“You would have been ruined, Camelia.” Raph’s voice was low. “Cast out, whispered about in every drawing room from here to Edinburgh, if I hadn’t dragged you out of that alley and made you a duchess.”
The words struck harder than the cold air drifting through the carriage window. Ice clawed at her skin, but it was nothing compared to the burn behind her eyes. Tears welled, hot and treacherous, but she blinked them away.
“You could have told me,” she whispered shakily. “From the very first time you spotted him at my father’s house, you could have told me that he gave you that scar and that this marriage was nothing but an act of your duty. I stood at the altar believing… God, I believed we might have made something real from this mess.”
Her throat closed on the last words.
The carriage rolled over a rut, jerking violently, yet neither of them moved. The space between them was thick with unspoken words. Raph’s gloved hands lay clenched on his knees. His silence spoke louder than any hurtful words he could have said.
“Don’t ever speak to me of ruin again,” Camelia said, her voice barely audible. “You’ve already delivered it.”
She turned her face to the window so he wouldn’t see her tears spill over.
They headed home, where lies festered, and where Pamela lay asleep, safe from the daunting truth.
CHAPTER 26
“Tread carefully, Pamela,” Raph instructed sternly. “Remember what I taught you.”
Pamela edged towards the stallion with cautious steps, her eyes wide with awe as his tail flicked, but his stance was steady. Her small hand reached out, trembling slightly, until her palm gently met the white star on his forehead, soft as a whisper.
The stallion snorted. A warm gust from his nostrils ruffled her raven curls, and she gasped, yanking her hand back with a delighted giggle that echoed through the stables.
Her joy warmed Raph, but he could not fully enjoy the moment, as he had to remain alert so that the beast wouldn’t hurt her.
His heart clenched, his instinct to shield her warring with the urge to let her shine. He clenched his fist as he fought to temper the fierce need to pull her back to safety.
“He’s a spirited creature. Keep your touch light, as I showed you.”
“All right,” Pamela whispered, not taking her eyes off the chestnut horse.
The scent of hay and leather grounded Raph as he watched her reach out again and run a small, trembling hand along the sleek stallion’s flank. Her eyes were bright with a joy he hadn’t seen in years.
“There you go, nice and steady,” he said proudly.
She grinned at him. A ray of sun crept through the nearby window and lit her ebony curls. For a moment, his chest tightened as he remembered her mother.
Pamela is fearless, like her. Josephine would’ve been proud.
Camelia’s influence had reshaped their world in ways Raph hadn’t foreseen. Without her fiery persistence, he and Pamela might still be trapped in their silent distance.
His thoughts drifted to her, the memory of her lips parting eagerly for his kiss, soft and pliant, igniting a deep-seated hunger within him that he could barely contain.
Yet, despite Lord Montague’s unwelcome intrusion, her presence and anger had stirred something deep within him,coaxing him to confess the painful truth about Pamela’s parentage.
“Father!” Pamela’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She glanced at him, a grin plastered on her face. “I think he’s getting used to me.”
“He sure is,” Raph agreed.
“He’s beautiful.” She stared at the stallion with starry eyes. “I cannot wait to ride him.”
“Soon, Pamela. He just needs to be comfortable with you as much as you need to be comfortable with him.”
She nodded earnestly and looked at her equine companion with fierce understanding.
Raph’s lips twitched, a rare softness threatening to break through his usual cold facade. “We’ll start with a gentler mare for your lessons. Do you have any favorites yet?”
She moved to a white mare. “Susy is my favorite, so far. She’s calm but… lively when she’s outdoors. I like her.”
