The Duke’s small grin widened.
“You truly believe that of me,” he said, less a question than a realization. “That I would seduce a woman in my employ, father her child, and then parade him about as my heir without so much as giving his mother my name.”
Fire raced along Elara’s cheeks, and she dipped her head.
“I… Can your nephew even be a true heir?” she asked, ignoring his question.
The Duke huffed out a dry laugh and touched her elbow. Together they began to walk again.
“You know, a more delicate man than I might be offended by your presumptions,” he said after a moment.
“Was what I said so far from the truth?” Elara boldly asked.
To her surprise, he let out a wry chuckle.
“I suppose not. I may not have seduced a maid, but my brother, Augustus, had. However, I did not allow him to treat her as a mistress. They were married when I discovered he had fathered her child. Her name was Alice, and it is most regrettable that she died in childbirth. William, however, is now a member of our family and will receive the benefits of that status.”
Elara dipped her head, feeling guilty for all the wicked thoughts she had had about her husband. Not only that, but she also felt guilty for not thinking of the baby and the life the Duke had saved him from.
“What is the matter?” he goaded, nudging her arm with his own. “Have I ruined the prejudices you have formed about me?”
“I... I believe I owe you an apology,” Elara replied, her tone genuine. “I made too many assumptions, and your staff was so tight-lipped about the whole situation... I suppose I took too many liberties with my thoughts.”
He chuckled.
“My my, if only you had confessed such faults before locking me in your brother’s study with you,” he teased.
She snapped her head toward his, glaring at him.
“This is different. I am still unsure whether I believe what you say about Evander,” she replied coldly. “I still think you know more than you are willing to admit.”
“I assure you that I do not,” he answered, his tone suddenly matter-of-fact, though not as biting as it had once been when they spoke of the subject. “However, after some thought, I must admit that perhaps my brother might.”
Elara stopped walking and turned to him, her heart fluttering with hope.
“Augustus? You mentioned that he was exiled. Where is he?” she asked.
“I do not know,” Constantine confessed. “But I do believe it is time for me to start looking for him. Not just for you or me, but for William. He is growing every day and will no doubt want, at some point, to meet his father.”
Constantine paused and took in a steadying breath.
“You are already aware that it was Evander’s actions that have forced Augustus to be away from his son,” he went on, his tone surprisingly soft. “I suppose now that he is... out of the picture, Augustus could come back.”
Elara flinched at the words. Though she usually would have defended Evander’s actions, in this particular circumstance, she could not bring herself to do so. She could not imagine what it would be like to be forced away from one’s child.
“Whether his deeds were solely good, solely bad, or somewhere in between, I still want to know what happened to my brother,” she said with a weary tone. “I want the truth.”
The Duke cocked his head as he gazed intently down at Elara for a long moment, as if looking beyond her face into her heart. It was not the first time he had done so, and just like before, it made Elara’s nerves fray a little, leaving her feeling so bare.
“Why do you look at me like that?” she asked. “What is it you see?”
“I am trying to figure that out,” he mused, his lips twitching.
“Well, stop it. It is most irritating,” Elara demanded.
He chortled, and they began to walk again, this time back toward the house.
“I have a proposition,” he stated a moment later.
