Page 84 of An Orphan for the Broken Duke

“I would like that.”

“As would I.”

There was no denying that it was awkward between them both. While there was a sense of comfort and familiarity, there was also a sense that they walked on eggshells. Desperate to keep the peace and not say the wrong thing, Violet could feel Rhys’ hesitancy, as she could feel her own.

It felt in some ways like a stand-off, with both waiting to see who would break first. She hoped it was him, because that would make things easier…

They walked through the house together, saying nothing.

Next, they stepped outside in the back garden, and Violet led the way onto the stone footpath that wound through the verdant grounds. It was a small garden compared to the one back at the estate, but it was still pretty, full of life, and it would certainly do for now.

As they walked, Rhys fell in step beside Violet, and she was brought back to that night after the ball. It was the last time that she and Rhys had spoken honestly, and she could not help but wonder if this would be a repeat of that night… Would it end with the same happiness, or would it end in tragedy?

“You said that Lucy is doing well?” As they walked, Violet looked ahead, daring small glances at Rhys as she did.

The smile that found his lips was one of pride. “She is. I’ll admit, that first day…” He grimaced. “It was not easy, Violet. But we were able to move past it, and I am pleased to say that she and I have never been closer.”

“I could not be happier to hear it, Rhys,” she said. “Truly. That you and she have been able to grow so close is all I wanted. And not just for her, but for you.”

“I know that, Violet.”

“I mean it,” she said with more force. “I know it has not been easy for you, as I know how much you struggle between what you think you must do and what you want to do. I hope that by now you have come to see that…” She laughed and shook her head. “That you have been able to find the joy in caring for someone, and not because you believe they need it, but because you need it too. If that makes sense.”

“More than you know,” he admitted. “I cannot help but remember that night you found me by Lucy’s cot, how I told you that I…” He hesitated, and she sensed him stiffen as they walked. “When I took Lucy in, I did it because I thought it would make me feel better. It was selfish of me⁠—”

“No,” she cut him off. “It was not selfish.”

“It was,” he affirmed. “But this past week, I have come to realize that what matters most is Lucy, and that she might be cared for and loved… that is what brings me joy.”

Violet continued to glance at Rhys as they walked, and she had no doubt that he was telling the truth. It was confirmation that she had done the right thing, even if it was the hardest thing that she had ever had to do.

“I feel I should apologize,” she started next. “For leaving the way I did. It was…” She looked away. “I did not want it to be like that, but I felt that it had to be.”

“I would be lying if I said I was not mad at you,” Rhys admitted. “But I understand why you did it. As always, you acted with the right intention…” He laughed. “Which is what I learned from.”

“You have no idea how hard it was for me.”

“I know it was…” Rhys started to slow down until he stopped. Violet noticed a moment later, and she turned to find him looking at her with sadness. Not judgment. Not dismissal. It was as if he understood the answer well enough but struggled to reason with it. “You did not have to leave as you did, Violet. I know that things between you and I were…” He trailed off awkwardly.

“I did not leave because of us, Rhys,” Violet said, even if it was only half true. “Always, it was for Lucy.”

“And now that Lucy’s future is assured,” he pressed gently. “You wished to prove that I might be able to care for her… to love her. Now that I have done that, what comes next?”

“Next?” Her heart started to beat quickly.

He continued to look at her as if trying to see through her words to the truth behind them. “The week before you left, I… I acted in a way that at the time I thought to be right, but I now realize it was not just wrong, but horrid. I dismissed you, and after I had…” He winced and looked down at his feet. “I have not forgotten what I said to you in the garden that night.”

Her heart beat so quickly that it hurt. And while Violet wanted to give herself over to those feelings that swirled within, because she knew what they meant, just as she knew where Rhys was going, she could not do so yet.

Again, there was the constant urge to do the right thing… even if it spelled out her doom.

“Nor have I,” she said, pushing down the urge to tell him how she felt. “And I will not lie, Rhys. That week was… it hurt. To be treated like that, and after the things you said⁠—”

“I was scared,” Rhys cut her off. “I… I was misguided. For so long, I believed that to accept someone into my life was to hurt them. That the only possible future for anyone whom I grew close with was pain and suffering. I felt it best that they should have nothing to do with me. That was the reason I acted that way.”

“I know.”

“But now…” He dared a smile, and she saw in his eyes the reflection of the words he was yet to speak. “I have changed, Violet, and you are the reason. And if you do not hate me for what I did…” He let the smile grow. “When Rose told me that you wished to see me, I wondered at the reason. In truth, I do not care, because I wanted to see you. It is I who wants⁠—”