Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

D iana never thought she could dislike her father any more than she did when the Duke told her what he had been doing.

She wanted to believe that it was a mistake and that there was simply another drunkard resembling him that was doing all of it, but she knew that that was not possible. Whoever had told the Duke was clearly someone that he trusted, and so his word was as good as gold, as far as she was concerned.

Samantha.

Once more, she had to decide whether or not she wished for her sister to know before she confronted their father. She knew that it was better to and that Samantha had a right to know that their father was not acting in the way they had hoped, but Diana couldn't bear the thought of Samantha being hurt by him again, especially if there was even the smallest chance that it wasn't like that.

But she was not a fool. She knew that she had to tell her, and she also knew that her sister had watched her walk outside with the Duke and then returned, and it must have been quite evident that something had changed.

"Is everything alright, Di?"

It appeared that her sister had noticed her, indeed.

"Yes, Sister, everything is perfectly fine."

"Did the Duke not wish to stay? He usually does."

"He… he had something to do today that required his attention."

"Ah, so there are things more important to him than his betrothed?"

"You are being unfair, and you know it."

"I only say it in jest. He likes you a great deal, I can tell."

"Do you think so?" Diana asked. "I never can tell. Sometimes, it feels as though he could truly like me one day, then other times it feels as though he would find far greater happiness if he were with another."

"Di, you do not see the way he looks at you when you are not looking at him. His eyes follow you. Even when he and I converse, he is looking for you and he is not secretive about it."

"You are only saying that to make me feel better."

"I would never do such a thing, not by lying at least. He is a good man, I truly am starting to believe it, and he would never do anything to us that is not in our best interests. You know that I am right."

"I do."

"Then all is well, and I cannot wait to visit you, although I must say that with how Father has been of late, I may have two households that I enjoy being a part of."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you were right. I have been unfair to him. After all this time, he truly does seem to have changed for the better, and I ought to stop holding the past against him."

Diana chewed on her bottom lip.

"There is something that you are not telling me, isn't there?" Samantha asked.

"If there were," Diana replied carefully, "would you want to know?"

"Of course, I would, unless it were a surprise that you had planned for me, but from the look on your face, it would appear that that is not the case."

"It is not, unfortunately."

"Then what is it? If it is important, I would like to know sooner rather than later."

"It is about Father. The Duke has it on good authority that he is still drinking."

"Ah."

"So I suppose you were right, after all."

"I wish I was not. I would have much preferred to be completely wrong and had a father who cared about us enough to keep himself in line."

"Are you upset?"

"It is hard to be when you hardly expect anything different than disappointment. But it is quite alright. He has simply returned to how he was before. It hardly changes anything."

But Samantha was still eyeing Diana carefully, an eyebrow raised. "Unless there is something that does change things?" she asked.

"Well, yes there is. He is going to the gentlemen's club and asking people to invest in his business."

"Father does not have a business."

"Which is precisely why I am confused. He usually likes to talk to anyone and everyone about his grandiose plans, when he is capable of doing so of course, but this time he has kept it from us completely. I do not understand."

"Do you think that he will tell you? He hardly ever gives us honesty."

"Believe me, I know. Regardless, I have to try. Perhaps if I am kind about it, he may feel secure enough to confess. That is the best way to do it, at least."

"I hope that you are right, and I hope that this is all a misunderstanding."

"As do I, but I shall not know until I try."

"Good luck, Sister."

Diana went to find their father then. They had had breakfast together that morning, and he had not told them of any plans to leave afterwards, so she thought that he would be there for a conversation.

It was as she had said to Samantha, she would be kind and try to at least understand what he was doing. Perhaps he knew that his fortunes were changing and so he wished to try a business venture, and he knew what he was doing and simply had not told them. Given his reputation, it was unlikely that any upstanding gentleman would view it positively, and so maybe that was why he had not been taken seriously.

But Diana could not find him, and nobody seemed to know where he had gone. It did not make any sense. They always had the same routine—they would have breakfast together, then he would either accompany them on their trips or he would…

Diana did not know what he would do if they did not have plans.

She felt a chill run down her spine, immediately going to find Samantha again.

"Where does he go during the day, Sister?"

"Father? I do not know. I do not see him after breakfast. Nobody does."

"Then I will wait for him to return." Diana nodded. "I shall find him one way or another."

