The Detective and the Baroness (The Duke’s Bastards #1)

Chapter Thirteen

C orrine’s hand still tingled from Mitchell’s touch. Her confusing emotions had her doubting her decision-making abilities. Open flirtation with another man? She had not thought herself capable, but it appeared so. What were her feelings toward Mitchell?

Physical attraction caught her attention at first. There was no denying she found his fair good looks and sky-blue eyes appealing, along with his muscular build. She had caught a glimpse of his well-defined chest when she’d nursed him during his fever. But it was more than that. The man inside also fascinated her, and her feelings were growing deeper the longer she was around him. Mitchell was honorable and brave, and she believed that beneath the detective sergeant’s stoic exterior, a passionate man existed, a side he did not show to anyone. But he had given her a glimpse of it today.

And it was because of all of that, that she must seek out Travis as soon as possible. It wasn’t fair to either man for her to stay in this emotional limbo, torn between her intensifying desires and her dutiful vows and legal agreements. Corrine did her best to remain purposely vague whenever discussing emotions, and Mitchell did, too. It was apparent they were restraining themselves from making any hasty declarations or indulging in passionate embraces. But today was a decided step forward.

Remaining emotionally detached was also the way she dealt with her situation with Travis. Regardless of rapid decisions and regrets, the time had come to admit and rectify her failings. She liked Travis, what little of him she knew. But they could not go on like this.

The hansom cab pulled up in front of her home. She paid the driver and hurried toward the front entrance. As usual, Thomason was there to open the door.

“The baron awaits you in the sitting room, my lady.”

Travis here? That would save setting up an appointment. She handed her cape and muff to the butler.

“Shall I bring tea, my lady?”

“Not at the moment. I will let you know.” Corrine quickened her pace toward the sitting room, removing her silk gloves as she did. Upon entering the room, she found Travis staring out the window with his back to her.

“Travis?” she questioned.

He turned to face her, and his expression was maddeningly neutral, as always. “Good afternoon, Corrine.”

Corrine closed the door and laid her gloves on the table. “Please sit. I was going to arrange a meeting with you, so I’m glad you are here.”

Travis sat in the chair opposite her. “How business-like you sound, but I cannot fault you for it. What is between us began as a monetary agreement.”

Corrine winced inwardly, her temper flaring to life. “If you recall,” she said frostily, “you offered a marriage settlement. I did not demand one. Yes, I needed the money, and I took it. I am not ashamed. And if you will also recall, I was more than willing to make this a marriage in all ways.” Perhaps her tone was biting, laced with a bitter sting, but she spoke the truth.

Travis crossed his legs. “Ah. That. I’m not sure how to explain it. It is not you.”

“So you said before. Do try to clarify.”

“I do not—experience—certain emotions concerning physical relations with someone. I never did. Call it attraction or desire, I suppose. I have never encountered it. Not even erotic material stimulates me in any way. I mentioned it to my new doctor recently, as I have found it difficult to discuss throughout the years.”

Corrine was stunned. Now, that explanation she did not expect. “What did your doctor say?”

“That I have a disorder and that I should undergo intensive therapy. More than one doctor has told me this, and I find that course of treatment to be extreme. I have concluded that I am just—different. There is no switch or mechanism to turn. I am what I am. Over the years, I have come to accept it.”

“Then why seek me out for marriage?” Corrine asked incredulously.

“Of all the women I have encountered in nearly two decades, you were the only one who managed to cause a slight spark. I thought—I hoped—but alas, I cannot.”

“Get hard, you mean?” Corrine said bluntly. “You have never stimulated yourself to completion?”

“I forgot for a moment you were a nurse and familiar with the workings of the human body. To answer your question, a few times over the past twenty years but not lately. Have you given yourself pleasure?”

“This conversation is unbelievable,” Corrine murmured. “If you wish me to be frank, then yes.”

“I have given it much thought over the past several weeks and have reached a conclusion. I want us to try to have a real marriage.”

Corrine’s head spun from this incredible conversation. “A real marriage in societal terms is sharing a bed and trying to conceive children. You just admitted you find sex abhorrent, so much so that you ran from this house when I suggested we try for a child. What makes you think now will be any different? Your proclamation makes no sense.”

