Page 31 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)

CHAPTER 31

“ T he delivery from Bond Street has arrived, Your Grace,” Mrs. Phillips announced as Marina finished her breakfast in the morning room. “I’ve had the footmen place the packages in the blue drawing room as you requested.”

“Thank you,” Marina replied, setting down her teacup. “And has His Grace mentioned what time he expects to return today?”

The housekeeper’s efficient manner faltered. “He intended to visit his solicitor this morning regarding some property matters, but I believe he should return by midday. He’s been much more regular in his habits since your marriage than he was during the Felicity years.”

Marina froze, her hand halfway to her napkin. “The Felicity years?”

Mrs. Phillips’s eyes widened in alarm. “Forgive me, Your Grace. I assumed His Grace had mentioned… that is to say, it was before your time of course, and not at all a suitable topic for?—”

“It’s quite all right, Mrs. Phillips,” Marina interrupted trying to calm the woman’s distress.

The housekeeper bobbed a hasty curtsy. Her face flushed with embarrassment. “If there’s nothing else you require, Your Grace?”

“That will be all, thank you.”

As Mrs. Phillips left the room, Marina sat motionless, turning the casual reference over in her mind. She knew the basics of Leo’s history—that his brother had disappeared under scandalous circumstances and that Leo had spent years searching for him. The details, though, were hazy, and Leo still shied away from mentioning William except in the broadest terms.

The name Felicity, however, was new. A woman whose impact on Leo’s life was substantial enough to define a period before his travels.

Marina spent the morning in her usual pursuits, answering correspondence and reviewing household accounts, but her mind kept returning to the housekeeper’s slip. By noon, when she heard Leo’s voice in the entrance hall as he returned, her curiosity had become a nearly physical ache.

“You’re looking thoughtful today,” Leo observed as he joined her in the library where she had retreated with a book she hadn’t actually been reading. He bent to kiss her cheek, a simple act of affection that had become their habit in recent weeks. “Has something happened?”

Marina closed her book, setting it aside as she gathered her courage. “Mrs. Phillips mentioned something this morning that puzzled me.”

“Oh?” Leo settled into the chair opposite hers, loosening his cravat after his morning out. “What was that?”

“She referred to a time in your life as ‘the Felicity years.’”

The effect on him upon hearing the name was immediate. Leo went completely still, his fingers froze on his cravat, and his expression shuttered like a door slammed shut. For a long moment, he said nothing, and Marina feared she had crossed some invisible boundary between them.

“I see,” he finally said, his voice neutral. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before you would eventually hear that name.”

Marina leaned forward, her eyes searching his face. “Leo, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. We all have parts of our past we prefer to keep private.”

Something softened in his expression at her words. “No, you deserve to know. Especially now that things between us have changed.”

Marina felt warmth spread through her at his simple words, and it eased some of her tension. Over the past weeks, what started as mere attraction had quietly grown into something deeper. They hadn’t talked about love, neither of them were ready for that, but something real had formed between them, and they both knew it.

Leo rose and moved to the window, looking out at the garden as if gathering his thoughts. “Felicity Exeter was the daughter of Baron Killian,” he began, his back still turned to Marina. “I met her when she made her debut eight years ago. She was beautiful, vivacious, utterly charming and entirely unsuitable as a match for the heir to a dukedom.”

He turned back to face Marina, his expression unreadable. “At least, that was my father’s opinion. Mine was different. I fell in love with her almost immediately.”

Marina kept her face carefully neutral, but something twisted in her chest at the thought of Leo in love with another woman. “What happened?”

“What typically happens when duty conflicts with desire,” Leo said with a bitter smile. “I chose duty. When my father threatened to cut off both William and me if I persisted in my ‘unsuitable attachment,’ I ended the relationship.”

“That must have been difficult,” Marina said softly.

Leo’s laugh was humorless. “It seemed like the right choice. The responsible decision of an eldest son.” He moved back to his chair though he remained standing behind it, his hands gripping the back as if needing the support. “I didn’t realize until later that responsibility can be the perfect disguise for cowardice.”

The self-loathing in his voice made Marina want to reach for him, but something in the way he held his body kept her in her seat. This was a confession he needed to make in his own way.

“What do you mean?” she asked instead.

“I mean I told myself I was doing the right thing. I was protecting the family name, securing the dukedom’s future, being the dutiful son my father expected.” Leo’s knuckles whitened on the chair back. “But the truth was simpler and far less flattering. I was afraid to defy my father, afraid to risk my inheritance and position for love.”

The raw honesty in his voice struck Marina deeply. This wasn’t the composed, controlled duke she had first met nor even the passionate lover of the past few weeks. This was Leo stripped of all pretense, revealing a vulnerability she hadn’t known he had.

“And William?” she prompted gently.

