Page 37 of Her Duke’s Second Chance (Regency Second Chances #1)

CHAPTER 37

“ L et…go…of me,” Thomas said, fighting against Robert’s hold and resisting being dragged.

Robert dragged Thomas out of the room and down the hall to his study. He was not yet finished with the scoundrel. Not until he had atoned for what he had done.

Robert ignored him and continued to drag him towards his office.

“You have no right,” Thomas whined in a shaky voice. “Wh—what are you going to do to me?”

Robert ignored him, pushed him into his office and walked in after him before slamming the door. Thomas curled up in fear and panic.

“See here, I did not mean any harm. I was not going to injure her. I just wanted to scare her a little so she would pay me,” he cajoled, “the gown… it was an accident I swear. I did not intend to tear it.”

Robert continued to pace silent circles around Newston, his hands clenched by his sides to control his monumental rage.

“I would never hurt a lady. I am a gentleman and so are you. We can resolve this in a civil manner.” His eyes flicked to Robert’s fists, “there is no need for fisticuffs.”

Robert stopped circling him and glared into his eyes. “You hurt my wife. You expect me to just shake hands and let it go?”

Thomas began to sway from side to side. “No, of course not, you misunderstand me. I do of course wish to extend my most humble apologies, and I will make whatever reparations you demand of me. Just please let me go.”

“You speak of reparations? I would like you to leave the country and never return,” Robert growled.

“As you wish, Your Grace. I shall leave immediately. A fresh beginning in the new world would suit me far better in any event. There is nothing here for me anymore. Just give me one month-”

“Five days. You leave on the next outgoing ship,” Robert interrupted.

Thomas nodded frantically. “Yes, five days, and I shall leave. You have my word.”

Robert snorted contemptuously. “I shall take your word for now. But if you have not left England in five days’ time, I promise that you will pay in much more painful and permanent ways.”

He took a step closer to Thomas and looked him dead in the eye.

“I do hope you will miss your deadline,” he flexed his fists, “I have a lot of pent-up energy to expend. It would be intriguing to see how many of your bones I could break.”

Thomas shuddered and his face paled. “I assure you that will not be necessary.”

Robert pointed at the door. “Get out,” he snapped.

Thomas ran out the door as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him.

Robert shook his head before returning to the parlor.

He wanted to see to Georgiana’s health. He did not like how she looked at all. Thinking about it made him regret letting Thomas go without so much as a black eye.

He was still shaking inside at how narrowly she had avoided disaster.

What serendipity had brought him to London on this very day? Why had he decided to leave immediately and arrive at the exact moment his wife needed him the most?

He realized that, as afraid as he had been about something happening to her, he had all along been taking her safety for granted. He had assumed that his servants would be a sufficient buffer between her and anyone with nefarious intentions.

What an utter fool I have been.

He burst into the parlor, his eyes searching frantically for Georgiana, wondering if he had left her alone for too long.

There was a tray in front of her containing a tea kettle, a bottle of whiskey, and a teacup. A serving girl was pouring tea into the cup, and he stepped forward, ushering her away.

“I will see to it,” he said.

She stepped away, head bowed, looking shamefaced. He had a sense that Sinclair had given the entire staff a lambasting.

Good. They deserve it.

He poured the steaming tea into half of the cup and then filled the rest with whiskey. Picking up the cup, he offered it to her.

“Drink,” he said softly.

She reached for the cup, but he pulled it away. “No, let me hold it for you.”

She gave him a put-upon sigh but allowed him to feed her the tea. He was relieved when he saw the color returning to her cheeks and made her drink until the cup was empty.

She gave him a curious look. “What did you do with him?” she asked.

He snorted, shaking his head. “Nothing. I ordered him to leave London forthwith and he agreed. You will never see him again.”

She raised her eyebrows. “He simply agreed to leave?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes, well, he really did not want to get a beating.”

She giggled, “Would you really have given him one?”

“Absolutely,” he confessed.

She covered her mouth with her hand, giggling. “Well…I am sorry you did not get the chance.”

“Perhaps he will be foolhardy enough not to leave.” He shrugged hopefully and wiggled his eyebrows with eager anticipation.

“Perhaps.” She grinned, “But judging by the green hue of his face when you led him out of here, I rather doubt it.”

He gave her an intent look. “Is the punishment acceptable to you? Would you prefer that he suffer a more serious fate?”

She shook her head. “No, it is fine. After all, the only thing he really did was scare me. I was terrified he would do more and I was too weak to stop him, but you came just in time.”

He shuddered, “I was almost too late. It gives me cold grue just to think about it.”

She reached out and squeezed his hand. “But you were right on time,” she said quietly. “Thank God.”

His mouth turned down and he put his hand on top of hers.

“Georgiana—” he began to say.

They were interrupted as the door opened and Daisy breezed in, her face glowing, followed by Lionel. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw Robert.

“Oh! You have returned. How lovely,” she said.

Lionel came up behind her, his face impassive. He looked from Georgiana to Robert.

