Two of a Kind

by Sasha Cottman

  She shuddered and tried to force the thought away, telling herself that she should not judge Guy on the basis of one small look. He had not been unkind. Yet.

  “Well played,” he said, an edge of ice in his voice.

  “Thank you. Luck, of course, played its part,” she replied, in an effort to placate him.

  He went to say something, but she saw him stop himself. A twitch in his jaw was the only sign that he was having to fight to bring his temper under control.

  Leah be careful.

  Guy walked from the bowling green to where the small party had left their belongings on a nearby garden table. The welcome autumn sun warmed the early afternoon air. She and Caroline had removed their bonnets, while the gentlemen had cast off their jackets. Beside Leah’s bonnet sat the glass of orgeat, still untouched.

  Guy picked up Leah’s bonnet and strode over to her. Offering it, he said. “You should put this on.”

  She waved a hand in his direction and refused to take the bonnet.

  He continued to hold it in front of her, giving it a little shake. “You wouldn’t want to get freckles now, would you?”

  Leah caught the tone of his voice and read the situation for what it really was, a power play. She already had a smattering of small freckles on her face courtesy of summers spent at her grandfather’s estate in Cornwall; one or two extra freckles would not make a difference. Besides, she actually liked them. They gave her face a warm, friendly look.

  “Thank you, Mister Dannon, but I am fine without the bonnet. It impedes my playing,” she replied.

  His countenance set hard, and she was certain she saw something pop in his jaw as he ground his teeth. A battle of wills ensued. Guy held out the bonnet, while Leah held his gaze and refused to take it.

  “It’s fine, Guy. I am not wearing a bonnet either. The sun is not that hot,” said Caroline, coming to Leah’s aid.

  Guy kept his gaze fixed on Leah. She ventured a smile, but all the while her heart was beating hard in her chest. She knew this game well. Her focus was solely fixed on drawing the real Guy Dannon out. She wanted to see the man behind the polite façade of courtship. That version of Guy might be the one she woke beside every morning for the rest of her life, who would father her children. There was too much at stake for her to back down now.

  He finally gave in, slapping the bonnet hard against his leg, after which he marched back over to the pile of belongings and threw it down. Silence hung in the air for a moment.

  When Guy turned back to her, the angry look on his face was gone. He had managed to school his features into something socially acceptable. But his right hand was held in a tight fist, the whites of his knuckles clear from where she stood.

  Leah blinked and looked to Caroline. “Your turn, I believe, Caroline,” she said.

  Caroline stepped past to take her place on the bowling mat. “Well done, Leah. You held your ground,” she whispered.

  I wonder how long my victory will last.

  Caroline swung her arm back and the bowl flew out of her hand. It tore along the green and knocked Guy’s bowl clear out of the way. Hers also went careening off the green and disappeared under a bush. She turned and gave a shrug, then gifted Guy with a beaming smile. “Oh dear. Sorry about that. I think I might have put a little too much into the throw.”

  Leah knew she should have held back on applauding Caroline’s overzealous efforts, but the look of outrage and frustration which now shone on Guy’s face was simply too much for her to resist. “Well done, Caroline! You killed Guy and yourself all in one foul swoop. We may need to mount a search party for your bowls.”

  James now stood at the end of the green and looked down at the bowl in his hand. Leah placed a silent bet with herself. She had her money on him putting too much into the delivery and having his bowl join both Caroline and Guy’s past the jack and out of bounds. It would mean he lost, but it would placate Guy and his obviously bruised pride. James had said nothing while the battle of wills over the bonnet had taken place and Leah had him pegged as a people pleaser.

  He bent, and taking what appeared to be careful aim, dropped the bowl into a smooth, clean delivery. It wasn’t running fast and for a moment Leah worried that he had not put enough on the throw. But as James slowly walked behind his bowl, faint hope began to build in her heart.

  The bowl kept rolling, closer and closer to the jack. Closer to where Leah’s shot had stopped. She dared not look at Guy, fearing that her growing sense of joy would show on her face. James was playing the game exactly as he should and was not pandering to Guy and his ill temper.

  So, you do have a spine. Well done, Mister Radley.

  A hush fell over the small group as the bowl inched its way nearer to the jack. When it finally came to a stop, it was almost touching Leah’s bowl. For a moment, everyone froze.

  James turned and, to Leah’s surprise, cast a smile in her direction. When she caught the glint of mischief in his eye, her earlier opinion of him changed. Guy might think he was in charge of the day, but to her relief it seemed that James Radley was his own man.

  “Well played, James,” said Francis, who got to his feet and ambled over to where the two bowls lay on the green. He stood with his head tilted, studying them for a moment. “I can see we have a close game and as an impartial spectator, I am claiming the right to declare the winner.”

  James looked to Leah. “Are you happy for Mister Saunders to call the winner? I must, remind you of course, that as he is my cousin he may not be as impartial as he claims to be.”

  Francis gave Leah a cheeky wink. “Impartial, but not impeccable. I am open to all forms of bribes, including but not limited to money.”

