Page 21 of Her Lion of a Duke (Dukes & Beasts #3)

With Cecilia gone, Leonard found that his patience with his cousin was wearing thin quickly.

“She could have at least said goodbye,” Renshaw scoffed, stabbing his fork into a vegetable. “It is most impolite. I know that she had a reputation before your marriage, but I expected her to change when she became a duchess.”

“It was a sudden trip, and we were not home. Would you rather she come searching for us while we were shooting?”

“Of course not, it is no place for a lady. But she could have waited.”

“It was an emergency, Renshaw. I have already told you this.”

“Even so…”

Leonard stopped listening. He knew that there was no use arguing his point, for there was no making his cousin see sense when he was convinced of something.

It did not matter that. For all he knew, Cecilia had to drop everything and leave.

What mattered to Renshaw was that Cecilia had been impolite, and he would not let the matter rest until he was satisfied.

“This aside,” Leonard said, “I hope you have enjoyed your stay.”

“Indeed, though I am not sure your wife told your cook about her biscuits. They are still dry.”

“They are made how we like them. Had you told me, I would have ensured she made others for you.”

“That is not for you to do. Your wife should handle the staff, as is her role. Come now, Leonard. I know you are not one for convention, but you must admit that there is no excuse for laziness.”

“My wife is the busiest person I know. She has done endless amounts of things for the household, and her not telling the cook to change her recipes for a few days does not signify anything. If there is anything worth discussing with her, I will do it, but your small recommendation is not urgent.”

“My word,” Renshaw sighed, “you truly have changed. It was not so long ago that you would have agreed with me no matter what I said.”

“Yes, but people change. You might like to try it for yourself, and then you may find a wife of your own.”

His cousin looked at him with wide eyes, completely shocked that Leonard was being serious.

“Do not look at me like that,” Leonard continued. “It has not escaped my notice that you won’t stop talking about my wife, and there is no need for you to think about her so often.”

“I do not like what you are suggesting. You know as well as I do that a spinster is of no interest to me.”

“No, for you prefer ladies to be barely out of their leading strings. You could never marry a woman, for you could not handle one.”

“And you can?” Renshaw shot back.

Leonard thought about that on the ride to the Puntons’ that evening.

Cecilia had been away for less than a day, but he missed her already. He tried to tell himself that it was simply because she was better company than Renshaw, but he knew that it was more than that.

She was a woman, and despite his cousin trying to plant doubt in his mind, he knew that he could handle that. He liked that she had spirit and a mind of her own. He always had.

That was what he missed about her. The manor felt empty without her, and although he was aware of the strain between Cecilia and her parents, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be happier in a new place with her than he would have been at home without her.

He had fallen for her, which was proving to be dangerous, but he could not bring himself to care.

However, it meant that he could no longer keep his secret from her.

He had to tell her about the investigation. She would be angry with him, as he had always expected, but she would understand. He did not have a choice, and she would accept his reason.

He arrived at Punton Manor and walked up to the door with as much confidence as he could.

He had not seen her father in months, and her mother in over a year.

He did not know how they would react to seeing him, nor what they would think about him marrying their daughter without so much as asking for permission.

“Your Grace!” Lady Punton exclaimed, dashing toward him. “We are so pleased that you have arrived!”

He wondered what he had been so concerned about.

The Puntons were good people, and as he dined with them, he asked himself why he had ever doubted that. He was welcomed with open arms, and Cecilia sat beside him with a warm smile.

“I have missed you,” she whispered.

“As have I,” he admitted. “Mercifully, we will not be bothered by Renshaw again for a while.”

“Did he at least leave gracefully?”

“Not quite.” He chuckled. “But I had expected as much. That is why I am pleased that you were not there to witness it.”

“Cecilia tells me that your cousin was visiting, Your Grace,” Lord Punton said. “Lord Renshaw, yes?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I will not pretend to enjoy his company.”

“Nor will I. Not seeing him this year was a blessing, for he has never spoken about anything of importance.”

“Only his gambling, yes,” Leonard sighed. “Unless he has not been on a winning streak. If that is the case, he hardly says a word.”

The two gentlemen laughed, and Leonard noticed that Lady Punton’s cheeks had reddened. She was more proper than her daughter, very different, even though she looked so much like her.

“Is there more family that you plan to visit?” Lord Punton asked. “Cecilia has a few cousins, if you wish to see them.”

“I believe we shall stay here for a short while, then return home,” Cecilia replied. “That is, if we can make Brutus leave.”

They all turned to look at Brutus, who was asleep by the fireplace with a large bone between his paws, his head resting on it. Leonard shook his head in disbelief, and Cecilia giggled beside him.

“He has certainly made himself at home,” Lord Punton remarked. “Will he go to be with you?”

“If that is what you would prefer, but he tends to sleep where he likes.”

“He may stay there, then.”

When they retired to the parlor for drinks, however, Brutus woke up and followed Cecilia. Leonard smiled, not jealous that his dog seemed to like his wife more. When they retired for the night, Brutus did the same, following Cecilia to her bedchambers.

She paused at the door and turned to Leonard in surprise.

“Do you wish to take him?” she asked. “He is yours, after all.”

“He is ours,” he corrected her. “He likes you, so it is no issue if he wishes to guard you.”

“Then I am the most protected lady in England.” She smiled. “Good night.”

