In Compromise with the Earl by Ava MacAdams

Chapter Twenty-Six

“I’m here to join Oswald to go to London,” Leo said. “We were going to the bank.”

She reached out and rubbed the pup’s ears. “Oswald left for London this morning. I don’t think he will come back until evening.”

“I misunderstood,” he gave her a wry smile then gestured to the bench. “May I sit so I could explain?”

“Yes, please,” she nodded.

As he took a place near her, he said, “When we were boys, Oswald’s father took me in, as you know, but he went a step further. Out of the generosity of his heart, he bought shares for me in company that is doing well. They’ve matured for years, and I would like to have them now.”

“Oh,” she blinked, “That was so kind of him.”

“It was,” Leo smiled. “I cannot be more grateful. His father was judicious man, making sure that everyone had a way to prosper in life. Oswald is doing well, but he is coasting on his father’s actions, and not repeating them.”

Slanting a look to him, Aphrodite realized that it was the first time she had heard Leo mention anything vaguely disrespectful of his cousin.

“Have you asked him about it?” Aphrodite asked. “Maybe it is that he has, and you don’t know it?”

“It could be,” he replied. “But I fear Oswald might be losing control of the Earldom. When he was incapacitated, Aunt handed all business for him and now, some of the things he does makes me wonder if he is regaining his foothold again, or if he is slipping further?”

Concerned, she asked, “What do you mean?”

Leo looked at her and shook his head. “I’m talking out of place. I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“No,” Aphrodite reached out to rest a hand on his arm, “please tell me, I want to know.”

He rested a hand over hers and again his thumbs made those tiny circles on her wrist. “He pulled out the monthly donation for the charity schools under his watch and limited funds to the orphanage. Before he knew about his wife’s infidelity, he was at White’s most nights, and I think he is still going on with it.”

Turning away, Aphrodite thought over his words. “Do you think he will make the same mistakes he did with her, with me?”

“I would hope not, but habits are not so easily broken, dear,” Leo grimaced. He looked at the Hall arching over the tree line just beyond them. “I suppose staying here will not make much more sense since Oswald is gone.”

He stood and gave her a half-bow. “Good evening, Lady Aphrodite.”

She nearly called after him but stopped herself and sat back biting her lip. Had Oswald done all those things? She knew about White’s and how no one ever spoke about how that place had so many opportunities for men to find women for a night.

He will not do that to me. He loves me.

Even with the reassurance, she thought about when he had left their bed to work in his study. She had felt that he was holding something from her back then and now still felt that way. Oswald was allowed to keep his secrets, but if they were damaging to them both, then she wanted to know.

Heavily, she stood and made her way back to the Hall as dusk began falling and the crickets were starting to chirp. Biscuit followed her steps until she entered the bedchamber, that suddenly felt so vast and empty.

While Biscuit scampered to his bowls, she changed into her dressing robe, not feeling the slightest urge to have supper. Her thoughts stayed on Oswald and for the first time since meeting him, she feared that things might go awry.

As she lit a candle, she whispered. “Come back home, Oswald.”

* * *

It was not until the wee hours of the morning that Oswald’s carriage trundled into the drive. He was sober but the time he had taken at White’s was unreasonable. While he knew it, it was time he had used wisely to think over matters.

If the Madam did not find out who the culprit was and if it did not come from the Duke, he would tell Aphrodite. She had been so understanding about his past, so why would she not be the same with this.

I’d prefer she not know but if matters get out of hand—

He entered his Hall to dark hallways and silent rooms. In the quiet he went to his chamber to see Aphrodite already in bed, sleeping soundly. Blonde wisps curled around her face, her lashes, dark against her cheek and her lips, soft and parted just so, beckoned him.

Removing his jacket, and boots, he slipped into the bathing chamber to rinse his face before going back and doing away with the rest of his clothes. In his underclothes, he slid into the sheets, gently wrapping an arm around her middle.

“O…Oswald—” she whispered, her voice clouded with sleep.

“Yes, Sweetling,” he replied, tightening his grip. “I’m here.”

Feeling the stress and lack of sleep advancing upon him, he succumbed and let stupor drag him down to deep sleep. He kept his hold on her securely because a part of him feared what she would do when she would find about his past. At least, it was not that night.

His sound sleep turned fitful until Aphrodite rested her head over his heart, and he stilled. When he blinked his eyes open, his fingers were lodged in her hair.

He tried to chase the fleeting images of his dreams but while he could not follow them, the ominous feeling they had carried rested in his chest like a block of lead. Slipping out of the bed, he kissed her forehead and went to wash his face.

Guilt that he was hiding his past from Aphrodite rested on his chest, but the hope that he would never have to do so was also laden in his heart. He returned to see Aphrodite waking and he slipped into the bed beside her and reached out for her.

Her body was a bit stiff with resistance and he saw hesitation and an accusatory note in her eyes. “What happened last night? Where were you?”

