Two of a Kind

by Sasha Cottman

  Leah blinked as realization dawned. Her own sire had refused her entreaty to call off the betrothal because he knew full well what Guy had in mind for his daughter. She had always known her father didn’t love her, but now she understood that he saw her as nothing more than a pawn. A piece which could be moved about the board in the never-ending game of chess that was English politics.

  She attempted a smile, but it faltered. Her father leaned in close.

  “I shall give you this piece of advice Leah. Things will go easier for you with your husband if you learn comply.”

  He offered her his arm, and after she took it, he led her out of the room. They descended the stairs, with Leah carefully watching her every step. The hem and train of her cream silk gown was long. Guy had given clear instructions as to the exact color and length of gown Leah should wear for their betrothal party. It was elegant and beautiful; its fabric hugged her soft curves. A happily betrothed young woman would have felt like a princess in it, but Leah couldn’t care less for the extravagant gown.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Guy waited for her. “Ah, such a wonderous sight.”

  Her father took hold of Leah’s hand and placed it in Guy’s. She was already as good as married.

  Hot tears stung her eyes as Guy leaned over and placed the briefest of kisses on her cheek. The prospect of becoming his wife filled her with heartbreaking pain. She would never love Guy. Her darkest fear was that she would soon have reason to loathe him.

  “Our guests have begun to arrive,” he said.

  Much as her father demanded it of her, Leah was unable to summon a real smile. As Guy led her out to meet the family and friends who had gathered to wish them both congratulations, her lips remained in a tight line.

  As soon as she set foot into the reception room, her gaze found James. He was standing next to Caroline. He appeared deep in thought. She stared at him for a moment, silently praying he would look up and see her.

  When their gazes did finally meet, he closed his eyes for an instant and shook his head. He looked away. Without thinking, she clutched at Guy’s arm for support.

  “Don’t be nervous, Leah. Just remember that in the very near future, I will expect you to charm powerful men and bring them under your control. Take this as the time to hone those special skills, my love. As soon as we are married, I will begin your education in the art of seduction. There are many men in this room I plan for you to fuck,” Guy whispered.

  At his words, a single tear began to trickle down Leah’s cheek. She was doomed to live her worst nightmare.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Getting out of London and heading to Derbyshire would solve some of James’s problems, at least for the time being. By going to Newhall Castle with Caroline and Francis, he could find respite from the constant noise about Guy and Leah’s wedding. He would be away from his father and the questions about what he had planned for his future. But most of all, it would allow him to slip away, meet up with the two Tims, and paint.

  “Poor girl,” sighed Caroline.

  “What do you mean?” he replied, stirring from his plans.

  Caroline tilted her head in the direction of the grand staircase. James moved in order to get a better look, and what he saw filled him with dismay.

  Leah and Guy were standing at the bottom of the staircase, her hand placed stiffly on his arm. She wore a tight, forced smile. When hers and James’s gazes met; he was filled with pity. Pity which quickly coalesced into anger. He fisted his hands as he tore his gaze from her.

  If only I could beat someone to a bloody pulp.

  When he turned back to look at her once more, Leah had a hand lifted to her face. She brushed something away, and he knew in his heart that it had been a tear.

  A sharp pain tore at James’s chest. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn he had just been stabbed.

  Guy didn’t appear to have noticed Leah’s distress. He gave her a cold smile and pulled her closer to him in what could only be interpreted as an open display of possession. James wanted to seize his longtime friend by the throat and shake him violently.

  The rest of the gathered guests had an entirely different reaction to the arrival of the newly engaged couple. A ripple of applause and soft gushes of “Look at her tears of happiness,” and “What a wonderful couple they will make,” were heard in the room.

  He had to give Leah her dues. She blinked back her tears and went to greet her guests. She was already learning to control her emotions in public.

  How long will it be until nothing of your true self remains?

  He gritted his teeth. As he saw it, he had two choices before him. Either turn and walk out the front door, and deal with the repercussions of his actions, or stay and put his own private concerns about this impending marriage to one side.

  Tearing himself away from them wouldn’t do Leah any good. It may even make things worse. If Guy thought that James had severed their friendship because of his new bride, he may well blame her.

  By remaining within the sphere of friendship, there was the remote chance that he may be able to temper Guy’s treatment of his new bride, perhaps even be a positive influence. The Guy he thought he knew may not have been that far from the surface. A good friend may be just what the newlyweds needed. He could be that friend for both of them, but especially for Leah.

  He felt something for her; he no longer doubted that fact. Yet he daren’t entertain the possibility that it might be more than just a little crush. They barely knew one another, but every time he looked at Leah, his heart thumped in his chest and his mouth went dry.

  Watching as the newly engaged couple made their way through the throng of well-wishers, he was torn as to what he should do. Turning back to Caroline, he studied her for a moment then did the one thing he knew he could. “About Derbyshire,” he ventured.

  “Yes?”

  “I will speak to Uncle Charles first thing tomorrow. If he can spare me, then I will come with you and Francis to Newhall Castle.”

