Chapter 27

Tabitha tried not to show the despair she felt, as she and Bridgette wandered through the market together. During their trip, Bridgette had decided to visit the modiste, from whom she had commissioned a gown. Tabitha agreed and stood, watching as the modiste swept around her friend, adjusting the blue silk gown and adding pins to make the waist a little smaller.

Tabitha’s thoughts remained on Matthew, even if she wished they would not. It was strange to think she had not loved or even liked him at the start. Now, he had consumed all her thoughts.

When she considered how he might be—at that very moment—kissing and embracing Rosemary, tears threatened. She did not ever want to lose him, but if he were happy with Rosemary, she could not possibly ask that he leave her. The annulment would probably be swift.

“Yes, I think that will be perfect,” the modiste said, beaming at Bridgette. “What do you think, Miss?”

“Perfect,” Bridgette said. “What do you think, Tabby?”

“I agree,” she said. “You will be the envy of all the ladies of the ton.”

Bridgette’s face brightened. “Oh, I like making other women envious,” she said.

Tabitha knew that her friend was purposefully exaggerating her vanity, hoping to draw a laugh. Although Tabitha could not quite manage that, she smiled, nonetheless.

“I will make the adjustments at once and have the garment delivered to the country before you leave,” the modiste said.

“That will be wonderful. Thank you.”

Bridgette stepped into another room to remove the gown, the modiste following to ensure that none of the carefully placed pins were disturbed in the process. The door to the modiste opened, and Tabitha turned to look at the new customer. A lump lodged in her throat, and her pulse jumped as Cassius entered. More startling than his presence was his appearance. A mottling of bruises stretched over Cassius’s nose and across his jaw. Tabitha remembered the sight of her husband’s torn knuckles. Had Matthew been responsible for those injuries?

“Tabby Cat,” Cassius said. “I am so pleased to see you.”

Tabitha glanced behind her. If she screamed, Bridgette and the modiste would hear. “You should not be here,” Tabitha said. “Matthew will not like you being around me, and I have nothing more to say to you. I am a married woman and a faithful wife.”

“Even with Her Grace’s return?” Cassius asked. “Surely, that has changed something for you.”

Tabitha inwardly flinched. “How did you know about that?”

Cassius sighed. “When I was younger and far more foolish, I agreed to help Rosemary escape him. I was a man in love and believed that she felt the same for me. Alas, she did not. I did not know true love until I met you, though. You are the woman I really want and have always wanted. Why not fight His Grace for some portion of his fortune? Then, when you have money, we can run away together. We can be lovers like we always planned.”

Tabitha stared at him, trying to find some semblance of charm in Cassius. There was none. She could not decide if she had only imagined him charming or if it was merely that his charms, as they were, no longer affected her. “I cannot run away with you,” she said, “and I do not wish to. If I cannot be with Matthew, I do not wish to be with anyone!”

“That is foolishness, Tabitha!” he exclaimed. “Has he said something to convince you that I am a monster? I can assure you that whatever he said is not possibly true.”

“He has said nothing to me that I did not already know.”

He seized her arm, and Tabitha pulled back, trying to break his grip. “I will scream—”

Cassius pushed her against the wall, and pain jolted up her spine. He pressed close to her as if he intended to kiss her. Tabitha pulled against him, trying to free herself.

“Let go!” Tabitha shouted. “Bridgette!”

He forced his lips against hers, and she turned her head. Tabitha’s stomach lurched as he tried to find her mouth once more. She heard the thundering of horse hooves followed by the door crashing open. Suddenly, Cassius’s weight vanished. Tabitha gasped for air, pressing herself tightly against the wall as Cassius fell to the floor. Matthew placed himself between Tabitha and Cassius, towering over the fallen man.

Just then, Bridgette and the modiste emerged from the back. Bridgette gasped, and the modiste let out a shout of surprise. The door opened again, and Lady Miriam edged against the wall, her eyes wide.

“Did he hurt you?” Matthew asked without looking at her.

“No,” Tabitha replied. “No, you arrived at just the right time.”

Matthew curled his hands into fists. “I thought I made myself clear. You were to stay away from Tabitha.”

Cassius stumbled to his feet, taking an awkward step back. “You cannot make demands of me! You may be a duke, but I am of the ton, too. How do you think everyone will feel at having witnessed such disgraceful behaviour from you?”

“My disgrace?” Matthew asked, laughing darkly. “What about you? I have made it clear that I do not appreciate you harassing my wife. I suggest that you leave her be and never approach me again.”

“Or what? You will punch me again?” Cassius asked, smirking. “Do you see who you have married, Tabby Cat? A brute who beats other men when they say something remotely disagreeable! Is that who you wish to be wed to?”

