Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Separation

"A re you sure you are well?" Solomon asked as they stood near the coaches.

"Yes, I am fine," Leah claimed, smiling pleasantly.

She hid her true feelings. She could not complain about the situation she had willingly agreed to. All she could do now was find pleasure in the small moments and do her best.

"You left in a rush last night," the Duke told her.

"I was overwhelmed. It was our engagement party, and you gave me such a thoughtful present, and then you kissed me like I have never been kissed before. How do you expect me to react?" Leah tried to look and sound coy.

"I enjoyed all of it, too," the Duke said. "I know I don't know you well, but if anything is troubling you, you can tell me. We both know this is about convenience, but that does not mean it can't be honest and fun."

"Yes, it is about convenience," Leah said sadly. "I have accepted that. It is fine. You don't have to worry about me. Really! I am stubborn and challenging, and I shall get back to irritating you soon. That is what you want, isn't it?"

Solomon laughed. "Something like that. Your father is calling you. I shall see you soon, Leah." The Duke kissed her on the cheek.

"I shall see you soon, Solomon."

Leah smiled at the Duke before she turned and walked toward the carriages.

Don't let any of them see you crying. Be strong for now and cry as much as you like when you are alone.

"Come on, Leah," Ernest demanded, waiting at the steps leading up to the coach.

"I'm coming, Father," Leah replied.

Ernest held out his hand and helped his daughter up the steps. Leah sat beside her sister, and Ernst took his place next to his wife.

"I did not think I would be sad to leave," Augusta said. "I had such a beautiful time while we were here. I wish we could have stayed for longer."

"We got what we came for," Ernest said.

Leah looked out of the window at the Duke as the carriage rumbled down the road toward the main gate. The Dowager Countess, Gilbert, and Christianna stood close to him. She stared at him for as long as possible before they rode through the trees lining the road to London, and he and the estate were lost from view.

There was a brief moment of happiness between arriving and departing when Leah thought her life made sense. She had been unhappy on the way to meet the Duke, but she felt more unhappy now.

"I can't wait to see Frederick again," Bridget said.

Leah took her sister's hand and held it tight. "We both get to live the life we deserve."

Leah would be strong for everyone else around her.

Two days later, they arrived back in London. Two days after that, Frederick paid Bridget a visit.

Leah did not chaperone them when they took a walk along the promenade, but she did accompany them. There was something contagious about the happiness he brought her sister.

When Frederick officially asked Ernest if he could court his daughter, there was much celebration in the Moore household. Leah studied her sister's face. She stated intently at Bridget's smile and committed it to memory. It was a smile of pure, unbridled joy.

Leah clung to it. It was a lighthouse in a storm. Her sister's happiness made everything worthwhile.

* * *

"What has irked you so much?" Gilbert asked his older brother. "Are you missing your special times late at night with your betrothed? I can have some women here in an hour if you are lonely."

"Stop!" Solomon demanded. "I am to be married."

"Yes, but not really, brother. Or, when you seduced her, did you also fall for her?"

"No." Solomon shook his head. "No, I did not fall for her, and she has not fallen for me. I believe we will go through with the wedding without a hitch, but something bothers her more about the whole thing, and I can't figure out what that is."

"But she won't sabotage the wedding?" Gilbert asked.

"No, I'm sure she won't. Still, I wish she would be honest with me. I am sure I can help her."

"Since when did you become so compassionate?" Gilbert asked.

"Will you please stop!" Solomon demanded. "I know you are only teasing me, but I am not in the mood."

"Fine, fine." Gilbert held up his hands. "You know I love you, brother. How about I fix us both a drink, and you can tell me what is truly bothering you? We can be honest with each other, can't we?"

"A drink will help," the Duke said.

He looked up from his desk and out of the window where the rain was pouring down. It pattered so loudly against the ground below that it could be heard from the second floor.

"Here, drink up, and I can fix us another," Gilbert said. He held his glass out, and Solomon clinked it against his brother's. "Bottoms up," Gilbert added. "So, what is truly bothering you?"

"The same old business," Solomon admitted.

"The same old business? If the same old business were bothering you, you would be bothered in the same old way. Go on, finish your cognac, and I will pour you another. You do not wish to go drinking in the city before your wedding, so tonight will have to do. I fear I won't see as much of you when you are married."

"You sound sad," Solomon stated. "Will you miss me?"

"Pah," Gilbert replied. "I have plenty to keep myself occupied. Give me your glass, and I will refill it. Now, tell me what is truly bothering you."

Solomon didn't know if he knew what was truly bothering him. Many things were coming together to irk him, but there was more beneath that. Perhaps it was the upcoming marriage to a woman he did not understand and might never understand. One minute, she was jumping on him, and the next, she was running from the room. How would it be when they were married?

"I have always been a careful man," the Duke told his brother. "Speaking with Lord Prevost has got me thinking a lot about business and how everything in life can be seen as a business transaction. I am sure Leah and I will be married, but what if something troubles her too much, and she decides to run from the altar? I don't believe that will happen, but I want to have plans in place in case it does. We are reliant on this dowry, and I don't like being reliant on one thing. I will travel to London tomorrow to conduct some business that will happen if we do not obtain the dowry."

"Interesting," Gilbert said. "You always were the smarter of the two of us. Thankfully, I got the looks. Does Lord Prevost know you are visiting the city on business?"

"He does, but he does not know the nature of the business, nor does he need to. In fact, I shall be staying with them while I am there, as it should be to keep up pretenses. I should not be so worried about our future when it is clear before me, but I can't fail as Father did."

"You will not. Even if we are left penniless, you will not have failed as Father did. You have done all you can to secure our future. I will be fine. I only worry for Christianna. We might need to marry her to a wealthy suitor."

Solomon sighed. "I have thought long and hard about that. I want her to choose her own path in life and support her on it, but it might need to happen. I can't fail her."

"You should not talk like that. You have not failed any of us, and you never will. Is there anything you can do while you are there to ensure your wedding goes ahead?"

"That is the thing. I don't know if spending more time with Leah is for the best or if I should spend less time with her. If I can find out what troubles her, I can help her, but my fear is that I am the one who troubles her. She wants to wed me for her family, but she does not want to wed a disgraced rake."

"You are not a disgraced rake, and it should not matter. You are a Duke, and she is marrying far above her station. She should be glad to marry you."

"There are many things I like about her," Solomon admitted. "She does drive me crazy much of the time, but she is a good woman. She will give me a fine family. I only wish I could make her happy."

"You need to be happy," Gilbert told his brother.

"I will when I have secured our future."

"Then do what needs to be done when you are in London. You are in control of your destiny, Solomon. You are in control."

Solomon picked up his freshly filled glass and clinked it against his brother's glass.

"You are right," Solomon said. "I should stop wallowing in my despair. I am a Duke, and I will take what I want in life. I will secure a future for our family, and Christianna shall choose her husband. I might not get to choose my wife, but I will give all of us a better life because of it."

"And please have some fun while you are there," Gilbert begged.