He shot her a glare even though he knew she was teasing. More than that, he saw a flash of interest in her eyes. “Do you prefer me this way? Clipped and polished like a dandy?”
She laughed. “You are a far cry from a dandy, but I must admit the new you has appeal. Dark and dangerous certainly has its place, but sometimes a lady wants to sit across from a gentleman.”
He studied her a moment, gauging the truth of her statement. In the end, he had to acknowledge her point with a grunt. “If you want a gentleman, then I endeavor to please.”
Her expression sobered. “I am pleased whatever you choose to wear.”
Then there was no more time for conversation, as his mother stepped into the parlor. “If you would follow me? I believe the food should be acceptable despite the way your men tried to discomfit my cook.”
Lucas winced. “A necessary precaution, I assure you.”
“No doubt.” Her tone indicated the exact opposite.
Would this hell never end? He began to long for an attack just so he could do something that was not spending time with his mother. But at least Diana was here now, and she eased the tension inside him as no one else.
And still the time ground on. They sat and ate. Diana and his mother exchanged pleasantries, and he did his best to join in the small talk. Diana was the bridge for that, of course. His mother would say something that sounded innocuous but still made Lucas bristle. Diana was there to diffuse his anger, softening his mother’s words and making him wonder if perhaps he overreacted. His mother certainly did, stiffening at the strangest things, only to have Diana rephrase his words into something more palatable. He had no idea how she did it, only that it worked.
And then finally—blessedly—the meal was done. His mother waved the servants away, but she didn’t stand. Instead, she stared hard at Diana, then him. Lucas was so desperate to be done with the whole affair that he considered making his excuses no matter how rude it might appear. But in this, his mother saved him.
“I suppose you wonder why I demanded you both eat with me.”
He’d ceased wondering about her reasons when she declared one set of buttons insupportable and another just the thing. But she did have the right of it. There had been nothing so far that warranted his last few hours of misery.
Thankfully, Diana knew how to be more polite than he. “It did cross my mind,” she said.
“I wanted to meet the woman my son wishes to marry.”
Diana’s eyes widened as she glanced at Lucas. He simply shrugged. “They have guessed it.”
“Nathan guessed it,” his mother said. “And he told me.” She looked to Lucas. “Is it true?”
“Yes.”
She nodded as if she had expected as much. Then she turned to Diana. “You should refuse him.”
It took a moment for her words to penetrate, and when they did, he shot up from his chair. “Mother!” He would have said more, but the furious words choked him in their rush to get out, and in that time, she held up her hand.
“Hear me out,” she continued. Then she spoke directly to Diana. “Years ago, his father and I married out of duty. It was what was done, of course, and though neither he nor I wished it, we both complied. We suffered each other long enough for me to get pregnant, and Lucas was born.” She lifted her chin. “I have not allowed him in my bedchamber since.”
Again, it took a moment for the words to penetrate his anger, but when they did, he was struck dumb. She’d just admitted that his brother was illegitimate, and his father cuckolded. And still, his mother kept speaking.
“Do not think I was alone in my indiscretions. He has always done as he pleased.”
That, at least, was something Lucas already knew. His father had never been flamboyant with his mistresses, but he had certainly frequented women other than his wife.
“I bore Nathan and dared him to say a single word against the boy.”
“Father has always raised him as a son,” Lucas rasped. And then another thought struck him, one that he couldn’t hold in. “Does he know? Does Nathan—”
“I have told your brother everything.”
He did not envy Nathan that conversation. Meanwhile, Diana remained more focused while he reeled.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“Because Ihatehis father.” She said the word with venom. “I hate that we wed because our parents wished it. I hate that we are shackled together for life.” She took a deep breath. “And I hate that how I felt about his father spilled onto the son.” Now she turned to look at Lucas. “I have treated you ill for all your life because I despise your father. That was not your fault, and I am sorry for it.” She pursed her lips. “And I cannot seem to change it.”
He stared at her, his mouth slack with shock. He could not credit that she’d finally admitted her true feelings toward him. To add, her apology upended his world, but then it was followed by what he had known from the beginning. No matter what she said, her feelings toward him remained hard. She would never love him as she loved his brother.
