Unmasking the Duke's Mistress (Gentlemen of Disrepute #1)(45)

Father and son played together until Arabella knew that Archie was getting tired and overexcited.

‘It will soon be time for dinner, Archie. You must say farewell to Dominic for now and go and get washed and changed.’

‘But, Mama,’ groaned Archie, ‘we are not finished playing the horses game.’

‘Dominic will come back another day to play with you.’

‘Please, Mama,’ Archie pleaded.

‘You must do as your mama says,’ said Dominic and, lifting Archie to his feet, rose to stand by his son’s side. ‘I will see you again soon.’

‘Tomorrow?’ Archie took hold of Dominic’s hand and looked up at him.

‘Yes, tomorrow,’ said Dominic and ruffled Archie’s hair.

Archie smiled. ‘And we will play the horses game?’

Dominic smiled too, in exactly the same way. ‘We will play the horses game.’

‘I like you, Dominic.’

‘I like you too, Archie.’

Arabella’s lips pressed tight to control the swamp of emotion.

She took Archie away to the large bedroom next to her own that had, at Dominic’s instruction, been transformed overnight into a nursery. Mrs Tatton sat in there reading, having resisted all persuasions to even be in the same room as Dominic. Her face was sullen as she set the book down and took Archie from her daughter. And when Arabella tried to speak, her mother turned away and would not listen.



By the time Arabella returned to the drawing room Dominic was staring down into the empty fireplace deep in thought. He did not look round until she had closed the door.

There was a poignancy about him, and both an anger and something that looked like disappointment that shadowed his eyes. The very air seemed thick with the tragedy of what might have been.

The question, when it came, hit her harder than she had expected.

‘Why did you hide Archie from me, Arabella?’

‘You know why, Dominic. I believed the worst of you.’

‘Even so, what man, even a scoundrel as you believed me, does not have a care for his own son? You should have told me.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Hell, Arabella, he is my son! Did you not think I had a right to know?’

Deep in the pit of her stomach was guilt and regret. ‘I did not think your right important beside that of protecting Archie.’

‘Protecting him from me? Damnation, Arabella what did you think I would have done to him?’ He looked tortured.

‘All of London names you a rake, Dominic, a man who takes what he wants without a care. You are rich and powerful, a duke. I am poor, without connection. You found me in a bordello. I feared you would take him from me.’ She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear even the thought. ‘He is only just five years old, Dominic, a little boy. He needs love, not to be raised by strangers who do not care for him any further than the wage they are paid.’

‘I would never have taken him from you.’

‘I did not know that.’

‘All those times I came here, all those times we made love, and all the while you had our son hidden up in the attic!’

She gasped. ‘You make it sound something it was not! I love Archie. I would lay down my life to protect him. Yes, I sold myself for his sake, but you, Dominic Furneaux, are the man who bought me. So do not dare to stand there in judgement of me!’

‘If you had told me of Archie it would have changed every thing.’

‘What would it have changed, Dominic?’ she cried. ‘That you paid Mrs Silver to have sex with me? That you bought me from her? That you made me your mistress?’

He winced at her words as if it pained him to hear them. But she could not stop; she wanted him to understand.

‘I believed you a man who had taken my virginity and my trust and broken my heart. I believed you a man that left me at nineteen, ruined, unmarried and disgraced. A man who was willing to buy me—to use me for his own selfish pleasure.’

Her eyes raked his. ‘Would you have me hand Archie over to such a man? Someone I did not trust? Someone with whom I was so angry and did not even like? A man I thought to be ruthless and selfish and arrogant and capable of inflicting such hurt. What kind of mother would that have made me to our son, Dominic?’

‘I understand your reasons, Arabella, but—’

‘There are no “buts”, Dominic.’ She needed him to know. ‘I did what I had to for Archie’s sake. I will always do what I have to, to protect him, no matter what you say.’

They looked at one another.

‘Would you ever have told me had not the truth come out?’

Would she?

‘I do not know,’ she said honestly. ‘I felt matters were changing between us. I found that in spite of everything I believed of you that I still had…feelings for you. That perhaps it might have been the same for you.’ The words hung awkwardly in the air between them and she wished that she had not said them. Her pride was still too delicate and she did not want it crushed. She turned away, but Dominic took hold of her and pulled her round to face him.

‘I never stopped having feelings for you, Arabella,’ he said and there was such a strength and determination in his words that she could feel it in the grip of his hands. ‘For all that I said in my bitterness, never think it was otherwise.’ He brushed his lips against her forehead.