by Fanny Finch
Leander felt movement behind him and turned when his mother came up to them from behind, a large smile plastered on her face as she took Drusilla’s arm. The smile did not reach her eyes. Leander could tell it was only there for show.
“What are you saying, my dear? Leander has not been too objective, has he?”
“No, my lady,” Miss Drusilla shook her head. She glanced up at Leander, who met her eyes and held her gaze for a moment. Leander got the distinct impression Miss Drusilla was annoyed by the sudden interference of his mother. “I am just having a conversation with Lord Price. About our roles in society.”
She physically removed her arm from the Countess of Coventry’s grasp and took a few quick steps to draw away from the older woman. Leander stayed in step with her.
“Our parents are quite overbearing at times,” she said in an irritated voice. “Have you ever noticed that?”
“I have noticed that often, Miss Sirey,” Leander said with a chuckle. He was comfortable walking beside Miss Drusilla that day. He could tell she had a great deal on her mind.
Knowing her as he did, he expected she would tell him what she was thinking at any moment.
“I have always wondered about my wedding day.” Miss Drusilla’s voice was soft but he could hear her clearly. “I have thought about the man I would marry, dreamed of him as my knight, from the books I used to read as a girl.”
She paused, a look of reflection on her face. She glanced up at him. “Did you dream about your wedding day?”
He had to grin. “No, I do not recall thinking about my wedding day when I was a boy. I was concentrated on other things.”
“You had to learn a lot to be able to take over your father’s title when the day comes, did you not?”
“I did many years of schooling, yes,” Leander responded.
“Did you never dream of anything? Is there nothing you wanted to do and be when you were older?”
Leander thought about it for a moment. From the beginning, his father had taught him what he needed to know to lead the family with prosperity. His father’s focus on money was more intense than his own but he knew he would not fail in that regard.
“I had no dreams that I remember. I only wanted to be a success. To make my father proud and uphold the reputation of our family name.”
Miss Drusilla sighed. “I think that is very sad. All children should have a dream when they are young.”
Leander was once again taken aback by Miss Drusilla’s sudden profound speech. He had never seen her behave this serenely at the events they attended. She was normally loud and boisterous, drawing as much attention to herself as possible. He wondered what was making her so docile.
Dare he ask her directly? It was clear to him she was trying to get to something but was unsure or unable to say it.
“Some may see it as sad,” he said, nodding. “I see it as proper training. My father left me nothing to wonder about. I think that is a good thing.”
“But yet, you still wonder about some things, do you not? The marriage arrangement, for instance?”
Leander blinked. He almost froze in place, making him stumble slightly. He righted himself quickly and hoped no one had seen him.
“You are wondering about the marriage arrangement?”
Miss Drusilla would not look at him. She continued walking, her face pointed in front of her, her eyes unwavering. “It… has been on my mind.”
“I have been thinking about it, as well,” Leander said. “I have been wanting to speak to you directly about it but the opportunity has never arisen.”
She stopped and turned to look up at him. Ten feet behind them, the Countess of Coventry also stopped, her eyes staring at the two of them anxiously.
Leander looked down at the woman he had been trying to avoid for a month. He thought about how she had appeared to be stalking him, only to find out his own father had set up the meetings with Mr. Sirey.
The two men had conspired to see if the affection would grow between the two young people naturally. When it did not, they had made the arrangement themselves, with no regard for Leander or Miss Drusilla’s feelings.
“I am very curious what you are thinking about the arrangement, my lord,” Miss Drusilla breathed the words.
Leander bit the inside of his lip. How much did he want to tell the woman? She could react in a variety of ways, most of them not good. He wanted to be open with her and tell her the truth. Doing so might get her to agree with his thinking.
They did not love each other. Why should they wed? They would be miserable throughout their lives, feel the guilt and shame of finding satisfaction outside the marriage… it all sounded like a horrible life to Leander.
“I have my doubts that we are a good match, Miss Drusilla,” he finally said, bluntly.
“He does not mean that!” His mother, overhearing where the conversation was going, stepped up to them once more and barked the words at Miss Drusilla.
Miss Drusilla gave her an unhappy look. “I wish to speak to Lord Price, my lady.”
“Of course,” the Countess of Coventry nodded. “But you must not listen to such words from him. He does not mean what he says.”
“I think it is perfectly clear that he does mean what he says,” Miss Drusilla said. She looked up at Leander with wide-open eyes. “My lord, if you have no feelings for me, why is it you seek to marry me?”
“It is not me who pushes for this marriage, Miss Sirey. It is my father, who wishes to join our family names in order to further his business dealings.”
