Chapter 16

CHAPTER16

Jane wasn’t expecting to see her father at the brewery. From the looks of it, Leo didn’t either. But it was obvious that her father still considered it to be his family’s property… in a way. Jane did not wish to argue with him, especially not in front of Leo.

Jane greeted him coolly. She was still unforgiving regarding the way he handled her marriage to Leo, the way he forced her into it, but if she were to blame him, then she had to blame Leo as well. That was something that she was trying to understand lately and see from a different perspective. That also meant that she needed to forgive her father.

“Your daughter has great ideas regarding the brewery,” Leo pointed out as the three of them were taking a stroll through the small factory.

Jane had always loved the smell of this place, ranging from malty notes of caramel, which were her favorite, to pine needles and spices. These fragrances brought back pleasant memories of when all three of them would visit their brewery, and while her father would sort out the business part of their visit, Jane and her mother were allowed to roam the place as they pleased, and they always made such a wonderfully amusing game of it.

“She always did,” the Earl nodded, much to Jane’s surprise.

She had never been asked regarding any business decisions when it came to the brewery. Leo was the first one who had ever done that. Her father kept all the decision-making power to himself, never once delegating it to either his wife or his daughter. Now, him claiming that Jane had always been involved was not only a surprise, but it was a downright shock.

Still, Jane did not wish to show it. Instead, she smiled as they kept on walking, and different places and machinery brought back different memories. She was saddened to see the state they were in now and hoped that Leo would do his best to stay true to his promise of returning both of their breweries to the days of their prior glory.

“I also have a few ideas I could share,” the Earl suggested to Leo, who didn’t seem particularly interested in hearing them, but he still nodded politely.

“We could discuss them at some point,” Leo said, but Jane could tell that this discussion would probably never take place.

She wondered why he was so antagonistically inclined towards her father. Were they not the best of friends when the struck up the deal of this marriage? She wondered what had changed to make Leo be so moody in her father’s presence when he was so joyful on their trip over here. When he realized that her father was waiting for them there, Leo’s mood suddenly plummeted. He explained himself with a headache, but something assured Jane that there was more to it than a mere physical ache.

“See, this here pipe,” Jane’s father stopped them at some point and began explaining all that needed to be repaired and paid attention to. Jane was listening because no one knew this brewery better than her father. There were times when he spent more hours here than at home, but of course, neither she nor her mother commented on it. The Earl always behaved according to his own wishes and whims, and those were not to be questioned. Both women of his household had learned this lesson a long time ago.

As always, it was her father who did most of the talking. Jane listened, but she wasn’t certain about Leo. He seemed to be here, present in the moment, but he made no physical gestures to signal that he was paying attention. For some reason, he seemed disinterested. She couldn’t understand why. After all, wasn’t it in his best interest as well for the two breweries to do good business? And her father as the initial owner knew this place better than anyone else. He would have valuable advice, only it seemed that Leo wasn’t all that interested in hearing it.

When her father seemed to finish his monologue, he expected a response, but none came. Leo merely nodded, and that was enough for him. Jane gave him a puzzled glance, but Leo pretended not to notice. That was how the trio continued their tour through the brewery, only there was less talking now. All three were lost in their own thoughts for the next half an hour with just an occasional comment being made by the Earl to which both Jane and Leo would simply nod.

Perhaps, Leo didn’t want her father to lead the conversation. After all, it was not his brewery any longer. It wasn’t his business any longer. In fact, he did not belong here at all, unless invited. Perhaps that was why Leo was so annoyed by the fact that the Earl did not inform them beforehand that he would be here and chose to act as if this was still his property. Yes, that had to be it. Jane could see no other explanation.

After a while, they exited the building and found themselves outside once more. The Earl turned to Leo and addressed him more formally this time.

“I hope you won’t mind me asking this, but could you give me a moment to speak to my daughter in private?”

