Leah hesitated. Finding James in the sitting room had taken her by surprise. They hadn’t been alone together since the night they had sharedthatkiss. 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.
