“What are you doing in here, Violet?”the duke demanded.
She placed her hands on her belly and lifted her chin to look up at him.“Realizing that my baby will never be the next Duke of Lavensham.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This babe cannot be your heir when your true heir lives.Lady Lilly had a son.He is the man you saw me with on the street.”
“The criminal who worked for Fleming?Impossible!”
“His mother told him that his father was the Duke of Hartwick.But she was lying, wasn’t she?She was so desperate to hide the truth because she was hiding from you.”
The duke shook his head.“No, she died.I was told she died in childbirth.”
“Then why were you still looking for her, even after you had her declared dead and you were married to another?”
“I needed to move on.I needed an heir.”He walked over to stare at the portrait of Lillian Kelley.“But I never could give up the idea that she was out there somewhere.She left me, but she was still mine.”He turned back to Violet.“I don’t believe you.You are simply trying to torture me.”His face mottled red.“Get out!Get out of her room.”
The violence in his voice had Violet speeding out the door and down the stairs as fast as her feet would carry her.She missed a step and barely grabbed hold of the railing with both hands before she fell.Sucking in a deep breath around the panic that raced through her veins, she continued down more carefully.At the bottom, she picked up her pace again and raced down the corridor to the main hall and up the main stairs.
Once she was safe in her suite, she leaned against the door and tried to calm her breathing.Her dash to get away from the duke was so eerily similar to her recurring dream that she had half expected his hand to reach out like a specter and take her by the throat.She closed her eyes.Blast it, she had to pee.She crossed to the bathing room and closed the door.When she returned ten minutes later after relieving her bladder and splashing some cool water on her face, she felt much improved.She walked to the window to watch the sun as it began to sink toward the horizon.
Rhys, where are you?I need you more than ever.
A light knock came at the door.“My lady, it’s Ginny.”
“Come in,” she called out.
Ginny entered and carefully closed the door behind her.“There sure is a lot of yelling coming from down on the main level.The duke is in a real temper.I came to warn you to stay in your room this evening.”
“Thank you, Ginny.”Violet sighed.“I have a fair sense of what has upset him.Namely, me.I will plan to stay out of his way.”
An hour later, Mrs.Wells appeared at her door with a maid who carried a covered tray.“Good evening, Lady Sommerset.I have been instructed to bring your dinner up.And the duke has set new rules for your visit.You are not to leave the grounds of the manse.There will be a man stationed outside your room during the day, waiting to escort you to wherever you might want to go within the manse or immediate park.And at night, you will be locked into your suite.”
“Pardon me?Did you say I would be locked in at night?”
Mrs.Wells would not meet her eyes.Instead, she stared down at her hands, where she gripped her chatelaine.“Sorry, my lady.But that is what’s been decreed by His Grace.”She motioned for the maid to set down the tray at the table.Then the girl hurried back to exit the room with Mrs.Wells.
“Mrs.Wells!”Violet called out.
But the door shut, and she heard the scrape of the key in the lock.She stood rooted to the spot in shock.Ginny came out from the dressing room with a gown across her arms.“What is happening?”
“Mrs.Wells just locked us in for the night on orders from the duke.”
“What?What about dinner?Are they planning to starve you and the babe?”
Violet gestured at the tray over on the table.“Let’s hope they thought to bring enough for two.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
As the clockchimed eleven, there was a scrape of the lock in the door.Wide awake and too keyed up to sleep, Violet sat up as the door opened and a tall shadow entered the room.She froze in fear until light from the fireplace illuminated the man’s familiar features.“Rhys!”Violet launched herself from the bed and flew across the room into his arms.
They banded tightly around her.“Hey, sugar.Sorry it took me so long to get here.”He stroked her hair.“Are you all right?Tell me if he’s harmed you.I will take a chunk of flesh from him for every bruise.”
She shook her head.“I am unharmed.”She buried her face in the crook of his neck.“What took you so long?”
“I’m sorry, baby.I was called out of town on business.I sent you a note explaining, unaware that he had come and taken you that same day.”
She lifted her head to look up into his eyes.“How did you get inside?He locked us in.”
