“That bad?”
“He called me by another woman’s name.”
“Bastard.”
Rose’s eyes flew open. Emalyn gave a dismissive gesture. “Not literally, of course. But why would he do that?”
Rose shrugged under the blanket, the tears overflowing now.
“What name?”
“Kitty.”
Emalyn hesitated, her mouth pursing. “Do we know a Kit—” She stopped, her eyes narrowing, her lips drawing to a thin line.
Rose nodded. “Right.”
“That stupid fool.”
“So he still wants to be with her.”
Emalyn came to a sharp attention. “Oh, no. I don’t think so.”
This time, Rose did manage to push up to a sitting position. “No?”
Her mother-in-law shook her head. “No. And I am not just defending my son.” She paused for a sip of milk. “Did he tell you about the dreams?”
“Just that he had bad ones.”
“Yes. They are about her. About Katherine Carterton.”
“Why would he dream about her?”
Emalyn set the cup aside and leaned forward. “Let me tell you a dark secret about your husband. Thomas Ashton. Rake. Infamous scoundrel. That notorious rogue has slept with the same woman for the past seven years. And only one woman.”
Rose stiffened. “What? But the rumors—”
“Thomas attempted to be a part of one season, but I couldn’t get him to go to more than two balls. He despised it. Being a marquess—the son of a duke—made him a target. Being thought an unredeemable rogue served his purposes. It kept the marriage-minded mamas away from his doorstep and left him with a certain amount of freedom. His father and I thought it would not last, that he would get lonely. But he found Mrs. Carterton, and they developed a comfortable arrangement.”
Rose felt lost. “Does he love her?”Does he have a child with her?A bitter thought, and Rose knew better—she would have known it. But still it came, along with its companion:Does hewantto have a child with her?
“No. Never did. It was just comfortable. But he did not end it. Philip did.” Emalyn shook her head. “My husband thought it would be expedient. A quick end. He did the same for Robert, and that worked out for the best. Of course, Robert only ever wanted one woman and that was never going to happen. He knew that and looked elsewhere. Mrs. Wilson was convenient, not comfortable.”
Rose stared at Emalyn, who nibbled her biscuit again, although she seemed to drop more crumbs than she swallowed. As she put it back on the plate, her eyes studied Rose.
“You knew,” Rose said.
Emalyn gave a quick nod. “Of course, I knew. He’s my son. I did sometimes wonder ifyouknew.”
“Since we were in school. But I could not—”
“The heart wants what the heart wants, my girl. It doesn’t always come to fruition.” She picked up her cup, looked at it as it seemed to droop in her hand, then set it aside with a scowl. “Philip thinks Thomas should see Mrs. Carterton again. To see how she’s moved on—and I assure you she has a plethora of new lovers—but also to end it for himself, in whatever way he needs to.”
“Even if he still dreams about her.”
“He may, but I promise you, Rose, he only wants you.”
Rose frowned as every S in Emalyn’s sentence ended with a flat hiss. She straightened. “Emalyn, are you sure you’re—”
