Page 6 of The Marquess's Scandalous Game
There was so much that Leo wished that he could have said to his family before cholera claimed their lives. Occasionally, thoughts of how much they must have suffered plagued him. He struggled to push them to the back of his mind. It tookeverything he had left within him to harness his strength and pull his life together. He had a legacy to maintain and to pass down to his son, as his father had done for him. It was this solitary thought that brought him through his worst days. The trauma that he had suffered made him vulnerable, yet he did not want to appear weak.
He had attempted courting before when he met Lady Felecia, whom he supposedly debauched. Leopold decided to take his time to court her so they could get to know each other. Nevertheless, Lady Felecia had other plans. Apparently, she was in great haste to wed, but he could not understand why. He had never gotten to the bottom of it. Lady Felecia had intentionally put him in a difficult position. Other men would have caved to society’s pressure. He had not. Leopold remembered it well, just as if it were yesterday. He had gone to a dinner party at Lady Felecia’s family estate in Buckinghamshire. After dinner, they had gone for a walk in the garden, which was pleasant enough. They had only run into difficulty upon their return.
As soon as they entered the drawing room, Lady Felecia had turned to address the maid who had been her chaperone.
“Alma, please let my mother know we are here and await her company. I will ring Floyd for tea.” The maid hesitated and then walked away to do Lady Felecia’s bidding. Some of the guests had retired while others were enjoying the garden. Leopold and Lady Felecia were alone.
“Please have a seat.” Lady Felecia pointed to a sofa in the center of the room.
Leopold walked over to the sofa and took a seat. He was surprised when Lady Felecia sat beside him, and their arms touched. She was close. Too close. He had only just thought how inappropriate it was when Lady Felecia leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Leopold had no time to be surprised or tosavor the feeling before he heard the Countess of Pennington’s voice shrill with indignation.
“Good Lord! What is the meaning of this? Adlington, explain yourself!” the countess demanded.
Leopold was robbed of his breath. His thoughts were jumbled, but when he gazed at Lady Felecia, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. Immediately, he knew it was a compromising trap. Leopold lifted his gaze and moved it between the countess’s wide eyes and Alma’s jaw that had all but hit the floor. The entire affair was ludicrous. He would have scoffed if it was not so serious. Leopold was no fool, and he was in charge of his faculties. He abruptly stood.
“Lady Pennington, it is not as it appears. I did not take advantage of Lady Felecia.”
The countess placed one hand on her hip and huffed. “Well, that is not how it appears to me.”
Leo would not fold. “Yourdaughter is the one who kissedme. I was as much surprised as you were.”
Lord Wentworth and his wife appeared at the door behind the countess. They were now witness to the events that would feed the gossip mill.
The countess gasped. “You dare to malign my daughter after you sought to ruin her reputation? How sinful.”
Blood rushed to Leopold’s head. “It is Lady Felecia who has gone a step too far with her machinations. If you would let me explain …”
The countess did not heed him, and Leopold could see she was all but frothing at the mouth. He must extricate himself from this disaster.
The countess spun around and saw the Wentworths observing the unfortunate event. When she turned to face Leopold, she was livid. “Explain? There is nothing to explain. You must offer for my daughter!”
Leopold sighed deeply as he wrestled to remain calm. “Lady Pennington, I must take my leave before we issue words we cannot retract. You should speak to Lady Felecia. I note she has said nothing in her defense,” Leopold said with a calm that surprised him because he was raging inside.
The countess shrieked and swooned against the wall as Alma quickly held onto her hand. These actions galvanized Lady Felecia, who finally jumped to her feet and hastened towards her mother. The Wentworths rushed into the room, and the doorway was free of any impediment.
Leopold did not wait for the end of the fiasco nor for the butler to escort him out. He departed the house and made a hasty retreat. He expected Lord Pennington would pay him a visit, and several days later, he had. Lord Pennington had made a wasted journey to Cheshire, for Leopold’s answer was the same as what he had given to the countess. Lord Pennington had been apoplectic and as he departed, he slammed the door with such force it shook on its hinges.
