Page 97 of Courting Claudia

She had to play this right, or her father would shoot Derrick. No matter if the gun was aimed at her or not, Derrick was the one in danger.

It was up to her to save him.

“Papa, listen to me. I see now that Derrick’s story is full of lies. You were right. He married me to get to you. I understand that now.” She kept her focus on her father’s face, not wanting to see how her words affected Derrick. She reached one hand out. “Give me the gun.”

He shook the pistol. “I’ll kill you, girl. Don’t play games with me.”

“I’m not. Trust me. I should have listened to you and never married him. He’s beneath us, not worthy of being associated with your good name.” She took a step toward him, clutching the article tighter to keep her hands from shaking. “It’s all lies, Papa, I know it is. I know you didn’t blackmail anyone, and you didn’t embezzle that money. And I know that you’re not capable of murdering anyone. Isn’t that right?”

She waited for him to answer. Sweat rolled like beads down his forehead. He glanced at Derrick and then back to her. It felt as though her heart were splintering. Regardless of her father’s horrible deeds and Derrick’s betrayal, she still loved them both.

“Tell me you’re not capable of murder, Papa. Then I can know your side of the story is true.”

He came around the desk toward her, all the while keeping the gun aimed at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Derrick move toward her as well. She took a step closer to the fire and held the article near the flames. Both men moved closer. To the article, not her, she reminded herself.

And then in a brief second, both men were upon her. Derrick grabbed her and pulled her out of the way, while her father snatched the parchment from her hands. Derrick tackled her father, knocking him to the ground.

The gun slid across the floor.

“Find me something to tie him up with, then call for the magistrate,” Derrick said.

She took one last look at her father and finally recognized the nagging feeling in her gut. Pity.

Derrick and Claudia had managed to keep her father controlled until the magistrate arrived and then answered a string of questions once they had. They hadn’t spoken to each other since the authorities had taken her father. Now, on their way home, the darkness of the carriage surrounded her, and she could scarcely see her husband’s form sitting across from her.

Claudia’s mind swam with thoughts, trying to grasp all that had occurred in the span of one day. Her marriage was a charade, and her father, whom she’d spent her entire life trying to please, was a criminal.

Without him to trust, she felt as if she had no one. This morning, she’d trusted her husband and believed he trusted her as well, but now they would have to start all over again. Unless their marriage couldn’t be repaired. How could she stay with a man who neither loved her nor trusted her?

It was evident that he cared for her. He’d at least shown that he was concerned for her safety, and she was grateful. But she loved him, and she could no longer ignore those feelings.

Her heart pounded so loudly, she was certain he could hear it. But regardless of her nerves, they had to talk; there were things she had to know.

“Derrick?”

“Yes?” His voice was soft with a hint of a question.

“I’m trying to understand everything that has occurred today, and I need your help with some of it.” She tried to remain calm, but the myriad of emotions flowing through her blood made it an impossibility. “Can you please tell me how you thought it was acceptable to investigate my father and print an article about his crimes, without even once mentioning any of it to me?”

“You weren’t supposed to see that article.” He sounded tired, defeated.

“I gathered that much. But wouldn’t I have noticed when it appeared in your paper?”

He closed the small distance between them and sat beside her. She felt him hesitate a moment, then he reached for her hands. He clasped his large hands around her smaller ones and shrouded them in warmth. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend for a moment that all would be well. But the sick feeling in her stomach questioned his every movement, every motive.

“I had no intention of actually printing it in the paper,” he said. “I only wrote it to frighten your father. A few days ago I asked him to leave town, told him I wouldn’t bring this to the authorities if he’d leave quietly. I wanted you safe. I needed to know you would be safe. I felt with him out of our lives for good, you would be. But your father refused to leave, so I penned the article and planned to send it to him as confirmation.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but he put a finger to her lips. “Wait, let me finish. Today when I knew you’d seen those words, seen the accusations I’d made against your father without talking to you and informing you that I even had such information, I didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed to get to you, to explain, before you thought the worst of me. I’ve never cared much for what people think of me, Claudia, but I couldn’t live with you thinking the worst of me.”

While she couldn’t see his face clearly, she knew his eyes were pleading with her. She felt nothing but honesty and sorrow coming from him. He had wanted her safe. He’d done this for her, not for his career. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she fought the urge to throw her arms around his neck.

“The truth of the matter is I love you, Claudia. I don’t know exactly how it happened, and it scares the hell out of me, but I can’t seem to make it go away.” He cradled her face. “God, tonight when I almost lost you, I didn’t think I could go on. Nor would I want to.

“Every morning when I wake up, I smile, knowing you’re there next to me. That you’ll be there when I get home. I want to tell you everything. It killed me to keep this from you, but I didn’t feel as if I could tell you until I had absolute proof of your father’s guilt.”

He took a ragged breath before he continued. “I didn’t want you to go and question him. I knew he’d hurt you. I tried to make the situation disappear without you knowing. Despite the wretched way he’s treated you, I know you love him. I didn’t want to be the one responsible for destroying the way you saw him. Can you understand that?”

She swallowed, trying to fight the tears, then gave up and let them go. “I’m sorry I doubted you. It’s just that all my life I’ve doubted myself, doubted that I knew what was right for me. With you, though, I’ve felt more confidence. You’ve freed me to trust myself. Then when I found that article, it seemed that everything I believed about us was false.”