A lump rose in his throat. “I know you want to see the good in her, but I cannot.”
“Then, that is very unfortunate,” she said. “Bridget is a good woman, and she is goodfor you.”
Lewis rubbed his temples. “You are right,” he conceded. “But I am right, too. If Bridget could have our marriage annulled, she would do it in a heartbeat.”
“Maybe you should give her a reason to stay,” his grandmother said. “Have you considered that? If Bridget is conspiring against you, maybe you deserve it. You are so eager to find every flaw in her, but you seem less enthusiastic in acknowledging your own shortcomings.”
Lewis inhaled sharply. “I see.”
His grandmother’s eyes softened. “I say this from a place of love, Lewis. It is always easier to find faults in others than in ourselves. But Bridget has been good for you, and if you give her something towant, she will not feel the need to scheme anymore. You are a likable man. Is it really so difficult for you?”
“Evidently,” he muttered. “Look…maybe you are right. When Bridget returns, I will speak to her and try to make amends.”
“I do not think you should wait,” his grandmother said. “I think you need to search for her. She might be in danger.”
“I doubt that very much,” Lewis said. “And if Bridget is not in danger, she will be angry with me for pursuing her.”
His grandmother fiercely shook her head. “You cannot leave Bridget alone out there!” she exclaimed.
The woman’s face flushed with color, and she twisted her fingers in the skirts of her gown.
“I am not,” Lewis said, knowing that she was quickly working herself up to a fit of hysteria. “Do not be distressed. If Bridget was upset, she likely went to her siblings. I imagine she will be with Elias, painting herself as the sympathetic victim of our marriage.”
Such a characterization might be warranted. After all, Bridget had only made a small request for kindness, and he had denied her that. If he wished to calculate who was most at fault, it would be himself.
“You must find her,” his grandmother said. “I—I will not be able to rest easy until you have found her!”
“I promise I will,” Lewis said.
“At once,” she insisted.
Lewis had no intention of going to Bridget immediately. Given their argument the previous night, it only made sense that Bridget would need some time to herself. He would give her just a little longer before starting his search.
“At once,” Lewis lied.
His grandmother’s hands curled so tightly over the arms of her chair that her knuckles were white. “Please, do. And once you have found her, I suggest you apologize for everything you have done. I—I cannot bear the thought of not—of not ever…”
“Of not ever seeing her again,” Lewis said, as his grandmother’s voice faltered. “I know.”
He had been a fool. Even if he wanted to refrain from showing Bridget any affection for fear that she might become unnecessarily involved in his life, he could not undo the damage that was already done. His grandmother adored his wife. There was no turning back or rewriting the past. Bridget was a part of his life and more involved in it than he ever thought she would be.
Lewis stood. “Good afternoon, Grandmother.”
“You must let me know when you have found Bridget.”
“I will,” he said. “I promise.”
He would wait until nightfall. That would be sufficient time for an angry wife to calm herself, and if he had not seen Bridget by then, he would send the servants to make inquiries at Elias’s townhouse. If they returned without knowledge of Bridget’s whereabouts, Lewis would decide what to do next.
Still, he knew his grandmother would not accept that answer, so he took his leave. Lewis shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered down the street, trying to decide what he ought to do in the meantime. Perhaps he ought to veer toward home? Then, he would know if Bridget had returned.
But he did not fancy the thought of returning to his townhouse and waiting for her. He was not a brooding man, and even if he was, men were not supposed tobroodover their wives.
Especially not when they were in a marriage of convenience. Instead, he went to his usual club and took his favorite place near the fire. He settled in with a glass of brandy held carelessly in his hand and fixed his gaze across the room.
I am brooding,Lewis thought.Just here instead of at home.
“Wheelton.”
