The nursemaid was a sweet woman and tried her best to please him and Gwen. The pretty young woman was newly married, but barren. She treated the twins like her own, and they adored her.
“Mrs. Tillborne, I want to offer my apologies, and I will gladly give you a reference—”
“Please don’t, Your Grace.” She held up her hand. “If you say anymore I fear I’ll start crying again.” Her voice caught and she nibbled on her bottom lip as tears filled her eyes. After a couple deep breaths, she finally met his gaze. “I know you had nothing to do with this.” She gave him a weak, shaky smile. “You are a very kind man who deserves better.” She slapped a hand to her mouth.
Confusion of a different kind budded in his chest. Something wasn’t right. “Mrs. Tillborne, what are you talking about?”
Shaking her head, she bent and picked up Amanda. “It’s not my place to say, Your Grace. Forgive me for overstepping my bounds.”
As she carried his daughter to her crib, he lifted Adam in his arms and followed. “I wish you would tell me. Your words aremost confusing.” He handed Adam to her then stepped back. “Please, Mrs. Tillborne. I promise not to get upset.”
A strained chuckle came from her as she set Adam in his crib, then turned and looked at Trevor. “You will get upset, I assure you.”
Enough was enough. Her words had him very worried now. “I demand you explain yourself, then.”
Shrugging she walked away from the babies who were already half asleep. “I suppose the truth needs to come out, and since your wife has released me from my duties, it’s only fair I should say something.” She took a deep breath, turned and faced him. “Your wife is not being faithful to you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Her statement tookhim by surprise and he stumbled as he strolled near her. “Pardon me?”
“I caught her and another man in the stables last night. Because she knew I had seen, she told me she wasn’t satisfied with my work and wanted me to leave.” A tear fell from her eye. “Forgive me, Your Grace, for being so blunt, but I felt you needed to know about your wife.”
He wanted to laugh from the absurdity of the mere idea of Gwen feeling any kind of passion for a man. Yet, before his thoughts ran off on him, he brought them to a halt. Mayhap that was the very reason Gwen couldn’t give him her love—because she loved another. And pray, how long had this been going on behind his back? Gwen’s lack of passion had been noticeable since they were married.
Good heavens. It couldn’t be…
“What were they doing?” he asked, although a part of him didn’t want to know.
“They were lying in the hay wrapped in each other’s arms. The lord had already started to undress your wife before I arrived.”
Trevor gritted his teeth. “She was with a lord?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Trevor squared his shoulders and nodded. “Thank you for telling me this. I shall look into the matter posthaste.”
She curtsied. “I will pray for you, my lord.”
He left the nursery and before he knew it, he’d flown down the stairs and headed for the front door. When his butler passed, Trevor stopped him. “Where is my wife?” he snapped.
“My lord, she has gone to visit your mother.”
Again? Agony gripped his heart. In the past month, Gwen had visited his mother quite a bit, and he’d never questioned why. He did so now.
“I’ll be going there as well.” He yanked open the front door and stormed out.
“Your Grace, let me have Levi saddle a horse—”
“No need. I shall do it myself.”
With each step, Trevor’s heart grew heavier. His head throbbed with tension pounding through his veins, and the doubts and unanswered questions weren’t helping to ease his burden. When he stomped into the barn and picked up the saddle, Levi was right there to assist.
“Allow me to do it, Your Grace.”
Trevor had been ready to argue, but quickly decided it was best that the stable boy saddle the animal. In Trevor’s state of mind, he might forget something that would result in bringing injury to him or the horse.
Once the animal was ready, Trevor jumped on and urged the stallion into a run, guiding him toward his mother’s estate. This couldn’t be right. This had to be a mistake. Gwen wouldn’t bring shame to the family. But if she had been carrying on in secret, what would he do? Sending her far away sounded reasonable, but that wouldn’t solve his problem of wanting a happy marriage and lots of children.
