Page 85 of Courting Claudia

That sat in silence for a good while until she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Tell me, Father, how are the arguments going for the new policy you’re trying to pass.”

He stiffened. “Did he tell you to ask me that?”

“What?”

“That’s why he married you.” He pointed at her. “Mark my words, girl. He married you to try to dig up information about me.”

“That’s absurd,” Claudia countered.

“Political stories, he wants them for his paper. You’ll see. That’s why he came sniffing around you in the first place.”

“For your information,” Claudia said, “I went sniffing around him, if you insist on such crude language. I introduced myself to him, not the other way around.”

“What are you talking about?”

She eyed Derrick, who sat silently watching their discussion. This was as good a time as any to break the news to her father. She didn’t want to keep it a secret anymore. She wanted him to know she was a paid illustrator.

Squaring her shoulders, she looked directly at him. “I went to see him to resign from my position with the paper.”

“What position?”

Derrick grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Her husband believed in her; she could do this. She could tell her father the truth. He couldn’t do anything to her now.

“I am an illustrator for London’s Illustrated Times.”

“A damned good one too,” Derrick piped in.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him.

“Impossible,” her father spat.

“What’s impossible? My holding a paying position without your knowledge or my having the ability to be an illustrator?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t get cheeky with me, girl. How could you have kept this from me?”

She shrugged. “You saw what you wanted to see. It really wasn’t that difficult to hide. Only recently did I become nervous you would discover me, which is why I went to resign. That, and I knew I couldn’t continue once I married Richard. But now that I’ve married Derrick, I can retain my position.”

“This is ludicrous.”

“I had hoped you might be proud,” she said softly. “I’m quite accomplished.”

“Proud? You thought I’d be proud? Proud of my daughter selling her services like a common whore? No, I’m not proud. I am a viscount, Claudia, and the former chancellor of finance. No daughter of mine would have a paying position. Especially one working for a man like him.”

He stood and slammed his cane down onto the floor. “You’ve always been such a disappointment to me, and now this. Have you no consideration for me? No, of course not. You were so blinded that a man could actually want you, that you did anything and everything to encourage the relationship.”

There, he’d said it. Her worst fear put into words right here in front of Derrick. And she hated her father for saying it. She didn’t dare look at Derrick for fear of seeing the truth of her father’s words in his eyes. She had been blinded by his desire for her. Had allowed him to seduce her with kisses and love words, until she’d been ruined and forced to marry.

“To marry a man like this.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Lowly born, unmannered, and clearly using you to further his career. A commoner only allowed in our circles because of his aunt and his money. If not for that, he’d be no different than the beggars on the street.”

For him to degrade her was one thing, but she would not stand for him to talk so disrespectfully of her husband. She stood. “That is enough. I will listen to no more of this. From this day forward, you are not to say another disparaging word about my husband or our marriage. If you cannot adhere to that, then we might as well say our good-byes now, because I will not be back. I’m not asking you to like him or even accept him, but you will not speak poorly of him in my presence anymore. Is that understood?”

She did not wait for a response, but rather took hold of Derrick’s hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Let’s go home.”

He only nodded.

“Claudia! Claudia, you cannot walk out on me.” Her father’s words trailed behind her as she marched down the hall, Derrick in tow.