Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

“ A h, Your Grace, I was hoping that I would be seeing you soon.” Mr. Derbyshire greeted Simon with a warm smile from behind his desk.

“The chances of me paying you a visit were greatly increased when you sent a note summoning me,” Simon shot back with a smirk.

The old man’s bright blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he gestured for the Duke to have a seat in his cluttered office. His snow-white hair was neatly slicked back, and his tweed suit had been pressed.

Chuckling heartily, Mr. Derbyshire shook his head and took a seat behind his mahogany desk almost as soon as Simon had settled in.

“You have me there; it would have been far more impressive if you had shown up without a summons. I only meant that I foresaw a delay given the fact you are newlywed. These kinds of delays are expected when one is adjusting to married life.”

Clearing his throat, Simon made himself comfortable in the leather-bound chair and glanced around the room at the many stacks of books and papers. The account’s messy tendencies had put him off at first, yet the man’s impeccable capabilities had won him over in the end.

“Before we get to the matter at hand, may I offer my most heartfelt congratulations on your wedding. I cannot say that I am personally acquainted with the young lady, but I did know her father, and he was a fine man.” Mr. Derbyshire reached for a stack of papers and pushed his spectacles further up his nose as his eyes wandered over a letter.

“Thank you, Mr. Derbyshire; the Duchess is indeed a lady of fine breeding,” Simon answered distractedly, wondering what it was that couldn’t have been relayed in a letter.

It couldn’t have had anything to do with the family finances as Simon himself always kept an eye on the accounts.

“Now where exactly did I see it?” Mr. Derbyshire riffled through the stack of papers, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

Flexing his fingers repeatedly, Simon tried to remain as patient as he could. He was about to ask to man to get on with it and explain his news when Mr. Derbyshire finally withdrew a piece of parchment from the messy stack.

“Ah, here we are. I knew I put it in here somewhere. I would lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my body.” The old man smiled at his own idiosyncrasies and chuckled. “It would seem that a week before your wedding, a rather large sum of money was withdrawn from your family fortunes. It didn’t strike me as odd at first, given the wedding that was about to take place, but I now find it quite suspicious.”

Simon felt his jaw clenching as he sat back and ran his hand over his chin. “The money was not withdrawn by myself, and dare I say it, my grandmother has no need of withdrawing such a large sum.”

Nodding, Mr. Derbyshire slid the piece of parchment across the desk. “I didn’t think it would have been either of you. I have since done some calculations and deduced that the sum was large enough to live sensibly for six months without the need for more.”

“Augustus has never been known for being sensible.” Simon flexed his fingers more irritably now in an attempt to keep himself from storming from the office.

Just what did Augustus think he was doing? Knowing his brother and all his proclivities for living a lavish life, the money would be gone sooner rather than later.

“Now, we could simply wait and see when your brother decides to come back home in search of more money…”

“I do not wish to wait,” Simon cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “Something needs to be done to bring him back.”

Mr. Derbyshire nodded. “I thought you might feel that way. With your permission, Your Grace, I will reach out to a few fellow accounts abroad. I know that your brother was fond of certain places across Europe. Now that we know nothing sinister has occurred, we can be a little more blatant with our inquiries.”

Simon nodded. “Do as you must, Mr. Derbyshire. It is about time that my brother returns home and faces the consequences of his actions.”

“Indeed, I have already drafted several inquiries, and now that I have your approval, I will send them at once. We should have answers within a week or two.”

A week or two.

His stomach suddenly clenched with nerves as he realized that his brother’s return would mean that things couldn’t stay the same between him and Octavia.

“I know that you must be eager to get back to your country home. I suspect that the Duchess is still settling in as well.” Mr. Derbyshire stood, placing his hands flat on the desk to support his weight.

“Yes, thank you, it is about time that things get put into perspective; they cannot carry on as they are.” Simon swallowed hard before standing and looking down at the sum of money that had been withdrawn from the family funds.

“Indeed, you and the Duchess may return to your country home as soon as you wish. I will personally send word of your brother’s whereabouts if anything turns up.” Mr. Derbyshire bowed respectfully.

Simon reached down and lifted the letter, folding it three times before placing it in his breast pocket. “Thank you, I shall be awaiting your news. Hopefully, the search will come to an end soon enough.”

“Of course, Your Grace, may God smile favorably upon you and the Duchess and bless you both with an heir that is both healthy and happy.”

The accountant’s words floated to his ears just as he placed his hand on the door.

There is every possibility of that happening if things continue as they are.

