Page 43 of Her Lion of a Duke
“I do not know what to think. I want to trust you—believe me, I do—but it is difficult when you push me away so easily.”
He nodded in resignation, sitting across from her and pushing the book away.
“I was at Hyde Park,” he revealed. “I did go to White’s, but I realized rather soon after my arrival that I no longer wished to associate myself with the men there. They are not the best company.”
“They were once. What has changed?”
“I have. I am no longer a young bachelor, but a husband. I have a family to care for now, and you are right. I should not push you away and run at the first opportunity. It was wrong of me.”
“What did you do at Hyde Park?”
“I sat on a bench. I thought for a while about my actions and what I was supposed to do with our marriage. I thought that I had frightened you with talk of children.”
“Not at all,” she assured him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “It was an unexpected subject, and one that I still do not have an answer for, but it did not frighten me. Nothing scares me, Leonard. You know that.”
He chuckled as she bared her teeth mockingly.
Cecilia was, when she wished to be, a frightening woman, and he had little doubt that anything could frighten her at all.
“I should have come home,” he sighed.
“You should have. You should have come to me, so that we could discuss things properly, like any married couple should. I know that you do not think this is a real marriage, but we should at least pretend that it is. It would make such conflicts easier.”
“Cecilia, I have already told you I regret saying that to you. I do see you as my wife, and I hope that you see me as your husband.”
She hummed in thought, but she was smiling.
“If my husband were to woo me, perhaps I could be swayed on the matter.”
“And how should I woo you?”
“A thousand red roses, the most expensive desserts, and fifty-four luxurious gowns.”
“Are those your demands?”
“Of course not.” She laughed brightly. “If anything, I would rather we traveled somewhere—a real honeymoon. I know that you are busy and that we must remain in London a short while longer, but when we leave, it might be good for us to go somewhere new.”
“Then that is precisely what we shall do. I have a globe in my study. I shall spin it, and all you need to do is place your fingertip on it to make it stop. Wherever it lands, that is where we shall go.”
He adored the way her face brightened at his words.
It was nice to go back to the way things were and to know that they had successfully resolved their first dispute. It was always going to be the worst, but at least it was done with. They would be more prepared next time, and he would know not to run.
They left the library together, taking tea before Leonard had to meet with the private investigator. When Cecilia asked him who he was going to see, he hesitated.
He did not want to lie to her, but he had to for a short while longer. The investigation was to remain confidential until he knew for certain who had been trying to ruin him, and that meant concealing it from his wife.
He hated that he had to do it, but he hoped that she would understand.
“I am going to see a tenant,” he lied. “He is facing issues with his land, and I have agreed to visit him and assess the situation.”
“Would you like me to accompany you?”
“No, do not trouble yourself. I will not be long.”
She accepted his excuse easily, and he felt like a villain.
He found Mr. Livingston waiting for him in the cake shop in the village. He sat across from him, wringing his hands in anticipation.
