The Duke's Divorce (The Reluctant Grooms Series Volume IV) (26 page)

“I think I shall go down to breakfast, Merry,
before we set about for our walk.” Finished with her chocolate, she
threw back the covers.

Merry glanced at the clock. “Should you not
like a tray brought up, my lady? You would not have to see His
Grace.”

“No. I shall have to face him sooner or later
and I may as well start now. My Da’ always said, ‘tis better to
look straight into the face of the Devil. You have a much better
aim when you spit in his eye.” Her father could never know how much
comfort she took from his words these days. Her strict up-bringing
had somehow prepared her for this life she now lived.

Washed and dressed, Fiona made her way down
to the breakfast room. Robert had not come down yet. Good, she
would be able to eat in peace.

Settling at the table with her breakfast, her
tranquility was short-lived.

“Good-morning, Fiona,” Robert said briskly.
He walked to the buffet and made his plate and coffee.

“Good-morning, my lord.” Fiona did not look
at him.

“How did you sleep last night?” he asked.

Certainly, this show must be for the
servants’ benefit. “Very well indeed, my lord, and you?” She cut up
her slice of ham.

“Not at all. I tossed and turned all
night.”

“I’m very sorry to hear it.” She bit into her
ham and ignored him.

“What are you about today?” he asked.

“After my walk, I must arrange the flowers
for the party, inspect the tableware, and sew the buttons on James
the Elder’s dress jacket. Then there is Lady Buxton’s at-home,
which I promised I would attend, my last fitting at the modiste for
my gown, and then a short rest before the dinner party.”

“I see.” Robert took a sip of coffee. “I do
wish to speak to you, Fiona.”

“As you can see, I have a fairly busy
schedule. Perhaps it can wait until the morrow.” She took a bite of
egg.

“I believe,” Robert said, “as the only free
time you have is during your morning walk, I shall accompany
you.”

Fiona looked at him with a stony eye. “I must
protest, my lord. My morning walks are sacred time for Merry and
myself. We discuss all manner of subjects relevant to our daily
lives and I do not wish that to be disturbed.” She could absolutely
not allow him to accompany them.

This was the private time Fiona had set aside
for Merry to be with Eammon. Fiona would walk with James the
Younger, while Eammon and Merry followed. They were head over heels
in love and it was Fiona’s fondest wish for them to be married
soon. Fiona wanted to bring Merry with her when she left Cantin
House, and if Merry married Eammon, Fiona would have everything she
needed in the way of servants.

Robert cleared his throat. “I am sure young
James will not be put out, and this will give Merry and Eammon
their time alone. I am determined, Fiona, so do not refuse or put
up an argument. I have much to say, and with walking in the Park, I
do not believe you can threaten me with any more dangerous objects.
We
will
talk and I mean to do so at the earliest
convenience.”

She could not contain her curiosity. “How did
you know about Merry and Eammon?”

Robert smiled. “I am the Duke of Cantin and
this is my house, Fiona. I know everything that goes on within its
walls.”

Not everything, she thought. She took a
dainty sip of her hot chocolate and pushed the rest of her
breakfast away. There was nothing for it. He would hound her all
day if she did not acquiesce. “Very well.” She stood from the
table. “I shall await you in the foyer in ten minutes.”

However, Fiona did not intend to listen to
one thing he had to say, especially if he would fill her head with
more deceit. She could still see Robert for what he really was,
what she had thought of him all those months ago – a very handsome
English aristocrat with a head for business acumen. His mother’s
request of Fiona to induce Robert’s feelings to come to the
surface, sheer lunacy. Robert held no depth of real affection. He
was as shallow as her breakfast plate.

*****

Fiona set a brisk pace in the Park, and
Robert kept up, mildly amused. He understood her reasoning, if she
walked fast, they wouldn’t be able to talk. Well, he could walk and
talk just as quickly as she.

“Fiona,” he said, as they passed the first
turn. “I know my behaviour of late has left you with some serious
reservations about our marriage.”

