The Duke's Divorce (The Reluctant Grooms Series Volume IV) (7 page)

Fiona let the day’s events take over her
thoughts. Shopping with Penny was a pleasant experience. To find
such delightful things and not have to pay for them was
exhilarating. But she did know she could not spend all Robert’s
money on such frivolity. When this marriage ended, she wouldn’t
need any of the things she bought if she went back to Scotland.
There was no use for them in the Highlands.

Fiona slipped into the warmth of sleep, her
last thought being of Robert, naked.

Something disturbed her and she slowly opened
her eyes. Still dark, she found Robert staring at her.

“You are beautiful. You do know that, do you
not?” His voice rang heavily. Was he sossed again?

“Thank you, my lord.” Fiona reached for the
covers and drew them up to her chest. He might be her husband, but
their mutual agreement would be preserved. He said he did not want
to bed her, so why was he in her room?

Robert sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Forgive me for this evening. It seems my friends felt neglected
and wanted to congratulate me further. My mother would not
understand.”

“Of course, my lord.” Fiona inched her way to
a sitting position.

He took up her hand and patted it. “I think
you and I will do nicely, once I get used to the idea of being
married. ‘Tis a hard thing for a man to acknowledge his wife when
one has been so long in the single state.”

Fiona nodded. “I understand.”

“No, I do not think you do. But perhaps you
will. I wish to tell you, Fiona, that I do like you, very much, in
fact. However, I do not love you and I’m afraid there is nothing
for it.”

“Yes, you said that on our wedding day.”
Fiona wondered why he felt the need to bring it up again. She
wasn’t a simpleton.

Robert snorted. “Our wedding day. Both of us
held at gunpoint by your damnable father. ‘Twas no wedding, Fiona.
Not any that I have ever seen before.”

He patted her hand again. “Fiona, I wish we
had met under better circumstances. I think our lives would be
altogether changed.”

“What circumstances would have changed them?”
Fiona asked.

“Well, if you had come to Town, and we met
the usual way through an introduction at a ball or by mutual
acquaintance. We could have gotten to know one another in a
different light, instead of being thrust together in this farce of
a marriage.”

Fiona let his words sink in. “Perhaps we
could get to know each other now, my lord?”

Robert didn’t speak. He rose from the bed and
walked to the door that separated their rooms. Turning to her, he
said softly, “Good night, Fiona.”

*****

Robert closed the door to his bedchamber. Had
Fiona just issued him an invitation to join her in bed? Surely not.
Robert removed his rumpled clothing and left them on the chair for
his valet. He never should have gone into her bedchamber. What was
he thinking? Nothing at all, it seemed. His friends had wished him
well with toast after toast. He’d pretended to drink with them, but
stopped after three glasses. He knew his limits with alcohol very
well. His head was muddled, but not so much that he wouldn’t be up
at the break of dawn on the morrow. He couldn’t say the same for
any of his comrades.

Upon returning home, as he walked down the
corridor to his rooms, Robert had wondered if Fiona had taken
quarter in the duchess’ chamber. His mother had occupied the rooms
for a time after his father passed, but left them due to her
memories there. She said she couldn’t face the fact her husband was
not on the other side of the door any longer, so retreated to the
east side of the house and had a suite of rooms that overlooked the
gardens. Robert had not wanted to move into his father’s bedroom,
but his mother convinced him it was his place, and after a time, he
felt comforted by his father’s presence. He could still smell his
father’s scent when he opened the mahogany armoire.

Opening the door to his mother’s old room,
Robert fully expected to find it empty. It dawned on him that of
course, Fiona would chamber there. She was his wife, the duchess.
His mother would never allow whispers from the servants.

Robert had stared at the sleeping woman. He
could not deny her newfound beauty. He hadn’t meant to wake her, he
hadn’t wanted to speak to her. He’d only wanted to know what to do
about her, as if staring at her while she slept would give him
answers.

