Page 40 of The Lion Duke's Proposal
“Why must everything be about you?” she replied. “You’re rather full of yourself. I could have been asking for information about his rather handsome father.”
The Duke’s lips quirked up. “You’d be disappointed, then, to find out that we have no idea who the boy’s father is.”
“Benjamin said the Marquess was his father. Is that not true?” Julia asked, confused.
“We don’t think so. There’s a distant possibility, but it’s much more likely that the boy’s mother simply wanted rid of him and turned to the richest man she knew. Anthony took a shine to the boy and decided to take him in. He’s never claimed fatherhood officially; Benjamin is his ward.”
“I see.” Julia nodded slowly. “A very kind act.”
“So I understand you think Anthony is both handsome and kind.” The Duke raised an eyebrow as they both took a seat. “Should I be jealous?”
Julia laughed. “I shouldn’t think there is anything to be jealous of. After all, this isn’t a real courtship, is it?”
For some reason, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. It wasn’t untrue, but the Duke’scasual, teasing grin dropped away and was replaced with a look of consternation. She felt like she’d ruined a perfectly nice moment. Somehow, with the sun shining on them in this secluded, private place and the Duke’s smile reserved only for her, it had felt for a minute like this could all be real, and she could tell that he’d felt the same. But her words had brought reality back into their little bubble.
It’s for the best,she reminded herself fiercely.You’re a fish, Julia, not a monkey. This life isn’t for you. He isn’t for you.
He’d even said as much when they made their deal. It had been the only rule she needed to follow.
He cleared his throat and shifted away from her a little. Whatever moment they had been sharing was well and truly gone now; he was back to business mode, and it was like a shutter had fallen over his expression. “Speaking of our arrangement, I actually have some good news. I received a visit from my solicitor earlier this morning. He believes that your father may be close by, perhaps even in London already.”
Julia felt a well of guilt rise up inside her stomach and quickly swallowed it back down. “Oh? Well, that’s excellent news.”
“Indeed. I believe if we plan a big, grand gesture at the end of the party tomorrow evening, it may be enough to convince him to show himself,” he continued. “Perhaps I should make a false proposal? What do you think?”
“A proposal?” Julia wasn’t sure she wanted things to go so far. A courtship was one thing, but a broken engagement was something else entirely. “That may put us in dangerous waters.”
“No, you’re right,” the Duke conceded. “I’ll think of something else. All that matters is that it intrigues him enough to lure him out of hiding.”
Julia wrestled with her conscience. Poppy had told her to listen to it, but she still didn’t know what it was trying to tell her. Every time she thought about telling the Duke what she knew, her inner voice screamed at her that her own father had begged her not to say anything. But keeping quiet was making her feel equally nauseous. She decided to try and find out some more information, to help put her mind at ease that the Duke really wouldn’t want to harm her father.
“What is it that you’re trying to get back from my father?” she asked candidly. “I think since I’m involved in this deception, I’ve a right to know.”
The Duke swallowed thickly, then sighed. He looked away for a moment into the middle distance, as though remembering something difficult. Then, finally, he answered her in a gruff tone. “A pocket watch. My friend Henry, mine and Anthony’s, was like a brother to me growing up. The three of us were each other’s family.”
“The friend who gave you your nickname,” Julia recalled.
“Yes. The watch was incredibly important to him, an heirloom handed down by his grandfather. Also priceless, made with very precious and rare materials. It was his symbol of hope, of determination; the only thing he had left of his family after his father lost almost all their fortune. He used to look at it when times were tough to remind himself that he’d always make it through the other side.
“Henry…had a difficult life. He was never a hearty man and was far too kind for his own good. He had married young to a quiet girl from Dorset whom he loved very much. He lost her within two years to a fever that took the child with her. After that, he threw himself into work and charity and bad investments, as though keeping still long enough to grieve might finish the job the fever had started.
He was too much like his father in that respect; he gave much of his fortune away to the poor, and what he didn’t give away, he lost to bad investments because he believed the people who told him they would work out. During this time, he sold off a lot of his estate and his assets to pay off debts. Your father was one of the people who would occasionally pawn items for him. But Henry was too trusting and too naïve, and he allowed Lord Norish to pawn the pocket watch for a fraction of its value in his desperation, intending to buy it back.”
Julia remembered what he’d told her before, the night of the ball. It was only a few days ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. “He kept the watch.”
The Duke nodded.
"In his desperation, Henry sold the watch to your father. He used the money for his medical bills. When I found out, I went to Lord Norish myself and paid him a fair price to buy it back so I could return it to Henry. Norish took my money, shook my hand, and disappeared. He kept the payment and the watch both." He paused. "Henry's illness grew worse after that, past the point where any doctor could do anything to help him. By the end of his short life, he was bed-bound and had nothing left."
The Duke stopped, and Julia unconsciously reached out a hand to comfort him. He looked down briefly at their joined hands, then continued.
“His last request to me in his final days was to track down Lord Norish and get back his pocket watch. He wanted to see it one last time. But I couldn’t do it. Your father is a slippery man, and by the time I thought I’d found him, it was already too late. I rushed to Henry’s bedside, but he died believing he’d lost the most precious thing in his life. I have to set things right. It’s up to me to fulfill his last wish, no matter how long it takes.”
After his speech, he let out a long, slow breath. Julia felt tears coming unbidden to her eyes. She had never had such a friend, but she couldn’t imagine how she would feel if the same thing happened to Poppy. She knew instinctively that she would scour the whole country if she had to, and she admired the Duke’s loyalty to his friend. He hadn’t been lying when he told her that he’d do anything for someone under his protection.
Still, though, she hesitated. She knew exactly why. Her father was many things. He was careless, selfish, ruinous most of thetime, but he was still her father. Besides, she could not ignore the direct plea in the letter. Beyond that, a smaller, more stubborn thought had taken root: if she knew where he was, perhaps she could get to him first. Perhaps she could retrieve the watch herself and hand it to Leander without her father ever having to face the consequences. It was probably foolish. She knew it was probably foolish. But it was there.
The well of guilt bubbled over as he looked at her gratefully with red eyes.
