“Which I don’t.”
“—I do not think your wife has much respect for our king.”
“That makes two of us.” Leo offered her another brief smile before he chomped on his biscuit. “But what can you do?” Portia bitback the “oust him and replace him with a republic” that almost popped out of her mouth, but by the light of challenge in his gaze, he still expected it.
“What have you been doing all day?” His mother poured the tea. “Only that’s the fourth day in a row now that you’ve missed breakfast. We’ve hardly seen you.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Doing what? I thought you had told the bench that you were recusing yourself from the chore of it for a few weeks.” That was also news to Portia. Especially as he had seemed so determined to make the constable pay for pushing her around.
“Important ducal things, Mama,” he said cryptically. “I won’t bore you with the details.”
Letitia immediately gave Portia a peeved look. “That was exactly what his father used to say when he didn’t want to tell me what he’d been up to.” Then she skewered her son with her glare. “Just so long as your important ducal things are done for the day as we areallgoing to the Assembly Rooms tonight for Portia’s debut as a duchess. A debut which she cannot possibly make without her woefully absent husband.”
“I got that message loud and clear the first three hundred times you reminded me, Mother. Hence, I am home early, ready to be bedecked in all my finery, exactly as instructed.” He slanted Portia a mischievous glance this time that did outrageous things to certain parts of her. “Although I might have to rethink my choice of waistcoat as I fear the one I’ve had pressed is going to clash with your magnificent haystack.”
Chapter
TWENTY-SIX
Leo had been right by her side all night acting like the solicitous husband, but was so politely detached that he might as well not have been. Portia wished she knew what was going on in his handsome head, but to do that they would actually have to have a more than superficial conversation. She was dreading their long journey to London almost as much as she was dreading meeting the king, as that was bound to be as awkward and painful as tonight was.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t only Portia who had noticed his standoffishness, because by the way she was staring at her son, his mother had too. The pair of them had exchanged several hushed words over the last hour and each set had Letitia rolling her eyes. Now that they had finally finished exchanging pleasantries with everyone in the Assembly Rooms, the three of them were stood together near the refreshment table. Sipping weak glasses of punch while watching the dance floor and pretending to be having as nice a time as the social butterfly Emilia was on it.
The country dance came to an end and suddenly the volume in the crowded ballroom increased as all the young ladies in the ballroom chattered in excitement while they searched over their fluttering fans for their next partners.
“It’s the waltz,” said Letitia with a pointed look toward her son. “The dance of love.” Then she nudged him hard. “So unless you want to see more scathing speculation in the newspapers, I suggest you go dance with your wife.”
He huffed, which wasn’t a particularly flattering response, and then begrudgingly held out his hand. “If we must.”
Portia wanted to tell the rude swine to stick his begrudging hand where the sun didn’t shine but slapped hers in it and allowed him to lead her to the floor. Conscious of absolutely everyone’s eyes on them, she pasted on a smile as he twirled her into his arms and waited for the music to start.
His gaze, of course, was resolutely over her shoulder and his jaw was locked as tight as a miser’s purse. “Is your plan to punish me with indifference until you can escape this mockery of a marriage?” That got his attention, and his eyes snapped to hers. “Or do I need to remind you that it was your idea, not mine?”
“Why do you always do that? Why do you take every available opportunity to remind me that you want an annulment?”
“Don’t you?”
His gaze flicked away again. “I’ve been busy.”
What the hell did that mean? “Time is ticking and the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to achieve.” A nerve in his jaw twitched. “If you feel any misguided sense of obligation about the authorities charging me again, you really shouldn’t. I made my bed and I certainly do not expect you to lie in it with me.”
His eyes locked with hers again and shimmered with frustration. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if they did that and sent you away.”
“They would not be able to do that if you were able to get my first conviction quashed as you promised.”
Leo, of course, reacted badly to that. “I am a man of my word and do not need reminding of anything I promise!” The quick flash of temper morphed back into frustration. “What the hell do you think I’ve been doing all week? After I sacked Nolley I’ve spent every sparehour pulling all the records apart to hunt for any proof that he was a liar who fabricates evidence. I’ve even interviewed the soldiers who arrested you to try and get them to admit that their statements are false.”
That double bolt out of the blue knocked her sideways. “You dismissed Nolley?”
“Of course I did! Did you honestly think I would allow him to keep his post after what he did to you?” The ferociousness of that protective declaration staggered her. “Nobody gets to treat one of mine like that and get away without paying!”
One of mine?It shocked her how much that phrase thrilled her. “And now you are investigating him? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“Do you confide in me?” It was a toothless barb as beneath her palms, his solid shoulders slumped. “I didn’t want to build your hopes up. Especially as those soldiers aren’t stupid enough to admit to perjury. I think I might have found another avenue to pursue but the files are huge, there are a lot to wade through, and interviews take time. I have to do them covertly to avoid tipping Nolley off that I am investigating him in case he covers his tracks.”
“I could help.… I am excellent at researching and two heads are always better than one. Please let me.” She watched his expression shutter and knew he was going to say no. He was the man of the house. He knew best. “Please Leo. I’m going slowly mad with nothing meaningful to do and this does involve me, after all.”
