Page 50 of Her Wily Duke

“I don’t even want to look at you!” fumed Lord Hazelworth, red patches in his pallid cheeks, his breath coming in wheezes and his hands balled into fists as he paced the carpet. “You haven’t even been married one day—”

“It’s not what it looked like,” said Ariana with what Benedict thought was forced calm. “We were just talking. I wanted to see him one last time, and to apologise—”

“Apologise?” he barked. “Apologise for what?!”

“For the way that things turned out. For the fact that he’s been treated so rudely by seemingly every member of this family.”

“And for that you had to put your whole marriage, our whole arrangement in jeopardy! Marriages are more easily broken than you might think. His Grace would be within his rights to put aside a woman who had been unfaithful, even divorce her, should he choose to make it visible, and then what would happen to you? Where would you live when I’m dead?”

Ariana gave him the sort of contemptuous glare that is only really possible between members of the same family.

“One would almost think that you were more worried about your business arrangement than you were about me, or my happiness.”

“They are one and the same!” cried Lord Hazelworth in exasperation. “How many times do I have to explain this to you before you understand? If you lose your marriage, you lose the house — you and your mother both. My father made that a condition of his will – that if I had no son, but a daughter, then it would only go to you if you were married, and your husband was able to manage the estate. If you walk away from this marriage, or are cast off, then the house goes to my cousin, who could turn you out whenever it pleased him, and he would do so. Do you really have so little respect for your own family?”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Benedict, speaking up for the first time. “Whatever happens, I’m not going to divorce her—”

“Your Grace, you’re not helping,” said Hazelworth, raising a hand to silence him.

“Well, forgive me for trying to reassure my own wife.”

“Ariana needs to know that there will be consequences for acting like this. If you don’t learn to enforce rules, don’t be surprised if this continues to happen. Love and discipline go hand-in-hand; abandon the second and you lose the first.”

“Robert is right,” said Lady Hazelworth. Benedict flinched in surprise - she had been so quiet that he had almost forgotten that she was there. “My own mother was a loose woman who danced and drank and made love to other men without hiding her affairs at all – it was quite the scandal, and I was lucky that Hazelworth would have me after all of that went around the ton. My father stood helplessly by while it happened, lacking the strength of character to govern his own household. He was a weak man, and my mother despised him for it. He was never unfaithful, but he shared as much of the blame for the failure of their marriage as she did.”

It occurred to Benedict that she and her husband were making essentially the same argument, but somehow it sounded more credible coming from the mouth of a woman. For the first time he began to wonder if perhaps they were right, if he really was making a mistake by treating Ariana too gently.

“I’m not a ‘loose woman’,” said Ariana. “I’ve never been with any man — not in that way. And we weren’t having a romantic encounter. I was just explaining to Lord Jasper why I would never be able to see him again. Because I’m married now, and I respectfully asked that he not come near me again.”

“If that’s the case,” said Hazelworth, “then why did you feel the need to go behind our backs? You could have at least told us where you were going.”

“If I had, I would never have been permitted to leave the house.”

Hazelworth shook his head sceptically.

“Young women who have nothing to hide don’t go sneaking around behind the backs of their husbands and fathers. If you were an honest woman you wouldn’t have been afraid. You would have told us where you were going, and why.” Turning to Benedict he added, “I hope now that you’re beginning to see the wisdom of what I said before. She needs to be governed with an iron fist.”

“Robert disciplined me when I needed it, many years ago,” added Lady Hazelworth, retrieving her tea from the table and raising it to her lips. “And look how happy we are now.”

“So happy!” added her husband, as if the meaning wasn’t clear.

Benedict wondered if their definition of ‘happy’ bore even the slightest resemblance to his own. By comparison to this delightful family scene, the looming darkness and haunted halls of Darkmire Abbey seemed distinctly peaceful, almost soothing. But he had to try, he could not allow himself to give up on his marriage so soon. He met Ariana’s eyes, and for a moment he thought that they were in accord, for she looked as disbelieving of the ‘happy’ statement as he felt.

Then she looked away, and spoke harshly.

“Do what you want to me, but don’t punish Lord Jasper for my mistakes. I was the one who went looking for him.”

“And if he hadn’t been lurking about the house all day, looking like nothing so much as a common ruffian,” said Lord Hazelworth, “you wouldn’t have done it.” Addressing himself to the room at large, he said, “In the old stories a father or husband sometimes has to protect a wayward woman by locking them up in a tall tower, far from the reach of any man. I’m not advocating that we literally follow that example, but it’s an idea to consider.”

“Don’t those stories usually end with a handsome and resourceful young man finding his way into the tower regardless?” Benedict pointed out. “In any case, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting, unless you want me to keep her at home with only her maid for company, and her mother, should she choose to spend time with us.”

“I’m saying now is the time to take bold action,” said Hazelworth. “It’s almost as if she’s seeking a way out of this marriage. She’s looking for a man who will show her the love she imagines, the love she thinks she hasn’t found in you. My advice would be to keep her away from all men, for the time being.”

Ariana rose from her chair, incredulous.

“Am I not allowed to have friends now?” she demanded indignantly.

“Not until you can prove that you deserve them!” her father shot back.