Her Secondhand Groom(94)

It wasn’t midnight exactly before they exited, but close enough.

“Good night,” Patrick whispered to Celia as he laid her in her bed and tucked a raven lock behind her ear.

“Is she really gone?” Celia asked, the sadness filling her voice the equivalent of a punch to the gut.

He nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“You should apologize,” Celia informed him with all the wisdom of a ten year-old girl.

“And what makes you think I did something wrong?”

She smiled. “Because you’re always doing something wrong when it comes to Juliet.”

“Is that so?”

She nodded. “Perhaps you should go after her and ask her to come back.”

“It’s not that simple, Celia.” Before he could say another word, one that might have the power to hurt her, he kissed her forehead and left the room.

The following day wasn’t any better, and neither was the next. For nearly a week he spent all day waiting in his study for some sort of news on Juliet. But none came. Not that he’d actually expected to hear anything from her. She’d left him after all.

Finally, a note from Marcus arrived asking him to come to Ridge Water. Tossing the foolscap down, he shook his head, and stood.

Since the night of his argument with Juliet in his bedchamber, he couldn’t bring himself to go into that room. Instead, he’d used a guest room and had a maid go in and collect his clothes as he needed them. He scowled at the oak door that now separated him from the room in question. He ought to just send a maid in to get what he needed for the trip, but dismissed the idea as petty. It was bad enough he’d chosen to live the last week in the shadows of what might have been, but no more. He was ready to move past this, and the first step was to go into that room and change his clothes, then to go see Marcus and Emma. Besides this might be his last chance to see either of them for a while. Wallace had sent word earlier in the week he’d be arriving today to spend a few weeks. With Wallace in residence, chances were slim that either Marcus or Emma would be making a trip to Briar Creek in the near future.

With a grimace, he pushed the door open, and doing his damnedest not to look at the bed, changed his clothes. Turning to walk out the door, he saw a little pile of items he typically carried in his pockets that he’d removed that night last week and hadn’t bothered to ask the maid to retrieve. He swept the keys, change, paper notes from the girls, and whatnot off the vanity and into his hand. Pocketing the odds and ends, he blew out the candles and went to the stables.

The ride to Ridge Water was nothing short of torture, and the actual visit wasn’t much better.

“Where’ve you been hiding?” Marcus asked as soon as Patrick entered his study.

“Home.”

Marcus bent forward and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

Patrick cocked his head. “Why do I have the strangest sensation you’ve taken up with the Watch?”

Marcus chuckled and fell into his chair. “I’m just practicing.”

“For?”

“For when little Jack gets older and has need to come find me after his mama has found him guilty of committing a naughty deed.” He propped his elbow up on his desk and leaned his cheek against his palm. For a man with a newborn in residence, he looked rather energetic.

Patrick shook his head, and took a seat. “Well, don’t practice your fatherly role on me. I don’t like it.”

“No, you never did like being put in your place, did you?” Marcus mused, tapping his index finger against his cheek. “Say, how is it you’ve managed to survive with Juliet all these months? She doesn’t seem one to let you run roughshod over her.”

Patrick stiffened. “Is that why you asked me to come here?”

Marcus looked taken aback. “No. But since you brought it up, is something wrong between you and Juliet?”

“No,” Patrick barked. “And I didn’t bring it up, you did.”

“That wasn’t very convincing, Patrick.” Marcus crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. “Do you want my advice?”

Patrick nearly rolled his eyes. “Seeing as how you nearly lost your wife to my cousin because you were afraid to marry her for whatever reason, I don’t think you’re in a position to offer me advice.”

Marcus brought his chair forward with an echoing snap. “You know very well what my reasons were and you were the one who encouraged Emma’s involvement with Sir Wallace.”

Patrick shrugged. “What has that to do with me?”

“Allow me to repeat myself. You knew what my reasons were, just as I know yours.”