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Chapter Twenty-Five
The next four days at Ashburn were so enjoyable, they passed all too quickly for Artemis. The weather improved, and both Celeste and Miss Sharp recovered from their colds. Indeed, Artemis was heartened that Celeste actively sought out her company to chat aboutJane EyreandWuthering Heights—like Artemis, Celeste preferredJane Eyre—and one evening, she even showed Artemis how to use the telescope in Ashburn’s observatory. The duke’s daughter had pointed out all of her favorite constellations and stars and had confided that one day, she longed to be awarded a gold medal by the Royal Astronomical Society of London, just like Caroline Herschel. Artemis secretly vowed to herself that if she could make Celeste’s dream come true, she would.
Best of all, Dominic was true to his word and spent less time making rounds of the estate and reading endless documents and more time with her, Celeste, and Horatia.
He took Artemis on a tour of the estate’s grounds and the picturesque village of Ashburton. Everyone they encountered greeted Dominic with due deference, and they were nothing but warm and welcoming upon meeting his fiancée. At least in this part of the world, there was no obvious distrust of the Duke of Dartmoor. In fact, Artemis gained the impression that he was not only well respected but liked. It seemed Lord Gascoyne’s pernicious influence only extended so far.
When Dominic did have to work, or if the weather was inclement, Artemis continued to work onLady Mirabella and the Midnight Monk. Hopefully she’d finish writing the first draft of her manuscript within the next week.
Of course, Artemis would have enjoyed herself more if she hadn’t felt quite so guilty all the time. The fact that she was keeping part of herself hidden from Dominic weighed heavily on her mind, and she regularly castigated herself for not being brave enough to tell him about her writing career. Part of her believed it would almost be a relief if Miss Sharphadeavesdropped on her conversation with Celeste and then tattled on her to Dominic. But the governess had been nothing but pleasantly courteous in the ensuing days. If she did know that Artemis was Lydia Lovelace, surely she would have said something to her employer.
And then on her sixth morning at Ashburn Abbey, Artemis received a telegram. Ashburn’s butler brought it into the morning room where she was sharing breakfast with Horatia and Celeste.
As soon as Artemis picked up the piece of paper and glanced at the name of the sender, her blood ran colder than the icy winds whipping across Dartmoor itself.
Artemis, you were right about Lord G. Please come home. Don’t delay. P.
Horatia put down her marmalade-slathered toast. “Is everything all right?”
“You’ve gone awfully pale.” Celeste’s brow was creased with worry.
“I… My sister needs me,” Artemis whispered. Guilt skewered her heart more effectively than the wickedly sharp pewter letter opener beside Horatia’s small pile of correspondence. “I’m sorry.” She pushed to her feet so abruptly, the table shook and the freshly poured tea brimming in her teacup spilled all over the saucer. “Please excuse me. I must find Dominic.”
***
As it was, it wasn’t hard to find Dominic. Even though he’d just come back from his early morning ride, he was ensconced in the library, at his desk, still wearing his riding attire of a hunter-green coat, buckskin breeches, and boots.
As soon as he laid eyes upon Artemis, he rose from his chair. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Artemis rushed to the desk and proffered the telegram with a shaking hand. “Something’s happened between Lord Gascoyne and my sister. I’m afraid I need to return to London at once and…and I wondered if you could spare a carriage to take me to Newton train station.”
Concern etched lines around Dominic’s eyes as he lifted his gaze from the telegram. “Of course you can. You can have anything you need. It won’t take me long to get ready. We should be able to make the train that departs at midday if we leave within the hour.”
“You’re…you’re coming as well?”
Dominic’s brows arrowed into a deep frown. “You don’t want me to? I’d always intended to leave Celeste here with Miss Sharp and return to London tomorrow with you and Horatia. I can only speculate about what has happened between Gascoyne and your sister, but whatever the case may be, perhaps I can help.”
“I don’t want to disrupt your plans. And I would understand if you didn’t want to have anything to do with Gascoyne. It’s why I didn’t mention—” Artemis broke off. She’d all but admitted that she’d already known something had been going on but hadn’t thought to confide in Dominic.
Her fiancé’s gaze narrowed dangerously. “Didn’t mention what exactly?”
Artemis swallowed. Her mouth was drier than the sand in the silver pounce pot on Dominic’s desk. “That Gascoyne was courting my sister.” She raised her chin a notch. “I only found out about it the night before we quit London.”
“God damn it, Artemis.” Frustration flickered in Dominic’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me about all of this beforehand?”
Indignation stiffened Artemis’s spine. “I’d thought about doing so, but you had enough to worry about with Celeste,” she returned heatedly. “And when I did tell you about my own painful past with Gascoyne, you reacted with such anger, I was afraid you might do something rash. Something that would harm your reputation even more. Besides, Phoebe ismysister. She’s my responsibility. I did warn her about Gascoyne, but she was so caught up in the thrill of their courtship that she wouldn’t listen. Neither would my aunt Roberta. What’s even worse, they’d taken that scoundrel’s side over yours. They believed his lies about you. At the time, the night before I left, I really didn’t think there was anything you could have done that would have made a difference. I still don’t.”
“You don’t know that.” Dominic’s expression was thunderous. “And the only reason you didn’t come to me for help is that you don’t see this”—he gestured between them—“what we have, as a real betrothal.”
Artemis gave an impatient snort. “But it’snotreal.”
“Isn’t it, Artemis?” In two strides, Dominic was only inches away from where she stood frozen in the middle of the Turkish rug. His gray eyes blazed as they locked with hers. “Because after this week, it feels damn real to me, despite the bargain we made.”
Artemis searched Dominic’s face. She’d never seen him like this before—so tense and so angry. Withher. “That’s not fair,” she whispered. “You make it sound as though I’m reneging on a promise. One that I should remind you, I never made.”
He emitted a frustrated huff, then stalked across the room to one of the library’s windows and gave his back to her. Beneath his finely cut coat, his shoulders were a rigid line. “You know, you’ve already fulfilled your part of the deal, Artemis,” he said in a voice so clipped and cold, a shiver chased down her spine. “You can leave whenever you want to. I’ll write a damn cheque to fund your college right now if you like. All you have to do is name your price.”
Artemis’s throat was so tight she could barely swallow. Why was he so furious with her? And why did he suddenly seem intent on driving her away when he’d just said this engagement didn’t feel like one based on convenience alone anymore?