Jane was surprised to hear such a request, and from the looks of it, so was the Duke. She had no idea what her father wished to ask her. Perhaps if all the paperwork was in order. She didn’t know whether Leo had settled the entire debt her father had because Leo hadn’t discussed it with her, but she was certain that he had. If he had given them his word, that meant the deal was solid. Leo was nothing if not a man of his word. Perhaps that was the assurance her father needed, and he felt embarrassed to ask it of Leo or of Jane in front of Leo.

Then, Leo did something that shocked her even more. He spoke calmly but in a determined fashion.

“Jane is my wife,” he informed the Earl as if such a thing was completely novel to him, and he could not have known beforehand. “So, whatever you have to say to her, you may say it in front of me.”

Jane watched as her father’s face turned pale. He was not used to being denied any request that he had expressed so openly, especially when it came to his own family. Only, Jane was less a part of his family now and more a part of Leo’s. That was, at least, how these things functioned.

She expected her father to turn to rage as he always did. She only witnessed him punch a man once. She was so little that for years afterwards, she wondered if she really saw the whole thing, or she simply imagined it. Then, at some point, she realized that it truly did happen. She remembered the way her father’s hand landed on the man’s nose, breaking it. She heard that crackling sound of cartilage breaking then the blood. So much blood. The man was on the ground, on his knees and hands, coughing. The blood was dripping from his nose in a thin stream.

Her father didn’t even try to tell her to look away. He was too focused on the man. Jane looked on, unable to turn away. This was her father when he did not get what he wanted. He was a man not to be crossed. He was a man who could not control his temper as many had already witnessed, even his own family.

Jane thought that she would witness something like that again, and she was terrified. Instinctively, she stood by Leo’s side, subconsciously choosing him. It came as such a natural decision that she was not even aware of the fact that she had made it.

“So, what is it you wished to discuss with us?” Leo asked.

Jane almost chuckled aloud at the us part. They were together. They were not a separate entity any longer. It had been only a day since their passionate kissing inside the carriage which they hadn’t really discussed at all. They both greeted each other cordially this morning, and she was relieved to hear him offer a trip to the brewery because that meant they would be focusing on something else and not the kisses.

Now, he surprised her again by refusing to leave her alone with her father. She wondered why. Was he afraid that they might discuss something about him, something behind his back? She frowned at the thought. Did he not trust her?

“Just a few ideas about the brewery,” the Earl finally spoke through clenched teeth, bringing Jane back to the present moment.

It was obvious that he did not like being refused. His demands were usually met with an agreement. Jane could not but admire Leo for not allowing himself to be frightened into obedience by her father. Although, the truth was that it was Leo who had all the control. He paid her father’s debt. He was the owner of the breweries now. He could have easily dismissed the Earl from the premises, but he didn’t out of respect. Once again, she could not help but be grateful to this man, despite everything he had done to her.

But he had done so much for her as well. This was undeniable. And the frightening fact was that she enjoyed that kiss much more than she ought to have. What was it he said? She was not just an obligation to him? Her heart fluttered at this sentence, at the way he said it, and then, at the way he kissed her. She never even imagined that kissing him could feel like that—so good that it would leave her so dreadfully needy, desiring so much more.

The tour of the brewery ended hastily after this, and the Earl bid them both goodbye. Jane and Leo stood side by side as they watched his carriage disappear in the distance. Then, she turned to him.

“Why didn’t you allow me a private word with my father?” she asked, not certain whether he was exercising his control of her or if there was something else involved. The truth was, she did not wish to accuse him of something that might not be true.

He shrugged. “There should be no secrets between a husband and a wife.”

That was all he said before he turned around and walked back to their carriage. He stopped before opening the door.

“Are you coming?” he asked in a tone that assured that this conversation was over—at least for the time being.

Jane did not want to push it. She didn’t wish to argue because she did not know all the facts. These two men were not friends, and they would never be friends. There was bound to be animosity between them, and that had little to do with her. Where there was bad blood, no amount of water could wash it away.

So, she smiled politely and walked after him. She accepted his hand as she climbed up into the carriage, certain that the kiss from the previous night would not be repeated.