Sally listened in disbelief as Leonard spoke. She had never felt so alone and misunderstood. Tears streamed down her face as she stepped away from the window, having heard enough. How dare this man toy with her as he had?
She'd tried so hard and done everything she could to ensure they had a chance at a real marriage. And he'd sent sign after sign that he wanted the same. He hadn't acted like a man who wished to separate lives when he looked after her as she lay sick when he listened to her story and vowed to always protect her.
She'd tried, yet he ended up pushing her further away every time. Every time her confidence took a hit, her dignity evaporated more and more, bit by bit. Mrs. Farnsworth's words about Leonard's parents and their marriage came back to her mind.
Had their union been like this? A constant back and forth? Why did Mary once imply that the late Duchess didn't have an easy life?
Well, Sally would not stand for it. She rubbed the back of her hand over her face, not caring that her white powder smudged. She knew it would meld with the black from the burnt cork she'd used to darken her lashes. So what? She'd wanted to look nice for a man who cared nothing for her.
Leonard didn't respect or care for or even like her. That much was clear. She'd make no more efforts for this man. It was done. She was a woman in her own right. She was a Duchess. And she would make a life worth living - with or without him.
Leonard would not bring her down with his moods and changeability. Nobody would.
With a newfound strength, Sally stood up straight and pulled her shoulders back. She would be all right. She always had been. And if Leonard could not see what he was missing by ignoring her, then that was his loss. Not hers. Not anymore.
CHAPTER26
Leonard
The horses’ hooves clapped beneath Leonard's mare, Lysander, as he rode beside Kenneth several days later. It was a peaceful afternoon, and from somewhere, the smell of a bonfire wafted into his nose. He would have felt contented if not for the fact that Sally was back at the manor with her sister, no doubt talking about him.
Something had been odd about her this day, for she'd barely spoken to him in the carriage. Just what had upset her, he didn't know. Well... he had an idea. He'd implemented his plan to put distance between them, and he imagined that had something to do with it.
“Do you want to ride along the brook?” Kenneth asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yes, why not? The horses could use a drink anyway. I think the old elm tree that we used to climb when we were boys home from Eton is down the road, isn't it?”
“I think you're right,” Kenneth said, and he squinted in the direction of the tree. “I used to race you, remember?”
“In vain, if I might remind you. I beat you every single time.” Leonard grinned as he recalled their childhood days.
“Oh, is that a challenge?” Kenneth's upbeat tone was infectious, and Leonard shrugged.
“It is if you want it to be.”
He stirred his horse to the left towards the bubbling brook when the elm tree came into view. Leonard smiled as he remembered his childhood days when he and Kenneth would race towards the tree and then scale it to the top. In those days, it had been his friend who suffered with an unspeakable burden, and Leonard had been attempting to free him from it to no avail.
Kenneth had suffered with unbelievable guilt for most of his life, believing himself responsible for the death of his older brother in an unfortunate fire when they were young.
It hadn’t been until he met Joanna that he began to change his thinking and understood that he was not to blame for what had happened, especially as he'd been a mere child.
Leonard remembered how hard it had been to understand why he couldn’t convince his best friend that he was not a horrible person. How odd it was that the roles were reversed.
“By Jove, quit your woolgathering,” Kenneth called, and Leonard realized his friend was several paces ahead of him and had already leaped off his horse. He stopped and dismounted while his eyes grew wide, for Kenneth was striding alongside the brook towards the tree.
There was no way he could catch up now. Still, Leonard smiled, suddenly feeling the echoes of youth as he sprinted, the water splashing beneath his feet as he chased after his friend. By the time he got close, Kenneth had already stopped underneath the tree and swung himself up on the lowest branch.
Leonard grabbed onto the opposing branch and swung himself up, the bark digging into his fingers as he wrapped his legs around the branch and spun himself around. He made his way up to almost the top when he made the mistake of looking down. The ground seemed impossibly far away, and he let out a gasp. From further up, a whoop came. He raised his eyes again and saw Kenneth sitting at the top of the tree, where the branches were precariously thin. Suddenly, fear gripped him, not for himself but his friend.
Kenneth wasn't a mere lad anymore but a father of soon-to-be three children.
“Kenny, let us get down. This was a foolish idea.”
“You only say that because you lost!” Kenneth called, but to Leonard’s relief, he did climb back down.
Once they had solid ground beneath their feet again, Leonard collapsed against the tree, his back leaning against it, while Kenny plopped down beside him, a grin on his face. “Now, do not look so solemn. Next time you shall win. But this time, I claim victory.”
“I should not have suggested it. What if you had fallen? You have two children and one on the way. Can you imagine what Joanna would do if she heard in the news that you had died after falling off a tree?”
