“I’ll wed her,” he heard himself say. And though the baron smiled with relief, it felt like a terrible thing to do, imprisoning her bright spirit in a world scarred by death.
Henry was relieved that Lord Castledon had agreed to the marriage with his daughter, but Beatrice seemed less enthused about the idea.
“I don’t like this.” His wife paced across his bedroom, her hands clenched together. “I know the earl seems like a decent fellow. But for Amelia to be forced into marriage makes me want to have that horrid viscount put on a ship bound for New Holland. With no food or water,” she added. “Scotland is too good for him.”
“Lord Castledon will take care of her,” he responded. “And he knows Amelia has a sensitive heart.”
His youngest daughter had always held a special place for Henry. When he’d gone off to war, she’d given him a pencil drawing of him and herself holding hands. The limbs had resembled sticks, but the love was there. She never knew how he’d folded that paper inside his shirt, wearing it into battle beneath his uniform.
No, he didn’t want Amelia forced into marriage any more than his wife did.
“That may be,” Beatrice agreed, “but he’s always so serious. I always thought that Lord Castledon was a better match for Margaret.”
The mention of his older daughter brought another pang of worry. Henry had sent dozens of men to search for Margaret, but the underlying fear, that they wouldn’t find her, hadn’t stopped lurking. He pushed the thought from his mind, trying to believe that it would all end well.
“Castledon has agreed to protect Amelia. That’s all that matters now.”
“But to sentence our daughter to a loveless marriage, because she was a man’s victim…how is that right?” Beatrice paced to the opposite side of the room. “No woman should endure such a thing.”
A jagged blade of ice sank through his heart as he stared at his wife. He could almost hear her unfinished words:The way I did.
His wife hadn’t truly wanted to marry him; he’d known that. When he’d offered for her nearly thirty years ago, she’d been shy and kind to him. He wasn’t much of a catch, being a younger son.Nor was he dashing or handsome like the other gentlemen. He’d never been good at talking to women, and he’d bumbled his way through a courtship. But no one else had offered for her, and eventually Beatrice had agreed to become his.
He’d thought he’d won her heart over the years. Now Henry wondered if she’d seen herself in Amelia’s position—trapped into a marriage she didn’t want.
“They might learn to love one another,” he offered.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so, Henry. He doesn’t want to love her. It wouldn’t surprise me if he put her on one of his estates and left her there to fend for herself.”
Again, he felt the cold chill of awareness, as if she were talking about herself. He’d been an officer, responsible for the lives of so many. War had torn him apart from Beatrice, and he’d ordered her to remain behind, to care for their daughters. After he’d inherited his older brother’s title, he was expected to leave the army immediately.
Instead, he’d avoided his wife and daughters for a time, not wanting to be around them. The nightmares of death and blood had haunted him, until he’d thought he was better off dead than to return home. Eventually, he’d been forced to leave, but when he’d come back, the years of separation had driven a harsh wedge between himself and Beatrice.
Amelia’s words came back to him:Just try.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked suddenly. “Is there anything…that would help?”
She stopped pacing a moment and returned to stand before him. “I don’t know, Henry. I wanted a better start for her than we had.”
Henry straightened. “I never thought our marriage was a bad startora mistake.” He didn’t know what had prompted him to speak, but perhaps it was time that he voiced a truth. “I wasgladto marry you.”
She flushed suddenly. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
He moved in and slid an arm around her waist. “I wanted to marry you, from the first moment I saw you. Even if you didn’t want me.”
The shock in her eyes made him wonder if he should have said all of this, years earlier.
“I wanted you then, Beatrice,” he said in a low voice. “And I still do.”
ONE WEEK LATER
“It feels wrong to get married like this,” Amelia whispered. “Without Margaret.” Her older sisters, Victoria and Juliette, were here, but Margaret was still missing. Although her father had sent men to search, there was no trace of her.
Inside, her emotions were raw. Although the earl had agreed to wed her, he hadn’t seen or spoken to her since he’d acquired the special license. Then, too, she’d confined herself indoors, away from the gossip that cloaked the London ton.
Thankfully, Lord Lisford hadn’t returned. Supposedly he’d gone to stay at one of his northern estates, remaining out of the public eye. At least that was a blessing, not having to face him.
“I believe Margaret is all right,” Juliette said. “If she’s with Cain Sinclair, he’d move Heaven and earth to keep her safe.”
