Chapter 14 #4
“So Clarissa and others like her, they knew your affections would be fleeting?”
“As I said, most of them are married. None of them expected a permanent relationship. Or at least, they shouldn’t have.
How can they? It’s not as if anyone’s going to divorce,” he scoffed.
“Jo’s mother and I haven’t even divorced, and we’ve never lived together.
Clarissa was perhaps too na?ve. She was younger than most of my paramours.
” He took a deep breath and smiled. “Enough of that. I should like to paint you soon, if you are amenable.”
The shift from discussing his former lover to wanting to paint a portrait of Ellis was jarring.
Indeed, Ellis felt as if she’d been tossed about in a coach on a terribly rutted road.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to forge a relationship with this man.
“I’m struggling to understand how you can treat all these people this way, how you can be so callous.
And I’m surprised you haven’t been challenged to a duel.
Or have none of your paramours’ spouses learned they were being cuckolded by you? ”
“A few of them discovered their wives were having an affair, but none demanded satisfaction.” He shrugged.
“They may not have known who I was, just that their wife was carrying on a liaison. I imagine it’s hard to hide, which is why I typically like to keep the entanglements short.
I did wonder if Clarissa’s husband knew. ”
Ellis didn’t want to think of Roman discovering this deception. It made her incredibly angry, and it hadn’t even happened to her. She needed to escape Harker’s presence before she said something she might regret. “I should return to Jo. She’s tired, and I don’t want to keep her too long.”
“Of course.” Rowland gestured for her to precede him from his lurid chamber of lovers, and they returned to the drawing room.
“I’m ready to leave,” Ellis said, trying to keep her voice from sounding too heavy. She felt as if she were carrying a massive weight.
Jo rose as her father dashed to help her.
“You stood too quickly,” he said with a gentle frown.
“I would have helped you up.” He turned his head toward Ellis.
“I hope I didn’t shock you overmuch today, my dear.
I’m quite thrilled to learn I have a new daughter.
Well, not a new daughter, but new to me.
” He chuckled. “I hope we’ll be able to forge a close relationship going forward. ”
Jo narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t pressure her, Papa. She has much to acclimate herself to, particularly after the way the duchess treated her for so long.”
Rowland wrinkled his nose. “I have to confess, when you and Sheff became betrothed, I didn’t like her as much as I did all those years ago.
” He transferred his gaze to Ellis. “I’m sorry for any distress she’s caused you.
If there is anything I can ever do for you, I hope you’ll tell me.
I might not have a great deal of money, but I have connections, and I am generally well liked.
I think Jo will tell you that I can always put a smile on your face. ”
Ellis wasn’t sure about that. She didn’t feel like smiling now.
“Thank you,” she said diplomatically.
She and Jo took their leave a moment later. As soon as they were outside, Jo turned to her. “You seem rather shaken after going to the studio. What happened?”
She sent Jo a look of disgust. “I stumbled upon his sordid gallery of mistresses.”
Jo frowned. “I’d forgotten that existed. I’m sorry. That can’t have made you feel very warm toward him. He’s not a horrible person, just incredibly hedonistic. He is unable to control his impulses and has difficulty seeing others’ perspectives.”
“I gathered that,” Ellis said. “How are you now you’ve learned he has other children and a grandchild?”
Jo made a sound in her throat. “Honestly, I can’t even be upset anymore. Just when I think he can’t shock me, he does, and the result is that I’m no longer shocked.”
Ellis couldn’t say she felt the same. The discovery that Roman’s wife had been one of her father’s mistresses was horrible.
She didn’t know what to do with that information.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to look at Roman without him seeing right away that there was something wrong.
She would have to find a way to bury her agitation.
When they were settled in the coach, Ellis was eager to cease discussion of their father and speak of something more positive. She turned to Jo. “I’d like to see Min soon. Perhaps we could meet at Wellesbourne House, if Pandora is amenable. I suppose I know she already is.”
Jo’s eyes flashed with surprise. “I’m so glad! I’ll speak with Pandora and Min and arrange it.” She grinned at Ellis. “Min will be so happy.”
“I am too—or I will be when I see her.” For now, Ellis couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d learned about Roman’s wife.
“Does this mean you’ll tell us where you’re living and how you’re managing right now?”
Ellis shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve some decisions to make about what to do next. For now, I’d just like to see Min.”
Jo nodded but smiled. “I’m sure you know this already, but we’d all love to help and support you with whatever you decide.”
“Yes, I know,” Ellis said softly. She had truly had wonderful people she could rely on. That included Roman.
But this was an affair not unlike those her father engaged in. Her liaison with Roman would end, and she feared that would happen sooner than she wanted.