She tilted her head, as if that sentiment surprised her. “Most men of thetonhardly notice their off spring.”
He shrugged. “And my father hardly noticed me unless it was to his purposes. But I wanted to be different. When it didn’t happen, I tried my best not to pressure her to try more often. After all, my cousins are the best of men. They would carry on the family name admirably.”
She wrinkled her brow. “Was it the children that broke it?”
“No.” He cleared his throat. “The first time I realized she was being unfaithful, I was shocked.”
She caught her breath and he felt her surprise. At least there was that. “When did it begin?”
“Two years into the marriage.” He shook his head. “The man was her childhood friend. Someone I supposed she always cared for and had been separated from. I did confront her. She cried. Apologized. Told me that she had not intended for things to go so far. I forgave her and asked her to be more prudent. She said she wouldn’t do something like that again. I believed her. Until I found out about another lover a few months later. And another. And another.”
Her eyes widened. “Gossip about such things usually reaches us first, but I admit the courtesan network never said a thing. Not until the divorce became public did anyone even suspect the marriage was troubled.”
“After she was caught the first time, I suppose she became more careful. But she never stopped. And there was no longer the excuse of an old love who she had been unable to resist. These were men she hadn’t known before, ones she didn’t even care about.”
“What did you do about it?” Evelina asked. “You must have been livid.”
“I was humiliated and yes, occasionally livid.” He clenched his hands against his thighs. “I confronted her, over and over. At first there were more apologies and tears, but as the number of lovers increased, she stopped pretending to be sorry. And what could I do?”
“There are ways some men handle a wife like that,” Evelina said.
“You mean a mad house?” Vaughn shuddered. “I could never be so cruel. She wasn’t mad, she just wanted, like passion could fill some hole in her. And she was cruel, because flaunting it to me, if no one else, became part of the game. I chose to ignore it as much as I could. Many lords and ladies live separate lives within the confines of their marriages. Many more ignore the dalliances of their spouses in order to save face. It was not what I’d hoped for, but I came to accept that it was part of life.”
“Then what led to the divorce?”
“She did.” He sighed. “She began asking for it, demanding it, nine months ago. She would scream and weep and tell me she couldn’t go on like this. That the scandal couldn’t be more painful than the life she was leading. I didn’t understand why she wanted such a shocking thing, but now I do.”
“Because she was with Harry,” Evelina said softly. “Because he offered her the life of a duchess.”
Vaughn downed what was left of his drink and nodded. “Yes. For a woman who always wanted more, that was the ultimate carrot to dangle above her.”
“They cannot imagine they’ll be accepted by Society after all this is done.”
He snorted out a humorless laugh. “I’ve no idea what they imagine, but when it comes to the scandal you needn’t spell it out to me. I’ve been colored with the same brush. And yes, I cannot I imagine how they will spin this tale to make it palatable. Perhaps they’re truly in love. Perhaps none of this matters to them and all they need is each other.”
Evelina pushed from her chair and crossed the room away from him to stare out onto the street below. When she didn’t move for a while, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
“No.” She didn’t face him but continued to look outside. “It’s good to know it.”
“What will you do about it?” he asked.
She did turn then and looked at him in confusion. “Do?”
“You’ve been betrayed.”
Her lips thinned. “A courtesan cannot be betrayed.”
He got up and took a few long steps toward her. “Whatever else happened in the end, Southwater and I were once friends. I know what promises he made to you. Youwerebetrayed, Evelina. Don’t diminish it.”
For a long moment their gazes held there, locked together. The soft brown of her eyes, sparkling lightly with unshed tears gave him a sensation he hadn’t had since the nightmare of this divorce had begun all those months ago. He felt seen. Heard. Felt. And there was peace to that release of the loneliness of the separation and all the humiliation that had followed.
She broke the stare and the comfort went with it. The raw, dull ache of his anger and embarrassment and hurt returned.
“I will admit that when I looked into my window…my window…and saw them together, there was a moment I wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt me. To confront him and go to battle.” Her cheeks turned pink at the admission and her gaze returned to his. “I can see you understand that.”
He nodded. “When she demanded the divorce from me, when she begged me to set her free, I did everything she asked.”
“Why?”
