Page 72 of Her Lion of a Duke
“Oh, I see. That is quite all right, I shall do the same.”
Mrs. Herrington nodded, leaving her alone.
A moment later, a maid came into the room and served dinner.
Cecilia missed Leonard’s presence, but she was rather grateful that she did not yet have to face him. It would be an awful conversation, but it was as Beatrice had said. He was a good man, and he would understand. At least he would hear the truth from her.
However, as she sat waiting for him in the parlor, she realized that whatever was keeping him was not going to be resolved that night. She sighed, knowing that it would have to wait another night, but it was not fair for him to be occupied all day only to have such a difficult conversation while he was exhausted.
She retired to her bedchambers, missing the feeling she had had the night prior when she had been half asleep in his arms as he carried her there. When she stepped inside, she knew that something was wrong.
She went to her wardrobe and checked her hats, only to find the money gone.
Her heart pounding, she went to her desk. She knew before she began searching that what she wanted to find was not going to be there. Her throat tightened, and her breathing quickened as reality sank in.
The essays were gone.
CHAPTER 25
“Why have you not confessed your feelings yet?”
Leonard looked incredulously at the two gentlemen sitting opposite him. He had not expected to see Levi and Morgan for a while, but they had arrived at the manor and insisted on venturing to the village together.
Emma had been corresponding with Cecilia, and when Renshaw visited, Cecilia wrote about her annoyance with the man. It seemed that, rather than Emma coming to see Cecilia herself, she had decided that it would be better for Leonard to be taken out for the day.
And, with everything that had happened, he had to agree with her.
“I cannot explain feelings that I do not understand myself,” he muttered as they walked through the park. “You both knowthat I have always held my wife in the highest regard. She is a wonderful lady.”
“Indeed, but you cannot pretend that is all you think of her,” Levi pointed out. “Any fool could have seen at that party you held all those years ago that you held a candle for her. Why can you not tell her?”
“It was not that obvious,” Leonard protested.
Then, he thought of all the stolen glances, his insistence that she sit near him at the dining table, the way he watched her command attention. He had always been drawn to her, whether he would admit it or not.
“If I may,” Morgan interjected, “why can’t you tell her that you have such intense feelings? Surely she must have realized it by now.”
“If I have only just recognized them, how could she have?”
“In the same manner that we did. It is not as though you have been discreet. Have you heard the way you talk about her?”
“No.”
“You talk about your wife the way we do ours.” Levi chuckled. “And you will not argue that we do not love our wives endlessly.”
“I speak with admiration. She is a fierce and strong lady who also happens to be someone I respect deeply. Can’t that be all there is to it?”
“It can, but we all know that is not the case. What about this frightens you, Pridefield? You have never been one to be afraid of anything.”
“Because I am not. This does not scare me at all.”
Except that it did. It would have been wonderful if he could go back home, confess his feelings, and have her reciprocate. But he knew that would not happen. He had only just told her about his visions, and while she had been understanding, he could not fathom her being able to love him. He was not worthy of such affection.
“Then tell her,” Levi said firmly. “Do you think we took pleasure in saying it the first time? It was nerve-wracking, terrifying, but after you say it once, you’ll be able to say it a thousand times and think nothing more of it. If you never say it, however, you will never know how she feels about you.”
“Even if we all think it is obvious,” Morgan added.
Leonard rolled his eyes, but he knew there was truth in their words. He wondered why he had found it easier to confess that he had visions of his brother than to admit that he had feelings for his wife.
