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“You will learn to love me. I will woo you and treat you like a grand duchess. I will lavish you with jewels and beautiful clothes. You’ll want for nothing.” He finally sat down beside her and took her hand. “I will worship you.”

“I don’t want to be worshiped. That belongs to God alone. I’m sorry this is so hard for you. I know you care for me, and I do care about you. I just don’t have any desire to be married to you.”

He sat in silence for a most uncomfortable amount of time. Leah wondered when Erik might finally arrive. She wanted nothing more than to leave, but without Erik there, she would have to begin walking, and it was much too cold and dark for that. Even now the wind was blowing hard enough to rattle the shutters.

“We could have a wonderful life together, Leah. Your family legacy and my nobility joined together would make us a formidable opponent.”

“Opponent? And just who would we oppose?” She shook her head. “I’ve no heart for a fight. The entire world is fighting. I long only for peace. You know how important Turner House is for me. The only foe I wish to oppose would be that of harsh judgment and the wrongful treatment of those poor girls.”

“But don’t you see? Together we could do that very thing. We would be powerful. No one would be strong enough to say no to us. With our fortunes and social standing, no one would dare come against us.”

Leah was confused by his sudden focus on a fight. “Randolph, I’m sorry. I should leave.”

“Please don’t go just yet. Give me a chance to convince you to change your mind.”

“I won’t change my mind, Randolph. There is someone else in my life. Someone I’ve fallen in love with.”

“That doctor? I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He doesn’t deserve you, Leah. He can’t give you the things I can. Please reconsider.”

“No, Randolph. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” She touched the top of his hand. “Let us just go on being friends.”

He frowned and lowered his gaze to their hands. “I had such hopes and dreams.”

Leah could think of nothing to say. She hoped and prayed that Erik would arrive and give her the excuse to walk away from any further discussion.

“At least share a toast with me.”

“A toast?” She kept listening for a knock on the front door.

“To what might have been.” He poured himself a glass of wine. “To the life we might have had.”

She put her hand over the goblet in front of her. “You know I don’t drink alcohol.”

“That’s quite all right. I’ll bring you tea. We can still have our toast. Please, at least give me this moment.”

Leah felt sorry for him. “Very well. Bring the tea.”

He wasn’t gone long, and when he returned, he brought hot tea in a delicate china cup without the saucer.

“I put honey in it, just like you like it.” He picked up a spoon from the table and gave it a stir. After a moment, he handed the cup to Leah and took hold of his wine glass. “To us and what might have been.”

Leah smiled. “To what might have been.”

He touched his glass to her cup and smiled. “You have always been the light of my heart. Even when you were a little girl, I knew there was something very special about you.” He drank from his goblet, and to avoid saying anything more, Leah sipped her tea.

It was only just warm, but it gave her a nice excuse not to have to explain further as Randolph continued to babble on and on about how important she was to him.

“I have long admired you and your family. Jared was always such a good friend, and all of you have offered support and comfort as I’ve dealt with the terrible troubles in my life.”

He paused and watched her a moment. Leah put the tepid tea aside and dabbed her lips with a cloth napkin. “I should be going now,” she told him. “I have a car coming. It’s probably waiting for me even now.” She got to her feet. “In time, you really will see that this is all for the best.” She turned and felt the room tilt. She closed her eyes for a moment as a wash of warmth came over her body.

“I can’t let you go, Leah. You are the answer to my problems. We must marry.” He took hold of her as she stumbled and held her close. “You see, my love, I’ve lived a lie and now need the Turners and Garrisons to rally around me and come to my aid.”

“What . . . lie?” Why did she feel so strange?

“It’s just that I have a greater purpose. A purpose that others might not understand.”

A strange sense of floating came over her. It dawned on Leah then that he’d drugged her tea. She fought the effects. “What have you done?” She meant it regarding the medication, but he misunderstood.