She flashed him a glance. “It is not a
marriage, my lord, ‘tis nothing but a business arrangement.”

“For the sake of the argument, let us call it
a marriage. We are wed in the eyes of the Lord, after all.”

Fiona sniffed.

He continued. “I know my feelings have run
hot and cold since the beginning of our life together, but I have
indeed grown quite fond of you. You have come to mean so much more
to me than I ever intended.” He paused. “I care for you very much,
Fiona.”

Fiona stopped dead. “Oh aye, spout more
pretty words. Doing it a bit brown, are we not, my lord? Do you
truly think I shall believe anything you say now?” She took off
walking.

He caught up to her and touched her elbow.
“Honestly, I do not care if you do or not. I only know what I
feel.”

Fiona turned away from him and brought her
fingers to her eyes. Robert stepped in front of her, took her hand
in his, and compelled her to look at him.

“Fiona, after your incident at the docks,
when you came home all bloody and bruised, I wanted to kill them
for what they did to you. I wrestled with my guilt for days
afterward, knowing it was my fault it happened in the first place.
I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone harming you, or much worse,
losing you. I realized I was a fool for mistreating you in the
first place, which is why I tried to make it up to you during the
sennight that followed.” He placed her hand on his arm and began
walking at a leisurely pace.

“When you came to me that day and demanded
the annulment, I had no idea what to say. You took me by complete
surprise. I wanted to keep you with me, but was afraid to share my
feelings, knowing you would not believe me, hence the foolish
reasons I gave you. I had no idea you would take that to mean I was
only showing you affection to keep you by my side for the dinner
party. Hang the party. There is nothing more important to me than
you.”

Fiona stopped walking. “Why should I trust
you now?” she asked quietly. “From the moment we married you have
wished to be rid of me. You have treated me like a problem child
and brought me into your study for a scolding seventeen times. And
now you say you care for me? I cannot credit it, my lord.”

“I have not scolded you seventeen times,” he
said. He could not.

“Shall I count them out for you? I remember
every one quite clearly.” She put up her fingers. “Using the back
door. Going to the stables. Speaking to the servants. Bringing the
cat home. Walking in the morning. Shall I go on?”

Robert felt like the biggest bounder. “No,
you have quite made your point. Forgive me, Fiona. Berating you was
not my intention. I only wanted to keep you safe in some instances,
and keep you from being laughed at in Society in others. I can see
now, how very much I hurt you.”

“Yes, you did. You have treated me as if I am
an unwanted guest in my own home. Edwards has shown more care and
concern for me than you have, my lord. I fully expected you to
remain with me when I spoke to Mr. Kennedy on the day after the
attack, but you left me alone to answer his questions and relive
that hideous night. I needed you, Robert. I needed your strength
and your comfort and you deserted me.”

Robert heard the catch in her voice. “Oh,
Fiona. How can I ever make it up to you? Please, you must tell me.
I will do anything.”

“I do not know,” she said looking off in the
distance. “I do not know if there is anything you can do.” She
shook off his hand and began to walk again.

A quiet desperation overtook him as she
walked away. He needed to say something. “Why do not we start
over?” he called out.

She stopped and turned. “Start over? Why? It
is obvious to everyone but you we do not suit. Why do not you just
admit defeat and we will end this marriage according to the
original agreement.”

He walked toward her and took up her hands.
“Fiona, sometimes I have found in working through a problem I miss
something fundamental I did not see in the beginning. Subsequently,
what I have learned from all this is that I would miss you very
much if you left.” He took a step closer to her. “Please, Fiona,
let us start anew. I will show you how earnest I am and then some.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently. He broke away and looked into
her eyes. “If we cannot seem to come to an amiable accord, I will
release you after our ball. What say you? Will you give this
foolish repentant Englishman one more chance?”

She looked at him, her beautiful green eyes
full of pain. “It seems I have no choice.”