Oswald’s eyes narrowed. “I was in London.”

She pulled away, “Were you? I hardly think seeing your steward would take the entire day.”

Feeling stung, Oswald pulled away. “I was in London, but I made a detour to White’s to have a drink. Nothing untoward happened.”

She slipped out of bed and donned her robe. “White’s, the bastion for male camaraderie, and a focal point where one can easily be lured into the arms of other women.”

“Is that what you think?” his lips flattened. “That I would be unfaithful to you?”

“I did not say you were unfaithful to me, but I know the underbelly of London comes out after midnight,” Aphrodite said, a flicker of remorse flashing over her face. “And since I know you are keeping something from me, I can only suppose what is happening.”

He stood. “I have never touched another woman since we met and got married.”

“What are you hiding from me,” she asked, coming closer. “Just tell me.”

His lips opened with the confession on his lips, but he spoke differently. “There is nothing wrong.”

She was not pleased, and he saw it. “I see.” Without a word, she turned and headed to the bathing chamber and Oswald gritted his teeth so severely that a flash of pain jabbed itself into his temple.

Oswald knew he had missed the opportunity to be truthful and he had upset Aphrodite without reason. He tried to tell himself that he was doing right in protecting her from his sordid, shameful past, but he knew he was going about it the wrong way.

Aphrodite was not a child, she knew the ugly, twisted, perverted side of the peerage as she lived with a man who embodied the worst of all the vices. But that still did not make him want to show her more; if he could get this threat crushed before it reared its ugly head, he would take the secret to the grave.

He stood, dressed in his robe and left the chamber, craving a blistering cup of bitter coffee. When his valet went off for the pot, Oswald sorted out some items on his desk when his eyes landed on a note—eerily like the first and he dreaded opening it, but he did.

You’re wasting your time. I am not a part of the despicable whorehouse, but I still know your secret. How will your lovely wife feel about you laying with filth?

This time, he did crunch the note into a ball as anger and panic raced through him in equal measure. If he could lay a blistering facer on the man who was threatening him, he would keep going until blood matted his fist.

This was beyond the pale; who could it be?

“Strathmore,” he growled.

He could not get past it that the man had, in his jealousy that he had not won Aphrodite, had gone digging and found Oswald’s secret. And being a Duke, no one could deny him anything, even if it meant violating another’s privacy.

Forcing himself to think how he was going to confront the Duke, Oswald swallowed half the hot brew, scalding his throat, but barely feeling the burn.

He had to find the Duke and get his confession, and he had to do it quickly or his life would start spiraling apart.

That is if it has not started already.

* * *

Brushing her hand over her sweat-misted cheek, Aphrodite turned her horse back toward the stable. Half the morning had gone, and she had spent most of it riding. She had no other way of working out her frustration about Oswald as she knew he was keeping something crucial from her.

Riding at breakneck speed to this point made her want to tip headfirst into bed as soon as she got back into the Hall. Her muscles were stiff and aching while the rush she felt, the sting in her eyes from the blowing wind and the lash of her horse’s mane on her hands, were starting to fade.

Troy trotted to the stables and she blearily swung her breeches-clad leg over and off the saddle. A spate of dizziness hit her as her boots met the ground and she hung on the pommel until it passed.

“I should have eaten something this morning,” she said belatedly.

When she regained her footing, she handed the horse off to one of the stable hands and carefully picked her way back to the Hall. Nearly there, she stopped at the garden to rest.

“Lady Aphrodite,” Leo said as he approached her, Biscuit nipping at his heels. His lips twitched. “Oswald mentioned that you ride, but I didn’t know you rode like that.” He waved his hand over her. “Rather risqué of you, isn’t it?”

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, I know, I know,” she sighed. “But I think, in a matter of perspective, I can be forgiven. It’s nice to see you, Leo. What brings you by?”

“I came to drop off some legal documents for Oswald and Aunt begged me to take poor Biscuit out to the garden as he was getting a bit rowdy in the drawing room,” he said while sitting next to her, his expression concerned. “How long were you riding?”

“From half-hour since I woke this morn,” she admitted. “It’s…I’m troubled, Leo. Oswald is keeping something from me, and I can feel it, but that aggravating man will not tell me what it is. He keeps lying, and…and I’m hurt, deeply hurt.”

The priest’s sigh was aggravated. “Oh, God no, it’s starting all over again.”

She shot a sharp look to him. “What do you mean?”

Leo shook his head balefully. “Seems as if my cousin has still not mastered the art of sharing with those he cares about. His uncanny ability to hold everything inside nearly drove Claire to Bedlam.”

Aphrodite blinked. “It’s a pattern?”

“Yes.”

“But what…” she gazed to the pup, “what is so bad that he cannot tell me? Within a few days of us meeting at Lady Pandora’s, he told me so much about his late wife. Why is he pulling away from me now?”

