Page 71 of Finding Lord Landry

I held up a hand. “Honestly, even if I could just shrug and roll with it, the two of us wouldn’t work. In case you’ve forgotten, I live in the States. My job is there. My friends. My apartment. My grandmother. My history. And he’s going to be an earl and an MP. He’s running for fuckingParliament,for fuck’s sake.” Air rushed out of my lungs as I deflated. “Sorry for the foul language.”

I didn’t add how upset I’d been to learn of Landry’s decision about Parliament on the fucking internet this morning, along with the rest of the world.

Cora’s lips pinched together and moved from side to side while she processed my response. “He doesn’t actually want to be an MP, Kenji. He’s been avoiding it for years.”

“Yeah? Then why’s he letting them put him up for it?” I leaned back against the door, arms folded over my chest. “Is he doing it for his dad? Is the pressure that strong? I mean… if he’s getting it from the prime ministerandhis own father…”

Cora’s forehead crinkled in frustration. “Not directly. Uncle Ed encouraged Landry to go to Yale and helped him with the necessary documents to do it under a different name. He wants to see Landry happy.”

“Couldhe say no if he wanted to?”

“To being an MP?” She met my eyes and nodded firmly. “Definitely. There’s no legal requirement that he serve. But… growing up a Davencourt means growing up under the weight of history. You’re not just part of a family; you’re part of a proud legacy. Landry feels the pressure of that, even if it wasn’t Ed’s intention to force him into anything.”

Turkey twined herself around my ankles and made a littlemrrpsound for attention.

Cora leaned down and gave her a quick pet before straightening back up. “As Uncle Ed’s memory began to decline, Landry took on more responsibility for the earldom behind the scenes, and he was brilliant at it. I think the family, includingLandry, assumed it was only a matter of time before he moved back to England and took on the public-facing role as head of the family, including serving in the Lords.” She caught one of Landry’s shirtsleeves in her fingers and twisted it lightly. “Except he kept putting it off year after year, even when it became clear Ed needed to retire. And I realized that, for Landry, it’s never been about deciding to serve in Parliament but about deciding whether he’ll be the first Davencourt in four hundred yearsnotto.”

For the first time since learning Landry was a viscount, I could sense the invisible but undeniable burden of duty that came with his family’s long history. It wasn’t just a title. Not just a collection of estates. It was a part of who he was. Who he’d been raised to be.

And yet selfishly, I cared more about his happiness than any of those things.

“Landry’s spent the past almost fifteen years outside of England, and he hates giving speeches,” I muttered. “I’m sure hecouldbe a good politician because there’s not much the man can’t do, but he’d be miserable.”

“I know!” Cora threw up her hands, frustrated now. “And I thought for sure he was finally going to bring himself to say no. Then the two of you… did whatever you did in your bedroom that sounded like a bit of fun… and he came storming downstairs, declaring his desire to be the next Davencourt MP!”

I winced at the memory of Landry’s pain yesterday. I’d been dismissive and prickly. But surely our personal situation hadn’t been enough to cause him to do something as serious as running for the House of Lords… had it?

Fuck. Everything in me wanted to fix this for Landry, but I didn’t even know what fixing it would look like. I didn’t actually know what he wanted.

“I can try talking to him again,” I offered, not believing for a moment that it would work. The man seemed hell-bent on ignoring me with the exception of hisperformancein the hall earlier.

“Yeah?” Cora’s smile was wide, all straight teeth and sparkling eyes. “Excellent. But first, you and I are going shopping.”

I bit back a groan. “For what? Please say shoes because that’s the only thing I need more of, and I don’t trust that tailor guy to pick ones that won’t pinch.”

She stepped forward and grabbed my arm to pull me out of the dressing room. Turkey had long returned to the bedroom for another nap, although this time, she was curled up on a window seat in the sun. “We can definitely do that, but we need you to pick out a gift for your beloved, remember? You and I are going to be seen shopping together to reassure everyone that the upstart American has been fully assessed and embraced by the family.”

As we made our way back through the winding corridors, I thought about what I could possibly get for Landry that he didn’t already have. It wasn’t easy to buy gifts for a billionaire. Believe me, I’d had years of learning it the hard way.

But because of my experience, I’d learned a few tricks along the way. “Are there any photo galleries you recommend?”

She put on an exaggerated pout. “Yes, but I was hoping more for lingerie or novelty toys.”

As we made our way into the Range Rover in the underground garage, my cheeks blazed. While there was no chance in hell I’d buy either of those things on a PR outing with Cora Davencourt, her teasing mention of it brought back a certain memory.

Which led to the entire ride to Bond Street being taken up pleasantly with images of Landry modeling items he’d received in a gift basket from Véloce Intimates.

There were perks to sleeping with the most beautiful man in the world. Some nights, those booty calls were impromptu fashion shows of the very best kind.

SIXTEEN

LANDRY

“You’re avoiding him,” Silas said in a voice meant to intimidate.

Unfortunately for him, after dealing with Kenji’s mixed messages at brunch, followed by Zane’s heartrending phone call, the prime minister’s polite yet powerful manipulations during our meeting, and that fucking kiss in the hallway that had frayed the last shreds of my control, I was done playing the obedient pup.

“Fuck you. You have no idea what’s happening between me and Kenji,” I snapped.

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