He knew the truth would bring her no peace. It might even make matters worse. But if he could give her even an inkling…
“Please,” she whispered.
“It wasn’t an illness. It was… I saw what happened. I was there.”
Her hand fell to her side as she gaped at him. The silence was almost too much for him to bear.
But he bore it all the same, knowing this was what he deserved. Knowing he could carry it as much as he could for her. For her family. Because even though he had not committed the crime, the knowledge was just as bad. Being a bystander who did nothing did not make him into a hero.
Once more he pushed back the guilt. At the same time, Verity strode forward. She paused before the desk. And then she started to make her way around it so she might reach him.
Dominic couldn’t bear it.
“Don’t,” he ordered harshly.
“Please, you can’t just tell me this and, and––”
Pulling away from her, he went around the opposite direction to keep the distance. He needed it. What might happen if they were close again, he didn’t know. The distance would keep them safe.
“Dominic,” Verity murmured in a thready voice, “Please. I have to know. I want to understand. You didn’t… It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t. Was it? Tell me… Please. I need to understand.”
“I can’t tell you anything more.” He started toward the door, eager for an escape. Already he had said too much. The longer he stayed, the more he might confess. Whatever plans he’d had previously were crumbling every second in her presence.
Hearing a loud slam, Dominic instinctively turned back to see her hands spread on his desk. Her gaze tormented him. “Tell me. You didn’t do it. Did you?”
“No. I have already said too much.”
“Isn’t there anything more you can say? That anyone can say?”
He hesitated and winced, seeing the glimmer of hope in her eyes when she caught sight of his weakness. So he told her the last of his confession that he could share. “Your family knows more.”
“What? Who? How could they? No one would hide such a secret from me,” she charged.
“It was never supposed to be made known. You should have never known any of this, you were never meant to even guess…” He bit his tongue and shook his head. “Revealing any more would cause too much destruction. You’ve done enough, Verity. You must… let the past stay behind us.”
And he turned his back on her to leave, praying she could understand in time.
CHAPTER 30
Verity had never felt so tormented by the truth in all her life. As she clutched at the desk, the cold wood offering her no comfort but hard edges that dug into her skin, she stared at her husband. Her mind attempted to piece together the truth.
She had learned much during this insightful conversation. And yet it wasn’t enough.
It’s never enough.
There were pieces missing to this puzzle. She could see the holes and wiggle her finger through them. But she couldn’t find the questions to find the answers.
Every time she thought she could get close, Verity found herself trapped in a cycle of slowly comprehending what the duke had said.
Dominic knew. He had known about her uncle for so long. Longer than anyone else would have. Had he been there to hear Uncle Will’s final words? What could have happened? Was it an accident? Or a crime?
And what about her family? Dominic offered no names. It could be any of them. All of them.
Horror at the betrayal sunk into her chest deeper and deeper. Slowly Verity sunk down into the large leather chair. A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. A new pain surfaced, leaving her bewildered and confused with no remedy.
“I did not say this to hurt you.”
It took a minute for Verity to register the words. As the shock slowly cleared, she lifted her head to look at Dominic. There he stood by the door. He had a handle on it so he could leave quickly. Like he’d been trying to do all this time.
