Page 23 of The Scarred Duchess Deal
“Iwas not sure that you would come,” said Aurelius Maten, Viscount Thornbury, as he descended the front steps of his house. He walked slowly and with purpose. Leo noted that the cane that he usually held to assist his gait was markedly absent from his hands, but he chose not to comment on it.
Leo shook his head. “Yes, you were.”
Aurelius grinned. “Yes, I did know you would come.”
“How could I not when you go behind my back and summon not only my intended but her whole family?” Leo spoke plainly, waiting to see which way his grandfather’s mood was going to fall before testing his newfound resolve.
“I confess,” Aurelius giggled, “I had rather hoped that they might arrive first and then I would send your letter of invitation after the fact so that you might arrive late. Which, naturally, would supply further cause for you to dramatically question my motives. I imagined that the intrigue would be rather diverting.”
He laughed as if that would have placed Aurelius directly in the middle of playing detective.
“But, given the way that our last interaction ended… I did not think that it was proper,” Aurelius finished. He was a good deal shorter than his grandson now and looked up at him through his brows curiously. “Perhaps you will be so excited to spend more time with your intended so you might be inclined to forgive an old man for overstepping his bounds?”
Leo pretended to deliberate for a moment, but in reality, he had made his mind up the moment he received the letter; he realized he had been too hasty in leaving his grandfather’s home, to begin with. He was ashamed to think of how impulsively he had acted. “There is nothing to forgive. You were only acting in a manner you thought was in my best interest.”
In truth, it was Tessa that he had to thank for his change of heart. Her unwavering faith in her brother was more than admirable – it changed the way that he thought about things. She truly understood her brother. Even if he had kept things from her, she did not think of him in a negative light. She still regarded him highly, flaws and all. If she could be so understanding of him after everything that she had been through and endured, he could stand to be a little more forgiving.
Aurelius shuffled forward happily in a strange little wiggle dance that Leo could not help but laugh at. “I am simply overjoyed that you have finally decided to put aside your hate, Grandson, and give love a chance. You deserve it. So much you deserve to see real and lasting love! Of course, it shall be nothing compared to the love that you can receive from cats.” Aurelius glanced over his shoulder to one of his many, many cats sitting in the open doorway to his home, lazily grooming itself.
“Is that one new?”
Aurelius shrugged. “I do not know, and it does not matter. Whatever reason he has for coming here – however long he wishes to stay – I shall be thrilled to host him.”
Leo sighed. He clapped his grandfather on the back and started to guide the older man back inside. “It does not bother you how overwhelmed you are? They outnumber you three to one at this point.”
Leo would much rather speak about the cats than how difficult this visit was likely to be. Even as fond as he was of Tessa, he had made an oath never to marry. He had sworn it to his mother on her deathbed. What sort of son would he be – no, what sort of man would he be – if he broke such a sacred vow? He could not tell his grandfather that it was a farce; that would be unforgivable in the old man’s eyes. He would simply have to play along, and he and Tessa would have to ultimately come up with a plan to get themselves out of this pit that they had dug together.
Fond of her or not.
“Is it not a wonderful thing to behold?” Aurelius said happily as he gestured to the nearest feline. “There is much to do before dinner tonight. Come, you can assist me in ensuring that all is ready for your guests. You will have to tell me everything that I need to know about them and their family as well!”
“Of course.” Leo could feel discomfort growing; this might be more difficult than he anticipated.
* * *
That evening, he stood in the foyer of his grandfather’s home, well-dressed and groomed, ready to receive the guests. He could not deny that he was excited to see Tessa – she would make all of this worth it for him. Just her being there would make it all easier. Somehow. It always did. Things just made sense with her around. It might be unfair to attribute such things to her, but he did it anyway.
The sound of wheels crunching against gravel signaled their arrival.
“I am very excited,” Aurelius declared happily. He held one of his favorite cats in his arms, a long-haired creature with bright green eyes and fur the color of fresh snow. It purred contentedly in his arms as he stroked its head. Were it not for the noise, Leo would have assumed that the cat was asleep given how peaceful it appeared.
Then a large, booming bass bark came from outside, and the cat was awake. Its fur rose on end as it started around, searching for the source of that sound.
“What was that? Leo?” Aurelius asked softly. Leo’s eyes closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He ought to have known better. He should have presumed, given the man’s affinity for his dog, that he would have brought the beast here with him instead of allowing the servants to care for the hound in his absence.
Aurelius did not like dogs.
Most of his colony of cats had only ever interacted with horses. Equines were the limit of their domesticated animal education.
“Shh, calm Maurice… I am certain that it is nothing. It must be nothing… right, Leo?” Aurelius spoke to his cat mostly, but he clearly wanted Leo to take care of whatever made that sound.
Leo knew that the dog was nothing more than an overly large, excitable puppy. The dog posed no threat to any life other than its sheer size, which the Colonel could hardly be held accountable for. It was not as if the animal had asked to be born the particularly massive breed that it was.
He inhaled sharply and started to walk quickly to the door, but before he could put himself in the path of the dog, the creature came bursting through the entrance, bounding happily into the new home. He paused to sniff at anything and everything – and then he spotted the cat.
Maurice hissed and scratched his way up Aurelius before using the old man’s shoulders as a launching pad to take off down the hallway, screaming in that particularly shrill way that only cats ever seemed capable of doing.
“Grandfather!” Leo exclaimed and headed back to see if he was injured or bleeding. He appeared to have scratches over his neck and behind his ear that bubbled with blood but seemed very shallow. The cat must have only glanced off of him instead of injuring him too badly. Leo whipped his handkerchief from his pocket and pressed the fabric against his grandfather’s neck. “Are you all right?”