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

Georgiana and Robert exchanged loaded glances. Georgiana huffed. “Everything is fine. Thank you for escorting my sister to take in the air. She seems much better for it.”

Daisy blushed, turning away as she tossed her shawl across her shoulders, effectively hiding her flaming cheeks. “Well, I shall go and freshen up. Thank you ever so much, Lord Stanmore, for a lovely walk.”

He bowed low over her hand and kissed the air above it. “The pleasure was all mine.”

The three of them watched as Daisy left the room. Lionel turned to face them.

“What happened?” he demanded.

Robert got to his feet and took Lionel by the arm, leading him towards the door. “It is good to see you, old friend, and it makes my heart glad that you have been watching over my family. But the duchess and I now need some privacy. Everything is fine. I shall explain everything to you in detail at a later date. For now, would you kindly excuse us?”

“Of course. Whatever you need. I am not far away.”

“Thank you, Lionel.”

“You are welcome, my friend. I shall see you soon.”

Robert nodded before ushering him out of the door, then turned to face Georgiana. “We have much to talk about. Are you up for it?”

She blinked at him and then slowly nodded. “I am.”

“First, I would like to apologize for not thinking. I raced out of here like a bat out of Hell, trying to escape my demons. I did not stop to think how you would feel when you woke up and did not find me here. I was too busy imagining how I would not be able to live if you did not wake up.”

She nodded. “I see. Well, it is good to know that you were not purposely inconsiderate.”

He winced. “Indeed, I was not.”

“Unfortunately, the damage has been done. I did wake up to your absence. I had to contend with the possibility that you had once again abandoned me.”

“I did not aban?—”

“I am speaking. I let you speak, and now I am speaking,” she interrupted.

He raised his hands in surrender.

“I had to contend with the possibility that you had once again abandoned me. The first time it happened I was hurt, but in a more abstract manner. I felt that you had bought a wife and then did not even have the patience to teach me how to be a wife. But this time, after we have been husband and wife to each other in every sense of the word, waking up to your abandonment was a knife in my heart. Whether you intended it or not, it taught me that I cannot rely on you.”

Robert opened his mouth to protest vehemently but then shut it again. It was his time to listen, and he intended to do that.

She saw his struggle and nodded with appreciation. “I understand your fear. I do. Loss is something that leaves a wound that never heals. If it is your choice to put that wound first, to feel that nothing is worth overcoming that pain, then I accept it. I just need you to tell me that it is so. I have lived a long time without relying on anyone but myself. I can do it again if I must. I just do not want to hear any more false promises.”

Robert clutched his chest, smiling ruefully. “Speaking of wounds, I feel as though you have just delivered one. It hurts me to hear you speak so. To know that I have hurt you in this way. The scales have dropped from my eyes. For the first time in a long time, I can see things clearly.”

He dropped his head in defeat. “There is nothing I can say or do to make this better. It hurts me to know that I have caused you pain and that I am responsible for wounding you. I need you to tell me if there is any way I can heal it; any panacea that will repair what I have done.”

“I need you to tell me the truth, Robert. I need you to be honest with me.”

“I am being honest. Ask me anything, and I will tell you true.”

“Tell me why you left.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I was sitting by your bedside, just having tried to feed you some broth. Most of it ended up on the napkin, and I was feeling so desperate. You were so pale, your body was so still, and it was alarmingly reminiscent of my last days with Angela—I feared you might die.” His voice shook as he said it.

He met her eyes. “I thought that if I watched you die, my heart would give out. I feared that my sitting by your bed, praying for you to open your eyes, was angering whatever deity had it out for me. I feared it might take you from me just to smite me once again. I decided to leave and take with me whatever curse I carried so you could survive. I am aware that it sounds like superstitious nonsense, but at the time I was convinced that I had to get away before it was too late for you.”

She gave him a crooked smile. “I suppose my waking up during your absence vindicated your beliefs.”

He shrugged. “In a way, yes, it did. I cannot lie to you; the fear that I am cursed remains. However, if this incident has taught me anything, it is that there is more to life than just my feelings and my fears. And I refuse to let you down again just because I cannot master myself.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means that if it is the last thing I do, I will make sure that you always know you can rely on me. It means that from this day forward, I shall be your rock and your protector and honor the vows that I made in front of the priest. It is time for me to be a man and leave childish ways behind.”

Georgiana took a long, deep breath. “It does my heart glad to hear you say that. But I also feel sad for the ‘boy’ you are leaving behind. His fears are also valid, and I want to be there for him, and for you. I want to honor my vows to you; to be a bulwark and offer you support when you need it.”

He smiled sadly. “You always have been. It is your exemplary behavior that I wish to follow. Georgiana. I am sorry. Please forgive me for abandoning you in your time of need.”

She smiled tentatively and nodded. “I forgive you.”

He reached for her hand and placed a kiss in her palm before turning it around and kissing her knuckles.

“Thank you. I will not let you down again.”

She smirked and gave a simple nod in return. “See that you do not.”