Page 53 of Her Lion of a Duke
“Did Brutus come into the room and only approach my wife?”
“Yes, with a note.”
“Good. That means he was under my control, and I did not even need to be in the room with him. There is no need for concern.”
Leonard did not have any intentions of arguing with his cousin. He planned, as Cecilia had, to have as pleasant a time with him as possible and then not speak with him for another extended length of time. He did not want to have any arguments, especially not when his wife was nearby.
“You have changed the manor, too,” Renshaw noted after a moment. “I did not expect that of you.”
“Cecilia and I decided that it was time for a change,” Leonard explained. “She did most of the work, and I gave my input when she asked. She has done a very good job, has she not?”
“Indeed, though it does not reflect the Pridefield name like before. Everything was always the same, and it grew to reflect all of us. This is different, however.”
“As it should be. This home belongs to my wife and me, and therefore it should reflect us. I do not want to live in a house that could belong to anyone.”
“I am not just anyone,” Renshaw pointed out. “I am family. I should also feel at home.”
There was that envy again, the very same that Leonard saw in him when they had last spoken.
He did not want to discuss their last argument, as there was no way to settle it, but he knew Renshaw. He knew that his cousin would not let it go.
“How have you been?” Renshaw asked. “I know that we have not spoken much since the death of your brother. My mother and I have thought of you often, but we did not think it was wise to write to you, given the circumstances.”
“Of course. Well, I will not pretend that losing my brother was easy, but I have made my peace with it. Becoming a duke so suddenly was daunting, but I like to think that I have settled intothe role well. I now have a wife, a dog, and a beautiful home, and I am finding my way. I cannot ask for more than that.”
“And what about an heir? Will you have one soon?”
Leonard felt a chill run down his spine.“I do not want to discuss that with you, Renshaw.”
“Come now, Pridefield. You and I are not the same people we were all those years ago. We can be civil about this.”
“I will not be civil about what you said if you continue to remind me of it. I agreed to forget about it for a reason.”
“But you must be able to see things from my point of view. Leonard, do you not understand how I felt?”
“No, I do not. I had just lost my brother,Reginald. I was mourning him, and all you did was suggest that I abdicate. You were only interested in helping yourself, and I have not forgiven you for that. I do not need you to ask me if I will put another person in your way.”
“I would never think of a child that way.”
But Leonard knew that his cousin was doing precisely that. That was the reason for his visit. Renshaw wanted to know if there would be yet another person preventing him from inheriting the duchy.
“Renshaw, why are you here?” Leonard asked.
“I wished to congratulate you, of course.”
“No, you did not. You could have attended the wedding, if that were the case, or written to us, or visited us in London. You did not do any of those things; you only arrived at our country home. Why are you here?”
Renshaw chuckled darkly, rising from his seat and pacing the room for a moment.
“I had a rather interesting visit last week,” he began. “It was a gentleman that I did not recognize, but he seemed to have a great deal of interest in you. He wanted to know about the two of us and whether we ever had a big dispute.”
Leonard studied him, trying to determine whether his cousin knew about the investigation. He had instructed the private investigator to be discreet, but mistakes could happen. He hoped the man had not let it slip in front of Renshaw of all people.
After all, he was the person Leonard suspected most.
“We had that argument when Henry died,” Leonard gritted out. “Why was he there?”
“I do not know, but I was hoping that you might tell me. I do not need men knocking on my door and upsetting my mother. Shethought that I had been involved in something most untoward. It wasmortifying.”
