Chapter 4
Careful Restraint
It wasn’t that Leo cared all that much for his appearance, but that particular morning, he was utterly distracted as he was getting ready for the day. He really wished he could stay in for the day and work out the threat that loomed over him, but he had to attend Parliament.
Well, he didn’t really have to, but his best friend, Edwin, the Duke of Blackwell, was proposing a bill, and in a frenzy of generosity and misplaced allegiance, he had promised to support it.
Leo shook his head. Once, he and Edwin were called the Unholy Duo behind their backs, spreading panic in the hearts of mamas of the ton and indulging themselves in debauchery. But Edwin met his match in Abigail, and now the Duo was a solo act.
“Prepare the carriage. I am going to the Parliament,” Leo alerted his staff.
“Your Grace, about the Dutch landscape,” his butler said. “The art dealer sent a message.”
Leo had no time to deal with that. He had seen that moody piece in the gallery at Bond street and expressed some interest and nothing more.
“It’s not important,” Leo said as he took his gloves.
“Perfect then, Your Grace,” the butler seemed relieved. “The painting is no longer available. The matter is settled.”
Leo stood still. Then resumed putting on his gloves with a stony expression.
“Why?”
“The Viscount of Terry seems to have made an irresistible offer and got the piece.”
Leo’s jaw tightened. Suddenly that snowy landscape held a significant importance to him. All else fell apart around him, but he would be damned if he allowed Terry to have that painting.
“Contact the dealer. I triple the offer. I want that painting in the study tonight.”
Not long after, he was walking through the long corridors of the Parliament to meet Edwin in his office.
“There you are!” Edwin greeted him, pouring coffee. “I have the usual remedy. Try not to slur too much. Just nod whenever I speak.”
“I am sober, Edwin,” Leo clipped.
“A novelty. Very well, drink the coffee to wake up. I need you at least conscious to vote for the bill.”
“I have slept well.”
Edwin put the pot down and studied his friend. They’ve known each other for a long time. And Edwin was the only person who really knew him, not exactly easy to hide from him.
“Don’t tell me you are turning into a saint because of the sheet. I thought you-”
Leo laughed and took the cup of coffee, shaking his head.
A flashing image came to him without warning.
Miss Jenkins looking up at him with that deep, startled, heated look and her sharp inhale.
Leo ground his jaw, pushed image away and drank the bitter liquid to cling onto the present.
Miss Jenkins’s stares had no power over his carefully curated, daily schedule.
“Sainthood, Edwin, will forever be elusive, rest assured. Now, the bill.”
“You have no interest in the bill, Leo, so spare me. But I will allow it because this is certainly not the time, nor the place to talk about it. Even so, Leo,” Edwin approached and placed one hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I will do everything in my power to help you. You know that. We are always the Unholy Duo.”
“You went and got married. That unqualifies you.”
“You like Abigail!”
“That is not the issue.”
“Leo,” Edwin said seriously, “married or not, I am still your friend.”
“And I am still bored. Let’s go get this bill on agriculture reform…”
“On customs taxes,” Edwin corrected.
“On custom taxes passed.”
“Fine. We will talk about it over Brandy tonight.”
Leo huffed, finished his coffee, and left the office.
Leo reached the gentleman’s club first and went straight for the private room, reserved for boxing. He walked through the main hall of the club, already unbuttoning his jacket.
The moment he entered the private room, all eyes turned to him. He nodded in greeting and shook off his jacket, leaving it with the servant present. Most men looked away as he took off his gloves. Leo was mostly laid back. Not when he entered the ring.
“Your Grace,” the trainer there bowed.
“John.”
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Your Grace.”
“I need to unleash some repressed energy,” Leo said as he rolled up his sleeves.
It was true. There was something itching under his skin that he couldn’t scratch, something that drove him mad. It wasn’t the sheet and the declaration of war on him. That he was dealing with it slowly and methodically.
No, this was something else entirely. It stole the concentration from his thoughts, the precision of decisions. It was like a hum that kept interfering with his life, and he couldn’t block it out. Punching things helped.