*****

For the rest of the day, Fiona walked around
in a daze. Robert sounded as if he were sincere, but his actions
had always spoken louder than words. Her thoughts kept returning
back to the week before he had gone to the Park. He’d been loving
and sweet, made her laugh, made her feel as if she really were his
wife, in all ways, save one. The most important one. And that
begged the question, what was he waiting for? She was not so
innocent to think he would actually love her before he made love to
her. She was his wife. He needed an heir. Wasn’t that the only
thing of importance to these men? Progeny. So why hadn’t he taken
the step before he’d left for Cantin Park? She’d given him the
opportunity and his excuse was absurd. So what was holding him
back? Fiona was at a loss to understand it, therefore came up with
the only conclusion she could. He did not wish to consummate the
marriage and therefore, no matter what he said, the annulment would
still stand.

Robert stood in the green salon with his
cousin, Ellis, talking quietly in the corner. He had been the first
of their guests to arrive.

“So have you made up with your wife, Cousin?
She does seem in better spirits than last evening.”

Robert glanced at Fiona standing near the
windows with his mother. “I have never known a woman more given to
vicissitudes.”

Ellis chortled. “All women are given to
vicissitudes depending on what day of the month it is. And no doubt
your vacillation has played a large part.”

“Yes, I’m sure it has,” Robert admitted.
“However, I have taken the necessary steps to alleviate my
uncertainty from all future dealings with her. We had a long talk
this morning and I told her how much I cared for her.”

“And did she believe you?”

“Unfortunately not. I’m afraid I have much to
relearn when it comes to doing the pretty with women.”

“It should not be so hard for you. You always
had a way with them before.” Ellis took a sip from his glass.

“Yes, but I was dealing with a select group I
had no intention of keeping. Now, I find I am dealing with a wife,
which truly is a different creature entirely.”

“Yes,” Ellis said, smiling at Fiona. “They
most certainly are.”

The doorknocker banged and Robert took
Fiona’s arm as they stood in the doorway to the salon to greet
their guests.

Robert admired Fiona’s comportment. She took
the role of duchess tonight seriously and he could not fault her in
any way. She welcomed his peers as if they were long lost
relatives, with a familiarity he could never espouse. She
complimented the wives and flattered the husbands and they greeted
her with the same cordiality.

During dinner, they did not discuss Robert’s
legislation. That was to wait until the men had their port and
cigars in the library, where William and Richard Gaines would take
the floor. At the table, talk was an interesting mix of
conversation. Although, not quite like the family dinners Robert
took pleasure in with laughter and gaiety, there was a relaxed
atmosphere that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Cook outdid herself, and Edwards, always the
professional, moved the dinner toward its eventual end. Fiona
decided to have the coffee and dessert when the men joined them in
the parlour after their meeting. An interesting concept, certainly
one no one ever heard before, and Fiona insisted this was how it
was to be done.

The meeting in the library went well,
although nothing was resolved, the last votes still being
undecided, but Robert thought they would sway.

When they joined the women in the parlour,
the men were treated to a few songs from Penny, and a lovely
musical interlude by Lady Montlake. Coffee and dessert proved
delightful in the parlour, and Robert watched Fiona move among his
guests asking if they were comfortable. He could not contain the
pride he felt, and found her in a quiet moment.

“You have outdone yourself tonight, my dear.
Thank you for putting together such a wonderful evening.” Was that
a blush creeping along her cheeks?

“You are very welcome. However, we must not
forget that Edwards has done all the work. I was merely the
hostess.”

“No, it is much more than that. You have made
everyone feel at ease. This night was much more than I ever
expected and I’m very proud of all the effort you put into it.” He
kissed her hand. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.” She smiled. “It seems
Lord and Lady Lumbley are ready to depart. It is time to say our
good-byes.”

Robert stood with Fiona in the foyer as their
guests departed. William and Penny were the last to leave.

“Thank you, Robby for all you have done this
night.” William shook his cousin’s hand. “I’m sure it will be a
great boon to the men who return from the fighting to know they
will be cared for.”