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“Daisy—”

“Move aside!” She pushed his arm, and he drew back. She inelegantly scrambled over him to get off the couch and stand up. She must look a sight. Her dress was rumpled, and heavy coils of hair had fallen down her back.

But that was just as well. Miles might as well see her for the last time without the veneer of fine dressing: short, ungraceful, messy, so much less than he was.

Her head hurt. And her heart hurt.

He rose, and she turned to face him rather than fleeing the room because he deserved an explanation; news of the annulment would soon be the talk of all society. Once she left for the continent, he would be left to brave the scandal.

Her breath hitched when their eyes met, but she forced herself to get the words out. “After the ceremony this morning, I asked you not to make me feel unlovable.” She paused to take a breath because it felt as if her throat were tightening, and her voice had a humiliating wobble.

“I apologize,” Miles said. “I never wanted to hurt you, Daisy.”

She believed him. He was a perfect gentleman, after all. He would never want to hurt her feelings—or any other woman’s.

Daisy waved her hand. “Perhaps you shouldn’t have shared your opinion of me on our wedding day.”

He opened his mouth, but she shook her head.

“Yet I would have learned how you felt the first time we argued. I can’t do it, Miles. I thought I could marry someone who didn’t love me, and that my love would be enough for both of us. I was wrong.” Her hands twisted together. “You should marry someone you respect.”

“I do respect you.”

She sighed. “You never wanted to marry me, did you? You never courted me. In fact, when I coupled you and Frederick as my suitors, you actually paled. Your first proposal occurred after my gown fell apart, and your second because I brought a baby to your house. Neither is a solid foundation for a marriage.”

“Is it my turn to speak?”

Daisy shook her head. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that you didn’t decide I was too foolish and impulsive to be your wife. That you didn’t plan to find a wife who was well-groomed and eager to discuss political events rather than read scandalous novels. That there wasn’t a part of you that was glad when my mother refused your proposal. That part of you didn’t rage when Regina walked into your room, and I blurted out that the baby was mine … and you realized that you were trapped.”

Miles opened his mouth—and then closed it.

It felt as if the air thickened during his painful silence.

“All those things are true.”

EPISODE ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN

THE RIGHT KIND OF WIFE

The pain in Daisy’s heart was so profound that she could hardly draw breath. She’d known how Miles felt before he confirmed it, and most of society probably agreed with his judgment. So why did it feel as if she’d taken a blow to the gut?

Because it was his opinion. Miles was important to her, despite her attempts to convince herself otherwise. It hurt to look at him, so she concentrated on shaking out her skirts, her hands trembling. “Thank you for your honesty. If you’ll excuse me—”

His voice rumbled from his chest. “None of those things mattered. I did think you were impulsive and too young. I was furious that you lied to me. But none of that matters.”

Daisy looked down at the hand curled around her upper arm. “I have to leave, Miles.”

“Did you ever wonder why you kept running into me during the Season, given that Clementine is engaged and my younger sisters are living in Bath? I had no reason to attend society’s events, yet I went to any event where I thought you might appear. I looked for you everywhere I went.”

“No, you were looking for a wife,” she reminded him. “Everyone knew that. The—the right kind of wife. Not me. You scarcely danced with me.” The air in her lungs felt heated. “That’s enough,” she said, spinning around and heading for the door. “I trust you can arrange for the annulment in my absence.”

“I refuse.”

Hand on the door, Daisy looked over her shoulder. Miles was wearing a scowl so black that a nervous person would run blubbering from the room. She squared her shoulders and turned around fully. “You have no choice. This marriage is not yet legal.”

“Do you know what I think about, seeing you against the wall like that?”

“This isn’t a wall. It’s a door.”