Page 37 of Her Lion of a Duke
The moment he mentioned it, he saw Cecilia withdraw into herself, unwilling to discuss it.
For the first time, he wondered what she was thinking. He sat across from her at dinner that night and watched as she twirled a stray blonde strand around her finger. He wanted to speak to her, to reassure her that there was no need for her to make a decision, not for a long time, but he could not form the words.
He was transfixed, unable to look away from her. All the while, she did not look at him once.
He pushed his chair back, clearing his throat. “I will be away this evening,” he announced. “We won’t be in London for much longer, and I have yet to visit my club.”
She nodded, then looked away again.
Leonard did not understand the sudden change in her demeanor, not entirely at least. But he did not wish to force her to speak before she was ready, and if there was one thing he knew about his wife, it was that she was more than capable of speaking her mind.
When he arrived at White’s, he was practically pounced on by well-wishers. The Duke of Lupton was not present, nor was the Duke of Urkinshire, and so he took a seat by himself and ordered his first drink.
He did not know what to do with himself for the night, but he knew he had to stay out of the house for at least one hour.
“Pridefield!” a loud voice rang out. “What a pleasant surprise!”
Leonard turned to see two gentlemen whom he, unfortunately, knew very well approaching.
They had all been friends once, when Henry was alive. When Leonard had inherited the duchy, they had grown distant. Leonard had never thought that it was a conscious decision on his part, but sometimes when he thought about them, he did have to wonder.
“Pendleton, Fenton,” he acknowledged. “How are you both?”
“We are well, especially now that we are in the presence of a duke.” Lord Fenton chuckled. “We were wondering if you had already returned to your manor.”
“I will very soon. For the moment, my wife and I are enjoying the city. It allows her to see some friends and chaperone her cousin. I believe you have heard of Lady Clara Punton?”
“Indeed, and what a treasure she is,” Lord Pendleton sighed. “If I were looking for a wife…”
“I shall refrain from telling Lady Pendleton that,” Leonard grumbled.
“Come now, Pridefield. You cannot act as though you do not look at other ladies. It is not as though we gentlemen can help ourselves, after all.”
“He is a newlywed, Pendleton,” Lord Fenton drawled. “Give him time, and he will soon understand.”
“I would argue the contrary. We choose a lady to marry, and we swear to honor her. I have every intention of keeping to that.”
The two gentlemen exchanged glances, and Leonard could swear he saw a smirk exchanged.
“It appears that the lion has been tamed.” Lord Fenton grinned. “I never would have expected that from you, Pridefield.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that once, we were bachelors. The younger brothers, the outcasts. We liked things that way. Us being married, and you having a title, does not change anything.”
“You also have a title,” Leonard pointed out. “Your brother, if I recall correctly, did not want to be the Viscount.”
“No, and more fool him for that. It is not difficult, but he insisted on falling in love with a commoner. He ought to thank me for funding his new lifestyle, but he never will. Love, Pridefield, is the death of men. I can see it now, with you.”
Leonard bristled. He was not in love with Cecilia; she was his friend. A beautiful lady, one he admired, but that was precisely why he could not allow himself to love her.
He could not, not when she was the very definition of loveliness, and he was a beast of a man. He thought back on the trouble that he, Lord Fenton, and Lord Pendleton had gotten into, and he wondered what divine being thought he was worthy of a match at all.
“Look at him.” Lord Pendleton grinned. “He is positively scarlet! Yes, Pridefield, we saw through it. Everyone does. You have fallen for your wife, and you will not convince me otherwise.”
“It is rather brave of you,” Lord Fenton chimed in, “for she is quite a formidable lady. I never thought that she would be tamed in equal measure.”
“Do not speak of my wife that way.”
