Chapter 5
“You didn’t even want this, did you? Admit it.”
Leonard Hall took a deep breath to try to steady himself as the carriage pulled away from the church.
He had not expected any of what had happened today though perhaps he should have.
His wastrel of a brother had been perfectly predictable by skipping out on his own wedding and forcing Leonard to take the responsibility instead.
And Lady Prudence was quite right. He had not wanted it.
He hadn’t wanted to marry at all and certainly not today—like this.
He had offered Peter to Lord Highgate as a way of making up for Peter’s inappropriate conduct.
He had never thought he would be forced into this role himself.
But then, what am I letting myself feel surprised by?
That I have to clean up Peter’s mess? Our whole lives have been me cleaning up his messes, and I expect that it will continue that way for the next forty years.
“Answer me,” Lady Prudence insisted. “You didn’t want to marry me, and you ought to say as much.”
Leonard sighed. “What good will it do you if I say that?” he asked. “Why do you want to hear me say that I don’t want this?”
“I want you to tell the truth. Is that so much to ask of a husband? Since you are my husband now, I think I am well within my rights to ask for whatever I would like from you.”
Leonard had to laugh. “Is that what you think? That now that we are married, I’m somehow beholden to you and will simply do whatever you ask of me?
I’m afraid you’re in for a surprise if you believe that, Lady Prudence.
I married you out of a desire to help you protect your reputation and to protect my own family’s good name, nothing more. ”
“So, you didn’t want it.”
“I don’t know why you bring that up as if it’s something that matters,” he said. “Do you believe that people only ever marry because it’s what they want?”
“I knew what I wanted for myself,” she said hotly. “I wanted love. I would have married if I had ever found that.”
“And you think that’s a common outcome, do you? Finding love?”
“Both of my sisters managed it,” she said. “They are in love, and they are happy. All I want is the same thing they have.”
“And if that never happened? What then? I suppose you would be content to remain a spinster all your life?”
“I would have,” she informed him. “Better that than to be forced into a loveless marriage with a man who wants nothing to do with me, who doesn’t even like me—and who I don’t like either.”
If that was supposed to offend him, she’d missed the mark, for she had only spoken the truth. “What matters is that we will be spared any scandal now,” he said. “Duty is what matters most, Lady Prudence. Duty, not love.”
“Shouldn’t you be referring to me differently now that I am your wife? Lady Prudence is no longer a proper form of address.”
“And what would you have me call you?” He knew she was right, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say duchess to this lady he hardly knew.
He’d have to get beyond that hesitation, of course, but right now, he couldn’t do it, and he decided it didn’t matter that much.
This was still the first day of their marriage.
These were things they would figure out gradually—there was no great rush about it.
“You could call me by my name,” she suggested. “You could simply call me Prudence.”
“Well, that hardly seems appropriate.”
“How is that inappropriate? You can’t call your own wife by her name?”
“Lady Prudence, we may be married to one another, but I expect you to maintain formality between us,” he told her.
“After all, we did not marry because of any personal closeness. We have fulfilled our obligations, and now, we can return to the peace of our day-to-day lives knowing that no one will slander our good names.”
“You’re like everyone else in society,” she accused. “All you care about is your reputation.”
“I know you’re not a fool, Lady Prudence. You know that this scandal would have ruined you. Why can’t you simply be grateful for your good fortune? For my kindness in helping you out of your predicament?”
“Your kindness,” she scoffed. “If you were as kind as you wish to claim you are, you would have considered what I wanted!”
“You wanted to be ruined?”
“Better that than to be forced into a marriage that can never make either one of us happy,” she said.
“Why would I want this? Why would anyone? You know you don’t want it, so you should understand, even if it angers you that I have the courage to say it out loud.
You should be able to admit that this is not a good thing for either one of us, and I don’t know why you persist in acting as if the opposite is true when we know that it is not. ”
He sighed yet again. “You are going to be exhausting to deal with, aren’t you?”
“You didn’t have to deal with me. We could have gone home without putting ourselves through any of this, but you chose this. You can hardly pretend now that you are a victim of circumstance, Your Grace.”
Leonard sat forward. “You know, you act as though everything happened according to my design,” he said.
“You said it yourself, Lady Prudence. I didn’t want any of this to happen.
I didn’t want to marry today. I didn’t want to marry at all.
I didn’t want to clean up yet another of my errant brother’s messes.
I don’t want to have to take responsibility for a young lady who cannot seem to take responsibility for herself.
But this is the situation in which we find ourselves, and what I will not do is spend the rest of the day, and the remainder of my life, complaining about things that are already done.
This has happened, and there can be no changing it now.
We might as well make the best of things. ”
Lady Prudence sat back and stared out the window in obvious consternation.
