to believe. Handsome. Titled. I already had a reputation in London for the things I had done.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I was a careless father with Welles. I was absent for most of Leo’s life, even though he was born on the other side of the estate. I was too busy being…a duke.” He waved his hand. “Feeling important. Having women throw themselves at me and men court my favor. I was a poor husband to Katherine. More terrible to Leo’s mother.” He paused as another fit of coughing plagued him.
“We do not need to continue, Your Grace.” Margaret patted a napkin against his lips.
“Oh, but we must. I will never have an opportunity to tell Welles or Leo.” He took her hand again. “You must not blame Welles for his aversion to me. I accept his hatred, though it pains me. You see, Welles adored his mother. She taught him the piano. Coddled him. I took that from my son.” A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “Katherine saw him as not the duke he would be but the child he was, something my own selfishness and attention to duty did not allow. That Welles was a much gentler human being than the man you married. Another thing I took from him. But you see Anthony, I suspect. As Katherine did. It is a rare gift.” A choked laugh escaped him. “Much as Amanda sees me.”
Margaret blinked back a tear thinking of her husband.
I see you, Maggie.
She had never thought the same in reverse. Never assumed it was anything but her talent on the piano which had brought them together; instead, it was something much more profound. And beautiful.
“I wish to thank you for coming to Cherry Hill. Your presence brings joy to my family. And I especially thank you for the gift of my grandchild. I wish I was going to live—”
“Your Grace.” She took his hands as tears ran unbidden down her cheeks.
“Don’t you start behaving like Amanda,” he snapped. “Watering pots, all of you.”
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.” He was telling her goodbye and Margaret was loath to hear it.
“Amanda despairs of my passing, but it was a foregone conclusion from the moment we met. I’m many years her elder. Promise me you will forgive Welles for whatever he did to bring you here. I do not wish to be the cause of another estrangement. You love him. And he must love you greatly to have put aside his hatred of me to wed you.” His eyes were fluttering shut, his voice becoming thin. “I’ve left letters for both my sons.”
“Your Grace, we can speak of this later.”
“Amanda will not remember when the time comes,” he continued in a whisper. “My beautiful summer strawberry will be devastated that I have left her—a duchess without a duke to fuss over. The girls will be distraught. I expect Theseus will be the only one who will not take notice of my death.” A raspy chuckle sounded. “I must depend on you, my dear daughter, to take care of all the Barringtons in my absence.”
Margaret pressed his hand to her cheek and nodded.
“Especially Welles.”
42
I never expected to see this place again.
Tony looked out the window of the coach as the estate of the Duke of Averell came into view. A thousand memories filled his mind. Racing on horseback across the fields. His mother taking him fishing at the small pond they’d just passed. Sword fighting with his best friend, the maid’s son, Leo.
His mother dead at the bottom of the stairs awash in her own blood.
Amanda would be furious he’d waited so long to come, he thought, as the coach began to ascend the long drive leading up to the house. Despite his brother’s advice to leave his wife be for a bit and Tony’s own reluctance at coming here, he should have left immediately for Cherry Hill. But he’d been a coward. Tony was deeply ashamed of the things he’d said, and he’d needed time to decide what he would say to the Duke of Averell.
As it turns out, the speech Tony had practiced in his head wouldn’t be needed.
The news that he was now the Duke of Averell had reached Tony at a coaching inn halfway to Cherry Hill, the messenger recognizing his coach. He’d sent the man ahead to inform Leo and continued resolutely on, wishing now that he’d forced Leo to come with him.