He sat down, listening to how silent Kirby Hall was. It was almost ominous. However, he hadn’t sent word that he would be arriving, so perhaps Lord and Lady Kirby were out.
Lady Leah was followed in, by her lady’s maid, to chaperone in the absence of her parents. Selina treated her maid as a friend. Leah’s maid simply followed her about silently.
It was immediately clear that Lady Leah had been crying—her eyes and her nose were red-rimmed, even though her tears had been dried assiduously.
Lady Leah barely even looked at him, curtsied, then sat down. She crossed her arms as she looked at him, angrily. With a sinking feeling, Jasper realized that she knew everything.
“Lady Leah,” he said bowing to her. She stared at him, stonily.
“Your Grace,” she replied.
“How—how are you, My Lady?” he asked, taking his seat again.
“Let’s dispense with the niceties, Your Grace,” she snapped, surprising Jasper to his core. In all of the years that he had known Lady Leah Bowles, she had never spoken to him in this manner. “Tell me why it is that my fiancé sends my cousin letters, asking her to meet him in secret?”
He hadn’t expected her to find the letter. He’d thought that Selina would have hidden it. Selina was blameless in this matter. He opened his mouth to answer, but Lady Leah went on, angrily.
“Oh, please. The whole staff here knows,” Lady Leah said. “I can’t believe you would do this to me. How am I ever supposed to trust you?”
“I admit it,” he said. “I’ve been meeting your cousin.”
“All of my life, everyone has always preferred her,” she stated, shaking her head. “Am I the only one who can see through her?”
“But now we can admit it and end this engagement.”
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I’ll have my father duel you.”
Jasper stared at her. This was a side of Lady Leah that he’d never known existed.
“You will reschedule the wedding,” she snapped. “I’m never letting you out of it, Your Grace. You are to keep your word, as a gentleman is supposed to do.”
With that declaration, Lady Leah got up and stormed out of the room. Her maid followed after her silently. Jasper sat, alone in the room, staring at the blue-velvet settee across from him where Lady Leah had been. He’d known that it wouldn’t be easy.
Lord Kirby came in, a few moments later.
“Your Grace,” he said, bowing.
“My Lord,” Jasper replied.
“My apologies that Lady Kirby and I were not here to receive you. We were visiting Lord Langley.”
“It’s quite all right,” Jasper said. “I came unannounced to speak to Lady Leah.”
“Yes,” Lord Kirby replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. “My wife is attending my daughter now.”
“I’ve upset her,” Jasper murmured. “For that, I am sorry.”
“Yes, well.” Lord Kirby inhaled, deeply, letting all the air out in his lungs as he tried to figure out what to say. “These things happen,” he said sadly.
“I suppose—yes,” Jasper agreed. He wanted to make sure that Lord Kirby was not, in fact, going to duel him on Lady Leah’s behalf, but didn’t feel that he had the right to do so.
“I think you should return in a few days, Your Grace,” Lord Kirby suggested. “Once my daughter has had the time to calm down. I’m sure the two of you will be able to settle things accordingly between yourselves, then.”
Jasper nodded. “Yes—yes, of course,” he said. “You’re right, My Lord.”
“Come, Your Grace,” Lord Kirby said, with a small smile. “I’ll walk you out.”
Jasper was about a step or two behind Lord Kirby as he ushered him out of Kirby Hall.
“We all have little hiccups in married life,” he said, looking at Jasper pointedly. Jasper had the feeling that he was about to be strong armed into keeping his word.
“For what it’s worth, Lord Kirby,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure you are, Your Grace,” Lord Kirby said. “Don’t worry. Everything always shakes out in the end.”
Jasper had the feeling that Lord Kirby thought he was apologizing for something else, and not what he was—breaking the engagement. He mounted his horse, then rode home.
* * *
Selina had returned to her room, where she’d let herself have a good cry. Her brother had never treated her in such a shameful manner before. His words and his disdain stung. Finally, when she’d let all of her feelings out, she sat in a chair by the fireplace.
It was too warm a day for a fire, so she stared into its depths, wondering how she was going to convince her brother to change his mind. After all, her father valued Thomas’s opinion highly.
“My Lady,” Faith said, coming in. “The whole house is in an uproar!” She closed the door after her, turning the key in the lock.
“What is it?” Selina asked, knowing that Faith was coming up from the kitchen, where she took her meals with the rest of Kirby Hall’s household staff. Selina wiped at her damp cheeks, sniffing.
“Lady Leah’s found out about the Duke’s letters!” Faith said, in a very loud whisper. “The whole of the downstairs is talking over their evening meal!”
