Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter
TWENTY-THREE
She hadn’t seen Leo since she had confessed all to him yesterday.
Largely because she hadn’t plucked up the courage to leave this bedchamber and face the world as a duchess just yet.
However, she had, at least, seen the newspaper.
It had magically arrived along with the breakfast tray that she had not requested, because, despite her hunger, she could not bring herself to ring the bell.
Summoning a servant was something a duchess would do, and that mantle felt as uncomfortable as a pair of stiff shoes that were ten sizes too small.
While the bulk of the news consisted of speculation as to why an eligible duke would marry a rabble-rousing radical revolutionary rather than see her transported (a question she wouldn’t mind a proper answer to herself), it did briefly mention what else had happened.
It gave her a great deal of relief to know that William and Percy had been released with only a fine.
Edgar had too, but she was too angry at him to feel any satisfaction.
There was, however, no mention of Jim and nothing about the fate of Equitas beyond the news that it had been raided.
She suspected it had been raided because of her and that was a bitter pill to swallow.
Almost as bitter as the enormous sacrifice her new husband had made for her when she knew she did not deserve it.
However, he had asked her to try to behave like the Duchess of Debden for as long as she remained it, and that was the least she could do while she waited for him to come to his senses and offload her like the local newspaper seemed convinced he would.
Rather than ring that privileged bell, which sat in convenient reach of her bedside, she washed in the cold water left on her sumptuous new nightstand and did what she had always done.
She dressed herself.
She had hidden in this bedchamber long enough and it was time to face the music, whatever that music was destined to be. The only thing that was certain was it was completely out of her hands now. She had lost the legal right to have any say in her own future the moment she had accepted Leo’s hand.
She took a deep breath and ventured downstairs, colliding with the dowager and her two daughters in the hallway, all wearing their finery. “Good morning, dear—you look much better.”
As both Emilia, and especially Abigail, were smiling at her shyly, Portia smiled back. “I might look better but you all look splendid. Where are you off to?”
“To wherever we shall be seen the most.” The dowager poked a hatpin to secure the tall, feathered confection that somehow made her look even more imperious. “The only way to deal with a scandal is to own it with unapologetic bravado. Want to come with us?”
“Absolutely not.” It was bad enough being a duchess, albeit temporarily, let alone parading around trying to act like one.
“I thought as much.” Her new mother-in-law grinned. “It will be far better if you make your debut as a Sloane after we have duchess-ified you. The modiste is arriving at five, by the way, to make a start on that, but we shall be back well before then.”
“I really do not require the services of a modiste, your grace. Especially as I doubt I shall be here long enough to ever wear anything that she makes.” Fine silk and lace wouldn’t last five minutes on a convict ship and if Leo did decide to go for an annulment as basic common sense dictated he should, she had no doubt that she would be formally charged with seditious libel yet again and sent to trial.
“Poppycock,” said the older woman with a wink.
“Leo will never let you go, mark my words. Just like his father, once his heart has picked the one, nothing will deter him from that decision.” Before Portia could argue that nothing could be further from the truth in their case, Letitia chivvied her daughters with open arms toward the door as if herding sheep.
“We must carry on as normal, girls! Backs straight, eyes forward, smile as if you know a great secret that the rest of Bath doesn’t, girls, and remember that we are Sloanes.
And Sloanes do not care one jot what people think of us.
Let us have a very long and sedate walk all the way around town to prove that. ”
“We would pass everything and everyone if we walked all the way down to the barracks and back,” said Emilia. “That is a particularly long walk.”
A comment that earned her a stern glare from Letitia. “Really, Emilia? Our family is in the midst of an epic crisis and all that silly head of yours can think about is soldiers?”
“Well you did say that we were supposed to carry on as normal,” said Emilia with an unrepentant shrug. “And I was only trying to be helpful.”
“It would be more helpful if you were less trying, dear,” said her mother with a roll of her eyes. And with that, the footman flung open the door and they sailed out into the Royal Crescent with their heads held high.
Now what?
“A letter arrived for you this morning, your grace,” said the footman awkwardly as he turned to her. She couldn’t blame him because up until yesterday they had been in the same boat.
“I am still just Portia to you, Adam.”
“That really wouldn’t be proper.” But his smile was much friendlier as he handed her the missive. “This came by messenger.”
She recognized William’s spidery handwriting straightaway and quickly took herself into her former office to read it in private.
It was brief and to the point. Everyone was safe and they were all gathering at the warehouse at noon to assess the damage and hatch a plan forward.
He would be delighted to see her today, but perfectly understood if she wasn’t able to come.
She was glad he understood because not being able to go was a pain that was visceral.
As painful as discovering that the authorities had taken away all her papers when they had ransacked her bedchamber.
How on earth was she supposed to carry on and not be an integral part of the cause she had devoted the last eight years to?
But she owed it to Leo to behave in a manner more befitting the Duchess of Debden for as long as she was the duchess, after all he had sacrificed for her. Just as she owed him his freedom back. “Is his grace at home?”
“He’s in his study.” The footman pulled a face. “And still in the highest of dudgeons.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
Leo’s door was open as she approached and she could see him bent over a pile of papers, leaning heavily on one hand as he read them with the deepest furrow between his brows that she had ever seen. Rather than sail in like a duchess would undoubtedly do, she knocked.
He jumped, took one look at her, and hastily covered whatever it was that had absorbed his attention so with a ledger.
Annulment papers? If they were, she couldn’t blame him.
The quicker he applied, the more likely it was that one would be granted.
“Portia.” He didn’t look the least bit happy to see her. “How can I help you?”
“By telling me what I am supposed to do, your … um … Leo.”
“About what?”
“About everything.” She gestured around her before she bent to acknowledge the dogs who were expecting their customary tickles. “I have no clue how to behave in a manner befitting the Duchess of Debden and would appreciate a steer.”
His golden brows furrowed afresh, anger positively shimmering in his deep blue eyes. “Do whatever you want, madam, for I certainly do not care.”
“I want to visit Equitas today to see the full extent of the damage that I wreaked upon it and check that my friends are as all right as they claim, but I daresay you’d care about that.
” In the spirit of gratefulness and honesty, she decided to rise above his petulant tone and tossed William’s missive onto his desk, noticing the merest dog-eared edge of a copy of Equitas poking out from under the ledger.
She also recognized that now was probably not the time to ask why Leo was suddenly reading it even if she was itching to know.
“In the absence of anything else to do, I would be grateful if you could suggest something that I can do to fill all my new free time instead as I am not the idle, embroidering sort and am used to being busy.”
As he glanced at the letter, a myriad of unfathomable emotions skittered across his handsome features before he lifted his wary gaze to her. “You can visit so long as I accompany you.”
Portia hadn’t expected him to say that in a month of Sundays and her expression doubtless screamed that because she had to haul her gaping jaw back up. “Really?”
“You are not the only one who would like to see the place that you lied so extensively to keep secret, madam.”
She didn’t know what to think about that and probably should have declined for the safety of her friends and to avoid any further trouble, or simply because she objected to the way he now kept referring to her as “madam,” but her gut told her not to.
Leo might still be sulking, and frankly he had every right to, but he wasn’t the malicious sort.
He could get the address easily enough from the authorities who had raided it and visit without her if he chose to, and everyone, barring Jim, had already been charged and couldn’t be recharged unless a second offense was committed.
“Then I shall be ready to leave whenever is convenient.” Good grief but she hated this new formality between them.
The gaping chasm that had opened up and killed the easiness they’d shared.
“There is no time like the present.” He stood and stalked past her. “I’ll send for the carriage.”