Chapter Two #2
Feeling a tide of emotion start to swirl inside of her chest, making her breathing tight, Catherine said, “I guess that means no.”
“That’s not what I said.” He sighed heavily.
“But if you insist on turning my words around to suit your purpose to atone for what you’ve done, then by all means.
Just know that with your marriage to Baron Fontaine, I will start to find favor with you again, so long as you prove yourself a proper and devoted wife to him. ”
“And your future grandchild?” she challenged.
He narrowed his gaze slightly. “If the baron decides to accept the babe as his own, of course, I am happy to extend the hand of familial ties, but only if he chooses to raise the child as his own. Otherwise, I cannot be expected to acknowledge a bastard.”
Catherine could feel her face getting hot.
Her nails were biting painfully into her palms as she strode forward and finally smacked her hands down on the top of his desk.
“My dearest Papa, you will not have to worry about coming near this child because I wouldn’t want my son or daughter to be a part of this life, of your life, where propriety comes before everything else.
” She stood up straighter, determined to walk out of his study with her pride intact.
“I will marry Baron Fontaine and since he is gaining whatever wealth he might obtain from our union, I see no reason that we should bother returning to inconvenience you at all.”
She spun toward the exit, her skirts flaring out around her. In the hall, she spied her mother, but instead of hoping for any sort of kind word from her, the duchess merely raised her brow as Catherine flounced past her and returned to her room with a slam of her door.
Once she was inside, Catherine collapsed on the bed.
She was finding it difficult to breathe and her eyes were stinging, but she refused to let a single tear drop for anyone who didn’t care about the fate of their own flesh and blood.
She had long suspected that she was nothing more than a bargaining chip in this miserable house, but to hear it blatantly confirmed was not something she’d been expecting.
As her maid entered the room and saw her mistress in a state of upheaval, the woman’s face drained of color. Catherine never could seem to remember her name because it had never seemed of any significance to her. She supposed she was like her father in that regard. “My lady—”
“Get me out of these blasted confines,” she snapped to the woman who was not much younger than Catherine. And yet, their difference in station was apparent, as her dark eyes went wide with the eager desire to please at the sharp command.
As the servant went to work losing her stays, Catherine slowly found her breathing returning to normal, but her chest still felt tight, as if a giant weight were pressing upon her.
“Is there anything else I can do?” The young woman at her side asked in concern, her brow furrowing.
Catherine knew it was her job to dote after her mistress, but she found that a lack of her own true companionship over the years made her want to confide her troubles in someone who might care, however fleetingly.
Not that it mattered, as it sounded as though the baron had his own household staff and her maid’s services would no longer be needed since the baron had offered to hire a new one for her.
“I’m to be married today and I don’t know anything about my future husband. ”
The maid nodded, her expression showing dismay. “That is regrettable.”
“His is the Baron Fontaine.” Catherine glanced at her. “Do you recall anyone by that title?”
She knew her maid could read and often liked to peruse the papers when her father was finished with them and sent them downstairs.
“Fontaine…”
At the hesitant tone in the maid’s voice, Catherine’s heart leapt. “Do you know something?”
The servant slowly nodded. “I seem to recall mention of a Baroness Fontaine earlier this year. I believe the article mentioned that she had died from childbirth and the babe was stillborn.”
Catherine’s hand instinctively went to her abdomen.
“Oh. How dreadful.” She thought of the same fate happening to her and wondered if maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible.
It was not as though she were eager about her future at this point.
Perhaps this loss was the reason he’d agreed to marry Catherine—because his own happiness had been ripped away with such stark contrast. She suddenly found the idea of marrying a stranger who was a widower was not quite as terrible as it might have been before.
Sitting up a bit straighter, she looked at the maid and forced a smile to her face. “Since it is to be my wedding day, I will need a special dress for the occasion and extra care taken with my appearance. I should like to make a good first impression.”
If Catherine was doomed to this life, then at least she could offer this unfortunate man something he’d been denied: a family. If he was deserving of one, that is. She supposed time would tell.
When Benjamin was dropped off by a hansom at the Duke of Lancaster’s townhouse with its affluent, whitewashed exterior, the first thing he thought of was that the duke’s daughter must have been rather plain for someone of this magnitude to be forced to hire the services of the Black Widow in order to marry her off.
Then again, Benjamin recalled that the chit was carrying another man’s child and he thought perhaps she was comely, but a misery to be around.
She might very well make his life a living hell, but then, he supposed it wouldn’t be much different than how he felt now.
Every day he woke up, he was reminded of his failings and had to look in the mirror at the wretch he’d become.
He wanted to blame his father for his harsh treatment, but if he did that, he would also have to blame his mother for allowing it to happen.
But she had known her place. She would never have intervened when it came to her husband’s territory, and as the heir to the Fontaine title, Benjamin had always been nothing but his father’s property, just as his mother had been.
When the previous baron had died, Benjamin had made it his sole purpose to see her settled and if he could find a way to benefit and have a bit of the fun he’d been denied for so many years, then so be it.
He hadn’t intentionally set out to target his stepsister, Beatrice.
She had been a means to an end when he’d wanted more out of life than a barony that he despised.
If she had accepted his initial suit, he wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures and put her in an asylum, but he had believed it for the best. At least for him.
He clenched his jaw and pushed such thoughts aside.
