“He?” I choked, fire burning in my belly.
“Your father.”
Yes. My father. Bloomin’ hell, I was on the verge of madness. “He’s doing much better, thank you.”
“I am happy to hear that. He is a good man.”
Not only was he good, he was wise as well.When she went to remove her hand, I caught her fingers. Instead of pulling away, she scooted closer, spilling crumbs from her lap all over the rug.
“May I ask you something?” she whispered, her eyes fixed on our joined hands.
“Of course.”
She turned my hand over to trace the skin at the underside of my wrist. Her lips lifted in a slight smile. Her full, pouty lips. “Where have you been sleeping?”
“On a dreadfully uncomfortable chair in my father’s chambers.”
Her gaze darted to mine before returning to my wrist. “Oh . . .”
Bare feet peeked from beneath her shift as she inched closer, her bent knees now firmly against my outstretched leg. She’d always had dainty feet.
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s silly.” She set my hand in her lap to collect the wine and down three quick swallows, grimacing when she set it aside. Then she took my hand to resume her exploration, tugging the hem of my glove a little higher, exposing the wound she’d healed. My palms weren’t as mangled as the backs of my hands, but the thick scar tissue had left me with little sensation. Somehow, I could feel every swipe of her nail as she traced not only the scar but the lines in my palm as well.
I didn’t care how silly it was, I wanted to know. Desperately. “Tell me anyway.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with her exaggerated sigh. “When you didn’t come back, I thought perhaps you found somewhere else to stay.”
“I did. With my father.” I’d already said that, hadn’t I?
Her hair spilled across her chest when she shook her head. The tie at her waist had come loose, leaving the front of her robe hanging open. Lace covered the top of her shift. I longed to trace the deep V at the front the way she traced my palm.
“I cannot believe you’re forcing me to say this aloud,” she muttered, her finger stilling. “I assumed you’d been sleeping with someone else, you fool.”
“On our wedding night?” I choked.
She buried her face in her hands, muffling her groan. “I told you it was silly, didn’t I?”
It wasn’t silly. It was sad. She truly thought the worst of me.
I drew her hands away, waiting for her eyes to lock with mine. “Allow me to make something perfectly clear: When we exchanged vows, I meant every promise I made. To honor and cherish you. And to remain faithful. I hope that in time you will see it for yourself.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she pulled free of my grasp. “I want to see the goodness in you, but all I see is a man who thinks I am a monster.”
“I don’t think you’re a monster.”
“Maybe not anymore, but you did.”
“I never—”
“Deny it all you want, but I heard you with my own ears. You told Alrec I was nothing more than a hideous monster trying to weasel her way to a throne.”
My heart stuttered to a stop.
Dammit. How in the hell had she heard me? My brother and I had been alone. I’d made sure of it. That night I’d said such vicious, slanderous things. Had she heard them all?
“If my brother thought for a second that I wanted you, he would have stopped at nothing to take you from me.” It didn’t matter what it was. Toys, treats, friends—if I had it, Alrec wanted it to be his and his alone. “I would’ve done anything to have you as my bride, including calling you terrible names that couldn’t be further from the truth.” I’d hoped that he wouldn’t pursue her, leaving her to me. In the end, it didn’t matter. She’d chosen him, sealing both our fates.