Selina felt a wave of panic wash through her—icy, cold. She ran to her writing desk. When she saw the state of the letters, she paled. They were torn to pieces, placed back inside of the drawer for Selina to discover. It was a clear message.
“Oh,” she said horrified. “Oh, dear.” She clutched the ruins of Jasper’s dear, lovely letters in her hands. Leah had been there, and in her rage, had destroyed them.
She sank down into the chair. She looked at Faith, who was equally shocked. Her hand covered her mouth. “My Lady,” she gasped. “Your poor letters.”
“She’s left all of mother’s letters untouched,” Selina said, stating the obvious. Her mind was a whirl of worry.
“Well, I suppose the cat’s out of the bag, My Lady.”
“There’s an understatement,” Selina mused. “I suppose I should go and tell Thomas. He’ll want to leave.”
“I’ll start packing,” Faith said, stoutly.
“Thank you, Faith.” Selina walked toward the door, to find both Thomas and Uncle Latimer, standing in the hallway.
“Oh,” she said. “I was just coming to find you.”
“We must be on our way,” Thomas insisted. “My sister and I shouldn’t be here.”
“No one is going anywhere,” Uncle Latimer stated firmly. “Leah’s beside herself, and she’s blaming it all on Selina.”
* * *
Jasper went straight home, where he found Reuben sitting in the parlor with a decanter of brandy.
“How did it go?” Reuben asked, smiling hopefully.
“Not at all how I expected,” he replied, getting himself a glass and joining his brother.
“Good or bad?” his brother wondered.
“Bad. Very, very bad.”
“Tell me all about it,” Reuben said, pouring Jasper a few fingers. Jasper took a large sip of his brandy.
“She’s found out that I’ve been meeting Selina,” he said, watching his brother’s eyes widen.
“How?”
“Someone on the staff tipped her off,” he replied. “Then, she somehow found letters that I’d sent to Selina.” He took another large sip. “She says that she’s going to have her father challenge me to a duel if I don’t keep my word and marry her.”
“Christ, what a mess,” Reuben said, grimacing. “What are you going to do?”
“Give her a few days to calm down, then try and talk to her rationally and reasonably. What else can I do?” He shrugged helplessly. The very worst thing that could happen was that he had to face Lord Kirby in a duel.
Reuben sat, tapping his glass with his fingernail as he thought. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know.”
* * *
Selina’s stomach somersaulted at her uncle’s words. She wanted to be gon
e from there.
“No one is moving from this house until we’ve figured things out,” Uncle Latimer stated firmly.
“You cannot keep us here,” Thomas replied. “I insist that we be on our way.”
“And I insist that we’re going to solve things in a dignified manner. No one is running off until the matter of my daughter’s engagement is settled. She’s demanding that I duel the Duke of Gillingham, and before I risk my life, as well as the life of another gentleman, I want to know the truth of the matter. The both of you will remain here until things have been settled.”
Selina didn’t like how that sounded either. The mention of a duel sent her into an even deeper panic. Her uncle looked them both in the eye, sternly. Selina nodded.
“It seems that there’s been infidelity and secret letters,” he said, looking at Selina with a measure of surprise and concern. “Leah’s accusing that you snuck out to meet with the Duke? That you were exchanging love letters with him? What Devil possessed you to do something like that?”
She swallowed, bowing her head in shame. She sighed, then looked her uncle in the eye. She would not be ashamed of her own actions. The least she could do was to have some backbone and own up to her part in the matter.
“I followed my heart, Uncle. There’s no shame in that. I’ll admit, it wasn’t the best way to go about it, but if you’re not going to let him out of an engagement that his heart isn’t into, then why are you forcing him into a marriage where he does not love?”
“That is a matter, which I myself need to consider, at the moment, Selina,” Uncle Latimer replied sternly. “Until such a time as I have a moment’s peace to think, you are not to stir from this house.” He looked pointedly at Thomas. “The both of you. Don’t make me pull rank on you, Thomas.” The look that he shot her brother could have turned fire to ice.
Uncle Latimer stormed off in the direction of his study. Thomas and Selina looked at each other. Her brother closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He shook his head, and then he left, too.
Selina returned to her room, where Faith was already packing. “Just put it all back, Faith. It appears that we’re to stay.”
* * *
Leah was lying on her bed, still fully dressed. Her hair was a complete wreck, and she’d been crying for so long and so hard that she’d given herself a headache. Her mother placed a cool washcloth on her head.
“There, there,” she said soothingly. “Just let it all out, and Papa will solve everything, my love.”
“I can’t believe he’ll have to duel the Duke,” Leah moaned.
“No, no, Love—your father will solve everything peaceably,” her mother said. “There will be no dueling.”
