The Contract Duchess, a Regency Romance: Key To My Heart Book 1

Chapter 29 - Derrick

Glaring at the papers on his desk was giving Derrick a headache. They covered most of the desk's dark polished walnut surface, sorted into neat stacks according to purpose and urgency. He had retreated to his own home early in the day to separate himself from his wife and brothers-in-law, hoping to use the distance to decide on a course of action. Instead, he had ended up collapsed in the armchair of his office, breathless from the short journey to the estate.

He had already opened and sorted most of the papers from his sickbed, relying on his staff to follow his instructions about the sorting. The various piles were just as he had directed, except for the single sheet set alone in the middle, closest to him, the paper that drew his gaze with a force he could not resist, though he never wished to see it again.

Across the top of the page in formal script appeared the words: Annulment Agreement.

Robert and Theo had presented him with the paper the evening before, just after his conversation with Angie. He slept fitfully afterward, mind racing with conflicting images.

Angie grinning up at him in his candlelit bedchamber, her dark hair fanned out over the pillow as he stroked her cheek, the creamy skin of her shoulders teasing him above the sheet tucked around her chest.

Children running and playing in the garden of his childhood home, their laughter echoing around him as he stood alone, a female figure leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, features indistinguishable in the shadows.

Angie's hand in his, wedding bands gleaming, fingers entwined.

Standing stiff-backed at the altar of a familiar chapel, a veiled woman at his side, his heart drowning in sorrow.

He had summoned a servant before dawn to prepare a carriage and help him dress. He sent the carriage back with a note under strict orders not to reveal the sender, and settled at his desk, determined to lose himself in his correspondence, and yet, here he sat.

He expected Will's imminent return from the errand he had insisted on as soon as he had alighted from the carriage. Along with the letter he had sent to Angie's family, the success of the errand would ensure his wife stayed distracted from the significance of the day. It was the least he could do.

As though his thoughts had conjured him, a sharp knock on the study door announced Will's return. Without waiting for approval, the butler bustled in with silent tread, closing the portal behind himself. The soft smile he gave Derrick both relieved him and made his heart twist in his chest. It was done.

"Thank you," he said softly, unable to keep a tremble from his voice.

"Of course, my lord. If I may, sir, I think some refreshment and rest are in order. You are not yet recovered from your illness, and you are quite pale. My father always said important decisions should never be made when one is drunk, hungry, or exhausted, and I do believe you fulfill the latter two qualifications at the moment. Come, I have your chamber readied with fresh sheets and a light meal. This business," he glanced pointely at the annulment agreement, "will wait until the afternoon, will it not?"

Derrick's gaze followed Will's, and after a breath, his shoulders drooped. Unable to summon words for his emotions, he nodded slowly and pressed his hands to the desk on either side of the page to stand. He swayed slightly, grunting with gratitude when Will deftly grabbed his elbow to steady him. Perhaps I can dream my way out of this bind, he thought as he allowed himself to be led out of the study. Perhaps I can find a way to preserve my dream with Angie.

– – –

Derrick cradled Angie close to him, her belly swollen with their child. The love bursting from his own heart was mirrored in her eyes, and he tilted his head toward hers, intent on pressing his lips to her mouth when a hand grasped his shoulder from behind and shook him. Grimacing, he shrugged his shoulder to dislodge the hand without looking to see who it was, but the grip of the fingers only tightened and shook him again. He turned his head to tell the blighter where to get off, and blinked at the bright light streaming through his uncovered bedchamber window.

Will's gaze punctured the confusion fogging his mind; he shook his head briskly, like a dog shaking off rainwater, to chase away the rest.

"I apologize for awakening you so abruptly, sir, but there is a parcel here from your wife, and I thought you might want to see it without delay."

Derrick ignored the soft way Will spoke of Angie, focusing instead on pushing himself up to lean against the headboard of the bed, unable to suppress a grunt at the effort the maneuver required. Once propped upright, he reached for the mentioned item.

It was folded just as a normal letter would be, but the weight of it told him it was unusual. He took care opening it wanting to be sure not to lose its contents in the bedclothes. He frowned at the ornate key he discovered inside, and set it on his lap before reading the letter.

The missive was short and signed with Angie's name. The neat handwriting showed no hesitation or weakness. He smiled; perhaps she was having a day of better health. He began to read.

His hand trembled as he retrieved the key from its resting place on top of the blankets. He gripped it tightly, staring at the details pressed into the black iron as though he might find something of great value there. His vision blurred with unshed tears, and he had to swallow a few times to force his heart down out of his throat.

How could he ever have thought he would be able to let her go? Did he truly value offspring over the woman he adored? Would he bandon her and their love for worldly goods that would be so much rubbish to him without her by his side? Bile rose in his throat now, knowing that he would be shattering not just her dreams, but his own, as well.

Holding the key to that cellar, his doubts and reluctance faded into determination and resolve. There was only one course of action that might mend every hurt, and he would have to make haste to see it done in time. The afternoon light was already beginning to fade.

"Will, I need my horse saddled, and send in my valet. I find that I have an urgent errand to attend to." He met the unspoken question in the butler's eyes with a grim smile. "I mean to complete the will's final demand tonight, or die trying."