“I will try to clarify. Gilbert insisted I find a wife and have a child. The poor man was rather despondent over the prospect of dying without the possibility of an Addington heir taking over the barony. I felt sorry for him. So, I thought about my encounters with women over the years, and you sprang to mind. When I gave your name to Gilbert, he was vastly relieved.”

“You pulled my name from a proverbial hat?” Corrine cried.

“Well, yes. He was pleased that you are Viscount Rothley’s daughter. But not quite as much when he learned of your profession—he felt it beneath someone of your station. I did not mind; it showed purposefulness, and I told him so. Gilbert investigated your family and was also not terribly pleased with the financial state of the viscountcy.”

My God.

She remained silent, for Corrine had no idea what to say to such a declaration. After several moments, she cleared her throat. “So that is why you offered the generous settlement right out of the gate. You played on my vulnerability and precarious financial situation. You knew I would not refuse.”

“It’s not as horrid as you say. Gilbert died happy, knowing I’d asked you to marry me. I only wished he’d lived long enough to meet you. It worked out for you, since you pulled your family away from the brink of insolvency. You see, I have come to agree with Gilbert about carrying on the name and the title. It’s of paramount importance.”

Corrine’s eyebrows shot skyward. “And how do you intend to do that, considering what you have revealed to me?”

“I have pondered over that very quandary and found a solution. We can find a man that attracts you physically, and he can impregnate you.” Travis smiled broadly, as if satisfied he had found the correct answer to a perplexing situation.

“I am not some brood mare!” Corrine retorted. “How dare you make such a lurid suggestion?”

Travis sat forward. “Please, do not be cross. Think about it logically. This is done more than you think. You get a child, I get an heir, it works out all around.” He paused a moment. “What about the police detective? Thomason said he has been here quite often and that you have engaged in intimate conversations.”

Corrine sprang to her feet. “Get out. I will not be a party to such doings.”

Travis came to her side. “Easy. Steady now.”

He spoke to her as if she were a skittish horse trying to escape the paddock. That blasted butler! Nothing was secret. Corrine pulled away.

“As I said, this happens more than you think,” Travis continued. “There are many instances through the decades, perhaps even centuries, where the begetting of heirs through other means has occurred. We can have a good life. As friends and partners, we—”

Corrine had to keep her temper and retain her wits. She knew she could not allow overwrought emotions to send this conversation out of control, at least on her end. She pointed to the chair. “Sit, Travis. And listen closely to what I have to say.” She kept her tone steady and firm.

“Very well.”

“This marriage was too hasty on both sides. I was desperate, weary, and at the end of my rope physically and emotionally. I would have said yes to any man who offered to free me of my family’s financial predicament. Once the die was cast, I thought, why not make a go of this marriage? I was upfront with you about what I expected. You initially agreed. I confessed about needing money to save my family from the first. I did not deceive you, sir.”

“You were forthcoming on those points.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me any of this before we married? It’s patently obvious that we cannot continue with this sham of a marriage. I will release you so you may find a woman willing to go along with your appalling heir scheme. We can come to an agreement, one where I will return a part of the settlement, for example. We can also agree on the grounds for the divorce. I know there are only a few that are allowed, but we can deliberate and choose one that will not damage your reputation and—”

Travis shook his head. “I do not want a divorce. It has taken me a while to puzzle this out, but I am confident I have reached the right conclusion. It’s the only way forward, the only way to get an heir. I do not wish to find another woman. Once you think about this logically, you will see the common sense in such a partnership. Besides, you cannot afford to divorce me.”

“I beg your pardon?” Corrine gasped.

“Your father came to me last week and asked for a loan—of twenty-five thousand pounds.”

Corrine groaned. “Tell me you did not give it to him. I told you before we married that my father had sunk our family’s fortunes. His careless disregard brought us so low that we were moments away from debtors’ prison.”

Travis sat back, crossing his arms. “Of course, I gave him the loan. He is my father-in-law. Your brother must have gotten wind of the transaction because he came to me to quash it but arrived too late.”

There was no smugness in Travis’s tone, but Corrine had the sick feeling he felt it, nonetheless. She had the overwhelming sensation of being trapped. Checkmate.

“Even if you return part of the settlement,” Travis continued. “You will still be indebted to me for the loan. Your father signed the papers. If our marriage is dissolved, the loan comes due. The full amount.”

