found Molly eventually, of course, and begged her to come home. I think he bore her a great deal of affection. He may have even loved her in his way. My mother refused and never spoke to him again. She allowed him to see me when he came to London, though I always thought of him as the prick who made my mother weep. My stepfather put a stop to the duke’s visits but continued to take the money he sent for my care. I grew up quite comfortably as a bastard. Much more well off than most.”
“You don’t seem to hate him nearly as much as Welles,” Margaret said quietly.
“Tony has enough hatred for both of us, and I was glad to have a brother. But I don’t care for the man, if that’s what you’re asking. I suspect the young, overindulged duke who kept two women under the same roof is not the man whom Amanda and my sisters speak of with such love. He is a different father to them than he was to Welles. And he did claim me, bastard or not.”
Margaret nodded, lifting her eyes to his. It was a horrible tragedy, altering the course of Welles’s and Leo’s lives forever. And the life of the Duke of Averell. “He sounds as if he had an epiphany, your father. Perhaps the death of Katherine and losing you and your mother changed him for the better.”
She took in Leo’s stance, the same careless one Welles often adopted, which gave away none of his true feelings. There was no mercy in his eyes as he spoke of the Duke of Averell. “Our relationship cannot be repaired no matter any change wrought in him. Tony has been punishing the duke for years by not marrying. You see that, don’t you? By depriving the duke of an heir and allowing his line to die?”
Margaret did see, with startling clarity. “How Welles must detest me for forcing him to break such a vow.” She drained her glass as desolation swept over her.
“Averell has threatened Tony with everything over the years in order to get him to marry. Cut him off without a cent. Vowed to never allow him near the girls. Swore he’d dismantle Elysium brick by brick.”
“Gifted him a Broadwood,” Margaret said softly.
A genuine smile crossed his lips. “Tony doesn’t hate you. He’s pissed. Angry. And he does blame you.” Leo drained his own glass. “But he’s never played the damned Broadwood in Amanda’s conservatory, not once. Not even when Phaedra begged him to accompany her. Not until he played it for you.”
He bowed to her and walked toward the door, pausing to squeeze her shoulder.
“Rest assured, Lady Welles, while I don’t expect the path to be smooth, nothing on earth would have forced Tony to marry you if he didn’t truly want to.”
30
Margaret paced across the rug, glancing every so often to the closed door leading to her husband’s rooms. After Leo had taken his leave, Margaret had allowed Fenwick to show her upstairs. While Margaret had flounced down on the bed, admiring the pale green décor and elegant furnishings, Daisy had introduced herself and bustled about the room. Tea was sent up. The sun began to set. Margaret thought of changing but didn’t. And there was still no sign of her husband. When Daisy asked if she’d dine downstairs or take a tray, Margaret asked for the latter. She was simply too embarrassed to dine by herself on her wedding night.
Despite Leo’s reassurance, Margaret wondered if Welles meant to return.
Her new brother-in-law’s tale of the series of events that had shaped Lord Welles had given Margaret some insight, at least in dealing with her husband’s mood and the enormous obstacle she faced in her marriage. She understood now, truly knew, what was behind his vehement dislike of the Duke of Averell, as well as the punishment Welles had devised for his father. She wondered how it was that Welles didn’t resent Leo for being the son of his father’s mistress, but as far as Margaret could tell, the two were close and had no bitterness toward each other. Welles seemed only to blame the duke for Katherine’s death.
After picking at the chicken and roasted vegetables on her dinner tray, Margaret placed her fork down, looking out the window of her rooms at the small garden behind the house. She could stay upstairs and allow this mood to fester which would lengthen the void between them, or Margaret