Robert sat on the edge of his chair and
stared into the fire. Perhaps he
should
get to know her
better. They were married after all, for at least another
one-hundred-sixty-seven days. No. He could not. He must keep her at
arm’s distance. He would tell his mother to keep her distance as
well. He knew without a doubt, that if Fiona and his mother became
friends, his mother would demand he stay married to her. And that
he would never do. He did not love her, and never would. Quite
honestly, she was not his type.

Robert slid into his bed and nestled himself
into the comfort of his pillow. Sleep came quickly and the last
thought Robert had, was of Fiona lying on his chest the night she
had been frightened of the thunderstorm.

Fiona awoke to the sounds of Merry as she
came into the room. The maid deposited a tray on the bedside table
and then opened the curtains.

“Good morning, Merry. How do you fare today?”
Fiona stretched and then flung the covers off the bed.

“Very well, your ladyship, and you?”

“I slept very well, thank you.” She hunted
under the bed for the chamber pot “Where is the pot?”

“’Tis in the water closet, your
ladyship.”

“Yes, of course.” She would have to get used
to these modern conveniences. Fiona made her way to the
antechamber, marveling at the convenience and wondered what her
father would think. He still used the privy out behind the chicken
yard even in the dead of winter.

“I took the liberty of pressing out your
morning gown for the breakfast with the ladies, mum,” Merry said
when Fiona came back into the room.

Fiona picked up the cup of hot chocolate and
murmured a thank you while she sipped.

“Shall I attend your bath now?”

“Yes, that would be lovely, thank you,
Merry.” Fiona could still not get over how things were done in
London. The efficiency of the staff left her feeling as if she’d
been stranded in another land. She no longer had to cook meals,
make her own clothes, nor did she have to haul and heat water for
her own bath. She could become accustomed to being a duke’s wife.
However, she knew all too soon, the luxurious lifestyle she was now
leading would end. She wondered if she would be able to find
another man to take Robert’s place when her marriage dissolved. She
thought not, at least not one quite so generous or handsome.

Merry came out of the water closet and
informed Fiona it would only be a few more minutes for her
bath.

“Has my husband gone down to breakfast, do
you know?” Fiona asked.

“I do not believe so. His Grace dines at
seven on the dot every morning.”

Fiona glanced at the little clock. Six.
Breakfast with his sisters was not until ten. Perhaps she could
have another cup of chocolate with Robert before he began his day.
Surely, that would not be disagreeable to him.

*****

Robert seated himself at the breakfast table
with his plate and opened the morning paper. He read with interest
until his eye caught his name in the gossip column.

Duke of Cantin Weds

The Duke of Cantin has found a bride,
according to this reporter’s sources, whilst on his latest foray to
the Highlands. Cantin House would not verify the rumor, but this
reporter has it on good authority His Grace is now off the marriage
mart. This reporter has also confirmed she is a beauty indeed, but
lacks, what we shall call, the social graces. It is reported the
new Lady Cantin did not know the difference between a pelisse and a
shawl. Do we dare to wonder if she knows the difference between a
fork and spoon? Or a Marquess and an Earl? What was His Grace
thinking in bringing home a Scottish bride? We shall see.

Robert slammed the paper down on the table
making the footman jump. Obviously, the rumor mills had beaten him
to the formal announcement. He would have to send his to the paper
directly. Now, not only would he have to acknowledge Fiona, he
would have to be seen in public with her. And the paper had brought
his very fears to the forefront. Proper etiquette demanded she know
whom to curtsy to, whom to dance with, whom not to, and Heaven
forbid if she made a mistake. She would turn Robert into a
laughingstock in front of the whole of Society. Here, in this
house, her mistakes could be overlooked. In public was a different
matter altogether. He would have to speak to his mother
immediately.

“Edwards,” Robert bellowed.

The butler appeared instantly.

“Please inform my mother’s maid I wish to
speak with her upon waking. It is of the utmost importance.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“An emergency, Edwards,” he reiterated.

“Of course, Your Grace.” Edwards bowed out of
the room.

Robert sipped his coffee. The good humor he
had found before breakfast left him. What this travesty of a
marriage had cost him he wouldn’t be sure until he tested the
water. Perhaps they could delay an appearance in Society. But how
long could that last? Fiona had already been out to the shops. She
had been seen.