“It won’t be as bad as you may think, you know,” Leonard told her. “I will make no demands of you. You will be free, in my house, to live as you would like—within the bounds of proper conduct, that is.”
Her eyes flashed to him, as if there was something he had said that had shocked or upset her.
He studied her briefly, trying to figure out what he might have said to provoke her.
For the first time, he noticed that she was quite lovely.
He had seen her sisters today at the church, and she was the loveliest of the three of them.
They shared the same slender figure and light brown hair, and all three had the same charming freckles, but there was something about Lady Prudence’s eyes that stood out to him.
They were larger than either of her sisters’ with long lashes that swept up and down distractingly every time she blinked.
A man could forget himself looking into those eyes.
He forced himself to look away quickly. It wouldn’t do to lose his head.
This wasn’t going to be that kind of marriage.
There would be no stolen moments of affection between the two of them.
They would merely be cohabitating. And if that was to occur successfully, he would have to ensure that he wasn’t distracted by her beauty.
The whole affair had to be treated as a business matter and nothing more.
“What do you consider improper conduct?” she asked him.
“I suppose I would have to explain it to you,” he mused.
“And what does that mean?”
“It means everyone in London knows that you are the rebel who fled her engagement. And now everyone knows you are the lady who allowed herself to be caught alone with my brother.”
“You do know, don’t you, that nothing happened between Lord Hall and myself?”
“He says the same. For my part, I don’t much care,” Leonard told her.
“What may or may not have happened is in the past and has nothing to do with either of us no. But what does concern us is the future. And that sort of behavior won’t be tolerated moving forward because it will reflect badly on both of us.
If we attend events, you’ll be expected to remain by my side so that I can be sure you’re acting appropriately. ”
It was Prudence’s turn to sigh. She did so heavily, as if she was trying to blow all the air out of the carriage, and she turned to stare out of the window once more.
The rest of the ride passed in relative silence.
Leonard made no more attempts at conversation.
He felt no desire for talk. As for Prudence, she spoke only once, asking him how long the journey was going to be.
When he told her that they had nearly arrived, she nodded and resumed her staring out the window.
As they arrived, Leonard opened the door and disembarked.
Then he turned back to assist Prudence. She hesitated, and for a moment he thought she might actually refuse his hand, but after a moment’s pause, she took it and allowed herself to be helped down.
She stood on the walk looking up at his manor, her eyes narrowed in dislike.
“It’s a rather forbidding place, isn’t it?” she asked.
Leonard pressed his lips together. “Tell me,” he said tightly, “do you ever cease your complaining?”
“I’m not complaining.”
“You are. You’ve had nothing remotely pleasant to say since we left the church, and it makes me wonder whether I should even bother bringing you out in public if this is the way you’re going to present yourself. Perhaps you would be better served staying inside all the time.”
“Perhaps I would,” she agreed hotly. “If this is what you married me for, so that you would be able to parade a lady about town as your wife, you may have selected the wrong person for the job. I have no intention of softening myself or putting on a show of submissiveness for the ladies and gentlemen of the ton. If you don’t like who I am, you shouldn’t have married me, Your Grace.
You have had plenty to say about what people believe about me—well, you can hardly claim to be surprised now that you see for yourself how forceful my character can be.
You must have known all along what I would be like and what you could expect when we came back here together. ”
“I’ll tell you what I expect.” He took hold of her chin and forced her to look in his direction.
Her eyes widened at his grip on her, but she didn’t try to pull free of him.
“I expect you to do as you’re told,” he said.
“I expect you to take the things I have to say to you seriously and to follow my guidance now that the two of us are married. Remember, I have done you a service here. You have plenty of complaints about it, but I have rescued your reputation by marrying you whether you wish to see it or not. I cannot force you to be grateful, but I will not tolerate disobedience.”
He released her chin and stepped back, wondering if she would be cowed at all by his sudden forcefulness.
If she was, she didn’t show it. She kept her chin erect and stared him down, not the slightest trace of fear or intimidation in her eyes.
And through his frustration, Leonard could admit to another feeling.
He was impressed.
It wasn’t just anyone—man or woman—who found the strength and the courage to stand up to him, to face him down like this. Lady Prudence was clearly extraordinary.
Of course, that means she will be that much more difficult to tame.
But she’s right. I did know that all along.
I never should have doubted that a marriage to this lady would be extraordinarily difficult.
Curse Peter for putting me in this position!
When I get my hands on him, there will be hell to pay.
“I suspect you would like to have the afternoon to yourself,” he suggested.
He expected a comment about the fact that he hadn’t so far demonstrated much concern for what she would like. It would have been fair. But she simply nodded. “That would be appreciated, Your Grace.”
“You will find the housekeeper just inside, and she can see to any needs you might have,” Leonard said. “Should you need me for anything, let a member of the staff know. Welcome to Desford.”
He strode away from her, barely able to believe the day’s events.