“Mayhap it’s something unseemly—” Leo suggested. “Maybe he lost a fortune gambling, or he was drunk and did something he is ashamed about?”

She fixed her eyes on the pup who was sniffing a leaf. “You think so?”

“God, forbid he has discarded his vows and was unfaithful to you,” Leo muttered. “And God knows that is easy to do when you’re surrounded by men who have no responsibility or commitment to anyone other than themselves.”

The cold wash of an unacknowledged fear made Aphrodite’s skin bead with gooseflesh. Was Leo hinting that Oswald had been unfaithful? Her fingers curled around the edges of the bench, tight enough that her knuckles went white.

“Oh, good heavens—” she whispered. “I…I cannot fathom why…why he might do something like that.”

She barely felt Leo prying her hand from the bench and massaging the feeling back into her numb hand. “Breathe, my dear. I don’t think you can assume he has been unfaithful just yet, and I am sorry I even suggested it.”

“But it is a reality,” she replied. “Ever since he came back from White’s the other night, he could not look me in the eye. I wonder—”

“I wouldn’t go so far,” Leo said. “It’s horrible I know, but there can be many other explanations—”

“My father was unfaithful to my mother,” Aphrodite said emptily. “And he continued after her death with no remorse. I wonder if I am paying for his crimes with my marriage.”

“Again,” Leo said soothingly, “please do not assume that is what it was.”

Nodding, Aphrodite tried to look as she believe him and was putting away the supposition that Oswald had been unfaithful, but the seed had been planted and had already started to grow.

There could be many other explanations, yes, but the experiences with her father had scarred her more deeply than she would ever admit. Aphrodite hated unfaithfulness with a passion that went past loathing. It was the most despicable, heinous act anyone could ever do, and if Oswald had committed it…heartbreak had started to set in.

“Lets us get inside,” Leo said kindly.

She tried to stand, but her knees were weak, and just before she stumbled back to the bench, Leo grasped her around the waist. “Seems as if you need some help, dear.”

“I have not eaten all day,” she replied as they made it to the Hall.

“Oh no,” he said as he helped down the corridor from the back door and helped her up the stairs. “That’s unhealthy. You must eat something.”

“I know,” she huffed out a dry laugh. “But hunger hardly presents itself when one is confused.”

They made it through a corridor and were heading to the front staircase when the Dowager came around the corner. She stopped short and her eyes landed on the two, her gaze shooting to the arm Leo had around Aphrodite’s waist.

“Leo, you’re here,” the Dowager greeted. “And Aphrodite, has something happened?”

“I am lightheaded,” she replied. “I went riding without a meal this morning.”

“Ah,” the Dowager nodded. “Well, go to my drawing room, I’ll have a meal sent up, and for you too Leo. You know you are welcome to stay.”

“Thank you but no,” he said. “I’ll only help this lovely lady to the room, then I will be off to the church for this evening’s service.”

As they mounted the stairs, the Dowager trailing after them, Leo helped her to the drawing room. “Again, don’t assume that is what is wrong. Talk to him about it before decided that it is a calamity.”

Facing him and his honest expression, Aphrodite inclined her head. “I’ll try, thank you.”

With a bow, Leo left then while the Dowager took a seat, her expression uneasy and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What did my nephew mean about that?”

Having leaped many hurdles with the Dowager, Aphrodite had started to trust her but she did not feel it fit to tell the Dowager that her son could have been unfaithful.

“A few nights ago, Oswald left our bed to go work in his study. He told me nothing is wrong, but I cannot but help to feel there is,” she replied. “Now, Leo told me that it is his habit to keep things from others, I cannot but wonder what it is.”

“My dear nephew might not be the one to give you an unbiased view about my son’s behavior,” the Dowager replied. “He only knows half the stories at best.”

“I still trust him,” Aphrodite replied. “Sometimes it is best to take another’s opinion that is not so close a person.”

“Leo has always been special to us, but after my husband died, I made sure that my nephew was handled with a delicate touch,” the Dowager replied. “You see, my husband’s brother got involved with a disgraced woman, but then the moment a titled Lord came along, she ran off and abandoned them.”

“Oh,” Aphrodite nibbled her lip. “My sympathies.”

A maid came with a full tea service and a meal for Aphrodite and a sliver of honey cake for the Dowager. After fixing her tea, she drank and felt the weakness began to lessen.

“My husband noticed a few things about Leo,” the Dowager said. “Leo is very charming with a weakness for misunderstanding things at times.”

“He told me he counseled Lady Claire about her marriage with Oswald,” Aphrodite said. “And based on what Oswald said, I cannot believe he was mistaken about that.”

“I suppose,” Henrietta replied. “Just take what he says with a grain of salt.”

After her meal and a conversation that had veered away from Leo, Aphrodite went to find Oswald, only to discover his study was empty. From the unopened books and still-closed drapes, he had been gone for a long time. She sagged on the wall and pressed a hand to her eyes.

She had lost him again.