Leo’s expression darkened. “William was always more impulsive than I was. Always more willing to follow his heart regardless of the consequences. He was also desperately hungry for anything I possessed, particularly our father’s approval which always seemed to come more easily to me.”

“And Felicity?”

“Apparently, she turned her attentions to William after I broke things off,” Leo said, the words bit out as if each caused him pain. “I didn’t realize until it was too late. One night during Lady Hartsworth’s ball, I found them together in the garden. Felicity made it clear that she preferred William’s courage to my caution.”

Marina could almost see the scene. The shock and betrayal Leo must have felt, the wounded pride, losing both the woman he loved and the brother he trusted in a single devastating moment.

“They left that night,” Leo said, finally sinking into the chair. “By morning, I discovered they had taken a substantial portion of the family’s unentailed fortune. It was money that provided for William and any future children I might have.”

“They stole from you?” Marina couldn’t keep the shock from her voice.

“Technically from the family trust, but yes.” Leo’s mouth twisted. “The scandal was immediate and vicious. When they couldn’t be found, rumors began circulating that I had discovered them, murdered them both in a jealous rage, and disposed of their bodies.”

Marina gasped. “But surely there was an investigation?”

“There was. Very thorough, in fact. No evidence of foul play was found, and several witnesses reported seeing them board a ship for the continent.” Leo rubbed a hand across his face, suddenly looking exhausted. “But the damage was done. The ton loves a good scandal, and the idea that the Duke of Blackmere’s heir had murdered his brother and lover was far too delicious of a rumor not to spread simply because it wasn’t true.”

The bitterness in his voice made Marina’s heart ache. “And your parents? Did they believe these rumors?”

“My father knew better, but the public disgrace broke something in him. He died two years later.” Leo’s voice dropped to a near-whisper. “My mother was less certain. She had always favored William. She couldn’t imagine him stealing or running away. The only explanation that made sense to her was that something terrible must have happened.”

“Oh, Leo,” Marina breathed, unable to remain distant any longer. She rose and kneeled beside his chair, taking his hand in hers. “How horrible for you.”

“She died believing I might have harmed her favorite son,” Leo said, his fingers tightening around Marina’s. “That was the hardest part to bear.”

“And you’ve been searching for William ever since?” Marina asked, pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place. “To clear your name?”

“To clear my name, yes. But also…” Leo hesitated and looked down at their joined hands. “To understand why. Why Felicity chose William over me. Why my brother betrayed me. Why they felt the need to steal rather than simply leave. For ten years, those unanswered questions have driven me.”

Marina was silent for a long moment, absorbing the full weight of his confession. It explained so much—his initial suspicion of her motives, his resistance to emotional entanglement, his obsession with finding William at any cost.

“Have you ever considered that you might not like the answers to those questions?” she asked gently.

Leo’s eyes met hers, surprise evident in their depths. “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes we pursue closure at the expense of moving forward,” Marina said, choosing her words carefully. “For months after Henry’s death, I was consumed with proving to the ton that I wasn’t responsible for his death. I thought if I could just make them see the truth, I could reclaim my place in society.”

“And now?”

“Now, I realize that my focus on the past was preventing me from building a future,” she said simply. “Some wounds will never heal if we keep reopening them.”

Leo studied her face for a long moment. “You think I should abandon my search for William?”

“I think you should consider what you hope to gain by finding him,” Marina replied. “And whether that gain is worth the cost of remaining tied to such a painful past.”

The honesty between them hung in the air, fragile yet strengthening. Marina held her breath, uncertain if she had overstepped.

Finally, Leo lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You are a remarkable woman, Marina Rencourt,” he said, using her married name in a way that felt suddenly significant. “Thank you for listening without judgment.”

“Thank you for trusting me with your past,” she replied, rising to her feet but keeping her hand in his. “It can’t have been easy to talk about it after so long.”

“Strangely, it was easier than I expected,” Leo admitted, standing as well. “Though perhaps that says more about the listener than the story.”

The warmth in his gaze made Marina’s heart flutter. This honest exchange had shifted something between them, creating a deeper connection than physical intimacy alone could forge.

“Would you walk with me in the garden?” Leo asked, still holding her hand. “I find I’m not ready to face the rest of the household yet.”

“Of course,” Marina agreed, squeezing his fingers gently. “For as long as you wish.”

As they strolled through the spring garden, Leo continued his story, filling in details of his years of searching, the near-misses and false leads, the growing obsession that had dominated his life. Marina listened, offering neither judgment nor advice, simply allowing him the space to unburden himself.

By the time they returned to the house, something had changed between them. A trust had been built that went beyond physical desire. As they climbed the steps together, Marina realized that for the first time since their marriage, she was seeing Leo without his careful defenses, without the masks he wore for the world.