I think you need to procure us separate rooms.”

With that, she marched out of the room, slamming the door shut on her departure.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The first night they were apart it was a blessing, because the silent carriage ride had been filled with so much tension that it caused Isadora to suffer a megrim. She was grateful to be in a stationary room so she could regain her equilibrium and be able to face the next day.

Remington greeted her politely the following morning and they even shared a quiet breakfast together in the inn’s private dining room. After they set out, he ignored her completely. He’d picked up a book somewhere along the way and read for most of the journey. Isadora acted as though this didn’t bother her, that she didn’t want him to grovel in an attempt to try and make amends, but she hadn’t been expecting such a cool detachment either. That night, she went to bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time, wondering if he was doing the same, or if perhaps he was sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

She woke up with irritation coursing through her entire being. She requested that a tray be sent up to her so that she could eat alone. She had never allowed any sort of slight to bother her before, but for some reason, when she joined her newhusband, she could tell it would be another day of inattention, and she’d had enough.

She made it to mid-morning before she snapped, “Shall we spend the rest of our days thus?”

He’d just set his book aside and settled himself for a repose. Now, he opened his eyes, but didn’t move from his relaxed position across from her. “I assumed I was meant to be patient while you decided whether or not to forgive me.”

She lifted a brow. “You believe me to be that petulant?”

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