She nodded. “Yes. She’s terrified. If word gets out before she’s married, her family will disown her, and her lover’s family will want nothing to do with her. She’ll have nothing.”
Austin exhaled through his nose. “And what is her lover doing?”
“He is the youngest son of a viscount in Scotland. He cannot do much because he has no money of his own and no power.”
“That’s a weak excuse; he must take responsibility for his sins!”
And so must I.
Austin’s jaw clenched as the guilt continued to eat away at him.
“He is trying to scrape together enough to marry her quietly, but it’s taking time.” Deena’s sweet voice drew him back in.
Austin rubbed a hand over his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you’re Dominic’s friend.” She finally looked at him, eyes glistening. “And if Dominic finds out I’m complicit in hiding an unmarried woman’s pregnancy while I’m recovering from another scandal, who knows what he’ll do? Send me away again? Or worse. He’ll blame himself for not watching me closely enough. He’ll suffer.”
Austin’s chest ached for Deena and Dominic. “You’ve been carrying this alone.”
“I’ve carried a lot alone.” Her voice cracked. “I thought if I could just give the blackmailer enough scandal about you to distract him, then he’d leave us alone. But he won’t. He wants proof. Real proof. And I can’t give it to him.”
Austin stared at her. The guilt he’d felt moments ago twisted into anger, protectiveness, and a helpless frustration.
He reached for her hand.
“Thank you for trusting me with this, Deena,” he said quietly.
“You trusted me with your letter.” Austin turned to her but found her staring at the night sky out the window.
Silence stretched between them as Deena’s fingers fidgeted beneath his hand.
“Austin—” Her voice broke as she turned to him, “You can leave if you want to.”
He brushed a damp curl from her temple. “I should have left the moment things turned heated. I knew better.”
Austin’s throat closed as he thought about his promise to Dominic.
“Do you regret it, already?” she asked with a raised brow, and Austin recognized the hurt in her tone.
“Not at all.” He met her gaze. “But… I gave my word that I’d protect you. And this…this is the complete opposite.”
Deena’s expression shuttered. She pulled the sheet higher, and Austin hid his disappointment. “So, this was a mistake?”
He met her gaze and noticed the pain in her deep green eyes. “It was inevitable. It was reckless. And I’m sorry.” The words were out before he could stop himself.
She looked down at her hands, twisting the sheet between her fingers. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
“All you need to know, Dee, is that you’re not alone in this,” Austin continued slowly.
“I was always alone. I accepted help for the first time and now look at me.” Her cheeks burned brightly, and it was not from pleasure. “We have too many secrets, and I cannot bear to keep another from Dominic.”
Austin felt his chest burn. “I agree.” He tried to ignore the hurt that reflected in her eyes.
“We have to end this,” Deena said on a shaky breath, and Austin wasn’t sure why he felt so very offended when he was planning to end things himself.
He slowly drew his hand away from hers. “You’re right…”
Deena nodded, eyes shining with unshed tears as she gathered the sheets around her. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel ashamed.
