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“Given how unwell Ellie said you were, I understood.”
“So, why are you apologising? I don’t understand that part.”
Derrick glanced towards the door. Ellie was here, but was she listening in at the door? Was she upstairs? He approached the earl, gesturing at the chair across from him.
“May I sit down? I don’t feel comfortable standing when you can’t.”
“Please, sit. I have plenty of seats for my son-in-law.” Gillingham sat back. “But don’t avoid the question. Why are you apologising for Ellie’s appearance? Did you two have a fight?”
Derrick stopped on his way down, and in his surprise, he missed the chair. He ended up on the floor with a bang. Scrambling to his feet, he clambered onto the chair, hoping it was dim enough that the earl wouldn’t see him too clearly. He cleared his throat.
“What… what makes you think we had a fight? Did Ellie tell you about it?”
“She didn’t need to. I was married long enough to know the signs.” Gillingham grunted. “She won’t talk to me about it, even after I ask her. I think she believes it’s too much of a burden for me to take on. Maybe she thinks I’ll become ill if I know about her marriage troubles.”
“If your health is unstable—”
“Then she shouldn’t have come here to hide. But I guess something familiar that makes you happy is best in a situation like this.” The older man frowned. “So, what happened? It was bad enough that Ellie left abruptly, but in her last letter, she said things were going really well. Her sisters were saying the same thing.”
Derrick considered being vague about it, but this man was too shrewd. He would be able to sniff out a lie, or a half-truth. He looked at his hands.
“I have an… acquaintance who likes to toy with other people’s relationships. And she decided to target me because I had my attention on my wife instead of her.”
“And whatever she said was enough for Ellie to doubt you, was it?”
“It’s knocked her confidence in me. I wanted to give her some space, but I couldn’t bring myself to be away from her.” Derrick gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I suppose that makes me sound like a sap, wanting to chase her.”
“You don’t sound like a sap at all. Well, a sap in love, but if you didn’t chase her, I would have wondered if there was something wrong with you.”
Derrick didn’t have the strength to deny it. He rubbed his hands over his face. God, he was exhausted.
“I will admit, when your daughter walked out on me, I was scared I would never see her again. When she’s strong in a decision, she’s very… intimidating. And you can’t sway her.”
Gillingham chuckled. “She’s very much like my wife. She was the same. It was how we ended up arguing early on in our marriage.”
“Really?”
“She was strong-minded and determined, while I preferred to take a more relaxed approach. I had patience, she didn’t. She was constantly getting things moving, and I was going with the flow instead of taking charge. It frustrated both of us, me more than her. But once we argued and had time to calm down, the two of us realised that it wasn’t worth it.
We were different in temperament and personality, but we still loved each other. Things settled down because we were able to communicate.” His smile turned a little sad. “There’s not a day that goes by where I’m missing those arguments. I want those days back just so I can hear her voice, see her fire again.”
Derrick watched his face as Gillingham talked. He could see it in his expression, hear it in his voice. The earl had dearly loved his departed wife, and it still hurt him, even after all this time. The thought of losing Ellie like that was scary.
“What do you think I should do? I don’t know if Ellie will talk to me right now, but I want to set things right.”
“Well, I’m not sure if you can do anything tonight, seeing as Ellie’s already retired…” Gillingham regarded him thoughtfully. “All I can say is apologise for your part, and make sure you communicate everything. And I mean everything.”
Derrick didn’t need to guess what he meant by that. Gillingham was telling him to tell Ellie how he felt. No tiptoeing about it. And Derrick knew he was right.
“I love your daughter, my lord,” he said quietly. “I’ll do anything to have her in my life.”
Gillingham’s expression was warm.
“I had a feeling you would say that. Ellie’s letters were full of praise for you. She was remarkably warm when she was talking about anything you did.”
“She did?”
“She’s so focused on looking after everyone else that she doesn’t focus on herself. I could tell she was in love, even though she never said the words. And whoever captured my daughter’s heart would have to be a worthy person.”
