“I don’t know what you’re looking for,” Gabriel commented. “It’s not likely he would be here, is it?”
“Not very likely, no,” Leonard admitted. “Still, a part of me does wonder. You know as well as I that this was one of his favorite clubs. If he was going to emerge from hiding, this would be a likely enough place for him to do it. But, of course, he isn’t very likely to come out of hiding while he knows I’m looking for him.”
“I’m sure he thinks you’ll be in a proper rage if you do lay hands on him.” Gabriel was one of very few people who knew the truth about Peter’s disappearance—that there had been an arrangement for his marriage and that he had run out on that arrangement. Everyone else in society had been given a story involving a whirlwind courtship between Leonard and Prudence, a story that did not involve Peter at all. No one needed to know that Peter had shirked his duty so egregiously. If anyone ever found out about that, he’d be ruined and Leonard right along with him.
“I will be in a rage,” Leonard said, taking a swig of his ale. “I can’t believe what he did. Even knowing that it’s Peter, even knowing this is the sort of thing he always does…”
“Yes, one might say you should have expected it,” Gabriel agreed.
“I did think that for one day of his life I might be able to count on him forsomething! But you’re right. I should have known better. Peter has never been someone to count on. I’m not sure what I was thinking.” Leonard sighed.
“It could be worse, you know,” Gabriel told him.
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
“What I mean is that even though Peter ran off, he left the situation in your very capable hands,” Gabriel clarified.
“And my hands are tired of cleaning up his messes.”
“Still, you have to admit that thisparticularmess is less objectionable than the others. It’s not like all those times you’ve had to haul him out of bar fights,” Gabriel pointed out. “You ended up married to a beautiful young lady. What more could any man want?”
“I wasn’t looking to marry,” Leonard grumbled. “You know I wasn’t.”
“So much the better for you! A good thing was handed to you without you even having to look for it. I don’t know how you can be anything but grateful for the way things have turned out, Leonard. If your brother walked in that door right now, I would think you ought to shake his hand and thank him for the situation he left you.”
“You think I ought to be grateful?” Leonard shook his head. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you had any conception of the things I’ve been through since I brought Prudence home.”
“Is she giving you a difficult time?” Gabriel asked, laughing. “Personally, I feel it’s timesomeonegave you a run for your money. I say good for her! But what has she done, exactly, that troubles you so much?”
“She’s taken a free hand with the running of the household,” Leonard said. “She really seems to feel as though she can do whatever she likes. She increased the staff’s wages.”
“More than you can afford?”
“Of course not, but even so, to do that sort of thing without asking shows?—”
“Shows what? Spirit? I like her already.”
“I was going to say disrespect,” Leonard said. “She has no regard for who is in charge in my household, and she doesn’t care to obey any rules I set down for her.”
“Did you make a rule against increasing your servants’ pay?”
“No, of course not, but… you’re not even trying to understand.”
“Oh, I understand fine,” Gabriel said, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re married, and you don’t know what to do with that. You weren’t ready for it. You’re looking for something to be angry about.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s easier for you! Because you know what to do with anger,” Gabriel said. “You want to be able to say there’s something wrong with her, so you don’t have to be happy about her presence in your life.”
“You’re talking madness right now. You think I don’twantto be happy?”
“I think you want this marriage to be a hardship and not a blessing, yes. I think you want to be angry with Peter for running out on you.”
“I am angry with him for that. Regardless of anything else I might feel about my wife or my circumstances, Peter was out of order, and his actions are reprehensible. They’ll bring us nothing but trouble.”
“Maybe so,” Gabriel agreed. “But how is it going to be if he comes back and finds you married to a lady who is worthy of the role of duchess—a lady who you genuinely like and respect? You know what would happen then. He would tell you he had been right all along to leave and that you should really be thanking him for it.”
He probably would, Leonard realized. He could just see the self-satisfied smirk his brother would wear if he believed everything had worked out for the best. “Fortunately, there’s no need to worry about that,” he told Gabriel. “I don’t deny that I’ve managed to make the best of the situation, but what Peter won’t find when he comes home is me curled up in some love nest with the lady he abandoned. It’s not like that between the two of us, nor will it ever be.”