Was that why the solicitor had been at Travis’s residence in Camden Town? To draw up loan papers? Even if she returned the remainder of the marriage settlement in full, it would not be enough to wipe the debt clean. Corrine and her family would still owe Travis thousands and thousands of pounds. “I will make my father return it.”

“It’s gone. He invested most of it in some scheme or another. Or so he told me. I informed him there would be no more from me, not in loans or bailouts. Your careless father can sink or swim. And I told him thus. The man should be put away if your younger brother cannot control your father’s imprudent impulses.”

“You would keep a wife in such a way?” Corrine whispered. “Beholden to you, a captive under your thumb? Next, you will insist on an heir by whatever means, or you will call the loan due, ruining my brother’s future.”

“Come now. I would not sink so low,” Travis said, tsking.

“But do you not see? You have already sunk several depths. There is nowhere to go but farther down. And I do not know you at all, it turns out.”

“But you will come to know me better. I will sell my residence as soon as possible and move back here.”

Corrine rubbed her forehead as a sharp pain tore through her temples. “No. You took time to work out your evil stratagem. At least grant me a few days to contemplate what you have told me.”

“Evil? It’s hardly that. I never thought you would be so overly dramatic. I had you pegged to be a sensible woman. But I will give you two weeks to give this some thought. You will see it is the best solution for all concerned.”

Corrine could not believe this bizarre discussion. In turns, she felt disgusted and shocked. It would be prudent to change the topic before she said something she might regret. “I forgot to tell you something the last time we spoke. A man came here looking for the old baron. But he said he would seek you out soon. He wore a long, hooded cloak and seemed rather menacing. I thought I should warn you.”

Travis stood. “That is quite the change in topic. Is this some veiled threat?”

“Of course not. I’m merely passing on information. Do with it what you will.”

“I have not seen any hooded man, but thank you for the warning. I will call again in two weeks so we can discuss this further.” He came toward her and took her hand. Corrine tried to pull away, but he held it tight. “We can make a go of this, I promise. I’m not evil, regardless of what you may say or think. You are my wife. I am your husband. Remember that.” He released her hand and departed, closing the door behind him.

Corrine ran to the window and watched as a fancy carriage approached the door. Travis climbed in, and the carriage turned onto the street. It was then that Corrine allowed her pent-up anger to burst forth. She vented her spleen on the closest object, a porcelain horse figurine. With a swipe of her arm, she sent it careening across the room, and it smashed into bits on the wood floor. Yes, she’d acted overly dramatic, but this inconceivable situation warranted it.

Thomason immediately opened the door and entered the room. He stared at the shards and then looked at Corrine, a questioning look on his pinched face.

“An accident. Clear it away later. Leave me alone.” To the devil with niceties. These servants were loyal to the barony, not to her. She would do well to remember it. Once the butler quit the room, she plopped onto the sofa and exhaled. What to do? If she returned what was left of the settlement, and set the divorce in motion, her family would be right back where they started before she accepted the marriage proposal. How could they ever repay it? Jeffery’s salary would not be near enough to cover the payments. It may take months to find another satisfactory and well-paying nursing position. How would they live in the interim?

And Mitchell? Even if their relationship led to marriage, she would never saddle him with her family’s debts. That tiny flicker of hope dissipated like a light breeze snuffing out a lit candle. She could send word to Mitchell to close the case, send the bill, and never see or speak to him again. But that was the coward’s way out.

Jumping to her feet, Corrine rushed toward the desk, sat before it, and retrieved pen, ink, and stationery. Then she scribbled out a note.

Mitchell,

Starting tomorrow, continue with the surveillance on Travis. Please come here in four days, at two in the afternoon. There is much to discuss.

Corrine

She would need those four days to craft what she would say. It would be folly and unfair to drag Mitchell into this…mess. And it was a mess of her own making. But she would also be honest with Mitchell and tell him everything about her conversation with Travis. No matter what she yearned for, she could not place her family in financial peril again. But Corrine also had to think of herself. To be in a precarious pecuniary situation again would shatter her to bits.

A lone tear escaped the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek.

It appeared she was destined to live out her life in a loveless, arranged marriage like her friends, and that bleak prospect broke her heart.