At first glance, he appeared to be nice. He was handsome enough, especially when he smiled. His family were of a suitable social standing. Her father approved of him, which for most young women would have been an encouraging sign. But it was the fact that her father did approve of Guy Dannon that filled Leah with a deep sense of unease.
On face value, he should have been everything a young woman would want in a husband. Every morning for the past two weeks she had got out of bed and tried to convince herself that she should be perfectly content with Guy courting her. That when Guy proposed, and she knew he eventually would, she would accept his hand in marriage. And every time she thought about it, she felt a dull ache in her heart. Because no matter how hard she tried, she could not bring herself to like Guy.
She had counselled herself that this was not an unknown aspect of many marriages, that she should count her blessings and be content with him. But she just couldn’t do it. When she looked at Guy, she saw her father. And knowing the misery that was her mother’s lot, she knew if she married Guy, she too would be miserable for the rest of her days.
Her mother had suggested she wear the bright pink and white ensemble today, telling her that she was certain Guy would think it pretty. Leah wasn’t so sure that men understood what the word pretty actually meant, but in the hope of avoiding yet another scolding from one of her parents, she’d gone along with it.
Guy’s sole mention of her attire so far this afternoon was to tell her that her gown looked pleasing, or something to that end. She was sure as certain that he had only made mention of her clothing because Caroline Saunders had paid her a compliment. From the expression on his face as he spoke, it was clear that he was reciting something he had practiced. The dull, glazed look in his eyes as he spoke informed her that she could have been wearing a sack cloth and he would have said the exact same thing. Who knew if he had given any real thought to what she was wearing?
Their courtship thus far had seen him come to her family home on three separate occasions. He would then spend exactly one hour with her, during which he would tell her how lovely she was, sip some tea, and then leave. It was almost as if he didn’t know how to converse with a young lady but had convinced himself that he could manage an hour of one-sided conversation in his attempt to woo her. On each and every visit to the Shepherd family home, he had never bothered asking her anything beyond questions about her health and how much butter she liked with her bread and cake.
She did, however, have her suspicions about Guy. She may be an innocent in the ways of love, but she was not a fool. Men such as Guy Dannon might behave as chameleons when it suited their purposes, but their reputations were not something they could change overnight. Leah was under no illusion about her potential husband; he was a rake. He was so much like her father, it made her feel ill.
“Huzzah!” Guy’s victory cry stirred Leah from her thoughts. When she saw that his bowl had finally stopped within a foot or so of the jack, she politely applauded. Guy was cock-a-hoop with his efforts, proudly marching up and down between ends.
“Well played,” said James. He turned to Leah and smiled. “Miss Shepherd, I believe it is your turn. Good luck.”
She’d been immediately struck by James’s easy smile and warm nature. It was in sharp contrast to Guy, but her appreciation of him was tempered by the fact that he and Guy were close friends. It left her wary. She had a lifetime’s experience in dealing with duplicitous males; James Radley may just have been Guy Dannon in a different guise.
And just because he was the brother of a friend of hers, did not mean she would be lowering her guard with him any time soon.
She picked up her own bowl and walked to the front of the playing mat. Bending down, she delivered the bowl and let it run. She walked slowly behind it, remembering the lay of the green she had noted when they’d played from the other end. While the garden lawn appeared flat to the naked eye, it actually ran slightly downhill from left to right. It was a fraction of a slope, but it was enough to have Leah taking great care to not only ensure that the bowl landed in the right place, but that she put enough force into the throw.
When her bowl finally came to a halt, it was past Guy’s and therefore closer to the jack.
“Yes!” she cried, throwing her arms up in the air in unrestrained glee.
James laughed, while Caroline applauded with a pleasing amount of vigor. When Leah lifted her gaze to where Guy stood, she caught sight of him glaring hard at her bowl. The soft smile he normally wore in her company was gone. In its place was a look of stony displeasure.
A chill of premonition slid down her spine. She knew that look, had seen it a thousand times on her father’s face. It was the look of a man whom you did not cross. Lightness and humor were on display only when things were running their way, when it suited them. Silent, barely controlled rage was the order of the day when it was not. And when that fury was unleashed . . .
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.