Pushing his half-eaten breakfast aside, he
rose to head to his study.

Fiona stepped into the room. “Good morning,
my lord,” she said.

Robert looked at the bane of his existence.
“Fiona, you will not leave this house under any circumstances until
you have spoken with my mother. Is that understood?”

“May I ask why?” Fiona raised her head a
notch and met his cold expression with one of her own.

“My mother shall explain it, and for Heaven’s
sake, please be extremely careful in what you say to my sisters. Is
that clear?”

Fiona nodded, but said nothing.

He stormed from the room.

*****

What could she have possibly done to provoke
such an insane demand? Not leave the house? She strode to the
buffet, helped herself to a small plate of coddled eggs, and sat
down at her place at the table. Taking up Robert’s newspaper, her
eye caught the announcement.
No wonder he wishes me not to leave
the house, he’s afraid I’m going to embarrass him
. She snorted.
Not leave the house? He was mad! Of course she would leave the
house, whenever, to wherever, she chose. She was
not
a
prisoner and would not be treated as such.

Finished with her eggs, Fiona proceeded
upstairs, swept into her room, and began to pace. Not be allowed to
leave the house! Who did her husband think he was? The King? She
rang for Merry and waited impatiently for her maid. When the girl
arrived, Fiona demanded help getting out of the beautiful lavender
gown she wore and slipped her old wool from Scotland over her head.
She laced up her boots and found her serviceable black cloak in the
back of the closet.

“Your ladyship, where are you going?” Merry
asked nervously.

“You may inform anyone who asks, I have gone
for a walk.”

“But your ladyship, ‘tis only half seven in
the morning.”

“So it is.” Fiona headed for the door. “All
the better to be out before the crowds.”

“But your ladyship, you must not walk
unattended.”

“I am perfectly capable of walking by
myself,” Fiona retorted. “I spent years traipsing alone in
Scotland.”

“I’m sure, your ladyship, but here in London,
‘tis just not done.”

“Watch me.”

Fiona’s eyes blazed as she moved downstairs
and toward the front door. Yanking it open, she stood for a moment
wondering what her destination should be. It didn’t matter. She
closed the door behind her and began to walk.

*****

“Robert,” his mother said quietly. “You are
becoming overset with something that is nothing. Fiona is a
perfectly charming young woman who is quite clever, and would leave
you in no count humiliated. I believe you are making much more of
this than needs be.”

“Mother, may I remind you she is not
ton
. With just a mere turn of phrase she could cause
irreparable damage to our reputations.” Robert looked to his mother
for comfort and found none forthcoming. In fact, his mother seemed
extremely vexed with him.

“Dearest, our reputations are intact and will
remain thus, no matter who may say or do what.” She picked up her
teacup and took a sip. “I believe you have already set tongues
wagging by not informing the papers of your nuptials. ‘Tis only
natural that the rumor mill has begun, so do not blame poor Fiona
for your mistake. As for this nonsense she not be seen about, you
are in for another disappointment. I have already taken it upon
myself to make her presence known and we are calling on my friends
this very afternoon.”

“Mother, you cannot. Not without the proper
training. She must be taught the ways of Society first.”

His mother waved her hand as if to shoo a
fly. “Robert, she is not a barbarian come from the jungle. She is a
beautiful young woman with a firm grasp of social etiquette. She
related to me she spent seven years at Mrs. Delacorte’s Finishing
School for Girls outside Edinburgh.”

“Mother, Edinburgh is
not
London.”
Robert wailed. He felt like a lad of ten not getting what he
wanted. And he had always gotten what he wanted.

His mother looked at him. “Dearest, what is
it you are not saying? Tell me what really troubles you.”

Robert sighed and moved to sit in the chair.
“This marriage is not what I wanted. I find myself forcibly
attached to a woman I know not at all. She is nothing like the
woman I need in a duchess, nothing like the woman you and Father
raised me to find. I feel I have disappointed you, as well as
myself. I did not wish my life to come to this.”