Page 4 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
“Why don’t I come over to your home for a while?” Daniel suggested. “I’m sure you and your father could use the help.”
Harry shook his head. “We’re leaving.”
Daniel frowned. “You’re leaving?”
“You know we were only in the country so that my mother would have a peaceful, quiet place to spend her final days.”
“I suppose I did know that. But are you rushing back to the city?”
“My father wants to go. He says he’s needed in London for business reasons.”
“Surely they could get by without him under the circumstances?”
“I think it makes him feel good to be needed. It makes him feel as if there’s still something going on in his life, something that wasn’t ripped away by Mother’s death.” Harry sighed. “I think I need to find something like that myself, actually.”
“How can I help?”
“I really need to go back. This helped. Thank you, Daniel. I know you’re someone I can always count on when I need a friend.”
“Of course you can.”
“Will you write to me when you’re back in the city?” Harry asked.
“You know I will. Or, if you decide to come back to the country after a few weeks…”
Harry shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever be back,” he said. “I think Father’s going to sell the country house. After what we’ve been through, it would be too painful to come here again. This isn’t going to be the happy vacation retreat it once was, Daniel. This will always be the place where my mother died. And I don’t need to be here anymore.”
“I understand.” Daniel nodded. “I’m sure I would feel the same way.”
“Please tell your family I appreciate their kindness,” Harry said, getting to his feet. “And please tell Lady Linford how much her friendship meant to my mother. I know Mother was so happy to have a close friend all these years.”
“I’ll contact you when we return to London.”
“Thank you. I’ll look forward to that.”
Harry shook his friend’s hand and made his way towards the door. It had been good to talk with Daniel, a welcome relief from everything that he was dealing with. But now, he knew it was time to go home and face it.
He couldn’t run from painful things. That was something Harry knew.
One way or another, he had to just go through them.
CHAPTERONE
SIX YEARS LATER
“Are you nervous?” Daniel asked Juliet.
She laughed. “Why would I be nervous? This is my second season. I’ve done this plenty of times. I’ve been to dozens of balls. I’m sure I am no more nervous than you are.”
“Well, I just remembered how nervous you were before the Tunney Ball last year.”
“Myvery firstball,” Juliet pointed out.
“And tonight we’re going to Tunney Manor again,” Daniel said. “And I wondered if the memory might have created some sort of unpleasant feeling for you. I do worry about you, you know.”
“That never had anything to do with it,” Juliet argued. “You’re being ridiculous, as usual. I’m not frightened of Tunney Manor, for heaven’s sake. Why do you always tease me?”
“I’m your older brother.” Daniel grinned at her. “That’s my job.”
