Page 54 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

“What is that supposed to mean?” he inquired, clenching his gloved fists over his armrests.

Tabitha pouted at him as the servants began to pour their wine and fill their plates.

“Well, first, I should apologize. I should have never allowed you to marry her in the first place. It’s my fault, really. I know you won’t tell me what foul thing it was that she’s done, but if I would have been more stalwart in my decision, she would have never been given the opportunity to go this far.”

“Enough,” Nathaniel growled, growing angrier by the second. “Tell me what you mean by saying I have my home back. Now.”

Tabitha looked at him as if startled by his ingratitude, but she shrugged as she picked up her knife and fork.

“I spoke to your bride today,” she replied matter-of-factly, cutting into her mutton. “She has agreed to take her leave. In fact, I believe she might even be willing to accept an annulment since it is so clear that this marriage was a mistake.”

Nathaniel slammed his fists down on the table as he stood, fury burning in his eyes. Tabitha looked at him, startled.

“What is this you speak of?” he demanded to know. “Why would there be an annulment? Why would she leave?”

He moved away from his chair and took a few steps toward her, his vision clouding over with a red mist.

“What have you done?”

For a moment, Tabitha continued to look at him in bewilderment, but then her brow furrowed, and her teeth locked, and she rose out of her chair so she could stand firmly in front of him.

“What have I done?” she asked. “What I have always done! Protected you. That girl was no good for you. You would not tell me the specifics, but I know that that much is clear. She is beneath you, Nathaniel, and I have finally gotten rid of her. She left for her family’s home last night. Now, you will be free to start over and find a wife you deserve!”

For a moment, Nathaniel was too stunned to speak. He reached for words, any words, but they would not come to him. Just feelings. Awful, insidious feelings tore through his heart and body as if he were being flayed alive. His fear had won when it had taken over him, and now, because of it, he was losing the only person who’d ever truly made him feel whole.

“I have to go,” he whispered suddenly, moving past Tabitha. “I should have never stayed away. This is all my fault.”

“Nonsense,” Tabitha urged, following him. “You did nothing wrong! It was all that wretched girl. And now she’s gone! Divorce is more common now. It will not ruin your reputation!”

Anger and fear, more potent than ever before, consumed Nathaniel. His body began to shake like it never had before, and he had to take a step back for fear of what he might do. Grace was gone. Not only because of whatever his aunt had done but because he had been too afraid to see her after the accident. It was just as much his fault as it was Tabitha’s, and he hated it.

“My reputation,” he laughed darkly, feeling the seams of his sanity start to tear.

“You think I give a damn about my reputation?” he asked, holding up his hands.

“Every man in your position must be cautious of his reputation,” Aunt Tabitha countered, losing some of her guff as she took a step back from him.

“My reputation is nothing compared to what you have just forced me to lose,” he growled back, unable to keep his secret to himself anymore. “Do you have any idea why I wear these gloves, Aunt? Hmm? Why I can’t stand to let anyone near me, let alone touch me?”

Aunt Tabitha tried to speak, but Nathaniel cut her off by going into the details of the day his mother died. Then he told her what happened the day of Grace’s accident and how his fear had taken hold of him. As his aunt listened, the look of rage slowly left her face as her eyes widened, her jaw slacked, and her cheeks went pale. She took a step back, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Grace is the only one that made those terrible things go away,” Nathaniel explained. “She was the only one who had the kindness and patience to love me through them. She helped me reclaim my life, my very body. So, you see, Aunt, there will be no separation, no divorce or annulment. I was a scared fool when she fell from her horse, but she did nothing wrong.”

“Nathaniel,” Tabitha breathed, shaking her head. “I—you must understand. If I had known—If you had just told me! I would have never sent her away!”

“Of course, you would have,” he shot back. “You never liked her, never gave her a chance. You wrote her off without ever getting to know her!”

Gathering himself, Nathaniel took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He adjusted his jacket and vest and then cleared his throat. When he finally looked back at his aunt, his eyes were flat, emotionless.

“We are done. Do you understand?” he asked.

“Nathaniel, please—”

“Done,” he cut her off. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go collect my wife from London and bring her home where she belongs.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“I said, I am not hungry,” Grace called out, putting a pillow over her head. “Go away, please.”

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