Leopold did not regret his actions. He knew many had criticized him for taking liberties and ruining innocents, but he did not care. He knew what his true nature was. Thehaut toncalled him puffed up and arrogant, among other sorry epitaphs he would just as soon forget. Leopold resented being forced to do anything that was not of free choice.
Leopold raked his fingers through his hair. He needed to choose a wife, for he was alone in the world, and he wanted an heir and at least a spare. That was the only reason he attended the damn ball in the first place. He had decided it was now or never. Leopold wanted a wife to provide companionship, and he hoped that having his own family would ease the pain of his loss. What he did not want was to be manipulated and to have a wife imposed upon him because of her duplicity.
Thoughts of finding a wife brought Leopold back to the Livingston’s garden and the beautiful Miss Corbett. Leopold’s main goal for re-entering society was to find a wife. His sole purpose for attending the ball was to assess several ladies, choose one,court, and marry her. It was serendipitous that he happened upon Miss Corbett in the garden. Meeting her was his good fortune.
He’d felt a stir inside when he stood up from behind the foliage and beheld her in the garden. He had never set eyes on her before, and he was startled by his instantaneous reaction to her loveliness. Leopold could not help but notice her dark, wavy, lustrous tresses, slender body, wide hips, and ample bosom. Miss Corbett’s haughty face held high, exotic cheekbones, which were delicately carved, and a full mouth. Her face was well-modeled and feminine, yet her chin showed strong determination. She appeared proud. He wished he had seen more of her eyes, but they were masked by lashes that swept across her cheekbones.
It was not merely a physical reaction. Leopold found Miss Corbett comfortable to speak with. It was hard for him to comprehend, for he had not spoken to her for very long. Miss Corbett piqued his interest, a lady speaking to herself about the treatment of women and healers in society.How novel. It was never a conversation he thought he would have with a lady, and he would not have sought her views on the matter. Their encounter was captivating, and after leaving, he decided to choose her. She had slighted him, but regardless, he would pursue her.
As soon as Miss Corbett mentioned healing, a wave of nostalgia washed over Leopold as he contemplated all he had lost.Healing. That single word echoed in his mind, reverberating like a sharp kick to some buried part of his soul.
Leopold felt the overpowering need to unburden himself to Miss Corbett as he believed that sharing his story would take away some of his pain, but in the end, he thought better of it. That was just a fantasy. This pain was a part of him; it had taken hold, and it would never leave him, even as it tore him apart. Miss Corbett was delicate, but at the same time … not. It would take a lady of some strength and character to be a healer when many swooned at the very sight of blood. He admired her strength, but she would no longer be expected to follow her pursuit once she became his marchioness.
Miss Corbett was graceful and compassionate. Leopold had seen it in her eyes. At one point, he thought she would have reached out and touched him, but she had not. He was grateful, for he did not know if he could have kept his composure if she had. Still, he yearned for her touch and so much more. He longed for intimacy, closeness, and companionship. What he longed for more than anything else was love. He wanted to love and be loved, to have a family of his own to nurture and care for.
Losing his family almost destroyed Leopold when he crawled into the dark hole from which he thought he would never emerge. It was a stark and lonely place that he clawed his way back from and had no intention of revisiting. Leopold was not resigned to living a lonely existence. Leopold was prepared to give so much of himself and wanted to find a lady who would reciprocate. He remembered too well that Miss Corbett said she did not wish to marry, but he would not be deterred. He had always been ruthless and exacting, and her dismissal would not put him off.
Leopold emptied his glass before he went indoors. He had enough to drink and would retire for the evening. He went to his bedchamber, changed into his nightshirt, and collapsed onto his bed. Leopold was exhausted, but just before he fell asleep, Miss Corbett’s image shimmered before him.
The following morning, Leopold awoke with a purpose. He was filled with pent-up energy and felt the need to do something meaningful. Leopold dressed and went down to breakfast. He wrote his attorney a note asking him to meet urgently this morning. Mr. Lloyd would be available even if he had to drop everything else. The wheels were turning in Leopold’s head as he thought about the best course of action. He sat back in his chair and sipped his tea. He could not think of the last time anyone had refused his request, whether a woman or a business associate. The concept was almost foreign.