Leo was getting dressed when Edwin entered the room.
“Am I late or early?”
“Late,” Leo said as he wiped his sweat.
“I didn’t think my delay would lay waste to the trainers,” Edwin glanced at the men in the ring. “I will refrain from tardiness.”
Leo ignored his friend. He had but to look at his friend’s stupid smile and healthy glow on his face to know exactly what kept him in his estate. Edwin always had a hard time keeping his hands off his wife, even before she became one.
“Brandy,” Leo demanded.
“I know,” Edwin said as he poured two glasses, “believe me, I know how it is to deal with the ton’s frenzy for gossip.”
Leo drained the glass and poured more.
“This is a nasty business that you are entangled with,” Edwin continued. “Of course, anyone close to you would know that you wouldn’t be caught dead calling a woman my rose or anything else with a possessive pronoun. But you keep no one close. Except for me, that is.”
“Is there a point to this rumbling? Or else you had better stay entangled in Abigail’s skirts.”
“I would appreciate it if you never spoke of entanglements regarding my wife,” Edwin hissed.
“Understood. To your point.”
“Who do you think forged that letter?” Edwin asked.
Leo swirled the liquid in his glass.
“Do you think that this girl, Miss Jenkins, had anything to do with that?”
The moment her name was mentioned, Leo looked up, his body tensing.
There were many who believed that she was one behind the scandal.
Leo still remembered that night when she came to his home, to his study.
The way she looked away when she thought she was one of those people, the shame and vulnerability.
“She has nothing to do with it.”
“How can you be so positive about that? You and I know well about the lengths some of these ladies would go to secure a good match. And you, my friend, despite their better judgment, are considered a good match.”
“I said,” Leo blinked slowly, “she has nothing to do with it.”
“And pray do tell, how do you know that?”
“Let’s play cards.”
Edwin studied his friend. Oh, how the tables have turned. Not so long ago, it was Edwin brooding in the club, nursing a glass of alcohol, and Leo was the one teasing him. The only difference was that Edwin fell for Abigail the moment he saw her; he was just too stubborn to admit it.
Leo simply had to deal with a complicated nuisance. One that simply would be cowed or stop being vulnerable at the same time.
For the first time after a long time, Leo couldn’t have what he wanted. Because that body against the door, that sigh, that curvy body, he wanted it. But their unique circumstances demanded that Leo would be reminded of a quality he hadn’t exercised all that much. Restraint.
“Piquet?” Edwin asked.
“What?”
Edwin smiled widely. That calculated smile of a man who knew he had you exactly where he wanted you.
“Piquet. We’ll bet.”
“Money, Edwin? Really?”
“Not money, of course. We both have an abundance of those. How about information?”
Leo narrowed his eyes at Edwin. married or not, his best friend was still an astute player.
“Very well,” Leo said confidently. “Truths are our currency.”
“Excellent. Cut for deal?” Edwin’s grin widened.
“Deal.”
They played in their usual quiet, the rest of the men around them going about enjoying their evening. It should be calm and familiar and soothing, but Leo didn’t seem to be able to concentrate. He miscounted a point he had never miscounted in his life.
“My hand,” Edwin triumphed. “You are distracted.”
“I sparred for an hour before you graced me with your presence.”
“To the winner the spoils.”
“Such grandiosity over a hand of piquet.”
“How do you know Miss Jenkins had nothing to do with the scandal?”
An hour earlier, Leo could have gladly punched Edwin’s face. He blinked slowly at the Duke that awaited the answer and inhaled irritably.
“She told me so.”
“Because, as a general rule, guilty people go around announcing their guilt. And when did you have the pleasure of seeing this sincere young lady?”
“She came to see me at my home.”
“Excuse me?”
“She came to my estate that very night the sheet circulated.”
“A paragon of innocence,” Edwin scoffed.
“I know for a fact she had nothing to do with it. She couldn’t have known about the seal.”
Edwin’s face sobered. Leo picked up the cards and shuffled. They played three more rounds, and Leo won and efficiently managed to have his lips sealed.
