Page 108 of A Duchess to Fight For
Chapter 28
Harold was turned away at the door. Louisa’s illness had been kept secret from the ton. Every nose in town would have been out of joint that their nose was the one that wasn’t allowed to enter.
They would want to be the first one who got to visit so they could spread the word. Percy was disgusted that they would vie for a visit no matter how sick Louisa was. They wouldn’t care how she felt. They would only care about the victory. She couldn’t leave her room to take any visitor, no matter who it was. And so the secret about Louisa’s illness.
Thus Harold’s rebuff. He didn’t know the reason, so he speculated. He thought back to his conversation with Percy. Did Percy think he could ignore Harold? Did he think Louisa’s uncle wouldn’t pay the price?
He wasn’t bluffing. Maybe Percy needed to be reminded of that. Time was ticking. He only had a few weeks.
He needed Louisa’s dowry, and he needed it fast. His father’s death would trigger his loans coming due. His father’s will explicitly forbade Harold or anyone else from selling his land. His land was worth a fortune if he could only access it. Time was ticking.
When Frederick was at the First London Insurance Partnership, where Percy found him, he was in the middle of coordinating the insurance for his latest investment. Frederick’s life was on hold until he knew Louisa was out of the woods. James said that could easily be two weeks. Then she would need more time to recover her strength.
His investors had sent him notes hoping his family emergency wasn’t too serious and wondering about their new investment deal. When they came to the townhouse, they were turned away.
Frederick knew they would take it as an affront, so he wrote them, explaining that the house was quarantined and the investment delayed. That kept his investors at bay.
After Harold’s visit was denied, Percy thought it best to come and go through the back door. He was certain Harold was watching the townhouse, curious about what was happening. As it was, Harold would see the doctor coming every morning.
Percy didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing that Harold saw no one except the doctor. It certainly meant his timetable for Louisa was set back. Harold’s father would have to die without her.
“I picked this up at the shop on Bond Street. I thought Louisa might like it. Can you give it to her?”
Amelia looked exhausted. Percy doubted she got more than a few hours of sleep a night. And she was sleeping in a chair next to the fireplace in Louisa’s room. Maybe the doctor could give her something to help her sleep? Surely, he was keeping a close eye on her.
“It’s beautiful, Percy. I think she’ll love it. She loves daffodils. The yellow is perfect for someone in her sickbed. I’ll take it to her right now.”
“If you are too tired, just wait. You can give it to her after you rest,” Percy said.
“No. She would want this right away.”
After Amelia disappeared up the stairs, Percy turned to Mendon. “She looks worse every day. If she’s not careful she’ll be as sick as Louisa soon.”
Mendon shook his head. “Your Grace is getting worried.”
“Has he instructed the doctor to look at her?”
“She won’t let him, Your Grace.”
Amelia appeared on the stairs. She came to Percy. “She loved it and told me to say thank you. Actually she told me to say thank you four or five times.”
Percy smiled. “That’s good. It’s such a little thing, but I thought it would brighten her day.”
Amelia put her hand on Percy’s arm. “It did.”
*****
Percy dragged Cecil and Kent into a private room for dinner. “We need to talk,” was his only explanation.
“Your dinner with Harold?” Cecil asked.
“Yes, my dinner with Harold.”
Percy went on to tell Cecil and Kent about Harold’s ultimatum.
“For the first time in weeks, I’ve completely rejected the idea of going to America.”
Kent barked out a laugh. “And imagine, we couldn’t convince you to stay here at the same time Harold is trying to force you to go. How ironic.”
