Page 71 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

And that said nothing for how surely Violet hurt too… for her to have done this, she must have felt that she had no other option. Another person he cared for, broken and brought to ruin, and all because Rhys was exactly as he knew himself to be.

This was his fault… he would never change… and it took him hurting two more people in his life to realize it.

I truly am my father.

Twenty-Six

It was an awkward state of affairs that fell upon Ashmere Hall the day after Violet left. Awkward, if not expected.

Lucy was distraught, and while she did not seem to fully understand what had happened, she also seemed to realize that it was Rhys’ fault. Violet had abandoned her and the only reason that she could have done so was because of him.

She refused to go anywhere near him, and when he got too close, she started to scream and kick, leaving Rhys no choice but to retreat. No longer the shy little girl who he had once known, she was now possessed of a raging temperament, and Rhys was the one she directed it at.

“Please, Lucy…” He stood in the doorway of the nursery, begging her to come to him. “Let us go outside and play.”

“No!” She was in the corner, her expression was rabid, and when he dared to step his foot into the room, she reared back and opened her mouth to scream.

Rhys winced and pulled his foot from the room. “Are you hungry?”

“No!”

“Perhaps a bath?”

“No! I want Mama!”

Rhys was a patient man. He liked to think that he had what it took to weather the storm of a child’s rage. But for hours now, Lucy had screamed and cried and shouted so that his ears rang and his head throbbed.

And it was not that he was angry at how Lucy acted—of course not! Any anger felt was for himself, as well as Violet.

Oh yes, Rhys was not willing to accept that this was his fault completely. As far as he was concerned, Violet had abandoned them both, and Lucy’s pain and misery were her doing. It was, after all, the only way that he could make himself feel better.

What he wanted was to be able to go to Lucy and hold her. What he wanted was to be able to explain what had happened and why. Not that I fully understand it either! What he wanted most of all was to be able to comfort his daughter, and for her to comfort him, because as much as she was hurting, so was he.

He needed her… God, how he did.

But Lucy was a child; she blamed Rhys for what happened, and that was not going to change unless Rhys figured out a way to reach her. But how would he do that? He was at a loss.

“Would you like me to try?” Mr. Marrow stood over his shoulder.

Rhys’ shoulders slumped. “I would, but then I might grow jealous.” He laughed bitterly. “That she would rather be around you than me… How can I explain to her that this is not my fault?”

“Time is what is needed,” Mr. Marrow sighed. “She will come to realize it eventually, just as she will come to understand that you love her and want what is best, Your Grace.”

“Will she though?”

“She knows that you love her, and that you will look out for her. She just needs time to adjust.”

As do I…

It had only been a few hours since Rhys learned of Violet’s leaving, and he was yet to come to terms with how he truly felt. Those hours since were spent trying to coax Lucy into his arms, a waste he now realized, leaving him lost and confused and unsure how to proceed.

He ought to have been happy that Violet had left. Was that not what he wanted? Was that not what he told Sebastian he would force, should she make him? Violet had acted while Rhys had hesitated, and she had made the hard decision for him.

Alas, as was so often the case, things were not that easy.

Rhys did not want Violet to go because he felt nothing for her. In fact, the complete opposite was true. It was because he cared for her, because of his feelings, that he pushed her away. And now that she was gone… I feel her absence not just in this home, but in my chest.

But why had she left? That was what Rhys could not grapple with.