He hoped that she also considered him as her protector.

When morning dawned, Leonard dressed himself and stepped out of his room. Cecilia left her room at the same time, almost running into him.

“Good morning,” he greeted. “May I have a word before breakfast?”

Cecilia nodded, and they left for the gardens. The Puntons kept them perfectly maintained, and Leonard made a few mental notes to change a few things about their own garden before remembering why they were there.

He cleared his throat, trying to find the words.

“You will not be pleased with me,” he began.

“Did you fight with your dear cousin?” Cecilia teased. “I will not tell a soul if you have.”

“No, Cecilia. It is serious. I have been keeping something from you, and I want to tell you about it. I feel like such a fool for it.”

She fell silent, leading him to a quiet bench that was isolated from the rest of the grounds. She looked at him expectantly, her blue eyes wide, and the guilt could have crushed him.

“I have hired a private investigator,” he confessed. “I did so before our wedding. I should have told you before, but I did not know how to. I had to make sure that you were not a suspect first.”

She blinked at him. “A suspect?” she echoed. “What did you think I had done?”

“It is Henry. Someone has been writing things about me, implying that I killed him. I cannot have that rumor spread again, so this time I am going to take action. I have a name—Felix Gray—and I am going to uncover his identity so that he stops writing about me.”

He saw the way her face fell slightly before she composed herself. He liked that she did not want him to feel bad, but he did not want her to hide how she felt either.

“Is that why you allowed Renshaw to stay as long as he did?” she asked. “So that you could investigate him?”

“In part, yes. I would have thought of him, eventually, but a detective went to see him before I could take matters into my own hands. He had taken great offense at the accusation, though I made him believe I had nothing to do with it.”

“And do you think it is him?”

“I do not know. Whoever is doing this wants misfortune to befall me—to befall us—and I cannot allow that to happen. I may not be the perfect husband, but I will not allow anyone to hurt you, Cecilia. I sound like a hypocrite after keeping all of this from you, but it is how I feel.”

“I will not claim to be pleased that you kept it from me,” she replied, her voice softening. “But I am not angry with you. We all have secrets, and if this is the only thing you’d been hiding from me, then you are a better man than most.”

He smiled at that, a thought suddenly coming to him as she rested her head against his shoulder.

“What is your secret, then?” he asked. “As I have told you mine.”

She was quiet for a moment.

“I hate apples,” she murmured. “I cannot stand them. Dorothy grows them in her orchard, and before we got married, she used to bring them to me, but I never once ate one. I used to give them to my family or the villagers. You must never tell her that, though!”

Leonard let out a low laugh. Cecilia had always spoken her mind, but she had seemingly drawn the line at such a small thing.

“Why didn’t you simply tell her?”

“Too much time had passed! If I had told her, she would have asked me what I had done on the dozen other occasions where she had brought me some. I was too far into the lie to tell the truth.”

“You are never too far,” he reassured her. “However, if you wish to keep it from her still, I will carry the burden for you. I love apples, particularly green ones. I will ensure that none are wasted. That way, you can keep your friend happy.”

She nodded and sighed happily.

“My mother and father are pleased to see you,” she said after a while. “They changed the moment you entered the house. They have always liked you, for you were the only person other than my friends that I did not loathe entirely.”

“That is a great honor,” he murmured. “Though you have always had acquaintances. You should not pretend that you hate everyone else.”

“I am not pretending. I hardly like anyone at all. I can be cordial, but that does not mean I like them. Frankly, I find half the ton insufferable, and I believe that they could all use someone telling them precisely what they think of them.”

“And you could fulfil that role?”

“Someone has to. If there is nobody else willing to do so, I will rise to the occasion. Well, I actually did. It is not something that I should do, now that I am a duchess. It would reflect poorly on the Pridefield name, and I would hate for that to happen.”

“As would I, which is exactly why I will not rest until I find Felix Gray.”

He felt her stiffen beside him.

“You mustn’t worry,” he soothed. “No trouble will come of it. I will simply find him and make sure he is silenced. I understand his interest—believe me, I do—and I would never threaten a man for making a living, but I will not have our family put in jeopardy.”

“I know,” she said softly. “Perhaps you might simply let it be? Nobody listens to rumors, and those who do are of no consequence to us. Is there truly any need for all of this?”

“There is every need. I would have ignored it before and allowed him to say what he wished, but I now have someone to care for, and that changes everything. I will not have anyone say a word against you, Cecilia. I refuse to let it happen.”

He hoped that his words would soothe her, but they did not. At least not as much as he had hoped.

At breakfast, they discussed Clara, who had been keeping up with a string of suitors arriving at her door each day. Cecilia beamed with pride for her, and Leonard was pleased to see that she was settling well.

He had expected anger from his wife, but she had not shown him any. If anything, the only thing she had shown him was hesitation and unhappiness at the thought that obstacles might arise.

He would not allow that, though, and he hoped she knew that.

He would not allow anything to harm her, not after everything they had been through. He was only going through with the investigation for her sake, after all.

They all promenaded in a local park that afternoon, Brutus at Cecilia’s heels, and Leonard could not stop smiling at the sight.

In such a short span of time, Cecilia had made herself irreplaceable in his life, and he could not remember what his life was like without her. All he knew was that he no longer wanted to return to his life as a bachelor.

He quickly realized that he had been feeling that way for a long time.