Page 6 of A Wicked Duke's Redemption
“Did you even inform her that you had returned to Groveswood?”
“I am sure that I must have.”
He was not sure if he had.
“Why do you ask?” Leo spread his hands in surrender. “I know that you are about to scold me. You have that familiar look on your face. I am unsure what I have done that deserves chastisement, however, as I have been quite devoted to the dukedom since my return.”
“You have become a recluse.”
“Why should I be anything else? My tenants are determined to paint me as a monster, so I can think of no reason for why I ought to dissuade them of those notions.”
“For two reasons. The first is for yourself,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “You cannot have only your housekeeper as a confidant. You need friends.”
“My friends believe I murdered Lydia,” he said flatly.
That was not entirely true. His friends had not wished to tarnish their reputations, so after Lydia’s death, they had distanced themselves from him. Years had passed, and they had not sent him even a single letter. It was only logical to assume that they either believed he had murdered Lydia or else did not wish to risk their reputations by being acquainted with him. It made little difference which it was; the result was the same.
“And Lady Priscilla? She never believed you were a killer.”
“She is a good woman. I suppose that I have…” He trailed off, unsure what he wished to say. Lady Priscilla was a loyal friend and his neighbor. Leo should have responded to her correspondence. “I suppose after Lydia’s death, I just felt no desire to talk to anyone, and after returning to Groveswood, I suppose it felt pointless. It felt like too much effort.”
“You spent all morning in your study,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “Do you truly mean to tell me that you could not spare a single moment to pen a letter to Lady Priscilla?”
Leo drew in a sharp breath of air. A sharp twinge of guilt pricked at him. He had no good reason for not informing Lady Priscilla of his return. It was as simple as that.
“You are right. I should have written to her.”
Mrs. Gunderson nodded, seemingly satisfied. “You should grieve for Lydia, but I also do not wish to see you isolate yourself for any longer. It is not doing you any good.”
Leo nodded, showing that he accepted the words with grace. “I shall resolve to do better.”
“And second.”
“There is more?” Leo asked.
“Indeed. You need to become acquainted with the villagers.”
Leo resisted the urge to laugh. Hehadjust been thinking about how he would like to become acquainted with some of the women in the village, but somehow, he doubted Mrs. Gunderson would be pleased to hear that.
She seemed dissatisfied with his silence, too, for her frown deepened. “They have not even seen you since your return.”
Leo shook his head. “I donotneed to be acquainted with them.”
“And why not?”
“You know why not.” He said incredulously. “They believe I killed my duchess! As long as I manage the dukedom well, there is no reason for any of my tenants to become acquainted with me.”
At least, not in the way that Mrs. Gunderson was thinking. Leo was still undecided about meeting one of the village women for a tryst.
“And how are you to anticipate their needs if you never talk to any of them? How are you to know their complaints, their hopes, their desires if you never leave your house toaskorlearnanything about them?”
If anyone but Mrs. Gunderson had spoken to him in such a manner, Leo would have dismissed them at once. He had cast out servants for far smaller slights than this.
“They do not hesitate to send me their complaints,” Leo said curtly. “I am certain you must have noticed that.”
He always addressed their grievances promptly, if coldly. His efforts did nothing to dissuade them from finding new problems, however. There was always something wrong in Oxeburgh, and despite his efforts, the villagers never seemed to think kindlier of him.
“That is another problem,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “They think the worst of you, and you only see the worst of them. Nothing will change unless you give them the opportunity to know who you really are and what you are really like.”
