Page 95 of Her Lion of a Duke
“I did not want you to hear. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“And believe me, I am surprised. Please continue.”
It would be fruitless to try to avoid it, so with a nervous smile, she resumed playing. Her nerves showed in the halting notes, but as she eased into it, she grew in confidence, and the notes flowed smoothly.
“Have you received word of Renshaw?” she asked as she played. “It is strange that all of this is taking so long.”
“Yes, well, his mother appeared to plead his case for him. She claimed that it could not have been her darling son, for he had been with her that night. It almost worked. Fortunately, enoughgentlemen challenged her story. They had all seen him that night, and that tore her story apart.”
“I will never be such a horrible mother,” Cecilia scoffed. “I will protect our children, but I will never let them grow up so entitled, not to mention trying to find ways for them to escape justice.”
“She will face what is to come, for lying in a court of law is not taken lightly. The scandal will be dreadful.”
“And we will face it,” she said as the song came to an end. “I do not believe that we will be affected by it. If anything, this is the revenge you have long sought. They will all know of your innocence, Leonard.”
“As for whether or not they believe it…”
“They will,” she insisted. “I know that there have been doubts over the years, but Renshaw has confessed. He is guilty of murder, and he will live the rest of his days with everyone knowing that. He may not be ashamed of what he has done, but he will be ashamed of how he is perceived.”
“That is justice in and of itself,” he agreed. “I know that all of this is good. I know that it is what we have both wanted, but after so many years of scrutiny, I do not know what to think of what is to come.”
“Whatever happens,” she assured him, rising to her feet and kissing him on the cheek, “we will be prepared for it, and we shall handle matters together. You are not alone anymore.”
“I have not been for a long time.” He gave a tender smile. “Come, I do not want to think about this anymore. It is as you say—whatever happens, we will face it together. Until then, I would like to enjoy our lives as they are.”
They left for the village, Leonard needing time away from the manor. They liked to walk together when challenges arose because it gave them time to find clarity together.
Cecilia was aware that since they had begun to take walks together, Leonard’s visions grew less frequent. She had always assumed that his brother came to see him whenever he needed advice, and it soothed her to know that he was not relying on it as much.
“Do you miss him?” she asked as they walked by a lake. “Henry, I mean.”
“Every day. I wish I had tried to understand him better and form a deeper bond with him. I wish that I had more memories with him, but I do not regret the life we had together. There were more good times than bad, even if I do not make it seem that way.”
“You hardly ever talk about the good times,” Cecilia murmured. “Though I always assumed that there had been better moments.”
“Of course! He and I liked to spend time at this very lake, and we often played together as boys. It was only when we realized that there was an undeniable difference between us that things changed.”
Cecilia suddenly bristled, and she knew that he felt it because he nudged her.
“Something is troubling you,” he noted. “You do not need to keep it from me.”
“I know. I suppose that I am simply concerned about our children. What if we have two sons, or a son and a daughter, and the ton treats them differently?”
Leonard considered for a moment and then looked at her tenderly. “We will simply not allow them to think that it is their fault. That is what happened with Henry and me. We were allowed to see each other in the way we did, and if that were to happen with our own children, we would put a stop to it. I will not treat them differently, and I know that you will not either.”
“Not at all. They shall all be little miracles. Despite everything, I find myself rather eager to start a family. Once this Renshaw matter is done with, we can begin the next chapter of our lives, and I cannot wait for it.”
“Nor can I. It will be a nice ending to it all. Have you told your friends of our plans yet?”
“Not yet, but they are going to visit tomorrow. They will not let me hear the end of it, I am quite certain. I have changed so much!”
“You have, but you have been yourself the entire time. You should also know that I have loved every version of you.”
Cecilia smiled, and they continued on their way.
The following day, she looked at her three friends sitting around her, their teacups in their hands, and wondered how she was going to explain herself.
She had been the same for years: determined not to marry, with no intentions of falling in love or having children or any of the wonderful things that she had decided she wanted after all.
