Page 93 of Her Lion of a Duke
“Yes, have them come.” Leonard laughed coldly. “I am more than happy to hand them a murderer.”
Lady Punton gasped, and Leonard stared into Renshaw’s eyes. He could feel the man trying to run, but Renshaw was unable to escape his firm grasp.
“A confession,” he hissed, “or I will tell them of your plans. That is why you want to marry Lady Clara, is it not?”
“Always intelligent,” Renshaw snarled. “Yes, Your Grace, you have it all figured out, haven’t you? I cannot be blamed for doing what I had to do.”
Silence ensued.
Lady Punton clapped a hand over her mouth, grabbed her daughter’s arm, and dragged her away. Leonard looked at Cecilia, who was trembling, and knew that he was doing the right thing. The ladies had to hear his cousin if they were to be believed.
“I thought you would have understood,” Renshaw continued. “You were overlooked almost as much as I was. We were inferior, the ones who did not matter, for we did not have titles. That was for Henry, and all of the good that came with it, even though he never deserved it. I thought you would understand why I had to do it.”
“That is why you told me you would forgive me, is it not? You wanted to see how I feel about the man who killed him.”
“Yes, and I could not see it. You and I both know that it had to be done, for the good of our family.”
“And what about you planning to kill me next? You want to be Duke, yes? So much so that you would kill for it.”
“If it is necessary, yes. I have always deserved that life more than you, and you know it.”
“Did your wonderful mother tell you that?” Cecilia snarled. “Is that why you are so entitled?”
Renshaw turned red. He tried to lunge at her, but of course, he was no match for Leonard. He was slammed against the wall.
“You will never harm my wife,” Leonard thundered. “Nobody touches her.”
He held him in place until men arrived to take him away.
Renshaw’s confession had been short, but it was enough. He would receive his punishment, and Leonard hoped that it would come swiftly. When he was gone, the four of them stood quietly for a moment.
Leonard glanced at Cecilia, who was visibly shaken. But when he moved to comfort her, her aunt pulled her into her arms, apologizing over and over for not believing her.
“I should have trusted you,” she whispered. “I know that you are not stupid, Cecilia.”
“You saw what you wanted to,” Cecilia murmured. “Believe me, I understand.”
“No, I am a villain. Renshaw told me of his plans, how he would soon be one of the most respected members of the ton, and I did not question him. I was willing to marry off my daughter to him, and—” Lady Punton broke off, clasping a hand over her chest as she took sharp breaths.
Clara joined them, comforting her mother.
Leonard looked on, comforted by how forgiving they all were. It could have been disastrous, but it had not, and now they could mend things.
That was also the very thing he intended to do.
He went back home with Cecilia soon after, and he held her close throughout the ride. Renshaw’s threats were more than enough for him to decide that he would not let her out of his sight for longer than necessary from that day on. Images of her being hurt flashed through his mind, and he instinctively tightened his grip on her.
“You need not be so concerned.” She giggled. “It is done with, now. He is gone, and we can go back to the way things were.”
“No,” he said. “We cannot.”
She looked up at him with a confused expression. “Are you still angry?”
“Not at all, but I do not want to go back to how things were. I do not want to be incapable of telling you how I feel, and I do not want you to think that the only way to handle a dispute is to run. I do not want to go back to the way things were, because I much prefer how they are now.”
“I would have to agree with you,” she admitted, smiling. “No more secrets, no more lies. Just you and I and the life we share.”
He kissed her tenderly, and she wrapped an arm around his neck to deepen it.