  Caroline, James, and Leah all laughed at the outrageous remark. Guy, she noted, was too busy fiddling with his jacket to be paying much attention to the outcome of the match. It was clear that he had decided since he no longer had any skin in the game, he was not interested in its outcome.

  James put a hand into the small pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a single coin. With a grin and a flourish of his hand, he attempted to slip the coin into Francis’s jacket pocket. Francis, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed in the other direction. Caroline let out a gasp, then held her hands to her cheeks in mock horror. Leah found herself snorting with laughter at the silly pantomime.

  When James cast another grin in her direction, Leah felt her heart skip a tiny beat. This was what a garden party should be like: fun, with a touch of flirting. Not tight arguments over the wearing of a bonnet.

  She considered the situation for a moment. What could she offer to Francis that James had not already done? And what could she do that might give Guy reason to question whether she was actually the one for him?

  It was worth the risk.

  She walked over to where James and Francis were standing, still chuckling at one another in the middle of the bowling green. Upon reaching them, she stood in front of James.

  “If this is the way you wish to play, Mister Radley, then so be it.” She then turned to Francis and, rising up on her toes, placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I hope that was payment enough, Mister Saunders,” she whispered.

  Francis, to his credit, showed neither surprise nor outrage at such flirtatious behavior. As she moved away, she caught the look of disapproval on James’s face. She simply smiled back at him. She also ignored the loud, angry huff which emanated from Guy. Her message to both James and Guy was clear; she would be the judge of what was acceptable behavior.

  Francis looked at Caroline, who nodded toward Leah. He raised an eyebrow in silent question, but Caroline nodded a second time.

  “I declare Miss Leah Saunders the winner,” he announced.

  Victory tasted sweet, though Leah secretly wished that Francis would hand over James’s coin as her prize. With her pin money running low, she could do with an extra coin.

  She gave herself a moment to enjoy the applause from the other players. All, of course, except Guy. Her curmudgeon of a sui
tor refused to acknowledge her win. He simply waited until the others went to pick up their things before handing her the bonnet and saying, “Now put it on.”

  If she was honest, Leah didn’t really care about the outcome of the game; her victory had come a little earlier when Guy Dannon had shown his true self. She had wondered as to how far beneath his veneer of polite and gentlemanlike behavior the devil lurked. She was certain she now knew.

  The uneasy feeling, she had been carrying since he had asked for permission to court her finally settled like an unwelcome but familiar guest in her mind. Her instincts had not been wrong. He was nice when it suited his purposes. Nice when she was doing exactly what she was told. Once she dared to step over that line, his mask of civility fell.

  Her mother had married for love only to discover she had chosen a man who controlled every aspect of her life. The females of the Shepherd family were told what to do and think.

  Leah would be damned if she would make the same mistake. The sooner she could quietly sever all connections with Guy Dannon, the better.

  Chapter Five

  The following Monday saw James and Guy seated in the drawing room of Guy’s recently acquired town house in Noel Street. During previous visits, they had utilized the smaller, warmer library. But as Guy was having the house redecorated and the painters were still working in there, they had been forced to change rooms.

  With new curtains and floor coverings also evident about the place, it was clear Guy was sparing no expense when it came to his marriage preparations. The future mistress of this house would have the finest of everything.

  “You are still going to go ahead and propose to Leah?” asked James.

  “You mean after she was willful at the garden party? Of course. Girls like Leah think they are in control of matters. And while we are courting, it makes sense for me to permit her those little indulgences. She will, of course, see sense once we are married,” replied Guy.

  James frowned, unsure if he had heard Guy correctly. After the way Guy and Leah had interacted with one another at the garden party, he was not convinced that they would suit. “Do you even like her?” he asked.

  “She is tolerable enough, which is sufficient for my purposes. I think she will make for a solid political asset. She is pretty in an average sort of way. I am sure I can train her for the bedroom and in other areas,” said Guy.

  James scratched his chin. While Guy appeared to be unfazed by his and Leah’s complete lack of chemistry, she, on the other hand, had barely hidden her distaste for his friend. A woman in love with her potential fiancé would most certainly not have kissed another guest. It may have been on the cheek, but still, it was a kiss.

  To James, it had been more than just a simple kiss. Watching as Leah’s soft lips touched Francis’s cheek had sparked something within him. In his mind, a voice had whispered one word. A word which had shaken him to the core.

  Mine.

  As he relived the memory of that moment, James gripped the arm of his chair and tried to calm his breathing.

  Guy picked up his brandy and took a long sip, chuckling softly at James. “Relax, James. It is all part of the wooing process. Women like that sort of thing. Let them think that they are in charge. It makes them more pliable for marriage proposals.”

  From what he had seen of her, James did not think Leah was at all pliable. Yet despite what appeared to be clear signs of them not being suited to one another, Guy seemed determined to press on with courting and marrying her.

  He had secretly enjoyed the sight of Leah defying Guy over her bonnet. She was an adult and capable of deciding whether to wear it or not. James liked women who had their own opinions, while he had less-than-kind thoughts about men who felt that only their views would hold sway. Guy had acted in an unchivalrous manner when trying to force Leah’s hand. Only their friendship, and the worry of causing an embarrassing scene, had stopped James from stepping in and coming to Leah’s aid.

