Page 81 of Courting Claudia

“Ill?” His voice was louder than necessary considering she was right next to him. His breath reeked of brandy. “No, I’m not ill.” He dropped his glass, and the contents splashed onto her dress before seeping into the carpet. He grabbed both her arms and shook her. “You’ve deserted me.”

“No, I haven’t.” She peeled his hands off her and took a seat in the chair across from him. She needed distance, from the stench and from his forceful touch. “I got married, that’s all. I’m still here for you.”

“You chose that bastard over me. I told him he couldn’t marry you. But you did it anyway. Didn’t you care that I didn’t want you to marry him?”

“Father, I had to. If I hadn’t married him, my reputation would have been ruined. You wouldn’t have wanted that.”

He swiped his hand through the air. “Pah. We could have sent you to the country for a few years, then you could have returned, and no one would have even remembered.”

“It’s over and done with. I’m married to Derrick.”

He reached across and grabbed her knee. “You must leave him, Claudia. He’s a dangerous man. You’ve got to leave him and come back home. I can protect you.”

What was the matter with him? She knew Derrick, and Derrick wasn’t dangerous. Of course, she’d thought she knew Richard too, and she’d been dreadfully wrong. But still, this was her husband. He wasn’t dangerous. “You’re talking crazy. Derrick isn’t dangerous, and I can’t leave him. He’s my husband.” With all their lovemaking, she could very well be carrying his child right now, but she left that out.

“Who will take care of me?”

“Father, you’ve always taken care of yourself. You’ve never needed me.” She’d never seen him like this. So defeated, so…pathetic.

“I never needed you because you were always there. But now you’re gone.”

“I would have been gone had I married Richard. I would not have stayed here with you.”

“Yes, but Richard would not have controlled you. This Middleton, he’ll try to control you.”

Now, that was rich. What he really meant was that he controlled Richard, and therefore would have continued his control over her. That’s what this was about. It was killing him that he didn’t have any more say in how she lived her life. She stood.

“Where are you going?”

“You need a bath. It will make you feel better. And I’ll have the cook make some strong coffee. It will get the drink out of your body. I’ll be right back.”

She came back and found him half sitting, half lying on the sofa. “Stand up. I’ll help you upstairs.” She’d never before spoken to her father with such force, such charge. It felt neither good nor bad, merely necessary under the current situation.

She lifted him to a standing position, and he leaned so heavily on her, she thought she might fall. She steadied herself and walked into the hallway.

“You must leave him, Claudia. He killed Richard.”

The hair at the nape of her neck prickled and she shivered. “What did you say?”

“Richard. Didn’t you know? He was murdered. And I think your husband did it.”

He wasn’t merely drunk, he was experiencing delusions. He’d better hope it was only delusions because she’d hate to have to confront him on an actual accusation of her husband. That was more than even she could take. But clearly her father was not in his right mind.

Because Derrick wasn’t capable of murder. He was a kind and honest man. Well, mostly honest. She shook off the doubt. No, her father was completely mad for saying such a thing.

“That’s preposterous. Derrick has been with me since our wedding. There would have been no time for him to go and murder someone. Besides, had he done so, surely I would be able to tell by his behavior. A person who could do such a heinous thing can’t very well live normally, pretending all is right with the world. Surely it was a burglar.”

“What would a burglar steal from Richard? He was poor as a street urchin.”

“Perhaps there was nothing to steal, and the thief was angered, and that is why he killed poor Richard.”

“I think you know it was that rotten husband of yours, and you’re trying to protect him.”

“That’s nonsense.”

They made it to his room, and his valet was already there readying the bath.

“Father, this bath will make you feel more like yourself. Then you need to get some rest and make sure you eat something. Baubie tells me you haven’t been eating properly.”