Hawk’s gut clenched.You don’t know how I failed Caroline. Failed to protect her.
“But you’ve remarried,” Papa said. “To a lovely bride who will make you happy…if you let her. Opening your heart and risking the pain that comes with it isn’t easy. But it was also the best decision I have made in my life.”
Hawk absorbed his father’s words. “You are saying that I should let Fiona do as she pleases, even if it means endangering her well-being?”
“Bloody hell, no. But I am saying that you should talk to her about it. Try to understand her perspective while sharing yours.”
“What if we cannot come to an agreement?” Hawk asked tightly.
“You’re an expert in subjects I did not even know existed. You hold a patent for a machine that performs human calculations.” Papa lifted his brows. “And you doubt your ability to come to an understanding with your wife?”
“Fiona is far more complicated than an analytic engine,” Hawk muttered.
Papa smiled slowly. “The ones worth having always are, lad.”
That evening, Fi sat at her dressing table as Brigitte brushed out her hair. The knock on the door twisted her insides with anticipation and dread. Since the departure of their guests, she’d avoided her husband, taking supper alone in her bedchamber. She wasn’t ready to speak to him…didn’t know what she would do if he issued another ultimatum. While she appreciated Effie’s advice, compromise was not her forte.
How am I supposed to choose between my independence and my heart?
“Fiona, I want to talk to you.” Hawk’s firm voice came through the door.
“Shall I let his lordship in?” Brigitte asked.
Fi sighed. “I will deal with it.”
After the maid left, Fi went to the door. She inhaled deeply and opened it. Her heart fluttered at the sight of her husband filling the doorway. He looked stern and virile in his black dressing gown. His hair was damp from a recent bath, threads of silver gleaming in the dark waves.
“I will not give up the Angels,” she blurted.
He drew his brows together ominously. “I am not asking you to.”
“You…you’re not?” Her heart jamming into her throat, she stared at his hard-set features. “But last night you said I had to stop my charity work.”
“May I come in for this discussion?” he said curtly.
She moved aside, and he stalked into her chamber.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she said tightly, “I know I have disappointed you. That you wanted a different kind of wife. But I never lied about who I am.”
Although I may have omitted a few details.She shoved aside the guilt. She’d obviously made the right choice given how he was reacting to the current situation.
“I told you before we were married about my work, what it means to me. And I cannot sacrifice my independence, change myself, to suit you,” she declared. “To be the perfect lady Caroline was.”
Hawk scowled. “As I’ve said, Caroline has nothing to do with this. And I don’t want you to change. I just want you to be safe.”
“And I want you to trust me.” She hated the pleading in her voice. “Life will always bear some risk, but I am stronger, more capable than you realize. I can take care of myself. Make my own decisions.”
He inhaled through his nose. “I do trust you.”
“Do you?” she asked warily.
He gave a terse nod. “Which is why I am not going to stop you from pursuing your passion.”
“Oh, Hawk!” She threw herself at him.
His arms closed around her like steel bands, his heart thudding beneath her ear. “But I could not bear it if anything happened to you, sweetheart. You are too important to me.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she promised giddily. “I will take every precaution—”
