Page 35 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke (The Unwanted Sisters #3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

“ D o you really want to go?” Wilhelmina asked Gerard. “I mean, it might not be necessary unless?—”

It was obvious that she was excited about their little trip, but she was still mindful of his feelings, and he appreciated it.

It was his idea. Well, he asked if they might visit the Gazetteer, since they had not been there as a married couple.

“What’s wrong with it?” he asked innocently. “Of course, I want to go.”

“What’s the matter? Aren’t we a band of criminals that we must visit when the sun is about to set? You are fortunate that Mr. Finch leaves at a late hour. The place is his life’s blood.”

Gerard could appreciate a man who loved his work enough to give it most of his time. He had been like that most of his life, but his reasons might be less noble. There was truly not much in his life, aside from managing his estate.

“Not criminals,” he reassured her, handing her into the carriage. “We are merely being cautious, aren’t we? We don’t want any wagging tongues talking about you possibly being the pen behind the notorious column.”

Wilhelmina gave him a mock frown when he said the word ‘notorious.’ He smiled at her, holding her hand a little longer than necessary.

Meanwhile, Hector didn’t want anyone to help him up. He clambered into the carriage after his stepmother, his face flushed not only because of the crisp evening air but also from the excitement of yet another adventure.

Gerard had to admit that Wilhelmina’s methods were working. Hector was behaving much better.

“I like it!” the boy declared as he settled into his seat. “It’s like a scene from one of the books you read for me, Your Grace. Should we set a different watchword or secret knock?”

Gerard climbed last, sitting opposite his wife and son. He planted his feet on the floor, holding himself up with ease against the rocking of the carriage.

“Perhaps we can use my walking stick. Three raps on Mr. Finch’s door. Don’t look horrified, Mina. Your publisher and I have an understanding now.”

He knew the importance of adding some play to their activities. It kept his son alert and happy.

“Are you certain?” Wilhelmina asked. She was pretending to be skeptical, but he could see through the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “He is terrified of you, Duke.”

He could not help but frown. His wife was still formal with him except in bed, and he had not warmed her bed since that first time. It was not for lack of desire; it was for lack of control.

“He should be,” he replied dryly. “I’m not carrying old grudges, though, and I want him to see that in person. He was merely doing his job. I admire that in him. I am also grateful that he has taken a chance on you.”

Hector didn’t care much for the conversation between his father and stepmother. He was impatiently peering through the small window at the streets blurring past like shadows.

“Will there be a new issue, Duchess?” Hector asked.

Gerard saw his wife tense. Something flickered in her eyes, but it vanished too quickly for him to decipher. She was thinking of something other than the paper, he could tell, and he badly wanted to know what it was.

“I’ve submitted some pages, my dear,” she replied, tapping the satchel on her lap where her latest column lay secure.

“I also have some new ones to give Mr. Finch this evening. If he deems them worthy, then we will have enough material for at least two or three more issues. I have been trying to be nicer as Lady Silverquill.”

“Nicer? You were just being honest!” the boy cried.

“You do know that the content is not exactly appropriate for children?” his father reminded him.

“I’ve told him about it. I only passed him a few of the letters, the ones that even he could answer.

Your father is right, Hector. Some of them are not for children’s eyes, and before you tell me that your mind is more mature than a seven-year-old’s, think again.

Enjoy being young. You’ll regret rushing into adulthood,” Wilhelmina advised.

The boy nodded meekly, making Gerard chuckle.

Wilhelmina certainly had an effect on Hector.

“Nicer as Lady Silverquill?” Gerard echoed, his gaze intent on her. “But is not the very purpose of that disguise to speak without disguise? To give voice to the truth you would not otherwise be permitted to utter?”

“You may be right,” Wilhelmina conceded, her lips curving faintly. “Perhaps Lady Silverquill is but my sharper tongue, given at last the freedom I so sorely lacked.”

It was why Wilhelmina could not let go of a job she no longer needed. She was Lady Silverquill, not the meek young woman everyone in Society wanted her to be.

They didn’t know her. They didn’t know that while she might be intelligent and prone to a sharp tongue, especially when she was younger, she was more virtuous than most of the women in the ton.

Eventually, they had fallen silent. Gerard noticed that Wilhelmina kept on glancing out the window at the alley. She had gone a little paler and seemed to bristle with apprehension.

“What is it?” he asked gently, so as not to startle her.

“It’s just that… You may find me silly, but I thought someone was standing in the alley, watching us,” she replied nervously, wringing her hands.

It was not like her. Something must have truly spooked her.

Gerard looked out the window, trying to catch the figure she was talking about, but saw nothing. When she saw the look on his face, disappointment crossed hers.

“Never mind, Duke. It was probably just my imagination. It’s one of the perks of being Lady Silverquill.”

“Very well.”

Finally, they arrived at the Gazetteer . The building was plain and narrow, nestled between a bookshop and a shoemaker’s. One could say that it was hiding in plain sight.

Gerard knocked three times with his walking stick, much to Hector’s delight. The boy jumped up and down beside him, while Wilhelmina stood behind them.

There was a slight pause before the door opened to reveal Mr. Finch’s pale face. He nodded at them and took off his spectacles to wipe them before putting them back on.

“Come inside, all of you,” he urged. “Your Graces, it’s my honor to welcome you inside. I hope this meeting means that everything is well?”

He looked a little anxious as he cast a glance at Gerard, who gave him a small bow. The poor old man didn’t know how to respond to that. He beckoned everyone to his desk. He sat on his side, while Gerard and Wilhelmina took the opposite seats. Hector remained standing, browsing around the desk.

“Mr. Finch,” Gerard began evenly. “There is nothing to worry about. As you now know, I have married your columnist, Lady Silverquill. The three of us are all committed to keeping her secret. We are here to deliver her latest issue.”

He gently took his son’s hand off the press plate.

Things could go really wrong in the office.

Everything seemed to be precariously stacked in piles.

However, he did find the smell of ink and paper pleasant for some reason.

It reminded him of the nights when he was a young boy, reading his books by candlelight.

“Oh, I am glad to hear that, Your Grace. I was surprised that Her Grace had decided to stay with us even after she married you. Most young women stop working after they have secured a match.”

“She loves being Lady Silverquill,” Gerard said proudly, smiling at his wife. She smiled back, looking faintly relieved.

“She is Lady Silverquill,” Hector declared.

“Oh, I dare say she is,” Mr. Finch agreed, looking happy and at ease now. “Sales have also gone up. I’m glad that she decided to stay with us. I was wondering if she regretted being a part of us at all.”

“I doubt she does,” Gerard murmured, again glancing at his wife. “What do you think, Duchess?”

“Oh, I have no regrets at all.”