Miss Drusilla nodded. “I, too, am suffering because of my father’s pressure on me to marry.”
“It is prudent for both of you to focus on what is best for the families,” the Countess of Coventry had not backed off. She stood stock-still next to them, moving her eyes from one to the other.
Leander knew the look on her face. It was one of fear. She was losing control of the situation. She had expected the two young people to continue the façade when they were growing tired of play-acting.
Leander wondered if Miss Drusilla was interested in anyone else in society. He had seen her eyes settle on several gentlemen at the events they attended. She had never looked at him that way. But Hestia had.
The beautiful face of the woman he loved swam in front of his eyes and he smiled instinctively. Just the thought of her made his heartbeat speed up and his blood race through his veins. He did not care if the two women could see the look on his face had changed.
He could not help it.
“My son wears his heart on his sleeve,” the Countess of Coventry said. “You cannot ask for a better man to be by your side through good times and bad.”
Miss Drusilla looked up at Leander and gave him a smile. “I am sure that is true, my lady. But he does not wish to be by my side. I cannot and will not force a man to spend his life with me when he does not wish to. That would be scandalous on my part. More so than any other foolish thing I’ve done at a party.”
Leander chuckled and then blushed. “I apologize, Miss Drusilla.”
She shook her head, her smile remaining. “I know that I have behaved in some outlandish ways, my lord. I do wish to apologize for that. It was never my intention to humiliate you.”
She had humiliated Leander on many occasions. He wished she had simply shown who she was from the beginning.
“I acted like a foolish child,” Miss Drusilla continued. “I will not behave that way in the future.”
The Countess of Coventry sighed in relief. “Then you will give Leander a second chance?”
Miss Drusilla drew her eyebrows together and gave the Countess of Coventry a confused look.
“No, my lady, this marriage is not acceptable to either of us. It would be a travesty if it were forced by others.”
Chapter 35
Miss Drusilla looked back at Leander, who was growing more excited by the second. If Miss Drusilla was backing out of the marriage arrangement, he would have no choice but to m
arry the woman he truly loved.
“I learned a great deal from you, my lord. You were such a good and gentle teacher.”
“I did not wish to hurt your feelings, Miss Drusilla,” Leander said. “I only wished to train you to behave the way ladies are expected to behave.”
“I do realize that. It is because of your lessons that I will be able to draw in the man I am interested in. At least, I hope to draw his attention.”
Leander’s grin was wide. “You have a suitor? Tell me about him.” He offered her his arm, which she took with a grin. Leander knew he was leaving his mother behind to fume. She would follow as the chaperone but she was stewing with anger and he knew it.
“You cannot do this!” the Countess of Coventry demanded, halting both Leander and Miss Drusilla in their tracks. Leander was impressed with the cool look Miss Drusilla gave his mother. Her voice was calm when she responded.
“Oh but my lady, I already have. I am not bound by the wishes of my father as your son is of his. I do not choose Lord Price as my husband and you will need to accept that. I may be the daughter of a merchant but I know what love is and how it feels and what Lord Price and I share is not love. Not the kind that makes a marriage successful.”
The Countess of Coventry frowned. “I am afraid you are just as bound to your father’s wishes as any girl with noble blood.”
Miss Drusilla lifted her chin and gazed at the older woman defiantly. “I will not give my consent, my lady.”
Leander tried not to look too happy at the news but knew he was failing miserably. Miss Drusilla had not released his arm. She turned away from his mother and took a step forward. He walked with her at her side, listening to her chatter in a way he had never heard before.
It pleased him to no end. Thoughts of Hestia ran through his mind, their wedding day, the birth of their first child, the laughs and smiles they would share. His future suddenly looked so bright and happy.
He was not distracted by his thoughts enough to miss the name of the man Miss Drusilla was interested in. He smiled wide.
“Do you know the Honorable Henry Wake? I met him at the house party when we were there. It was the baron who introduced us. I do not think he knew you and I were supposed to be married.”
“I do know Mr. Wake. He and his brother are fine gentlemen. The baron has raised them well. They are very respectable.”
Miss Drusilla nodded. “I absolutely adore them both,” she said in an exaggerated voice that made Leander smile. “But the younger of the two, the Honorable David Wake, I do believe he has caught the eye of another.”
“What makes you believe this? Have you seen him with a woman?” Leander could not help thinking of Lady Eugenia. If the young woman was trying to keep it a secret, she was failing miserably.
“No, he carries a certain glow with him that all young men seem to get when they fall in love.”
Leander raised his eyebrows. He gave her a direct look. Had she noticed his feelings? Did she know he was in love with Hestia? When she smiled at him, tilting her head slightly, he knew she did.
