Page 94 of A Duchess to Fight For
Chapter 24
Mendon let Percy in with a smile on his face. He bowed and thanked Percy for Lady Louisa’s good health.
Percy nodded and asked if the ladies were available. Mendon asked him to wait.
The parlour was the first room when one came through the front door. Very little happened in the parlour that could not be heard at the door.
“The Duke of Gordon to see Your Grace and Lady Haddington.”
“Send him away, Mendon,” Percy heard Louisa say.
“Show him in, Mendon,” Amelia said.
‘Well, that’s going to make this a pleasant visit,’ Percy thought.
Percy entered the parlour and bowed. Louisa rose and curtsied.
“Hello, Percy. It’s nice to see you. Please sit,” Amelia said. “I want to thank you for saving Louisa last night. Frederick and I are grateful for your help. I hate to think what would have happened without you.”
Percy nodded. “Thank you. I was happy I was in a position to help. I would not have forgiven myself if those men took Louisa.”
Amelia sat straighter. “Those men?”
“Yes, the two men on the patio waiting to take Louisa when Barton took her out there. Cecil and Kent fought them after I brought down Barton.”
Percy turned to Louisa. “Are you hurt from being forced to the floor when I tackled Barton?”
Louisa didn’t look up from her lap when she answered him. “No, I’m quite alright. And I want to thank you. What you did saved me from an unknown but certainly difficult future.”
“I was happy to be of help. I would never wish any harm to come to you,” Percy said in a low voice.
Louisa cleared her throat, “This past day has been stressful. I have a pounding headache. Would you excuse me?”
Percy rose and bowed as Louisa swiftly left the room. Even though he could understand why she would have a headache, he found her behavior odd.
Amelia asked Percy to stay even though Louisa had left the room.
“Of course,” he said.
Amelia turned to face Percy head on. She opened her mouth then closed it. No one broke the silence in the room. Percy waited.
Finally, Amelia spoke. “Percy, I know Louisa hurt you deeply when she turned down your marriage proposal. I’m not sure if you considered all the reasons why she turned you down, or if your male pride got in the way so you didn’t care why she turned you down, but I know she hurt you.
“Frederick told me he warned you that the timing of your proposal was not ideal. Personally, I think you need to step outside of yourself and look at both sides of that event, putting aside your pride.
“We all love you, Percy, including Louisa. Because I feel so close to you, I can be frank with you. What I see as an observer to this debacle is you, trying your hardest to punish Louisa for hurting you. I don’t think you do it consciously. In fact, I know you don’t do it consciously. You’re too kind a person. You couldn’t possibly be cruel on purpose.
“I want a truce. Louisa has a way to go before she’s ready to meet you in the middle, and I know that. But I want a truce.
“You, Percy have got to stop this need to hurt her back. It isn’t the real you, and it adds to the problem. It has to stop now. The scales are balanced. You both hurt each other. Now, you both need to accept that and let it go.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do. My friends Cecil and Kent gave me the same lecture just days ago. It shocked me how much I have done to make matters worse. But you are right when you say I haven’t done anything consciously. If I knew what I was doing, it would have stopped right away.
“I don’t know what to do, Duchess. I thought I knew Louisa so well, yet I have come up with ideas in my head to help fix the problem, and I have rejected them all. Do you have any ideas?”
Amelia gave Percy a small smile. “Be careful to build up instead of tear down, and have patience.”
