She was in the parlour with her father, drinking tea, when he asked, ‘Regina, may I speak with you for a moment?’
‘Of course. Papa, will you excuse me?’
The earl nodded. In the past few days, his appearance had grown haggard, and he seemed to have weakened. Though Dalton had asked if Regina wanted him to summon a physician, she had declined.
He offered his arm, and she took it. There was tension in her demeanour, and as soon as they were alone, she asked, ‘What is it? Has someone arrived?’
‘No, not yet.’ He started to lead her outside, but she stopped walking.
‘Oh. Was there something else you needed from me?’
‘I wanted to spend time with you,’ he said. He put his hand upon the small of her back. ‘Let us speak outside, away from everyone else.’
She didn’t argue with him, and he took her hand in his. They walked past the estate grounds, well beyond the garden, until they reached the shores of the loch. The morning sunlight gleamed upon the silvery water, with only the slight movement of a fish breaking the surface. ‘You’ve been avoiding me, Regina.’
At that, she flushed. ‘How can you say that after last night?’
Although he didn’t want to fight with her, he needed to understand why she had withdrawn. ‘You barely speak to me during the day. Any time I’ve asked you to go riding or to walk the dog, you find a reason not to go. Have I done something to offend you?’
Remorse slid over her face, and she shook her head. ‘Not at all. I’m just...distracted right now.’
‘Is something wrong?’ The words escaped before he could stop them. ‘Do you no longer wish to be my wife?’
Her eyes filled up with tears, and she stared out at the loch. Her silence was damning, and it was as if she’d thrust an invisible dagger into his gut. He didn’t know what to say, not when she made no denial. For a long moment, he waited for her to speak, and when she did not, he asked, ‘And what if there is a child?’
‘There isn’t,’ she said softly. ‘My courses started this morning.’
But somehow the knowledge only seemed to widen the distance between them. He didn’t understand what had changed, beyond their intimacy.
‘Tell me what has changed since we became lovers,’ he said. ‘You owe me that much.’
A tear slid down her cheek. But still, she didn’t answer. He wanted to confront her, to demand the answers. But he did not want to risk frightening her.
‘Because you deserve better than this,’ she said. ‘I thought I could run away from my past, but now I see it isn’t possible. And I won’t do anything that could bring ruin to your life.’
He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. ‘You’re afraid,’ he accused. ‘Why? Is it because of your father?’
She turned her back. ‘Dalton, please let it be.’
‘I’m not afraid of anything he has done. Whatever it was, it’s over and done with. We will keep him confined to Cairnross. I can help your mother hire a land steward to look after Havershire. It will be all right.’
‘No. You don’t understand,’ she said, swiping at her tears. ‘If the Bow Street Runner has learned what happened the night I was attacked—if he knows that Mallencourt died at our house—it will all be over. There’s nothing we can do.’
He stared at her, at the raw fear in her eyes, and her refusal to consider seeking help from him. She had no faith in him to defend her family.
‘I need to leave, Dalton. I need to take my father and disappear.’
He was already shaking his head. ‘No. You’re not going anywhere.’
She was starting to stride away from him, but he caught her by the waist and pulled her into his arms. ‘I’ve waited years for you, Regina. And I’ll be damned if I’ll let you go.’
He captured her mouth, kissing her hard. But it was more than staking a claim upon her—it was the need to know whether she truly didn’t want him. He framed her face with his hands, trying to make her see how he loved her. ‘Trust me,’ he said against her lips. ‘I will guard you both.’
She did kiss him back, but he tasted the salt of her tears. She wound her arms around his neck, weeping silently as he kissed her. He softened his mouth against hers, and at last held her close.
‘Don’t go, Regina. Let me fight for you.’
But after he pulled back, he could see the doubt in her eyes. She kept his hand in hers and said, ‘Let’s go back home, Dalton.’
It wasn’t a yes—but it was the best he could get from her.
As they neared the house, he saw a coach stopped in front of the stairs. Regina stiffened at the sight of it, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
‘It’s him, isn’t it?’ she murmured.
‘We don’t know that yet.’ But he could tell from her posture that she didn’t believe it. They went inside, and MacLachor confirmed, ‘The Bow Street Runner has arrived, my lord. I bade him to wait in the parlour.’
Regina had gone utterly white, and he thanked the butler. To his wife, he said, ‘It will be all right. He may have news for us.’
‘I should have left yesterday,’ she murmured beneath her breath. ‘Now it’s too late.’
He squeezed her hand in reassurance, and when they entered the room, she remained at his side. The Bow Street Runner stood and greeted them. ‘Lord Camford, thank you for agreeing to see me.’
Dalton gave a nod and then said, ‘Lady Camford, may I