“One last round, Leo.”
Leo smiled cockily, sure that Lady Luck would be on his side once more. But Edwin went on the offensive and easily overtook Leo.
“Ask your question,” Leo resigned.
“What are you going to do with Miss Jenkins now?”
“I am courting her.”
Edwin choked on his brandy.
“Pardon?”
“The ton already has her in its jaws. A courtship, fake or not, would shield her, and it would give me time to discover who forged that damned letter.”
Edwin filled his glass again and barely restrained his laughter.
“You, Leonard Payne, the Duke of Mildenhall, will go around London pretending you are smitten?”
Leo looked up from the rim of his glass. He was not amused.
“Where do I buy tickets for this show?” Edwin chuckled.
“It is merely strategy.”
“And you are certain that this… fake courtship will stay in the parameters you dictated?”
Another image flashed before him. She was against the door at the Countess’ charity event. The heat of her body, the swell of her curves. Leo cursed under his breath, feeling himself tighten.
This might have been slightly easier if Miss Jenkins were plain, simple, and timid. If she were forgettable. Instead, she was a curvy woman, short enough for him to know he could handle her.
No, not his time. Any… handling would complicate already complicated things. Not that Miss Jenkins was a stellar specimen of handleability.
“The parameters will stay where I tell them to stay,” Leo hissed.
Edwin was ready to tease some more when he was met with Leo’s threatening look. He wisely chose to collect the cards and call for a cigar, a rare occurrence for them both.
The two friends stayed in silence for a while. Leo was engrossed in watching the swirls of the smoke in the thick atmosphere of the gentleman’s club. It didn’t help, though, that the smoke was moving as if dancing seductively.
“Who did it, Leo?”
This was the main reason Leo was on the edge of his civility. He had no proof but had suspicions.
“Whoever it was, they knew I altered the seal. But they couldn’t have known that the seal is not in my possession yet.”
“Even I didn’t know that.”
“I know it. It’s… her. Or him.”
“Leo,” his friend looked at him with a serious expression. “You can’t possibly mean…”
“It’s either my mother or her son.”
“This is not something to be told lightly,” Edwin leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper.
Leo inhaled the smoke and let it out slowly.
“Who else benefits from attacking me this way?” Leo said through gritted teeth. “But I need proof.”
“I will help. Your mother married the Duke of Covington after your father’s death, but even he is not a match for our combined forces.”
“Thank you,” Leo nodded.
“You don’t seem satisfied.”
“It’s just that,” Leo huffed, “because of me and my family, someone else suffers.”
“Miss Jenkins.”
“Yesterday at the charity event, the ton really showed its claws. They called her shameless.”
“Hm. You went to the Countess’s charity event.”
“I did.”
“The event you call, and I quote, ‘where dignity goes to die’ on multiple occasions.”
“I never said I was dignified.”
“What did you do, Leo?”
“I told you. I announced that I am courting Miss Jenkins.”
Edwin dropped his cigar, luckily in the tray, ashes flying.
“No, Leo,” Edwin sounded surprised. “You told me you were courting the girl. Not that you publicly announced it in front of the whole ton.”
“You know me better than anyone. She is in a difficult position because of me. I was not going to let her fend for herself.”
“Such a noble, humanitarian cause. You are quite the philanthropist, Mildenhall,” Edwin chuckled.
Leo felt tempted to take out his cigar on Edwin’s smug face, but he didn’t want Abigail to suffer because her husband was an idiot.
Another image of her flashed through his mind. The one he avoided replaying.
I found her crying in the corridor.
Till then, for him, she was a whirlwind of fast wit and no regard or fear for him. The woman he saw in the corridor was vulnerable. She could easily supress and handle defiance. But that glimpse of defencelessness was confusing at best.
“Oh, Leo,” Edwin cut through his memories. “The girl needed an umbrella, and you raised a shield. I hope you know what you are doing.”
After a very long time, Leo wasn’t so sure he knew what he was doing. The plan was sound. The execution was proving maddeningly personal.