“Of course.” He clenched his jaw, studying her. “Allow me to dress, and I will accompany you.”
“No.” She could not give in to him. Not now. She needed time to sort out her feelings. To make sense of this wretched muddle. “I will go alone.”
“Alone?” he asked, his voice grim.
“Yes. Alone.”
He inclined his head. “As you wish, Callie.”
It was not what she wished, but Callie did not bother to say it. Instead, she walked away.
“Her Grace, theDuchess of Longleigh,” Dunlop announced.
Sin scowled at the butler-in-training. From bad to worse, it would seem. His head was still aching, his mouth felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton, and no amount of tea he had consumed since his ignominious return a few hours ago could cure what ailed him.
Mostly, he was filled with self-loathing.
And now, Tilly was here.
Tempting though it was, he knew he could not send her away. If she had sought him out, there was every possibility she was in need of aid. Moreover, she had been gracious to him, agreeing to meet with Callie, when the risk to her had not been worth the reward.
“See her in,” he relented even as he knew Tilly paying him a call was the last complication he needed to add to this carriage wreck of a day.
He stood when Tilly entered, offering her a bow.
She was beautiful as ever, the drapery of her gown cleverly constructed to hide her pregnancy. Her mien was grave. She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.
“Thank you for seeing me, Sin,” she said softly.
“Of course,” he told her easily. “For you, I always have time. What is the matter, my dear? Is it Longleigh?”
Her smile fled. “Is it not always Longleigh?”
Sin cursed. “You never should have married that bastard.”
But he did not follow the statement he had oft made to her over the years with the additional accompanying sentence.You should have married me.
Because he no longer felt that way. When he had been consumed by misery with Celeste, marriage to Tilly had certainly seemed the better option. Her husband was a detestable, heartless bastard and Sin’s wife had been a faithless, vindictive wretch. Now, however, Sin had found something deeper and far more meaningful with Callie. They were not just friends. She completed him in a way no other woman ever had or could.
If you did not bollix everything up with your stupid bloody trip to visit Decker last night, his conscience reminded him.
“But I did marry him, did I not?” Tilly shook her head. “I, alone, am to blame for the desperate straits in which I find myself. I had believed it would be different between us, if he finally had what he wanted. But I was wrong.”
“Has Longleigh hurt you?” Sin pressed.
It was not his business, he knew, but the worries which had first surfaced upon his visit to Haddon House with Callie returned, and they would not be silenced.
“He has not raised his hand against me, if that is what you are asking. He would not dare to cause harm to the babe,” she said. “Afterward…I cannot say. But I have not imposed upon you today to fret over what might happen. I am here seeking your help because of what has happened.”
“Come,” he said, gesturing for her to have a seat on the divan Callie had selected for his study as part of her campaign to refurbish his townhome. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you, Sin,” she whispered, her voice tremulous. “You are a great friend to me. I have missed you.”
He had a feeling this conversation was going to be long and her feet would need the rest. Sin settled himself in a chair opposite. “Tell me everything, Tilly.”
Callie emerged fromher visit to Benny and Isabella feeling calmer. It had been good to spend a few, unhurried hours visiting with them. The distraction had been welcome. And it had granted her some time to realize she had been hard on Sin earlier that afternoon. After all, he had shown her he was trustworthy, had he not? The wounds left behind by his first marriage were deep, and she could not forget that.
“Where is his lordship?” she asked Dunlop upon her return, determined that she would see Sin and do her utmost to resume where they had left off earlier.
