Page 37 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

He broke his fast late. He supped alone. He rarely left his office. And always, his thoughts strayed to Violet… forever able to feel her in his arms, just as he felt her eyes looking through him. How much easier it would have been if they hated one another. How much simpler things would be if they still fought with every breath?

Perhaps I should make her hate me? Will that not be for the best?

Such an idea brought Rhys little joy, and he knew it would not be that simple. What was more, for Lucy, he knew that they had to appear happy together. Further to that point… he wanted to be happy. He had ruined one relationship already because he was stubborn and foolhardy. Was it really worth ruining another?

So it was that two days after the garden, and two days of hiding, that Rhys finally braved the innards of the residence, determined to see Lucy once more, and hopefully prove to himself that whatever he felt for Violet was little more than a passing fancy.

That was when he found Violet and Lucy in the nursery.

He stopped short in the doorway when he saw them, and it took him a moment to understand what he was looking at…

“Where is Rose?” Lucy asked Violet.

“Somewhere, I am sure,” Violet said as she ripped down the curtains. The effect saw the morning light spread throughout the room. “Lucy, stay away from there!” she cried suddenly.

Lucy stood by a stack of crates. They were stacked rather messily, looking like they might tumble at any moment.

“Go play in the corner,” Violet told her. “Go on.”

Lucy pouted at Violet. Violet folded her arms and raised a commanding eyebrow. Then Lucy giggled and hurried to the corner where a collection of random toys was spread.

The nursery was an absolute mess. The furniture was pushed against the walls and stacked. The curtains were now all torn down. And the walls that had previously been painted white had markings all over them. They looked like rough sketches done with paint.

Rhys gaped at the sight.

When he had finally confirmed with the orphanage that he would be allowed to adopt Lucy, he had promptly had a nursery built for her. It was a spare room, one he’d had painted white, then filled with toys and books and comfortable chairs—anything he thought a child might like.

Clearly, what Rhys thought Lucy might like was not what Violet had in mind.

“What is going on?” He stepped into the room.

Violet turned about, saw him, and smiled. “Oh, look who it is. I was wondering where you had been hiding.”

It was silly… and Rhys knew that it was. Really, he should have been glad that Violet was doing whatever she thought was right to make Lucy feel more comfortable. What was more, Rhys knew that he was drastically out of his element, so there was every reason to expect his initial attempts at pretty much everything to need fine-tuning.

But he was also feeling a little chastised, and a little ashamed of how hopeless he was. He was being careful not to be too kind or grow too close to Violet. The last thing he needed was for their relationship to develop into something more down the path where it was heading… for him to grow closer to her.

I need to keep my distance. What is more, I need to remind her to do the same.

“I said, what is going on?” he asked again, firming his voice, and being sure to show no joy.

Violet blinked in surprise. “I… is it not obvious? We are redecorating the nursery.”

“I see that,” he said. “Might I ask why?”

“Oh, well…” Violet laughed, as if misunderstanding his tone. “I found it a little plain and boring. So much white, and no color to speak of. So, I thought it might be fun to add some changes. It will give us something to do.”

“I thought it was perfectly fine the way it was.”

“There was nothing wrong with it…” Violet seemed to sense his firm tone, and she certainly saw the dark look in his eyes. “But that does not mean it cannot be improved upon. Lucy certainly seems to think it is a good idea.”

“Lucy is three,” he said flatly. “I am sure that she will agree with whatever you say to her. What I want to know is why you thought it was acceptable to make these changes without first asking me.”

It was then that Violet finally caught up to the moment. Rhys continued to look warningly at her, giving Violet no room to be dismissive or laugh her way past his glower. She frowned, reared back a little, and tilted her head as if more than a little confused by how he was behaving.

“Lucy, might you step outside for a moment?” she said to the little girl. Lucy sat in the corner, and she looked up with confusion. “It is fine, Lucy. We just need a moment to speak.”

Rhys resisted the urge to grimace with shame. He had promised that he would not fight in front of Lucy, and it had taken less than a week to break that promise.