Page 74 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

But he was stubborn. He was determined to prove himself right. And most of all, he was scared. Now that he knew that Violet did not hate him, it somehow made it all worse. If he apologized and she came back, what then? How could he welcome her back into his life if he would only hurt her in the long run?

No, this is for the best. It might not seem like it right now, but I must believe it.

Rhys ended up leaving Rose and Lucy alone on the steps. He could not bring himself to watch them, just as he hated being reminded of the very real fact that he would never have that relationship with Lucy.

He had adopted the little girl because he wanted to do the right thing, but Rhys should have known that wanting to do the right thing and doing it were two completely different things. Once before, years ago, he had tried that, and it had ended in misery. So why would this time be any different?

Twenty-Seven

“Itold you I did not want you to see him!” Violet exclaimed at Rose. “I told you specifically!”

“And I heard you,” Rose said, unconcerned by her sister’s tirade. “But I did it anyway.”

Violet looked with bewilderment at Rose. “Why? What possible reason did you have?”

“I wished to see how he was handling your departure,” Rose said with a shrug. “And before you say that you do not care, please do me the courtesy of not lying to my face. I know that you wish for details, so the sooner that you admit as much, the sooner I can give them to you.”

Violet had woken that morning in as foul a mood as she could ever remember.

It was different to how she used to feel on the days when everything seemed to be stacked against her. When their father had passed on, when the bills started to arrive, and when Violet became desperate to find a way to keep her and Rose’s heads above water… it had been hard, it had been stressful, but it was a far cry from the feelings that found her on that first morning.

In those days, she was angry, depressed, but also determined. As hard as things had been, she had always put on a brave face because she needed to believe that she would find a way through.

Today, however, it just wasn’t the same.

She woke to a feeling in her stomach as if her insides were being torn apart. She was not tired, but she had no energy in her body. It was all she could do to drag herself from bed, and even that took hours because she had nowhere to be, nothing to do, and no purpose.

Did I make a mistake? Ought I to return and apologize? Should I just admit I was wrong?

She worried about Lucy, and that was expected. Oh, how she hated to think about the little girl and what she surely felt to find Violet missing. That was hard to bear, and Violet writhed with agony as emotions flooded her that were crippling.

Worse still, she could not stop thinking about Rhys.

Despite everything, Violet did not hate Rhys. What was more, she knew that he did not hate her. His rejection of her was done for personal reasons. That misguided belief that he had no choice, and it was for the best. And as stubborn as he was, she was certain that, when he woke to find her gone, it would break him. Even if he would never admit it.

So, when she learned that Rose was nowhere to be found, it took little deducing to figure out the reason.

And then when Rose returned shortly before mid-morning, Violet swept from the house to confront her. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to accuse and shout and berate. But in the end, what she really wanted was answers.

“I…” The fight left Violet as Rose looked stubbornly at her. “How is he?” she asked weakly.

Rose’s smile was slight but satisfied. “He is as stubborn as you might imagine. He was determined to make it known that he was not upset that you left, as if saying the words would make it true.”

“Really?” Violet felt a pang in her chest.

“He was lying, Violet,” Rose sighed. “Anyone with eyes and ears could see that. I told him to his face that you do not hate him⁠—”

“What?”

“Well, do you?” Rose demanded with a raised eyebrow. “Ought I to have lied to him as well?”

“ —” Violet wanted to say that she did not care about Rhys, at least not in the way that Rose implied, but the words died on her tongue. “Hate is a strong word, Rose. Of course I do not hate him.”

“Nor do you resent him,” Rose continued. “I made it clear to him that what you did was not personal, but that it was done for Lucy’s sake. What was more, I might have suggested in a way that such things could be fixed if he wanted them to be.”

Violet winced. “I did not ask you to do that.”

“But I did it anyway.”