Page 38 of A Duke Reformed (Icy Dukes #3)

He had never been a man to let emotions rule him.

Even the rumors that circulated London prior to his arrival for the season had been he was a brutish, calculating businessman.

Cold, impassive, and indifferent to the frivolous concerns of others.

But now, all he could think about was Emma and the fact that she had lied to him.

It was impossible to ignore. The thought echoed in his mind, like a constant reminder of the wound she had inflicted, whether intentional or not.

The trust he had extended to her now felt like a joke, and yet, despite everything, he could not stop thinking of her.

Despite the betrayal that should have turned his heart to stone, he needed to see her.

"Solomon, how about after the meeting tomorrow?" Andrew probed. "You just have to wait for a day. We will have the meeting with him, and we will leave for London immediately."

"Andrew, I cannot."

"You worked hard for this meeting, don't you recall?" Andrew pressed. "You attended that auction and out of all the other Lords, you won! This meeting only happened because you did that."

"We will reschedule," he answered. "I need to go back to London."

"Solomon –"

"You would want me to be in my best condition, would you not?" Solomon cut in lifting his eyes. "You want me alert, determined, fully present when we meet the Duke of Walford?"

Andrew blinked, caught off guard. "Well, of course."

"Then understand that I cannot be that right now."

There was a beat of silence as Solomon stepped away from his desk, gathering a stack of documents and placing them neatly into his leather folio. He stepped back from the table, giving it one last look to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Then he looked up at Andrew and sighed.

"I should see Emma," he said quietly. "I'm.

.. distracted. I don't want the duke to see that.

I'm not at my best right now. Andrew, I need you to understand.

We can reschedule the meeting and if he doesn't give us another audience with him, then we look elsewhere.

Right now, the meeting doesn't really matter to me anymore. "

Andrew's brow lifted, but he remained silent.

"I don't know what I will do when I see her," Solomon continued, his voice quieter now. "I only know that I must speak to her. That I have to."

"You said she lied to you," Andrew said cautiously.

Solomon's jaw tightened.

Why had she lied? She could have just told him the truth.

She could have confided in him, allowed him to understand.

But instead, she had spun a story that made no sense, driving a wedge between them that hadn't been there before.

Had she done it to push him away? To make him feel like she no longer cared? Or was there something else?

Solomon's anger was sharp, but it was tempered by something deeper, something that scared him. He was hurt, more hurt than he cared to admit, and yet, despite everything, part of him wanted to know why. He wanted to face her, look into her eyes, and understand why she did what she did.

"I'm curious," he added. "I want to know why, and I want to know now."

"I think this is more than curiosity," Andrew replied. "But I won't hold you. While I really want you to stay and see this through, I can't pretend I don't see what this is doing to you. You might not want to talk about it with me, but I will try to understand. I was once in your shoes anyway."

Solomon lowered his head briefly. "I don't know how to talk about things like this, so I apologize if I confuse you. It's all very new to me too. It doesn't mean that I don't trust you. You're my closest confidante, Andrew. I just don't know how to talk about this with you."

Andrew's expression softened and she slowly sat down.

"You don't have to explain everything perfectly," he said.

"You're not expected to have all the words.

But I have been able to a gather a lot about what is going on with you.

With the information I have, I would like to give you one advice.

I know you didn't ask for it. But I would like to say something. As your confidante."

Solomon squinted his eyes, clearly intrigued. "I'm listening," he said, leaning on the table.

"Love will change you. I can guarantee that," Andrew said quietly. "When I first married Lavinia, I said, quite firmly – might I add – that I didn't want children. I didn't think I'd be good at it and I wanted to punish someone."

Andrew smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Then I fell in love with her, deeply, and suddenly, her happiness became mine.

The idea of children didn't terrify me anymore.

It thrilled me. Now, we have one beautiful child that I cannot imagine my life without.

Now, I want to fill our home with the sound of laughter.

.. of tiny footsteps. I want her to have the joy she brings me. "

Andrew rose to his feet. "My point is, don't feel betrayed by yourself if you start to want something else," he added.

Solomon smiled faintly and stood upright. "Thank you, Andrew," he said plainly. "I'll see you in London."

Andrew nodded. "Lavinia is already on the way here, so I'll just wait for her and we can spend a few days together before returning to London."

Solomon gave a small chuckle. "Spend all the time you need. I'll see you back in London."

As Solomon made his way toward the door, Andrew lifted his hand, stopped him in his tracks. "I heard Lord Alexandar is hosting a ball in a few days. Something about celebrating his new estate acquisition or some other reason to have far too many people in one room drinking far too much wine."

Solomon titled his head to the side slightly, unsure if that information was important to him.

"If you get back in time, Emma will likely be there," Andrew added, watching him closely. "Her father is quite good friends with Alexander. It'll be a fine place to find her and talk to her... if that's what you truly want."

Solomon gave Andrew a firm nod and turned away, crossing the study with brisk steps. He was determined to leave immediately until he reached the door. There, his hand hovered over the handle, but he didn't open it.

He paused.

His shoulders lifted with a slow breath, and then he turned halfway back.

"Does it matter that I am still angry?" he asked. "Would it affect how I talk to her? All I can think about is how she lied? I don't know how I would react when I see her. Like I said, I haven't... done this before."

Andrew turned to him. "Whatever I tell you will not matter here. You will feel what you feel and react how you feel is best."

With that, Solomon walked out of the room, making his way to the carriage awaiting him down the stairs.

He knew now that he had feelings for her.

It was quite certain, and there was no use denying it anymore or trying to make it disappear simply because no good could possibly come of it.

He loved her. That truth had found him, fierce and unexpected.

However, it came with thorns and it was very much complicated.

He was still angry. Bitterly so.

But for the life of him, he could not figure out what happened when love and betrayal meet in the same heart for the same person.

What emotion usually ended up winning thereby changing the course of everything?