“He is missing as well, Katie. Please, tell me what John said!”
Bridget’s voice quivered as she did her best to keep her volume below a shout, but she was growing more exasperated by the moment.
“There are places,” Katie said, her eyes shining with sympathy. “Places that allow men to set up accommodations for days on end. Places that also provide a special amenity that other establishments do not offer.”
Bridget felt herself shrink into her seat. She knew of brothels. Such places were never discussed in polite society, but that did not mean that society was unaware of their existence. Of course, she had thought Warren might be occupying such a place, but the thought of going into one herself to search for him? That she did not fathom.
“I… I could not,” she whispered, feeling her stomach churn.
“That is why you must find your husband’s valet,” Katie gently insisted. “Insist thathego search out your husband at these places.”
“How would I even begin to search for Warren’s valet?” Bridget asked, feeling her exasperation grow. “And what if he is already with Warren?”
“Most unlikely,” Katie answered. “From what I understand, these places are willing to accommodate the wealthy gentlemen but not their servants. It is highly possible that your husband simply dismissed his valet while he was away. And if that is so, then it is very possible one of your other staff will know where he is.”
Bridget rubbed her face, overwhelmed.
“You know… I recently accepted that I never got the opportunity to love my husband,” she said softly, bowing her head. “He grew so cold so fast after we were wed. However, I never once thought that I would feel so humiliated by him. I thought someone of higher breeding would show more tact than this.”
She looked up at Katie, shoving her envy aside.
“I am so happy that you do not have such a marriage, my dear friend. I see that yours and John’s love for one another is so strong, and though I will never know what that feels like for myself, I am blessed to know that at least such a love does exist.”
Katie offered her a small, sad smile.
“You truly believe that your husband never loved you? Even just a little?” she asked.
Bridget let out a tired laugh.
“To be honest, I lost such hope within a week after our wedding,” she said, feeling bluntly honest. “Once Warren consummated our marriage, it did not take me long at all to realize that he had no wish to be intimate with me ever again.”
Not that I would have wanted him to.
A moment of tense silence stretched between them, and for a moment, Bridget feared she had shared too much. Then Katie leaned forward, joining their hands again.
“Oh, Bridget,” Katie sighed, slowly shaking her head. “I am so very sorry, my darling. You deserve so much more than that.”
Bridget let out another bitter laugh as her throat grew tight and tears welled in her eyes. She squeezed Katie’s hands tight, appreciating the kind gesture.
“Thank you,” she rasped.
She sniffled and then added, “In truth, I do not want him any more than he wants me. The one time he did touch me, it just felt… wrong.”
As she said so, the spark she had felt the night before, as the Duke had closed the distance between them, ignited in her belly.Hedid not feel wrong. In fact, she had never felt anything more right. Bridget shook her head at the thought, knowing it was most inappropriate for a married woman to feel such things for a stranger, and pressed on.
“I just wish he had kept his affairs a little more discreet,” she said with an exhausted sigh. “This humiliation he has caused me feels positively suffocating. I just know everyone in London is laughing behind my back.”
“Your husband needs to know how you feel,” Katie insisted, pulling back. “If anyone deserves to feel shame for his actions, it is him.”
Bridget let out another bitter laugh.
“What would that do?” she asked. “It is not as if he would change.”
“Perhaps not,” Katie agreed as she rose to stand. “But you will at least have your say. Perhaps doing so would bring you some peace. At the very least, it would stop you from suffering in silence. And after what you have just told me, you have done that for far too long already. It will do you good to have an honest and civil discussion with him about everything.”
Bridget rose to hug her friend, contemplating her words. The instilled need to be meek and polite shed a little bit more.
“You are right, Katie,” Bridget agreed, standing up. “I will find Warren, but I assure you that our discussion will be far from civil.”