Tabitha clenched her jaw. She did not know what Cassius hoped to gain with this strategy, for nothing he could say would make her prefer him to Matthew, who had swooped in like some romantic hero and flung Cassius away from her. Tabitha’s heart lodged in her throat.

She scarcely dared to breathe, her hopes running rampant. He was here for her—not for the Duchess of Hillsburgh. But why was he there for her? Surely, he had not come all this way just to tell her that he had decided to annul their marriage and remain with Her Grace, had he?

“Is it?” Cassius demanded.

Tabitha sensed everyone looking at her, and while she might have otherwise felt embarrassed or anxious, she did not at that moment. Instead, she kept her head high and her eyes fixed firmly on Cassius’s bruised face. “Yes, he is,” she said. “I agree with him. I do not wish to see you, and it would be best for you if you would leave us be.”

Cassius’s eyes darted over the other women in the room, and there was not a friendly face to be found. Even the modiste, who did not know all that had transpired between Cassius, Tabitha, and Matthew, gazed at him with trepidation.

“You will regret this day,” Cassius said.

“No,” Matthew replied. “You will, and if you ever come near my wife again, you will not survive the encounter. I will not just beat you; I will kill you. I will demand satisfaction, we will duel, and I will win. And if you refuse my challenge or try to flee to the Continent, I will find you.”

Cassius’s face paled, his pallor grotesque against the bruises of his face. “You would not,” he said without conviction.

“I can assure you that I would,” Matthew replied. “I have heard it said that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but I can assure you that my fury would be far greater than anything you have ever imagined, Lord Fatherton. Leave before I make you.”

Cassius audibly gulped and unevenly, gracelessly limped to the door. Only then did Tabitha allow herself to really breathe.

“What just happened?” the modiste asked.

“I think,” Bridgette said, “that His and Her Grace will need some time to themselves. Perhaps we ought to afford them some privacy. I do recall seeing a lovely bolt of silk that warranted a closer look.”

“I have also been contemplating a new gown,” Lady Miriam said. “I need something that draws the eye.”

Bridgette gave Tabitha a knowing look, which she was not entirely sure how to interpret. As the three women wandered further into the shop, Matthew at last turned to look at Tabitha. “I did not want his attention,” Tabitha said.

Matthew cast her an odd smile. “Quite frankly, it would not matter if you did. You are my wife, Tabby Cat, and I do not feel inclined to share you with anyone.”

Tabitha swallowed hard. Her heart thundered against her ribs, and she scarcely dared to believe what he was saying. Matthew had called her his wife. Even after Her Grace had returned, Matthew had called her his wife. What had happened to the Duchess of Hillsburgh, though? Tabitha was terrified to ask, but she knew that she surely must. She twisted her hands in the skirts of her gown, and Matthew’s eyes flickered down. He seemed to have noticed her fidgeting.

“Are you anxious?” he asked gently. “You do not need to be. If anyone ought to be anxious, surely, it is I. When Rosemary arrived, you asked if I wanted you to leave. No, you assumed I wanted you to leave, and I did not ask you to stay. I should have, Tabby Cat. I should never have let you leave that townhouse, feeling as though I might choose another woman.”

“But you had every reason to,” Tabitha said. “You spent twelve years searching for her, longing for Her Grace’s presence.”

“’You are Her Grace,” he said.

“You know who I mean,” Tabitha argued. “The Duchess.”

“Again, that is you.” He took a step towards her, standing nearly as close as Cassius had, but Tabitha felt no urge to recoil from his presence. Instead, a delightful tremor of energy surged through her. He had come to the modiste for her. She stared into his green eyes, the colour of life itself, and her fingers ached to touch his dark hair. Tabitha wanted him to wrap his strong arms around her and assure her that he loved her and that they would be together forever, but she was terrified to ask the one question that might drive a knife between them. What about Rosemary?

“I am here now,” Matthew said, “and I want you. I love you. I wanted to be with you always and see who we can be without Rosemary lingering like a ghost between us.”

“But Rosemary,” Tabitha said. “What about her? What happened to her? I know that you love her so much, and if you are happy with Rosemary, I could never ask you to remain married to me.”

Matthew did not answer, at least not with words. He leaned forward and kissed Tabitha fully on the mouth. She started at the unexpected contact, but slowly, she relaxed. She twined her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Tabitha drank him in, the sight and scent of him. He had pulled Cassius away from her and thrown him across the floor. He wanted her. Tabitha felt as if she were floating in the air, as if nothing could ever ruin the splendid moment where she and Matthew were reunited and kissing and together–

Nothing except Rosemary. Tabitha remembered how Matthew had appeared when he saw Rosemary in the dining hall, and she remembered how he had embraced and kissed her. She pulled back and pressed her hands against Matthew’s chest, even as her heart ached to push him away.

“Matthew, wait.”