“Yes,” she said. “I know you have feelings for that young woman. I did not believe what your mother was telling the Earl of Nottingham, that his daughter was treating herself as an equal when she was not.”
Leander felt anger slide through him. His mother had slandered Hestia behind his back. He felt the kick of betrayal and struggled to hold in his temper.
“How much did the Earl of Nottingham accept to keep his daughter from me?” he asked.
Miss Drusilla looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Accept? Do you mean payment? The Earl of Nottingham received no payment and did not say he would not let his daughter marry you. Where did you get such a notion?”
Leander was immediately confused. He found it hard to believe his mother had lied to him. She had laid the guilt directly on the shoulders of the Earl of Nottingham, when the man had done nothing wrong.
He was about to turn and confront his mother when Miss Drusilla suddenly grabbed his arm and pushed him to continue walking with her. “It seems our parents have been conspiring against us, my lord,” she murmured. “There is no need to carry grudges. We will thrive in the end. They will see.”
“Miss Drusilla, why did you not behave this elegantly at the parties?”
Miss Drusilla sighed, lowering her head in shame. “I suppose I was acting out. I was very unhappy when my father announced I was to marry you. It was not because of anything about you personally. You are a fine man and very handsome.”
Leander grinned and bowed his head once.
She giggled. “But in the end, I wanted to make my own decisions. It is, after all, my life I will be living. They will not live it for me.”
“We are of like mind in that regard, Miss Drusilla.”
She grinned at him. He smiled back.
“I will train myself to be worthy of Mr. Wake,” Miss Drusilla continued. She pulled in a deep breath. Leander thought how beautiful the day was, how it had turned from such darkness to light in such a short period of time.
All because the real Miss Drusilla had decided to make an appearance.
“I wondered, when we were at the Nottingham mansion, why you were so quiet. You are rarely quiet.”
“I did not feel I was being quiet. I was as annoying to the Earl of Nottingham as I could be. I wanted to leave.”
“You will have to find a new way to get out of situations you do not want to be in,” Leander scolded her light-heartedly. “A lady does not act out when she does not want to be somewhere.”
Miss Drusilla’s grin widened. “I will learn a new way to behave, Lord Price. I will take the lessons you have taught me and apply them so that I may earn the right to be Mr. Wake’s wife.”
“You will do fine, Miss Drusilla. And I do hope we will continue to be friends.”
“I would have it no other way.”
When the two stopped and faced each other once more, Leander noticed she looked happier than he had ever seen her. He was happy, too.
“I will do whatever I can to right what has been made wrong, Miss Drusilla.”
“Leander, what have you two been discussing? You cannot go against your father’s wishes. He will convince Mr. Sirey to fulfill his duty to the arrangement.”
Leander shook his head. “Mother, you are mistaken. You must accept that Father is not going to get what he wants this time. I do not love Miss Drusilla. We are friends. Nothing more.”
The Countess of Coventry shook her head. “I will tell your father what you have done. He will not be happy.”
“No, he will not,” Leander replied in a firm voice. “But he will have to accept it. He cannot strip me of my inheritance, nor can he force me to do something I do not want to do. He has no leverage over me. I am going to make my own choice. I am going to follow my heart.”
“You must not do this!” the countess demanded, though her voice was weakening.
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Mother,” Leander said, shaking his head.
Miss Drusilla grabbed Leander’s arm and pulled him to walk some more. He was finished with the walk and wanted nothing more than to run to the carriage and get back to Hestia. He might be able to catch her before she left the Culross estate. If not, he would head back to the Nottingham mansion and catch her there.
One way or another, by the end of the night, he was determined to have Hestia in his arms.
“You are right, my lord,” Miss Drusilla said in a soft voice. “This is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. When I was very young, the only parks I saw were in the lowest parts of London, where the grass was barely green for a month of the year.”
Leander did not know why the grass would not be green in the parks on the low sides of London but he did not press the matter. She was confessing to her youngest years being financially tight, as opposed to the fortune her father had come into, making them one of the richest families in London.
“I will have to
come here more often. Perhaps I will trade my space under the stairs for a brighter and airier environment.”
“I do like it more than some of the others…more than most of them really.” He nodded at a passerby that he recognized. The man nodded back with a smile. “I see people I know here. And if I get hungry, I can walk just a few minutes to the business area and buy myself something. There are fruit carts everywhere, it seems. And I am a fan of apples.”
“Apples are delicious.”
The random statement made Leander laugh. “You are more of a delight than I thought, Miss Drusilla.”