  Now that he had seen for himself the sort of behavior she was up against when it came to his friend, he was beginning to understand Leah’s earlier rude greeting to him. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain that Leah Shepherd detested Guy Dannon. And that was no recipe for future happiness for anyone. “So, you think the two of you can make a go of this marriage lark?” he ventured.

  “Of course. She was just a little out of sorts with me on Saturday, that is all. I plan to press ahead and speak to her father posthaste. It wouldn’t look good on me if the chit suddenly got cold feet and the wedding didn’t go ahead. Especially not after all the effort I have put into wooing her.”

  “It is your funeral,” replied James.

  Having seen enough of his cousins recently leap into the joyful arms of wedded bliss, James was convinced that Guy did not have an appreciation of the ingredients that went into making a successful marriage. For a start, all those other unions seemed to have had a great deal more mutual attraction and affection involved in them.

  Caroline and Francis’s sister, Eve, had recently eloped with the second son of a Viscount, with her parents’ blessings. Even James, who wasn’t the least bit interested in marriage, had been impressed with the amount of passion involved in that particular wooing. Hopefully Guy would take his time and not rush into offering for Leah’s hand. “And when do you plan to speak to Mister Shepherd?” asked James.

  “The day after tomorrow,” replied Guy.

  Any hope James had held for Leah and Guy to be spared a loveless union swiftly died.

  “Damn, and double damn.”

  Her behavior at the garden party had not had the desired effect. Instead of Guy Dannon having second thoughts about courting her, he had decided to press his suit and speak to her father.

  The party had been Saturday, and now it was Monday night. Her mother had excitedly announced to Leah earlier that Guy had made an appointment with Tobias Shepherd for this very Wednesday. Those words had filled her with dread.

  “While I cannot say exactly what it is about, you should know it does not concern politics or business. I suggest you prepare yourself for some news, my dear girl.”

  Two days. It was not enough time for her to find a way out of the inevitable betrothal announcement. She could feign being sick, but her mother was a great one for purging and the laying on of leeches whenever someone in the house took ill. Memories of her last illness and the pain of the bloodsuckers were too fresh in her mind for Leah to seriously consider that drastic a measure. Besides, it would only delay the inevitable.

  She and Guy would both be in attendance at a society ball on Tuesday night. It would be her last chance to help change his mind about offering for her hand.

  As she sat up in bed, she wracked her brains. There had to be something she could do to scupper his plans to make her his wife. What would be enough to have a gentleman decide he no longer wished to marry a young miss?

  She pushed away the obvious. Not even for Guy Dannon would she risk the scandal of being ruined. Besides, it would permanently put her marriage prospects in the river if she did do something that outrageous. Added to that would also be her father’s swift and complete retribution.

  It had to be something that would give Guy pause, but still keep her reputation intact. A deed which would get back to Guy and make him think twice about proposing marriage. She also needed this plan to involve someone whom Guy not only trusted, but who could be relied upon to immediately go to him and reveal all that she had done.

  “And what if . . . oh.”

  What if Guy had a friend who could influence him enough to make him have serious reservations about marrying her? Even better if that someone already had their own concerns about the future union of his friend and a certain young lady. The look on James Radley’s face after she had kissed Francis Saunders was not one of approval.

  With Guy due to attend the ball tomorrow night, there was every chance that James Radley would also be in attendance. If James could be convinced of the folly of
his friend offering for her, and of the need for him to do something about it, he might just be the solution to her problem.

  “This could work,” she whispered.

  Leah slid down in the bed and huddled under the warm blankets and cover. Shadows from the flickering light of her bedside candle danced across the bed canopy. Lifting up the candle, she peered into the corner of the cream silk bed canopy, her gaze settling on a spider web.

  A friendly spider had taken up residence there a week earlier and had created quite a clever web across the corner. She really should make mention of it to the household staff. No doubt her mother would be horrified that she hadn’t, but she found the industrious labor of the spider to be fascinating. Every day, it worked at expanding and strengthening its web. Day after day, slowly but surely, its plans were being transformed into a masterful reality.

  She should become more like the spider, planning a series of small incremental changes which, when complete, would lead to a different life. One that was in no way what her family had in mind for her.

  James Radley was key to those plans.

  Chapter Six

  In his current state of career and life upheaval, James was not certain of many things. He was, however, sure of this: Guy was rushing with undue haste into an ill-suited union with Leah Shepherd. Guy was meeting with Tobias Shepherd on Wednesday afternoon, which meant that come suppertime tomorrow, his friend would have himself a fiancée.

  Marriage wasn’t something that one simply ticked off on a to-do list. But the way Guy was going about it, James suspected that in Guy’s mind, it was. House, wife, and safe seat in parliament. It was all so cold and calculating in its execution.

  “Did I tell you I am meeting with our local parliamentary selection committee at the end of the month?” said Guy.

  “No. Why?”

  A glint of something shone in Guy’s eyes. “Because I am going to work my charm on them so that by this time next year, I will have a real shot at being preselected for a safe seat.”