Page 73 of The Duchess’ Second Chance

“Do you think I’m putting her in danger?” He was still scanning the room, looking for any sign of either one of them.

“It isn’t that,” Nathaniel said. “Obviously once we have them in sight we’ll know that there isn’t any danger. But how can you permit another man to talk to your wife, knowing that he wished to marry her so recently? He isn’t someone who can be trusted. You don’t worry that he might try to change her mind?”

“Amanda knows her own mind far better than anyone else,” Sampson said. “I don’t fear someone else changing it for her, and I also know that she isn’t likely to remain fixed because I happen to be present. If she walks away from a conversation wishing to be married to Lord Oakwell, then she should be.”

“There’s not a chance in the world that she wants that,” Dorothy said firmly. “I know my friend. Besides, if she wanted Lord Oakwell, she could have married him right from the start, but she chose not to. She isn’t going to change her mind now just because he’s come to a party that he wasn’t even invited to.”

“Let’s just find them.” Sampson felt an itch at the base of his spine, one he couldn’t ignore. Regardless of Amanda’s feelings for him, he couldn’t abide the thought that she was alone with a man he didn’t trust. He had to make sure that nothing unsafe was happening.

“Dorothy and I will search the upstairs rooms,” Nathaniel suggested. “And you look for her down here.”

Sampson nodded. “That way, if you find her, you can stay and make sure she’s safe and send Dorothy back to fetch me.”

“Exactly,” Nathaniel concurred. He clapped Sampson firmly on the shoulder. “I’m sure everything is going to be all right,” he said. “Never fear, Sampson. We’ll find her quickly enough.”

He and Dorothy disappeared in the direction of the stairs, leaving Nathaniel on his own.

He looked around the room, nerves alight. She had to be somewhere, of course, but there was no sign of her. He grabbed a passing gentleman. “Have you seen my wife?”

He didn’t know the man by sight, but his scandal must have been enough to make him recognizable, for the man nodded. “The duchess was on the garden path,” he said. “I think she was speaking to someone, just outside the door. They’ve likely come back in by now.”

Sampson didn’t think so, somehow. The unease within him escalated to full fear, and he hurried off toward the door that led to the garden without thanking the man.

The path was empty. No one was here, and there was no sign that anyone had been. He could hear no voices. Still, the unease persisted, and he felt as if he had to investigate things. He started down the path, hoping that he wasn’t making the wrong decision by moving away from the house…and yet, at the same time, hoping that he was. Because if Amanda was out here with Lord Oakwell, it was unlikely to mean anything good.

“You watch your mouth!” a man’s voice rang out, and Sampson froze momentarily.

Then a sharp crack echoed through the night, and Sampson broke into a run, moving as quickly as he could in the direction of the sound.

It didn’t take long to find them. They were standing several feet apart from each other, both of their faces flushed. At the sight of Lord Oakwell, a violence tore through Sampson, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since his time at war. He marched over, grabbed the other man by the collar of his shirt, and shoved him back into the bushes.

“Did you strike her?” he demanded through gritted teeth. “Did you put your hands on her?”

“Let me go, you madman!” Oakwell shoved at Sampson ineffectually. “She struck me. She’s out of control. I can see why you’re trying to end your marriage to her!”

“What?” His blood chilled. Hadn’t they agreed they weren’t going to talk about that tonight? He turned toward Amanda.

Her face was hot. “He’s telling the truth,” she said, eyes blazing. “I did strike him. And I would do it again. He dragged me out here against my will and spoke to me in a highly inappropriate manner, and when I tried to leave, he attempted to stop me. I would fight back against any man who tried to restrain me physically.”

“If she’s telling the truth, you ought to be arrested,” Sampson snarled at Oakwell, fury coursing through him. “What do you mean, you dragged my wife out here against her will? What was your purpose?” He held up a hand. “If you value your life, don’t speak it aloud. You and I both know that a decent gentleman could have no reason to do what you’ve done tonight, and I would love nothing more than to give you a beating for it. Don’t give me an excuse to do so.”

“Sampson.” Amanda’s voice trembled. “We should go. There’s no reason for us to be here. We should just go home.”

Sampson shoved Oakwell off of him with such force that the other man staggered backward, tripped over his feet, and fell right down onto the path.

Sampson pointed in his face. “Don’t you try to stand up,” he growled. “You stay right there until the duchess and I are gone. If you don’t, it isn’t going to go well for you, I promise you that. But you let us walk away without any further trouble, and you never darken our doorstep again, and in return I will maintain a distance from you. Our paths need not cross. We need never speak again in this lifetime.”

Oakwell’s face was dark, his teeth bared. “You’re really going to believe her word over mine?” he demanded. “She’s a liar, Mortridge. She lied about marrying me in the first place.”

“I never did,” Amanda fired back. “Your agreement was with my father. No one asked me if I would accept that marriage, and if they had asked, I would not have lied. I never wanted to be married to you.”

“Of course, I believe what my wife tells me,” Sampson said firmly. “She has no reason to lie to me about this.” It was true, he realized. There was nothing Amanda could say in this moment that he would not take at face value. For all the difficulties the two of them had encountered—and there were plenty of those, to be sure—trust was not in short supply.

For that, I am grateful. And it’s something I haven’t appreciated nearly as much as I should, because I can talk to her now. That’s what I should have done all along. I should never have tried to avoid the discomfort of our current situation. I should have just spoken to her.

“Come home with me, Amanda,” he said quietly.

She nodded.