She dragged a chair to the hallway, took one of the books from the library, and positioned herself comfortably. She was not suspicious at first—gentlemen had things to do outside of their households. But then an hour passed, and then another, and then she was completely unsure of how long it had been since she had seated herself there.

All she knew truly was that the sky had darkened and still he was not there. Then, it happened. She could hear a commotion outside, a sort of clattering and cursing, and then the door swung open and he was there, unsteady on his feet and grumbling. When he saw her, his eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards slightly.

"Diana," he slurred, "what are you—Why are you here?"

"Go to bed, Father," she sighed. "We shall discuss this in the morning."

"You are not my—my mother."

"To be sure. Goodnight."

There was no use arguing with him when he was in such a state. It was far easier to send him to his room as if he were a petulant child that had been caught misbehaving, which she had to admit described him well.

One look from her seemed to tell Samantha all that she needed to know. Their father had been waiting until they had gone to bed and then coming home to hide his activities, and it had been working well, that was until a friend of the Duke had caught him. Perhaps the rest of the accusation was true too.

The following morning, he seemed quite sheepish indeed. He was clearly aware that he had been seen, but instead of anger, all that he could do was shrink down in his seat and pretend they could not see him. Soon enough, he rose from his seat.

"I shall see you girls later," he said sharply. "I have some matters to tend to."

"I require a word with you first," Diana replied.

"Can it not wait? It is vital that I go."

"Then I shall accompany you. Either that or you sit in the drawing room and we talk. The choice is yours."

He scowled at her, but he nodded. "Then we shall go to the drawing room."

"I thought you might say that."

She gave Samantha a quick glance over her shoulder as they left, and then she walked with her father. He shrunk away from her as if he were afraid, and she almost liked it. He should have been; she knew his secret, and he knew that, but he did not know the extent to which she was aware of what he had been doing.

"Alright," she said coldly, "I wish to know everything."

"I am unsure of what you are referring to."

"No, you are not. You know exactly what I am referring to, or must I be clear about it myself?"

"Yes, you must. Please enlighten me on how well you know of my activities outside of this household."

"You have been drinking and then hunting for gentlemen to join you in business."

The color drained from his face. She had all of the proof that she needed, and it should have broken her heart, and it would have done so had she not seen it coming.

"Who told you?"

"That is of no consequence. How could you? It is one thing to take yourself off and ruin the reputation of your two daughters. It is another thing entirely to do so with pride, and then to act as though you are a respectable gentleman that others should do business with. What are you playing at?"

"You know nothing about what it is to be a man."

"It appears that I know far more than you, for at least I know how to treat children, and I know how to run a household, which are two things that you have failed in at every opportunity. How does it feel to have two children who hope to not need to see you at all one day? Does it not pain you that neither of us wants anything to do with you because of how you have failed us?"

"Three."

"What?"

"Three."

"You are not yet drunk, so do not play the fool. I am asking you questions, and I want you to respond to them."

"And if you are going to interrogate me like this, you had better have the correct information, which you so clearly do not."

"What have I said that is untrue?" Diana sighed, exasperated. "You are a drunk, and you have done everything in your power to destroy us, and I will never understand why we were never worth more to you."

"Because you are not boys. I have told you that before. You are girls and of no use to me. It is because of you and that useless mother of yours that I spent years without an heir, and I will never forgive you for that for as long as I live."

"Then I suppose we both have the hope that you do not live too long."

It was the cruelest thing that she had ever said, and he seemed to take it exactly as she had hoped—personally.

"Does it make you feel better when you say such things?"

"In response to you calling us useless burdens? I believe so. I apologize that we were not heirs and that your family name will end with us, but that is not our fault, and you never should have made us feel as though it was."

"No, it was that mother of yours. I never did find a use for her, besides keeping you occupied."

"And what is keeping you occupied? This business venture of yours? There is no need for one in the first place. The Duke has ample funds. You will be taken care of, unless you are planning on funding your other activities at White's, namely being its main client."

"I do need this, Diana, and I shall have you know that there will be an heir to carry on the family name."

"Yes, some distant cousin or other to inherit the estate. That does not matter."

"That is where you are wrong. It does not matter how clever you might think that you are, there are things that you do not know. Perhaps that is why you are so bitter."

"Then do tell. Who is this wonderful heir that is worth more than your two children?"

"It is as I said," he snarled, "I have three children."