Catherine was about to scoff in disbelief, but she held herself in check.
It will not do to upset the servants, and they are clearly loyal to him.
“It is a skilled forgery in that case. And I do not see what anyone would hope to gain by it.”
“Power? Money?” Mrs. Danvers shrugged. “It is hard to say for sure, but something does not feel right to me. And people have done worse for less.”
“On that we can agree.” Catherine sighed and thought of the small boy currently curled up in one of her guest rooms. “It seems the Duke has a habit of abandoning his family.”
What kind of man did I marry?What was he expecting her to do? Surely he could not expect her to look after the boy while he hid from the world in Bath? How dare the man disappear andthen expect her to look after his child? Did he have no sense of duty? Of honor?
“Perhaps he means to return and collect the boy.” Mrs. Danvers’s answer made Catherine realize she had spoken the last part aloud.
“Somehow I find that difficult to believe.” She clenched her hands into fists. “It seems more to me like he expects me to deal with the consequences of his actions. He expects to continue living his life without a care for his wife or his son.”
“Your Grace...”
“No, it was one thing when it was just me, but this… It is not right. I will not abandon this boy, not when so many have already done so. But I cannot take on the role of his mother whilst his father shirks all responsibility. I will not do it.”
A part of her had wanted a family, but that was different. She had wanted everything that came with falling in love.
That future died when I married the Duke.
She had given up so much already, and now she was being asked to take on something that was not hers to bear. No, not asked, told.
I am not going to settle for this. Not again.
Catherine let out a soft curse. “Is this why he married me? Was the scandal just an excuse? Was this all part of some plan?”
The Duke’s green eyes flashed in her head, his insistence that he had done her a favor— but from where she was standing, it seemed quite the opposite.
“Yet another decision he has made for me.” Catherine shook her head. “I may have been forced into marriage, but I will not be forced into motherhood.”
But if I send Oliver to the Duke, will he just abandon him again?Catherine hesitated. She did not want the boy to suffer. “I will go with him.”
“Your Grace?” Mrs. Danvers’s brow was furrowed.
“I mean to go to Bath, Mrs. Danvers, and speak to my husband. I need answers, and he is the only one who can supply them.” Catherine was going to make her husband face the consequences of his actions. “I will bring Oliver, and his things. The Duke is his father, and I mean to ensure that it ishewho sees to the child.”
Catherine looked at Mrs. Danvers, whose expression was studiously blank. “Kindly ensure that the carriage is ready to depart after breakfast. Perhaps pack some snacks for Oliver’s journey. I will bring my lady’s maid, Annabelle, to help with the child. I trust you can run the house in my absence?”
“Of course, Your Grace.” Mrs. Danvers inclined her head. “Do you think you will be gone long?”
“I hope not. I plan to make the Duke do his duty, and then leave,” Catherine explained.
“His Grace can be rather… set in his ways.” Mrs. Danvers grimaced.
“I think you will find that I can be rather stubborn myself. And I will not be moved on this.” Catherine was pleased at the conviction in her voice, even as she remembered the Duke’s dangerously silky tone.
I will not be afraid. I am angry, and I have a right to be.
“If anyone comes looking for me, tell them that I am in Bath, and that though I expect to return swiftly, I am unsure of the exact dates.” Catherine looked out of the window. “I think that should be all.”
“Very well, I shall see to it.” Mrs. Danvers curtsied and left the room.
Catherine stared into the night. It was a moonless one; the only light was from the flickering glow of nearby windows. She looked at the papers on her desk, at the familiar seal of the Duke.
She would ensure the Duke cared for the boy, and once she was confident he would be safe, she would return to London and have nothing to do with her husband again.