“But then how will he get the Duke to do as we want?” Leah sobbed. “I’m supposed to be Duchess. It has to be me, Mamma.”
“It will be, sweetling,” her mother said, beaming at Leah, as she caressed her hair—just like she had when Leah was a little girl. Leah smiled at her mother. She fully believed that her parents would solve everything. She closed her eyes, letting her mother gently bathe her tear-stained face with the cool, damp cloth.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” her mother called out before Leah could tell her not to.
Leah opened one eye to see who had come, hoping that it was Wickes announcing the Duke’s arrival, to apologize and reschedule the wedding. Leah was disappointed to see Selina. She glared at her cousin.
“Make her go away, Mother.”
“Selina—”
“I just wanted to apologize,” Selina blurted out.
“Absolutely not,” Leah stated.
“Leah,” Selina said.
“Out,” Leah roared, sitting up. “You’ve ruined everything.” She turned to her mother. “Why is she even still here? Why hasn’t Papa thrown them out of Kirby Hall?”
“The very last thing that I wanted to do was to hurt you,” Selina insisted.
“Well, you have,” Leah replied coldly. “And now, I demand that you leave. You can apologize all that you want, but I will never forgive you. You’re dead to me. When the Duke returns to make good on his word and to apologize, I want you gone, vile seductress.”
Leah watched the hurt that filled Selina’s eyes with a cold pleasure. Selina nodded, then turned and went out. Leah breathed a sigh of relief, settling herself back down onto the pillows.
“You could be gentler, my love,” her mother said.
“No. Not with her.”
Leah was to be Duchess. Selina was not about to take that from her. If she had to fight for it, then so be it. Leah was made of sterner stuff than anyone had realized. She lay back on the bed.
“Please, Mamma,” she said. “I can’t have swollen eyes when the Duke comes back.” Leah didn’t think that he would be there that night. She needed to change the subject, though.
* * *
Jasper and Reuben were still sitting and drinking together when Stephen arrived from Sandbourne.
“Hello, old friends,” Stephen said, entering after Sotheby announced his arrival.
“Have you come to stay, then?” Reuben asked.
“Yes. Sandbourne has been let by a retired captain,” Stephen replied. “He and his wife will take over residence when they arrive, and I will be here, out of their way.”
“Capital,” Jasper said, standing to grab him a glass. “Come sit.”
“So, Stephen,” Reuben said. “What exactly are you planning on doing, now that you’re no longer tied down to your county seat?’
“Once I have income, I’m headed for Italy and Greece,” he said wistfully. He still had that air of exhaustion about him, but it was lessened.
“Jasper has quite the tale to tell,” Reuben said, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair.
Stephen blinked, sitting down as Jasper placed a glass in front of him, then Reuben filled it.
“Lady Leah found out about Selina and myself,” Jasper said.
“Oh, no,” Stephen said.
“Oh, yes,” Jasper replied, raising his eyebrows. “She’s threatening to have Lord Kirby duel me if I do not continue the engagement.”
Stephen’s eyes widened. “Good Lord. Never a dull moment around here these days.” He placed the glass to his lips and took a long sip.
“That’s the truth,” Reuben said, still tapping his glass with the fingernail of his index finger.
“What are you going to do?” Stephen asked.
“That’s what we were trying to figure out,” Jasper said. “I can’t think of a blessed thing, except how much I need to see Selina.”
“Then let’s make it so,” Stephen announced, decisively. For the first time in what felt like an age, Jasper felt like the usual Stephen was returned. “There has to be some way to get the two of you together.” Stephen glanced at Reuben, nodding emphatically.
“Perhaps,” Reuben allowed. “Although it will be difficult, now that everyone knows.”
“If anyone can make it happen, it’s the three of us,” Stephen said. Jasper smiled at his friend and his brother. He was right, of course.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Selina stayed in her room, where she was brought dinner. From what news Faith brought her, it sounded as though Leah remained in her rooms, as well.
After Selina’s botched apology, it was clear that it was for the best that the two cousins remained apart.
Selina sliced her meat while sitting at the writing table. Her poor dear letters were utterly destroyed; they remained in a pile by the side of her plate. She couldn’t bring herself to put them on the fire.
“My Lady?” Faith asked.
“Yes, Faith?” Selina glanced at her maid, who was seated in an armchair, her book in her lap.
“What do you think will happen now?”
“It sounds, to me, at least, that Leah’s not letting go without a fight. I don’t think that Uncle Latimer will accept a duel on Leah’s behalf…” Her stomach roiled nervously
. “But I also don’t know that he won’t.”
She didn’t want things to come to that—not with death. But she knew that Jasper wouldn’t give her up. He loved her.
Sins 0f An Intoxicating Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 24