“I had tea with your grandmother this afternoon while you were out. I tried to put her off, but she insisted on coming over as soon as we got back home. She has visions of redecorating the drawing room with floral prints.” Octavia tried to make conversation yet found her words being met with grunts.

Simon barely lifted his eyes from his plate as he speared a piece of roast chicken on his fork before lifting it to his mouth.

Octavia watched his face, hoping for even the slightest notion of acknowledgment.

“I thought I might warn you in advance, lest you blame me for changing things again. I don’t want to have to beat you over the head with a roll of wallpaper when the time comes.”

Reaching for his glass, Simon sipped his wine and returned to eating without so much as a grunt.

“Is something the matter?” She finally reached the end of her wits as she placed her knife and fork beside her plate.

The Duke had barely spoken a word to her ever since he returned from seeing his accountant. Part of her wished that she had gone with him. Whatever was playing on his mind seemed to be distracting him enough not to pay attention.

Heaving a sigh, he looked up at her and finished chewing his mouthful of chicken.

“The accountant must have had some frightful news?” She forced a smile and raised an eyebrow, hoping to draw him into a lighter mood.

“Mr. Derbyshire informed me of a rather large sum of money that was withdrawn from the family funds. It would seem that Augustus had planned to skip out on the wedding all along. It shouldn’t be long now before we track him down and bring him back home.” Simon’s voice was cold as he averted his gaze.

Frowning, Octavia felt her chest clenching. She had been aware of the fact that Simon was still looking for his brother. What she wasn’t aware of was why it had altered his behavior toward her.

“Is… is that not good news?” She swallowed the sudden surge of dread that crept up her throat.

Why do things need to change if Augustus comes home?

“It is indeed good news for us both. We can finally go ahead with the agreement we made on the night of our wedding.”

He tore his eyes away from his plate and looked at her with such finality that Octavia almost gasped.

“Is that truly what you wish, Your Grace?”

Her stomach began to spin as she suddenly felt dizzy. Where had it all gone wrong? They had made love more than once and finally seemed to be warming to one another.

Simon nodded with his jaw clenched. “All good things must come to an end.”

His words felt like a punch to her gut as she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Things cannot continue as they are at present. What if you fall pregnant?” He seemed irritable as he ran a section of the tablecloth through his fingers and crumpled the fine embroidery in his fist.

Words failed her as the intensity of her confusion choked back her words.

I don’t understand…

Everything seemed to slow down as she took a deep breath. How could he be so cruel and distant after everything that had happened between them?

“We have been sailing perilously close to the wind; it’s time to act more sensible.” He let go of the linen and tapped his fingers on the table instead.

“Why are you so insistent on never having a child? I am struggling to see things from your point of view.” She finally found the words and placed her hands on her lap, feeling like an outsider in her own marriage.

There was so much that didn’t make sense to her anymore. So much seemed to be changing, yet she couldn’t help but feel as if she had been a fool all along.

Simon held her gaze, clenching his jaw until it seemed as if his teeth would shatter. “You know very well that I cannot sire an heir; I refuse to bring a child into this world and repeat the mistakes of my parents.”

Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths as she mulled over his words.

“I was willing to make my peace with not siring your heir. I was even willing to fill my days with other frivolous activities to play the part of your wife. Except I wasn’t playing a part. I truly wanted to be by your side, Simon. Are you telling me now that everything leading up to this point has been a lie?”

She searched his face, desperate for an answer that would contradict her fear.

Remaining silent for a moment, Simon ran his hand over her jaw as if he were considering her words.

I have been delusional.

Her heart shattered into a million pieces when she realized that he wasn’t willing to answer her. His silence spoke volumes more than his words ever could.

“And what of you brother, Your Grace? Will he not repeat the mistakes of your parents if he sires an heir? What makes him so different than the man that you have become?”

Anger and hurt clutched at her chest, making it almost impossible to breathe without crying.

“Augustus is different. He seems to have learned from our parents’ mistake; if he hadn’t, he would have married your cousin.” The coolness of his words bit into her skin as if he slapped her.

“So, this marriage was a mistake to you?” Her voice was soft, barely audible above a whisper.

Simon’s face remained expressionless as he looked at his plate with the half-eaten food.

“I see,” Octavia said to herself and stood, refusing to look at him as she made her way out of the room.

She had given him so much of herself since their wedding. He had seen parts of her and even experienced things that nobody else ever had.

She wasn’t about to show him her tears, not when he was treating her like a stranger.