Page 58 of Mad Duke March

“No. Everything is not forgiven,” he interrupted her swiftly. “But you’re a woman. I should have expected the lies and deceit.”

“I beg your pardon!”

“I don’t think I shall grant you the pardon.”

“Do you really have such a low opinion of women? As if men are perfect!”

“No, of course not,” he conceded easily. “I’ve obviously been disappointed by men, too. They are just… more direct. Women lie and cheat and sneak out in the middle of the night and leave their defenseless children alone and vulnerable.”

“What?” Emily was getting vertigo from the way their conversation whipped around at every turn. Not to mention that her husband didn’t seem to be listening to reason.

She didn’t get any further elaboration, because at that moment the carriage came to a stop.

Alec helped her out of the carriage and they made their way inside the house, her body still trembling from the unsettling conversation.

They were welcomed into the house and escorted to the parlor where the guests were gathering. But the moment they stepped inside, Alec stopped short in his tracks.

Emily glanced from her husband to the small group of people in the parlor. She recognized a couple of men as his friends when Sutton approached them with a gorgeous woman on his arm. The woman they had seen before at the theater.

Alec’s muscles tensed under Emily’s fingers, his breaths quickened—he was like a cat, ready to pounce.

The earl stopped before them and sketched a bow. “Lovely to see you here, Tyrone, Your Grace.” He turned to his companion. “Your Grace, have you been introduced to your daughter-in-law?”

Emily’s mouth opened wide as she looked from her husband to the woman before her. How had she not realized this before? The same green eyes, wide lips, and jet-black hair. Her husband was the spitting image of his mother.

The earl performed the introductions, as blood rushed into Emily’s head, pounding loudly. But before she could say a word, Alec disengaged his arm and stepped away. “I’ve lost my appetite,” he said, then turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Emily to stare after him.

Chapter Twenty-One

It took a long moment for Emily to realize that her husband had left her absolutely alone at his friend’s dinner party. In front of his friends and his mother.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, and she had to press a hand to her stomach to regulate her breathing.

Sutton turned and waved someone over, before excusing himself and following Tyrone.

Lucien Drake stepped toward Emily and sketched a bow. “A pleasure to meet you again. Would you like to join our conversation?” She was certain he said something else, but she couldn’t hear over the pounding in her head.

“Thank you. But I think I should follow my husband.” She bobbed a curtsy and left the room.

Emily paused outside, her breathing accelerated, looking this way and that. Had Alec left the house? Was he hiding in one of the rooms on this floor? She slowly made her way toward the stairs as Sutton rounded the corridor.

“Duchess,” he said, his breathing labored. “Let me escort you back into the parlor.”

“Where is my husband?” She craned her neck to see if Alec was behind Sutton. He wasn’t.

The earl’s face twisted. “He left. I apologize, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have invited his mother without telling him in advance. But she asked for a chance to reconnect with her son, and I—” He grimaced. “Let us rejoin the other guests,” he finished awkwardly.

Emily licked her dry lips. She glanced back at the empty corridor then returned her gaze to the earl, shaking her head. “I think I would like to go home.”

He swallowed. “Of course. I shall have a carriage prepared for you. Would you like to wait in the parlor?”

Emily bit her lip to keep from crying, her face flushed in humiliation. Alec hadn’t just left her to face an uncomfortable situation alone. He’d abandoned her.

She shook her head. She couldn’t face all the people in there. Not now.

“I’d rather wait downstairs.”

“Of course.” Sutton offered his arm and together they made their way down in silence. He excused himself to call for a carriage while she collected her jacket and her gloves.