Page 66 of A Duke Reformed
"Like I said, thank the heavens for it," Cecilia repeated.
"Hopefully it stays that way," Emma said. "At the next ball, Papa will introduce you to some gentlemen that you might like. Make sure to keep an open mind."
Cecilia nodded in response and was then distracted by the lady seated on her other hand.
She fell into silence again, her gaze drifting across the garden, but not really seeing anything. Her thoughts had returned to Solomon. In that moment she realized, that not only was she jealous, she was angry too. If the rumor was true, if he truly had gone north to court another woman, then he had lied to her.
Whether it had been intentional or not, it didn't matter.
"Solomon, you're not listening to me. Do you know how difficult it was to secure this meeting with the Duke of Walford?"
"I heard you," Solomon said coolly, eyes never leaving the ledger in his hand. He set it down and reached for another, scanning for any essential ones he could take with him.
"You heard me, but clearly you're not listening." Andrew stepped further into the room. "You walk out on this meeting, and we might not get another one. The duke might not extend invitations twice."
"Andrew, we will write to him again," Solomon said in response, snatching a sealed envelope from the desk and slipping it into his leather folio. "I must go back to London."
"Why?" Andrew inquired. "What could be so important that you risk this?"
Solomon said nothing. Instead, he paused, staring at the paper in his hand as if it held the answers he was searching for.
He had never been a man to let emotions rule him. Even the rumors that circulated London prior to his arrival for the season had been he was a brutish, calculating businessman. Cold, impassive, and indifferent to the frivolous concerns of others. But now, all he could think about was Emma and the fact thatshe had lied to him. It was impossible to ignore. The thought echoed in his mind, like a constant reminder of the wound she had inflicted, whether intentional or not. The trust he had extended to her now felt like a joke, and yet, despite everything, he could not stop thinking of her.
Despite the betrayal that should have turned his heart to stone, he needed to see her.
"Solomon, how about after the meeting tomorrow?" Andrew probed. "You just have to wait for a day. We will have the meeting with him, and we will leave for London immediately."
"Andrew, I cannot."
"You worked hard for this meeting, don't you recall?" Andrew pressed. "You attended that auction and out of all the other Lords, you won! This meeting only happened because you did that."
"We will reschedule," he answered. "I need to go back to London."
"Solomon –"
"You would want me to be in my best condition, would you not?" Solomon cut in lifting his eyes. "You want me alert, determined, fully present when we meet the Duke of Walford?"
Andrew blinked, caught off guard. "Well, of course."
"Then understand that I cannot be that right now."
There was a beat of silence as Solomon stepped away from his desk, gathering a stack of documents and placing them neatly into his leather folio. He stepped back from the table, giving it one last look to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Then he looked up at Andrew and sighed.
"I should see Emma," he said quietly. "I'm... distracted. I don't want the duke to see that. I'm not at my best right now. Andrew, I need you to understand. We can reschedule the meeting and if he doesn't give us another audience with him, then we look elsewhere. Right now, the meeting doesn't really matter to me anymore."
Andrew's brow lifted, but he remained silent.
"I don't know what I will do when I see her," Solomon continued, his voice quieter now. "I only know that I must speak to her. That I have to."
"You said she lied to you," Andrew said cautiously.
Solomon's jaw tightened.
Why had she lied? She could have just told him the truth. She could have confided in him, allowed him to understand. But instead, she had spun a story that made no sense, driving a wedge between them that hadn't been there before. Had shedone it to push him away? To make him feel like she no longer cared? Or was there something else?
Solomon's anger was sharp, but it was tempered by something deeper, something that scared him. He was hurt, more hurt than he cared to admit, and yet, despite everything, part of him wanted to know why. He wanted to face her, look into her eyes, and understand why she did what she did.
"I'm curious," he added. "I want to know why, and I want to know now."