  “Excellent. Francis will be pleased. I think he was worried that he was going to be stuck with all the maiden aunts who are coming as chaperones for the other young ladies. Now at least we shall have a small group for hunting,” replied Caroline.

  As soon as he had spoken to Charles Saunders and hopefully gotten his blessing, he would stock up on paints and oils for the trip north. In the clear air of the English countryside, away from the hubbub of London, he would be able to paint and think. The soothing rhythm of brush on canvas had always given him clarity of mind. Right now, James badly needed to clear his head and make some hard decisions.

  At the end of his time away from London, he promised himself he would have a settled on a position on the question of Leah. Either he would stand by her through trying to influence Guy, or he would sever all ties.

  The sword of Damocles surely hung over his head. Should he do all he could to support the woman who had captured his heart? Or was it better to accept the situation and walk away? Either way he chose, he would be left with a broken heart.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Of course, I told him I will be back in time for the wedding.”

  Guy had not been the least bit happy with James upon hearing that his best man was heading off to Derbyshire for a week. They had exchanged brief but firm words; Guy only finally being placated by James’s solid reassurance that he would be back in London in time to host Guy’s debaucherously wild stag party.

  “Guy cannot expect you to hang around London just because he is getting married. Besides, most of the work is being done by the Shepherd family and friends. Lord knows I have been signed up for what seems an endless number of tasks just because I am Leah’s friend,” replied Claire.

  James was keen to avoid getting caught up any further in Guy’s wedding plans. The groom had given him a long list of entertainments he expected to have laid out for him on the occasion of his pre-wedding celebrations, several of which made James feel ill. There were one o
r two on the list that he wasn’t sure he could arrange without getting arrested for crimes against the public good. As a stint in prison would not go down well with his father, James had crossed them off.

  His opinion of his friend had now officially reached its lowest point. James could quite easily have ended his long friendship with Guy at this stage and walked away without regret. He remained only because of his concern for Leah.

  “Speaking of Leah, how is she holding up? She didn’t appear very happy at the betrothal party,” he replied.

  Claire fell silent for a time. “She says it is just pre-wedding nerves. Her parents decided upon Guy as her future husband, and she told me that it is taking a little time to get things straight in her mind. That is all.”

  James wanted to press his sister further on the subject of Leah, but the arrival of a Fulham Palace servant in the doorway of the Radley family sitting room put paid to that notion.

  “Miss Leah Shepherd,” he announced.

  Claire shot her brother a quick look. “Don’t say anything about her being reluctant to marry Guy. She needs our support, not your sympathy.”

  Leah stepped into the room, stopping mid-stride when she saw James getting to his feet.

  He bowed to her. “Good morning.”

  “Oh, I am sorry. Am I disturbing you?” she said.

  James shook his head. “No, Claire and I were just discussing my plans to go to Derbyshire later this week. I am accompanying my cousins Caroline and Francis to Lord Newhall’s house party.”

  “Yes, Guy made mention of it,” Leah replied.

  Claire rose from her seat on the comfy brown sofa. “I have those fabric samples you lent me earlier this week. Let me go and get them. I shan’t be long.”

  Claire hurried from the room, leaving Leah and James alone.

  “Please have a seat,” he said.

  Leah hesitated. Finding James in the sitting room had taken her by surprise. They hadn’t been alone together since the night they had shared that kiss. At the betrothal party, she and James had exchanged a few polite words, all the while Guy had held her firmly by the arm.

  She reluctantly took a seat, deciding it would be awkward for Claire if she returned to find her brother and friend standing facing one another in uncomfortable silence. She removed her gloves and bonnet before placing them beside her on the sofa. “I was surprised to hear you were leaving town. I think Guy expected you to remain in London until the wedding.”

  “I know he was disappointed when I told him I was going away,” replied James.

  Leah silently chided herself for having made further mention of James’s trip. James was wrong, Guy hadn’t been disappointed when he’d told her of James’s plans; he had been livid. The color of his face had been a deep red of barely suppressed rage.

  While her fiancé had ranted about his best man going off into the wilds of Derbyshire “to paint like a child,” she had sat, hands clasped softly in her lap, and waited for him to burn through his anger. She had borne witness to her father’s tirades enough times to know that the best thing to do was to wait it out. One did nothing to enrage the beast.

  “I think he will be happy when he knows you are back in town,” she replied.

  James glanced at the door. Claire had still not reappeared.

  “About that night at the ball. I tried . . .”

  Leah held up a hand. She didn’t want to hear whatever James had to say about the aftermath of the kiss. Whatever he had said or done, it had made no difference because Guy had arrived at the Shepherd house on the Wednesday and asked for her hand in marriage. As far as everyone was concerned, the deal was done. There was nothing he could say or do to change that immutable fact. “Please don’t,” she said.

  He sat forward in the chair and reached for her hand. She tried to move away but found herself unable.

  “I’m sorry, Leah. So very sorry,” he said.

  His fingers brushed over her skin, his touch tender, caring. He was so unlike Guy that her heart broke just a little.

