He did, however, have a small speech rehearsed. If he owed Guy anything, it was the truth. “I know you are not the least bit interested, but I did promise myself that I would tell you what happened between Leah and myself. On the morning of the wedding, I arrived at the church to see Leah fleeing. I followed her. She made it plain that she did not wish to marry you. As she was determined not to return to London, I felt an obligation to see her safely delivered to her grandfather. At that point, there was nothing between Leah and me.”
Guy snorted and put the betrothal ring in his pocket. He stepped closer to James, his face a study in quiet rage. “You are a fucking liar. I saw you on the night that the two of you kissed. You were in love with her even then; it was written all over your face. Tell yourself whatever lies you need to, Radley, but the cold, hard truth is that you stole your best friend’s bride because you wanted her for yourself.”
James anticipated that this would be the last time he and Guy ever exchanged words, so it was only fair that Guy knew the full truth. Not that it really mattered. Guy thought him a liar, and there was little, if anything he could do about changing his opinion. “I never set out to steal Leah from you. But yes, you are right. I fell in love with her. I wanted her so much that it burned my soul. The greatest moment of my life was when she confessed her love for me. Leah chose me as her husband, her lover; she never chose you.”
“Get out,” said Guy.
James no longer fought the smile—he grinned mockingly at Guy. Victory coursed through his veins. “I leave you with this parting thought: I never had to force Leah to my bed. She came willingly. And every night after we have made love, she sleeps safely in my arms.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. The stream of foul abuse which followed him out onto the front steps and into the street fell on deaf ears.
The visit with Guy had gone as well as could be expected. James had not been under any illusion as to how welcome he would be. He knew he should have felt some shame at having played the victor in the man’s home, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a damn.
His next place of call, however, filled him with deep, unsettling concern. He had an appointment with Tobias Shepherd.
As with his visit to see Guy Dannon, James was made to wait. He stood, hat and gloves in hand, in the foyer of the elegant town house in Duke Street. And as with Guy, he knew he was not a welcome guest.
He was eventually shown upstairs and into a drawing room. As he stepped through the door, he found Leah’s father standing in the middle of the room, hands on hips.
Tobias Shepherd pointed to a nearby blue floral sofa. “Sit.” The command was about as civilized as what you would give a disobedient dog.
For a moment, James was tempted to take a bite out of his outstretched hand. Instead, he took a seat on the sofa and tried to remember his manners.
Tobias picked up a bell and rang it loudly. Within seconds, a footman appeared in the doorway. “Tea.”
There was no offer of anything more. Social niceties were clearly not the order of the morning for this private visit.
Tobias took a seat in a wide-backed chair some feet away and crossed his legs, placing a booted foot on his knee. His arms stretched out across the back of the chair in a clear statement of position and power. “I see you did not bother to bring my daughter with you.”
James shook his head. He wanted to see what the lay of the land was with her family before exposing his wife to them.
Leah was spending the morning with her new mother- and sisters-in-law, getting better acquainted with the intricacies of the extended family of the Duke of Strathmore. He looked forward to taking his bride to Strathmore Castle in Scotland for Christmas.
“No, I did not, sir. My wife is with my mother this morning,” he replied. He calmly held Tobias Shepherd’s gaze. Leah was no longer under her father’s protection. Neither she nor James were going to live in fear of him.
“Ah. Well at least you are prepared to follow some of society’s rules. Just not the important ones,” said Tobias.
James held his hat tightly in his hands. He was not going to give Mister Shepherd any excuse to lose his temper. Nor was he about let himself be cowered by a bully. He was not some lowly upstart who had dared to marry above his station. His family had been in the senior ranks of the English nobility for hundreds of years. His father was not only the son of a duke, he was the third most powerful man in the Church of England. Only the Prince Regent and the Archbishop of Canterbury wielded more power than Hugh Radley.
“I have done the right thing. I helped a young woman avoid a marriage not of her choosing. I saw her safely to her family, and then married her in front of my father, the Bishop of London,” he replied.
“You can hardly call Sir Geoffrey Sydell her family. That old coot is as mad as a hatter,” snorted Tobias.
“But nonetheless, the blood link remains. Leah is, of course, now a Radley by marriage and linked to my own illustrious family bloodline. But enough of that. Mister Shepherd, I came here today to present myself to you as your new son-in-law. I did not come here today to bandy words with you. You are my father-in-law, and as such, you are due the right of my respect,” he replied.
Tobias sat back in his chair and began to chuckle, a low, laugh which lacked in humor. When he had finished, he fixed James with a steely, cold glare. “No, Mister Radley, you came here today because you wish me to release Leah’s dowry to you.”
“Leah is entitled to her dowry upon marriage, but as I said, that is not the reason for my visit,” he replied.
The hint of a sneer appeared on Tobias Shepherd’s face. He was clearly not a man used to being told he was wrong, and James suspected he had just crossed an invisible line. “Well then, Master Radley, you may pay me your respects.”
“As my father-in-law, I would be honored if you would call me James. If that does not suit, then Mister Radley will suffice. I am of age and also a married man. I came to tell you that I have your daughter’s best interests at heart and that I intend to provide her with a safe and loving home,” replied James.
“But not a home fit for a young lady of her station. You can hardly call a rented house far from the civilized streets where Leah grew up a satisfactory replacement for what she would have had. That isifyou had brought her back to the church and I had been able to make certain of her marriage to Guy Dannon,” said Tobias.
The back and forth was tiring, and to James’s mind, futile, but it was clear Leah’s father was determined to have his say.
James got to his feet and brushed an invisible piece of dust from his hat. There was no point waiting on the tea. Tobias Shepherd had made his position clear. He did not approve of James and Leah’s marriage.
