She stared at him so long he was tempted to grab her and kiss her again. Before he could do so, however, she said, “I worry I’m not a good match for you, Henry.”
He shook his head, bewildered by such a concern. “You’re a perfect match, Viola. We’re both entrepreneurs, which means we share the same fundamental views on efficiency, spending, growing a business and finding the drive to turn dreams into brilliant successes. You ground me, while I remind you to have some fun, and when we’re not together, I find myself anxiously awaiting the next time we meet.”
Averting her gaze, she took a series of breaths as if needing the extra oxygen in order to process his words. Swallowing, she finally admitted. “I feel the same, but you’re an earl’s heir while I’m...”
“What?” he asked with incomprehension when she failed to continue.
“Not the sort of woman you ought to consider marrying.”
“Why?”
She drew several quivering breaths before finally saying, “I’m illegitimate, Henry.”
He frowned. “I suppose there are those who might not approve, but I’m not one of them, Viola. It’s certainly not enough to deter me from seeking your hand. Not when my own brother was born on the wrong side of the blanket.”
“And look what happened to him. He had to leave London because of the scandal.”
“Yes, but he has since managed to return,” Henry told her calmly. “More importantly, it did not change a thing between him and Juliette.”
“No, but—”
“It doesn’t alter my opinion of you or make me want you any less. Surely you must know that.”
At least she nodded, which was something. “I do.”
“But you worry what others will think if they ever find out?”
Another nod conveyed her answer. “I know I should have told Steadford, but…” She sighed. “My father revealed my illegitimacy to me on his deathbed. He claimed I deserved to know the truth about my birthright before he died, but he also insisted I keep the knowledge to myself. I feared revealing it might skew Steadford’s opinion of me and cause him to stop helping me with the case.”
Henry understood completely how misplaced fear could cause a person to keep his secrets close to his heart. For over ten years Florian had hidden the truth about his real father from Henry, afraid that Henry would look at him differently if he ever found out they were only half brothers.
“Very well. We’ll keep this between the two of use as long as you can guarantee that there’s no chance of Hayes finding out.”
“He won’t,” Viola promised. “There’s no record of it.”
A moment of silence fell between them and Henry considered questioning her further. Since she hadn’t mentioned her mother at all except in passing, he wondered who the woman might have been. In all likelihood, her father had had an affair and she wanted to protect his good name. And if that was the case, then Henry would allow her to do so with dignity. So he kept his question locked up inside as she led him out of the examination room and toward a front desk. There she quickly jotted down the items she’d mentioned for the poultice and handed it to him.
A carriage was called and Henry pocketed her note. “I will be in touch when I am fully recovered,” he promised.
She smiled at that, and to his delight, her expression turned hopeful. “Get well soon, Henry. And if you start feeling dizzy or nauseous, I want you to send for me immediately.”
He refrained from saying he might use that as an excuse to see her again. Instead he turned on his heels and walked out of St. Agatha’s Hospital and into a welcome burst of sunshine.
Chapter 20
“How is the case progressing?” Henry asked Mr. Steadford a couple of days later. That morning, after issuing orders to his gardener about where to plant the rhododendron bushes and peonies he’d ordered, he’d decided to stop by the barrister for a quick update.
“Well, we’ve questioned the servants who used to be in Tremaine’s employ and they had only favorable things to say about the duchess, while several were very critical of the new duke. My discussions with these people have, I believe, offered a degree of insight that ought to help us win this case.”
Pleased to know there was hope on the horizon, Henry relaxed into his chair. “So what’s the next step then?”
“Well, I have asked a clerk to investigate the claims you’ve made about Tremaine’s past so I can discover exactly the sort of man he is. Speaking of which, I heard about the duel. Mr. Hayes notified me, adding that the case will be temporarily put on hold until Tremaine has fully recovered from the wound he received at your hand. So now I wish to ask you, sir, what the hell were you thinking?”
Henry winced and then he told Steadford about the disparaging terms with which Tremaine had referred to Viola. “He insulted her most grievously and refused to apologize for it.”
Mr. Steadford’s eyes narrowed with interest. “I see.” He reached for his quill and scribbled something on a piece of paper. “How interesting.”
“I’m gladyouthink so,” Henry told him dryly. He stood and prepared to leave. “How long do you think we have before we hear from Mr. Hayes again?”
