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Attie handed the book to Devon. “Perhaps, Sebastian dear, you’d like Papa to finish reading your story tonight. He’s just like the brave knights in your book, isn’t he?”
“Ooh yes!” the boy cried. “Will you, Papa?”
Devon nodded. “Of course.”
Attie slipped out of the room to leave father and son to make their peace and made her way to her bedchamber. As she was brushing her hair, Devon appeared in the reflection of her mirror. His eyes flicked to the mirror, then he averted his gaze.
“Is Sebastian asleep?” she asked.
He nodded. “The tenacious little man tried to convince me to read another story, but I managed to absolve myself from the responsibility by promising to read him another in the carriage tomorrow.”
“And you, Devon? Are you well?”
He nodded. “It’s nothing I can’t deal with,” he said, gesturing toward his scar. “I’ve looked like this for nearly ten years. Perhaps it’s as well we’re not going to be in London for Christmas this year. Instead, the Beast of Belgravia is off to Scotland to frighten the Highlanders.”
“The Duke of Easton is not worth our notice,” she said. “He has nothing to recommend himself but his title.”
“If I recall, he courted you at one point.”
She took his hand and kissed it. His fits of melancholy were becoming more frequent, and each time, he was beset with jealousy. Not because he viewed her as a possession—but because he continued to believe he was unworthy of her.
“You should also recall that I spurned His Grace’s attentions in favor of a brave man who hid in the shadows and risked his life to protect others,” she said. “How could I fall in love with anyone else?”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I shall bid you goodnight.”
Then he withdrew and exited through the door adjoining their bedchambers. Shortly after, she heard the low murmur of voices as he spoke to his valet, followed by silence.
She slipped into bed and extinguished the candle, waiting for him to join her but knowing that tonight—as countless nights before—she would be sleeping alone.
She missed him: her hero, husband, and lover.
Perhaps a Christmas in the Highlands—among nature and a loving family—would restore his spirits and bring him back to her.
