Page 8 of Her Lion of a Duke (Dukes & Beasts #3)

Leonard was pleased that his wife was enjoying herself, but he did not wish to interrupt them.

It was a strange thing to do, and he knew that, for it was not as though the ladies in his drawing room were strangers. Two of them were married to his friends, one was like a sister to him, and the fourth was Cecilia’s cousin, therefore family too.

And yet he spent all his time with the gentlemen. It was easier that way, and he assumed that Cecilia thought the same. She could spend time with her friends, he could spend time with his, and they would both enjoy themselves separately.

But that did not mean he could not look at her.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, more mature than the young little things that used to throw themselves at him before he got married.

She was also unlike the other ladies in the way she carried herself, with an air of confidence and the faintest hint that she did not wish to waste her time.

That was why he had always respected her. Even so, there was a softness to her. It only came out when she deemed it absolutely necessary, but it was undoubtedly there.

“Well, Pridefield,” Levi drawled as they shared a drink that evening, “I never would have expected you to find a wife, but I would say that is my fault. I should have remembered that Cecilia was in London.”

“Indeed.” Morgan nodded. “We were both surprised to hear of your engagement, but we should not have been. I, for one, have always hoped that the two of you would come to an agreement and marry one another.”

“And why is that?” Leonard asked.

“Well, for a start,” Levi sighed, “there is no other lady in all of England who could have any sort of control over you. I love Cecilia like a sister, but I dare say that it is quite the same the other way around.”

The men laughed into their cups.

Leonard had no intention of ever controlling his wife, but he knew what his friend had meant. He never could have married a lady with no fire within her, and Cecilia had plenty to spare.

“You must not say as much to her. She would never let you hear the end of it!”

“No, and I would not have her any other way. I believe you are of the same opinion, yes?”

Leonard sat back, smiling. It was true that he had never expected to fall for Cecilia, but she was excellent company and one of his greatest friends. There was nothing he would have changed about her.

“You would be correct in such an assumption. Now, how about your wives? I trust that they have already expressed their opinions on their stay thus far?”

Morgan chuckled, and Levi avoided his gaze.

“I knew as much.” Leonard laughed, shaking his head. “What is it?”

“Emma finds it strange that the manor is as it was when we first visited.”

“One might have thought she would like it, given that it is where the two of you fell in love.”

“I expected that, but she seemed to find it rather eerie. Then again, she renovates our home each year. I do not know where she has gotten her tastes from, for she was never so determined to be fashionable. I fear I may be losing my wife to high society.”

Levi sighed dramatically, splaying himself over the settee with his arm perfectly outstretched, holding his empty glass toward the bottle. Leonard chuckled and pouring him another drink.

“I told my wife that she may change whatever she pleases. She knows the estate well, and I trust her decisions, but it does not appear she is inclined to do anything.”

“Well, I would assume that she likes it well enough. Your mother had decorated it, if I recall correctly, and she had wonderful taste.”

“Yes, but her taste was that of ten years ago. I would expect Cecilia to want to make changes. This is, after all, her home.”

“It is your home, too,” Morgan reminded him, “and you have not done anything yourself.”

“No, but that is completely different. I—”

Leonard paused for a moment. He would sound mad, he knew he would, but they were his friends.

“I never changed anything because it is the last thing my mother ever did. It was the final task she accomplished before her illness, and it pains me to think that it is now looked down on.”

“Who looks down on it?” Morgan asked.

“Anyone who expects fashionable colors and patterns.”

“That is all well and good,” Levi argued. “But when will any of that sort be visiting you? I know you have certain expectations of yourself as Duke—we all do—but that does not mean you have to pretend to be someone you are not. I know for a fact that Cecilia would hate to see that happen.”

Leonard was not certain of the way he felt when Levi said that about his wife.

He wondered, if it were true, how he could have possibly known how Cecilia felt about him.

He hardly knew himself, except for the fact that they had been friends for years, so she must have deemed him worthy of being near.

The following day, they broke their fast together. Leonard did not say very much, content to listen to the conversations taking place around him. Cecilia, it seemed, felt the same, as she sat beside him quietly. He would have been concerned, were she not smiling and clearly enjoying herself.

