He found himself frowning again at how different she seemed from last night.
“Thank you very much. For both. The note soothed my mind a bit after I read the scandal sheets.”
“They weren’t very kind to us, were they?” he said, laughing at the memory of what he’d read this morning. His smile faded, however, when he saw the somber expression on her face. “Did it not amuse you? Are you worried about what people will say?”
“I admit I do not like being the center of attention,” she said. “Especially for behaving so improperly. I fear it will reflect poorly on my sisters.” She swallowed. “And on me.”
“I admire you for not seeking out the limelight,” he admitted, squeezing her hands gently. “And that you always put other people first. But fear not, you are a duchess. And one night of scandal will not ruin your reputation. The scandal sheets like to make a big to-do about things so that they can increase sales. Everyone will have forgotten about our tiff within a week. And your sisters will not face any consequences. I’m sure Mr. Cain will not stop calling on your sister over this?”
He winked at her, but to his surprise, her face suddenly hardened, and then a shadow of fear crossed it.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked again as he led her over to the chair in front of his desk. “Please, sit down. You do not look well at all.”
She sat, releasing his hands in the process, and he moved around the desk and sat down across from her.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he coaxed, folding his hands on the desk. “And then I will help you fix it. Do you want me to threaten to sue the publisher? I will. Or I can talk to the editor and get the author fired. You’re married to a very powerful man, Violet, and there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you.”
He smiled at her. This was the moment! This was the perfect moment to tell her that he wanted to try with her—that he wanted them to have a real marriage.
He opened his mouth to say the words, but she cut him off.
“James, there’s something I need to say to you,” she began. Her voice was very quiet, and her expression was closed off. “I have thought about it, and I can no longer accept the kind of marriage you are offering me. I would like to proceed with an annulment.”
Violet wasn’t quite sure how she had gotten the words out of her mouth. They were the most difficult that she had ever spoken, and as she stared steadily across the desk at her husband, she saw the instantaneous and devastating effect they had on him.
James’s smile dropped, turning into one of agony.
“What are you saying?” he asked, his voice suddenly as cold as ice.
She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. The pain in her chest was so strong that she thought it might crack open.
“I’ve thought about it,” she repeated. “And I cannot agree to your terms. Perhaps if I had known from the beginning, I would have been able to set different expectations, but I know now that I cannot live like this.”
“But—we were going to talk this evening,” he sputtered, struggling to understand what had changed. “We were going to try and move forward.”
Convince him, Violet! You need to be more convincing if you are going to save your sister from Mr. Cain and your father.
“I appreciate that you wanted to talk tonight,” she forced herself to say, “but I know you won’t change your mind. At least, you won’t change it quickly enough or thoroughly enough. You have had weeks to try and forge a real marriage with me, but you haven’t.”
“But I can change my mind!” James blurted out. Violet wanted to sob at those words. “At least, I was considering it… I spoke today with Nathan and…” he trailed off, looking away.
Violet desperately wanted to ask what he had discussed with Nathan. Was he serious? Was he really considering changing his mind about their relationship?
Either way, it was too late. Her father’s men were waiting outside in the carriage. If she didn’t do this, they would kidnap Rosalie.
“You are only saying that now that you can’t have me,” she whispered.
His eyes snapped back to hers. For a moment, they shone with anger, but then they dimmed with sadness and anger again.
“And it’s too late, James.”
His name was so difficult to say. She wanted to scream at him,Don’t believe me! Fight for me!While at the same time, she was terrified that he would fight for her. And then what would happen?
“I never knew how much I wanted to be a wife and a mother,” she continued.
As she said the words out loud, she realized, with a hollow heart, that they were true.
She blinked, sat up straighter, and looked him right in the eyes. “My childhood was difficult enough, and I assumed I would marry an awful man of my father’s choosing.” The irony of this was not lost on her, and tears welled up in her eyes. “I didn’t know how much I wanted to be a mother. But now, I know that it is what I want more than anything.”
