Page 67 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
He looked dumbfounded by what she had just said. “You have figured out a solution?”
She nodded slowly. “I have figured out something that I think might work. It is risky, though. It might not yield what I hope it will.” She took a deep breath. “But I think it is the only way that we can hope to end this, once and for all. It is certainly worth a try.”
He gazed at her steadily. “Risky? In what way?”
She kept staring at him. Would he approve of her plan? It was so hard to tell. But she knew that he was as eager as she to deal with Leonard Green. That he did not want the danger of the man following them through their lives, either. That he wanted to heal and recover, and start their life together without having to look over their shoulders forever.
She bit her lip. Was it possible? So much had happened. He had almost died for their love. She had thought that perhaps it was fate, telling her that they were not meant to be together. That her life would be forever blighted in one way or the other. That she couldn’teverhope to find happiness with a man who truly loved her, and who she loved in return.
A night from many years ago, when she had been a newly married woman, popped into her head, so vividly that she gasped.
It had been in the days when Gilbert had still been in love with her, or at least, pretending to be. They had been sitting in the parlour, following a lovely dinner, in front of a roaring fire, sipping glasses of after dinner brandy together. She had been deliriously happy, leaning her head on his shoulder, staring into the flickering flames.
“I think it is fate that brought us together,” her husband had declared, gazing at her with shining eyes. “I promise that I will do everything to make you happy, my darling. I want to give you the world.”
She had gazed up at him. “You do not need to make such promises, Gilbert. It is enough that we are happy, now. You do not need to give me the world.”
“I will,” he had insisted, staring at her hard. “This is my vow to you, Susannah, and I take it just as seriously as the ones we spoke to each other on our wedding day. I vow that I will give you everything that I can to make you happy.”
They had kissed, then, embracing each other …
She shook the memory away uneasily. How could someone vow such a thing and then break it so completely? How was it possible for people to say one thing and behave so differently?
She didn’t understand, but she accepted that it happened, now. That there were simply people in the world who lied for their own benefit. Gilbert had been one, and Leonard was another. She had been passively tossed around by such people, like a ragdoll, with no control over her own life. She had lived in such a way for years.
She would not live like that again. That was her vow, to herself. And it was worth any risk, to finally be free of it all.
She took a deep breath. “I will make you a cup of tea, my love. And then I will tell you exactly what I have in mind.”
Chapter 26
Leonard Green stood in front of the full-length mirror, in the room of the boarding house in the village of Whitmere. He turned from left to right, considering the jacket he was wearing from all angles, watching himself carefully.
Slowly, he approached the mirror, fastidiously dusting specks of dust off the shoulders. Then he adjusted the cufflinks. There. He was almost ready.
He kept staring at himself for a minute longer, a slow smile spreading over his face. He looked dapper, even if he did say so himself; the new clothes that he had purchased, just the afternoon before, were the most expensive that he could procure at such late notice. He thought he had done very well. He thought he had done very well indeed.
He had received the invitation to The Willows at noon, yesterday. A private messenger had knocked on the door of Morrison Lodge, the boarding house he was staying at in Whitmere, with the gilt edged letter, requesting him in person. He had been surprised, but gratified, to see where the letter had originated from. He had not been aware that Susannah even knew where he was staying in the district.
His smile broadened as he remembered what she had written in the letter. He had practically memorised it.
My dear Leonard,
I hope you are well and still enjoying the beauty and tranquillity of our district.
I would like to request the pleasure of your company at a private afternoon tea at The Willows tomorrow, at three in the afternoon. I feel that we have much to discuss, after your last visit, and I have been very melancholy thinking of the way that we parted.
I do hope that you are able to attend and look forward very much to seeing you.
Your everlasting friend,
Susannah.
He walked away from the mirror, picking up his fob watch, attaching it by its chain to the pocket of his vest. Quickly, he checked the time. The carriage that he had ordered should be here in just under ten minutes, and he should be at The Willows within another fifteen. With luck, he would even be early for the afternoon tea.
He picked up his cane, unable to resist twirling it around in his hand. He had recently purchased it as a must have fashion accessory after hearing that it was the very latest thing among the fashionable set in London. He hoped that it would impress Susannah; it was the reason that he was bringing it.
A flash of triumph shot through him. He had been sitting here, glowering, for days, before he had received her surprising letter. He had been pushed to the brink, and he was seriously thinking about enacting his final plan. He had not been able to get near The Willows for days, and had been forced to retreat to his boarding room, lost in his own fury and misery.