“How lovely that you are all wearing those ribbons,” Levi commented. “At first, I had not realized that they matched.”

“It was a gift from Cecilia,” Emma explained.

“And was she aware that we were the ones who were supposed to give her gifts, and not the other way around?”

Everyone burst into laughter, and Levi and Morgan looked at each lady’s hair and complimented them.

“We were wondering if you might like to accompany us to the village today?” Cecilia asked Leonard quietly. “My friends wish to see it.”

“We would be more than happy to. Is there anything you all wish to see in particular?”

“No, but I would like to take them to the public gardens. I know that Dorothy would appreciate that.”

Leonard nodded, aware of her friend’s fondness for botany. She shared it with her husband, so it would be easy to tell his friends about their plans.

They left in the early afternoon, the gentlemen following closely behind the ladies.

Leonard and Cecilia were often recognized, which then led to them being asked to introduce the others.

The villagers seemed to take a particular liking to Clara, which Leonard would have said was due to her being family, but she was undeniably bright and kind to those she spoke with.

“She seems to be enjoying herself,” he commented.

Cecilia smiled. “She most certainly is. She has always wanted to have a similar role, and she is far more prepared for it than I was.”

“You do not give yourself enough credit. In the short time you have been here, you have made a name for yourself. They all like you a good deal.”

She smiled and thanked him, but he did not think she believed a word he said. He wondered, for a moment, who had made her think that she was so terribly useless, but he knew what it was.

Cecilia had made it known all her life that she had very little interest in becoming a wife, nor a demure little lady who allowed people to treat her as they pleased. It was not that she had been treated like a lesser; it was because she had chosen to be the sort of lady unfit for a duchess.

It did not matter that she was doing very well. She had never intended to, so she did not see that she was.

They returned home later that evening, and after dinner, the ladies and gentlemen were filing out of the dining room when Emma paused by the door.

“Might I have a word with you, Your Grace?” she asked.

“Of course. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, it certainly is. I simply wanted to discuss a matter with you.”

While the others were having drinks in the parlor, Leonard led Emma to the drawing room. He noticed that she was wringing her hands, as though unsure what to say.

“You seem ill at ease,” he said gently.

“Not at all. I do not know where to start, that is all.”

“Take all the time you need.”

She took a steadying breath and then opened her mouth. “Cecilia seems happy.”

“I would like to think so.”

“She says that you have a happy marriage, although it was an arrangement. She tells me that the two of you are friends and that you have been for years. I was not aware of how close the two of you are.”

“Oh? What did you think?”

“I had assumed that she knew of you when you hosted that party, but that you did not truly know one another.”

“Ah. No, that is not quite the truth. We did not know one another so well, but we were acquaintances. We met a short while before my brother died. She was the only one to notice me, rather than the duke beside me. I’ve always appreciated that.”

Emma smiled, taking a seat. She seemed comforted to know that her friend was not married to a man she hardly knew.

“I have struggled with a lot of guilt since I got married,” she admitted. “Cecilia and I had always agreed that we did not want a husband. I was far too preoccupied with my sister’s future, and she simply did not want to marry at all.”

“I know, and I found that quite admirable. I am pleased that your sister married well, too.”

“As am I, but I cannot help but think that Cecilia is angry with me. We were supposed to be spinsters together, and instead I married and left her alone.”

“She had the other ladies. She was not alone.”

“No, but were it not for you, she would have been. Beatrice will marry soon enough, and had you not proposed to Cecilia… She would have been fine alone, but she should not be.”

Leonard softened, pouring her a drink and handing it to her gently. He sat beside her and gave her a moment to collect herself.

“I can assure you that she is not angry at all,” he reassured her.

“She is pleased to have married for the same reason that I assume you did at first. You were thinking of your sister, and Cecilia was thinking of her cousin. She did not marry because she was afraid to be alone, and certainly not because she thinks you have abandoned her.”

Emma relaxed a little at that, taking a sip of her drink and sighing. “Even so, I should thank you. You are taking very good care of her.”

“Yes, well, she does not need me to do that. She is a very capable lady, and she has always been able to care for herself.”

“I know.” She smiled. “But you are doing what you can, and I believe you want to look after her anyway, even if she claims you do not need to.”

He thought about that long after they had rejoined the others.