‘It wasn’t your job to take care of me.’
‘But you had no one else to love! No one to show you that you were worthy of love too. But you are. Do you think I would have come here if you weren’t? You know how much I loathe this house.’ She lifted her head again. ‘Do you truly love Florence?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you think there’s a chance that she loves you?’
‘She said she thought she did before, so…’ he grimaced ‘…maybe.’
‘Well, if you do and so does she thenneitherof you is better off apart! How long has she been gone?’
‘Almost a month.’
‘Then maybe it’s time to go after her?’
‘I can’t.’ He clenched his jaw. ‘She said that she needed some time to think and I have to respect that.’
‘Mmm… As pleased as I am to know you’re not a domestic tyrant, there are times when a woman needs a gesture.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, you’ve given her time. Maybe now you should show her how you feel.’
‘How? I told her I’d changed, but she said she couldn’t trust me not to change back.’
‘So find some way to prove that you won’t.’
‘It’s not quite so easy, not when she’s in Cumberland and I’m…’ He stopped talking abruptly.
‘Leo?’
‘Maybe Icanprove it.’ He turned around slowly, reaching for the letter on his desk.
‘Urgh, is that what I think it is?’ Cassie gave a shudder as he opened it up. ‘You know he sent me one of those too.’
‘What did you do with it?’
‘Well, I wanted to throw it into the fire, but…it was too hard. So I gave it to George. I’ve no idea what he did with it.’
‘He gave it to me on his deathbed. It felt like a set of orders.’
‘He had no right to dictate to you.’
‘I know.’ He stared at his father’s signature for a long moment and then tore the letter through the middle.
‘Oh, well done.’ Cassie put a hand on his shoulder. ‘That was worth coming two hundred miles for. Now do it again. Tear it to shreds!’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I need it like this.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you’re right, I need to make a gesture. Florence needs to know that I’ve changed and this is my proof.’
‘You mean, you’re going to Cumberland?’
‘Yes.’ He felt his muscles coil in readiness for the journey ahead. Maybe he was already a bad son, but he could still be a good husband. A good marquess too, only he’d do it his way from now on. ‘Will you be very offended if I leave you to fend for yourselves?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Cassie clapped her hands delightedly. ‘I was rather hoping you would.’
