Page 24 of The Scarred Duchess Deal
“What was that thing? Is Maurice all right? Someone! Come and rescue my cat at once! Find him! Find him now before that thing harms him!” Aurelius was in a panic even before Theodore sauntered into the home after his dog.
“Greetings!” he boomed, not reading the room properly until he was inside. He glanced at Leo and then at Aurelius with a perplexed expression. Aurelius glared at the man but could not form words to demand an explanation. “Your Grace. Viscount Thornbury. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, the both of you.” He did not seem to understand that either of the men he was addressing could be crossbecauseof him. He simply figured that he would make the best of an awkward situation.
“Oh, you seem to be bleeding, My Lord. Ah, not to worry! It builds character. Just like we always used to say to the men, rub some dirt in it – that will make it all better.”
“Or lead to sepsis and infection,” Aurelius countered bitterly.
Theodore’s brow furrowed as if the concept of dirt not being good to rub into fresh wounds was an absolutely preposterous notion. “Nonsense! I have been doing it for years. You ought to see how many scars I have. It proves just how much of a man you are. Wear them with pride.” His voice boomed and carried naturally, no matter what he was saying. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be existing in a world of his own that the rest of the people around him merely made guest appearances in but never fully resided in that fantasy version of the world with Theo.
“What my husband wishes to say is that he is most grateful for your invitation to host us here in your lovely home, and hopes that you are not badly injured, My Lord,” Anna said softly. She dipped a curtsy formally toward the men.
Aurelius had been full of hope moments before, but now there was only anger and indignation.
“Might I present my daughter? Sophie. And our ward, her cousin – Lady Tessa.”
Sophie dipped into a low and overly formal curtsy. She lingered in front of the Viscount, waiting for approval that did not come from his lips. Perhaps under other circumstances, he might have complimented her gown or the pretty jewels that she had chosen to decorate her hair with as he was normally a very warm and kind person. But as far as he was concerned, he had been assaulted in his own home and that had distinctly soured his mood.
Tessa moved in after Sophie shuffled awkwardly away. “Are you all right, My Lord?”
Aurelius flinched. Leo’s hand and the handkerchief fell from Aurelius’ neck as the older man blatantly examined the scars covering half of Tessa’s face. She instantly lowered her eyes. Leo could see a muscle in her jaw twitch as she fought the indignation of being examined in such an obvious way. She did not wish to insult the man in his own home after all.
“Good heavens, child, what is the matter with your face?” He lifted a hand to touch her and Leo stopped him, his eyes posing the question ‘What is the matter with you?’ plainly and openly. It took Aurelius a moment to remember himself.
“Ah… well… I have a cat that does not have any fur… I suppose that is much the same. Very sweet cat – terrible at catching mice. All that she does is lay around in the sun all day. It is a wonder to me how she does not get burned – ah, I mean… come inside! Dinner is ready.”
Aurelius blustered and fumbled for his own pocket square to dab against his neck as he promptly turned and walked in the direction of the dining room. Anna and Sophie followed after him. Leo did not see where Theodore disappeared to, but he was fairly certain that it was to locate Colonel Floppy Ears and invite him to the dinner table.
“I apologize for my grandfather. The Colonel frightened his cat and the creature injured him. He is normally more composed,” Leo explained apologetically.
“It is fine,” Tessa said in a short tone.
“No, it is not fine at all. I do not think that I could have imagined a worse start to our evening than what has just happened.” Leo did not mean to laugh – but he could not help himself. “It seemed as if nearly everything that could go wrong – did.”
Tessa lifted her eyes to his and inhaled deeply. He could see her forgive the comment that had been made as the tension slid from her shoulders. Her posture relaxed as she stepped to his side and linked her arm with his. She walked slowly by his side. Leo could not properly express just how happy it made him that simply being near him was enough to put her at ease.
“It does not leave me feeling very optimistic about the dinner, either,” Tessa teased as she side-eyed Leo. “Perhaps it was only the beginning, and we are yet in store for a much more theatrical and dramatic evening.”
“I can only imagine that to be true as the house is filled with felines. Which, traditionally, are not that fond of large dogs.”
“You do not think that the Colonel will harm them, do you?” Tessa’s eyes widened. She had not even considered this before.
“No. I do not. I think that the cats might harmhimthough. They are clearly in possession of sharp claws.”
“It does not bode well for peace between our families. Between the rival animals and the strong personalities, perhaps this encounter is doomed from the start!” Tessa could not help but laugh at her own comment.
Leo stopped. “We could always leave, if you like. I do not think that we will even be missed – not at first, anyway. Do you know how to ride? If not, there are horses in the stables that would be simple enough for even the most inexperienced of riders.”
“Oh, we would be missed. As tempting as that offer might be, my cousin has been in very fine form lately. She is convinced that this courtship is a farce. At least, that was how her reasoning started. Now she has managed to convince herself that you are only pretending to be kind to me in order to get to her. She intends to corner you about it this evening and explain that you can simply woo her directly – you do not need to appeal to her pets first.” Tessa rolled her eyes.
“Oh, wonderful. I simply cannot wait to enjoy that… treat.” Leo could think of few things that he wanted to dolessthan speaking with Sophie alone. He had never seen such a pretty face with such a rotten core before. Dangerous, poisonous things wrapped in pretty paper.
“As such, we shall be forced to endure at least one course, I do believe.” Tessa sighed. “Then perhaps we can sneak away – to anywhere.”
Leo liked the sound of that. “If you are not careful, I might have to purposefully sabotage the entire dinner so that we can leave more quickly.”
“You would not dare.” Tessa smiled brightly.
That, that right there, was what he had been longing for. Like heat to the freezing, it warmed his very core to see her so happy. Even if only for a moment.
