“Get back at you for what?” Arabella asked.
Morley told them the whole story. At the end, he sighed. “Admittedly, I may have been too harsh on the boy. He was too sensitive, and the only way to fix that was to toughen him up.”
“By sending a child out at night and shooting guns over his head?” Arabella interjected.
“He didn’t!” Lucy exclaimed.
“Aside from your hideous notions regarding child-rearing, let us get to the heart of the matter. Did you kill Threthewick’s mother?” Ashmore asked.
The duke sighed. “She came to fetch her son and offered an exchange that I found unreasonable. We quarrelled. Unfortunately, we happened to be at the top of the stairs in my house, and because she was overly upset, she stumbled when she left. She fell down the stairs and broke her neck.” He lowered his head. “She was with child.”
Lucy covered her mouth with her hands.
“So, it was an accident.” Ashmore narrowed his eyes.
The duke nodded. “If I’d shown her the courtesy a father-in-law commonly shows his daughter-in-law and invited her into the drawing room, this might have been prevented.” He sat up straight. “I take responsibility. Her unfortunate demise was entirely my fault.”
Stifling silence filled the room.
“But now, what? He doesn’t acknowledge you. Don’t you think you should respect that?” Lucy asked.
“Look at me. My time is nearly up. I would like to amend my relationship with my grandson and my enchanting great-grandchildren in the little time that’s left. But you may be right, Duchess.” Sighing, he pulled himself up on his cane, “It seems to be an entirely futile endeavour.”
He hobbled to the door, stopped and turned to Arabella. “I would’ve liked to have you as my granddaughter-in-law. Whatever the term is. I am truly getting too old. Ashmore. Duchess.” He nodded at them and left.
Ashmore turned to Arabella with a frown. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Arabella shook her head so hard the pins in her hair nearly shot across the room. “No. Definitely not.”
Lucy threw Ashmore a warning look. “Shall we go visit Isolde in the nursery?”
Arabella jumped up. “Oh yes, let’s. I haven’t seen her in such a long time. How she must’ve grown!”
“Growing like there is no tomorrow! And teething like something terrible.” Lucy pulled her out of the room.
Looking back, Arabella saw her brother lean back in the fauteuil, frowning, as he processed this morning’s events.
Her own heart needed sorting out as well.
It throbbed dully.
Chapter 28
“Papa, Robin is missing,” Katy said breathlessly, running into her father’s study of the London townhouse.
Philip, who’d been busily working on his newest invention, as he told himself, but in reality had been staring out of the window, looked up briefly. “He’s probably with the boys next door showing them his newest paper model.”
Robin had discovered the art of folding wings out of paper, so it flew, and he’d spent an ungodly amount of paper trying to fold the right model.
“He isn’t. I just checked.” Katy pushed her strands of hair out of her face, exasperated. “Oh, why can’t Miss Weston be here? Things were so much easier when I didn’t have to babysit the little ones.” She’d been in a sulk since he’d dismissed Miss Weston earlier that day.
He ground his teeth. “Don’t mention her name again, ever.”
“But, Papa. It really isn’t her fault that she’s a duke’s sister.” She shook her head. “You also didn’t bother to tell her you were a duke’s grandson. Anyway, what does it matter?”
She was right. He felt ashamed his fourteen–year–old daughter was being more adult in this situation than he.
But he simply couldn’t get over this feeling of betrayal. Going behind his back, dealing with his grandfather. Having tea with him in secret at Thornton Hall. Like Jenny.
