Page 41 of A Wicked Duke's Redemption
“They are paid to work for me,” Leo said.
“Of course. But people still like to feel as if their efforts are being appreciated,” Violet replied. “It would cost you nothing to be a little kinder to them.”
Leo sighed. “It is not that I want to be especially intolerable to them.”
“So why are you so cold towards them?” Violet asked. “Your staff seems friendly on the whole. None of them have said anything unkind to me or behaved in any way that was inhospitable.”
Leo frowned. “I suppose I have some difficulty with…trusting them. I feel as if they assume the worst of me.”
Violet’s face softened. “Oh,” she said. “Like—like the people in the village.”
The late Duchess of Farnham seemed to hang like a specter between them, present but not. Violet bit her lip. Despite all that she had heard about the late duchess, Leo had yet to say a word about her.
“Yes,” he said. “Precisely like the people of the village. If my servants are so determined to believe I am a monster, there is little reason to try and dissuade them from their notions.”
“I disagree.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “You are rather brazen today.” The words might have been unkind, but Violet heard his amusement in them. “You have only lived in Groveswood for a handful of months, and already, you seek to order me about.”
“I think that people want to find human kindness,” Violet said. “If you show it to them, they will believe it and appreciate it. You do yourself a disservice by accepting defeat.”
“I will…” Leo hesitated. “I will think about that.”
Violet smiled. They rounded the lake, sparkling in the morning sun. It was a rare, sun-filled day, marred by neither rain nor clouds. Before marriage, Violet used to spend her evenings marveling days like this. She often spent them sprawled beneath a tree or else curled up by the window, so she could read by the golden sunlight.
“Violet, look out!”
Leo pulled her so suddenly that Violet stumbled. She flailed her arms, desperate to keep her balance as her feet found the uneven ground beside the lakebed. Violet barely managed to remain standing as rocks slid beneath her feet.
Leo grunted and hissed sharply between his teeth. Violet stared uncomprehendingly for just a moment. Then she saw the sleek, brown and black snake dart from behind a tall clump of grass. “Leo!” she exclaimed. “Did it bite you?”
“Yes,” he said. Brow furrowed; he pressed his fingers to his ankle just above his stocking. “Did it bite you? When I saw it, you were almost upon it.”
Violet’s breath caught in her throat. He had pulled her away from the snake, but by doing so, he put himself in harm’s way. “N—no,” she said. “No, I am fine, but you—we must return to the manor. I can send for the physician.”
“Yes.”
Leo straightened, wincing. Violet took his arm and gazed at him, as cold dread creeped into her, freezing her to the core. Despite living in the countryside, she knew little about snakes. She seldom saw them and had never been bitten by them. Her only personal experience was when poor, elderly Mrs. Henderson had been bitten by one. The woman’s ankle had quickly become swollen and red, tinged with blue. Soon after, she became violently ill.
“Can you walk?” Violet asked.
He grimaced and limped beside her. Violet noticed that he leaned on her, trying to relieve some of the weight he placed on his ankle. It was suddenly difficult to breathe, and she had to force herself to remain steady in the face of her rising panic. Leo needed her to be strong and dependable.
“I can walk,” he said. “It was just a snake, not a tiger, Violet.”
She could see that it pained him, though, and she heard the uncertainty in his voice. Did he know any more about snakes than she did? She doubted it. “We are almost at the manor,” she said.
They were so far away. It took an eternity for them to reach the first set of steps, and by then, Leo’s breath was no longer steady. He heaved unevenly, taking in large gulps of air. Violet bit her lip. Her eyes darted to the manor. She could run and would reach it more quickly without him, but that would mean abandoning him on the path. What if something happened to him?
Even if something did, could she even help him? Violet knew little about medicine, only basic remedies and the steps for treating her mother. Leo took each step with aching slowness, and Violet tightened her grip on his arm, doing her best to add to his efforts. At last, they reached the top of the stairs. He squeezed her hand. “Give me just a moment, Violet.”
She waited, casting anxious looks towards the manor. Perhaps someone would see them and hurry to meet them. Several minutes passed, and no one did. Leo resumed walking, and Violet went along with him. At last, they reached the second set of stairs and climbed slowly to the entrance.
Nathanial Jones opened the door. Seeing them, his face paled. “Your Grace!” he exclaimed. “Are you injured?”
“Yes,” Leo said. “A snake bite.”
“Send for the physician,” Violet said. “He will be with my mother.”