What was done was done and there was no changing the past. He might have considered himself the worst sort of scoundrel for his actions now, but it had all worked out for the best for Beatrice.
She was living in a castle in Scotland with the man she loved and a family to surround her, while Benjamin had nothing.
Yet.
He knocked on the wood and the door was opened shortly thereafter by a perfectly acceptable footman.
Once Benjamin had given his name to the butler, who stood nearby, the silent footman stepped aside and allowed him to enter the hallowed sanctuary of the duke’s residence before taking his outerwear.
One glance at the massive columns in the foyer and the highly polished parquet wood floor and Benjamin wondered if he shouldn’t have read the marriage contract a bit more closely.
He might have gained more blunt had he negotiated further.
But considering the odds were decidedly in the duke’s favor, he decided he better not press his luck in case he was quickly shown the door on the way out and the contract was canceled.
“The duke is waiting for you in his study.”
Benjamin inclined his head and followed the butler to a closed door. After a sharp rap and the muffled, commanding sound to enter, the servant announced the baron’s arrival.
“Send him in.”
The voice was so reminiscent of his father’s that Benjamin nearly faltered, but reminding himself that he wasn’t that boy any longer, that he was a man who could be a worthy adversary if crossed, he strode into the room with full confidence.
The study was everything that Benjamin had expected a wealthy duke to have.
A globe sat in one corner, as well as a sideboard with an array of various spirits in gleaming crystal decanters.
Books lined the shelves, and if Benjamin would hazard a guess, he was sure there wasn’t a single novel present among the titles.
There were a few pieces of furniture near the hearth so that the duke might converse with a fellow peer or perhaps read in private.
Everything was masculine, from the hunting scenes depicted on the walls to the sparse furnishings throughout.
This was a room designed for purpose, for majesty, if the imposing mahogany desk in the center of the room were any indication.
Silence reigned except for the steady tick of the case clock in the corner as the duke acknowledged him. “Lord Fontaine.”
Benjamin was almost tempted to bow surrounded by such grandeur and self-appreciation of one’s status. Instead, he merely inclined his head. “Your Grace.”
He remained standing as the duke got to his feet and crossed to the sideboard. “Would you care for something to drink?”
“Brandy, if you have it.” Benjamin could use the fortification getting through the rest of this meeting would provide. Following this interlude, he was due to meet his bride and take her as his wife.
As the glass was handed to him, Benjamin paced himself when all he wanted to do was throw the alcohol down his throat and drown in it.
The duke motioned for him to sit and after they were settled in front of the hearth, his future father-in-law flicked his dark gaze over Benjamin’s attire. “You come well suited to the occasion when I daresay it was not something you had anticipated with much urgency.”
Benjamin was glad this man didn’t mince words.
Since he had never been the type to do the same, he could appreciate a straightforward demeanor.
At least he didn’t appear to be lacking in his black trousers, boots, and navy vest and matching jacket.
He had decided it was the most formal thing in his closet since he didn’t make a habit of rubbing elbows in society.
It had never been his preference. To the duke, he replied, “I am here, aren’t I? ”
“Indeed, you are.” Lancaster took a sip of his drink while keeping his gaze steady. “It doesn’t bother you that she carries another man’s child?”
“I couldn’t care less.” Benjamin shrugged.
“I never expected to become a father. I’m sure you are aware of my wife’s death and that of our son.
” As the duke inclined his head, he added, “At least her current state proves that she can bear children. If I wish to fill my nursery, then I will not worry that she is not capable of the task.”
“Very sound reasoning,” the duke murmured, and Benjamin found it odd that, considering he was speaking in such a reasonable tone, that as her father, he wouldn’t demand to ensure his daughter was well taken care of. Instead, he seemed more concerned about her current predicament.
“I’m sure you will want to know that I don’t intend to squander her dowry,” Benjamin felt compelled to add. “I have vowed to curtail my gambling habits and do my best to be a decent husband.”
“It is your money to do with as you see fit. You can set your mistress up in reasonable lodgings while your estate is being repaired.”
Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Again, the man didn’t seem concerned if he was tossing his daughter into the hands of a ne’er-do-well.
In his mind, it seemed as though she was getting what she deserved if that were true.
“I don’t have a mistress and I’m not sure that I shall take one. ”
The duke smirked. “Of course you will. It is our right as men of power and position. A good mistress is a bonus to be had.”
Benjamin tilted his head to the side. “I thought that was what a wife was for?”
“She is meant to know how to entertain properly, of course, and I can assure you that Catherine was brought up with every advantage.” His mouth turned down at the corners in obvious displeasure.
“I am upset that she squandered her opportunities, but I am grateful that you were willing to overlook her faults and take her to wife before her condition was publicly known. You have done our family a great service and I do not regret a single pound that you were owed for your sacrifice. Feel free to take care of the child as you see fit as well. I have done the same with my own bastards.”
Benjamin found that he couldn’t reply because if he did, he was quite sure he would tell this man to go to hell.
He had known that he wasn’t perfect, by any means, and compared to the man seated across from him, Benjamin knew he had once been that callous and coldly calculated, caring naught for anything but the things that benefited him.
However, great loss had found a way to worm its way under his skin and remind him that life could be snuffed out too quickly and if he wished to find any sort of happiness on this earth, he had to make some changes.
He was glad he could save Catherine from this place. Although he hadn’t yet met his future bride, something told him she would be just as grateful to be leaving.