Leland's hands shook as he placed the letter on the table. I watched my husband's face transform from confusion to anger, his jaw clenching in that familiar way that told me I was in trouble. Real trouble. Not the kind I could smile my way out of or dismiss with a clever explanation.
"Would you care to explain this?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
I glanced at the letter, recognizing Duke Alaric Thorne's seal, and felt my throat tighten. "It's just correspondence—"
"It's a detailed account of your daughter's life after you abandoned her," Leland cut me off, his words sharp enough to make me flinch. "The daughter you never bothered to tell me about until we were discovered by the court."
The drawing room door burst open before I could respond. Melisande stormed in, her eyes blazing, followed by Corinne who looked equally upset.
"Three weeks!" Melisande exclaimed. "Three weeks since Isabella agreed to give you a chance, and what have you done? Nothing!"