  Leah finally summoned enough strength to pull away. She couldn’t decide what was worse—the lifetime of cold indifference which she knew for certain lay ahead with Guy, or the faint memory of that night when she’d still held onto the hope that perhaps she could change her life. That she could find a future with a kind and loving man…like James.

  “I . . . I have to go,” she stammered. There was suddenly not enough air in the room. She got to her feet and grabbed her things. She rushed toward the door, knocking into Claire who had just stepped back into the room. The fabric samples in Claire’s hands fell and scattered onto the floor, but Leah didn’t stop.

  “Leah?” said Claire.

  She headed for the front door, breaking into a short run as soon as she was clear of the house. Her coachman barely had time to open the carriage door before she stumbled inside. Throwing herself onto the bench, Leah burst into tears.

  Damn James Radley with his kind, foolish heart. He was not the hero she needed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  If James had hoped that the trip to Derbyshire would be the solution to his problems, he was quickly finding it to be nothing of the sort.

  The Strathmore travel coach had been involved in an accident late at night on the road just outside Newhall Castle, and the driver’s assistant had been badly injured. Caroline had then taken on the dangerous task of striking out in the dark and seeking help for the travelling party; in the process, she had sustained a nasty injury to her hand. Julian Palmer, Lord Newhall had used his war time experience to stitch her deep wound.

  Added to that was the news that the day after James and his cousins left London, Julian’s mother had put a rumor about town telling everyone that the house party had been cancelled. The former Countess Newhall’s spiteful act had resulted in James, Francis, and Caroline being the sole house party guests at Newhall Castle. They had rallied around Julian and agreed to stay on and make the best of things.

  However, it was only with the unexpected arrival several days later of Francis’s friend Harry Menzies that James began to feel that matters were getting out of hand. There was something clearly wrong with Harry and the way he conducted himself around Caroline. As soon as he was able to get a moment alone with Francis, James intended to raise the issue of Harry’s search for a wife.

  Late in the evening on the third day after their arrival at Newhall Castle, James and Francis sat before the fireplace in one of the castle’s sitting rooms. It had been a long time since they had been able to share a private moment and talk. With everyone else having gone to bed, now seemed the time to broach the subject of Harry Menzies.

  James set his glass of brandy down and faced his cousin. There were enough disconcerting parallels between the situations of Caroline and Harry and that of Guy and Leah for him to continue to remain silent any longer.

  “I know Harry is your friend, and he seems harmless enough, but I have a bad feeling about why he made the journey all the way from London to Derbyshire,” said James.

  Francis nodded. “Caroline is not happy that he is here. She says he makes her feel uncomfortable. To be honest, I don’t fully understand what is going on.”

  Harry’s words at the betrothal party had been rolling around in James’s head all day. At no time did he find any comfort in them. “I think I may be able to shed some light on why Harry is here, and you are not going to like it. I spoke to him at Guy and Leah’s betrothal party and he told me he was looking for a wife. I got the distinct impression that Harry has set his sights on marrying Caroline,” replied James.

  Francis stilled. “That would be an unwise thing for Harry to attempt.”

  Caroline would never accept a marriage proposal from Harry, and the last thing James wanted was to be dealing with another woman having to face an unwelcome suitor. He could only pray that Harry was not as determined as Guy had been in forcing the issue.

  “I will speak to Harry after breakfast tomorrow and give him a gentle
nudge. I am sure he will understand the need for him to return to London,” said Francis.

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  “I will pack him up and take him back myself.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Leah didn’t have to suck in her stomach as the modiste pulled on the tight bindings of the wedding gown. She held up her hand. “It is still too loose, but I don’t want it taken in again,” she said.

  She met her mother’s gaze in the reflection of the dressing room mirror. “You have to stop losing weight, Leah. You already look drawn and pale. You don’t want Guy thinking he is marrying a stick creature now do you? And we can’t have society matrons making remarks about how sickly the bride looks,” said her mother. Mrs. Shepherd reached over and gave Leah’s cheeks a hard pinch. A small amount of color appeared on them before they returned to their dull pallor.

  Unable to keep food down most days, she had lost significant weight since the betrothal announcement. What Guy thought of his future bride’s sudden weight loss, she really didn’t care. He had made it clear on more than one occasion that he wasn’t marrying her for her beauty.

  “The matrons of the ton can say what they like. As long as I turn up at the church on the wedding day, I am sure Guy will still marry me,” Leah replied.

  Her mother snorted. The mornings of having new gowns fitted, followed by shopping for all manner of items to set up her new home, were beginning to meld into a never-ending torture for Leah. But Mrs. Shepherd was determined that her youngest daughter was turned out with not only a full trousseau, but all the linen and china she would likely need for the first years of marriage. And since Guy was footing the bill, no expense was being spared.

  A full dining setting, including cutlery for twenty guests, had arrived at the Shepherd house earlier that week and it had taken three hours to unpack the boxes. Rather than simply having it delivered to his own home, Guy seemed at pains to show his future in-laws that he was a man of means. When her mother and sister finally left Leah alone with the stunning chinoiserie green dinner set, from Wedgwood and Byerley, she had sat at the end of the long dining table and simply stared at it.