“A letter?”
“Indeed,” Elizabeth confirmed. “We have been invited to an event.”
France’s eyes brightened and she skipped gleefully in her spot.
“A gala! How wonderful! I will dance all the night away,” she chirped. “Do you suppose Father will permit me a new dress for the occasion? Oh, I do adore parties. I will require a new headdress, also. Will you help me find one perfectly appropriate?”
Elizabeth knew that her sister did not require answers to any of her excited questions. It was merely her way, to speak in rapid succession.
“It is not merely a party,” Elizabeth corrected her. “It is a wedding. The Baron’s daughter is getting married. It should prove to be an interesting affair.”
Chapter 3
Herbert paced the study in his typical, uneasy way, his myopic eyes darting about. He had the air of trapped prey about him, his chubby cheeks puffing as he fluttered about. If Leonard was to consider it with any great thought, he would liken the barrister to a wild turkey.
“My God, Herbert, do sit!” Leonard bemoaned. “You are causing me seasickness with your rocking about!”
“Forgive me, Your Grace. Time is of the essence in these matters. You must sign the papers and I must return them to court at once.”
“As you can plainly see, I am doing as you requested. Your fussing does not encourage my hand to work at any greater a speed. If anything at all, you are distracting me from focusing as I watch you through my peripheral vision!”
The barrister flushed slightly and nodded as he slowed his mad movements. He offered the Duke a sheepish smile.
“Indeed,” he mumbled and forced himself to sit across from Leonard. The younger man shook his long hair in bemusement before returning his attention to the papers Herbert had brought him to sign. It was only commonplace material before him but the nervous Herbert Barlough could not resist behaving as if the papers were matters during wartime. A stray curl fell across Leonard’s broad forehead and he paused to brush it aside. He realized that Herbert stared at him intently and he sighed heavily.
“Herbert, what in God’s name is the matter? You are acting quite agitated, even for you. What is on your mind?”
Herbert’s eyes shot away from the Duke, embarrassment coloring his face with a stain of pink, visible even beneath his mutton-chops.
“Nothing, Your Grace,” he mumbled. “I…”
Leonard sat back and studied him carefully. He could sense that, indeed, something was weighing quite forcefully on the lawyer’s mind and he was curious to know what it was. Leonard had never known the man to be interested in anything but court matters and yet something else appeared to be demanding his attention.
“Out with it, Herbert. I will not flout you, I swear it.”
Herbert released a gust of air, the breeze touching Leonard despite the distance across the table, leaving the Duke to wonder how long Herbert had been holding his breath.
“I am rather looking forward to the wedding,” he mumbled, his embarrassment clear. Leonard’s back tensed at the mention but he willed himself to maintain a half-smile upon his face. It was not the response he had been expecting.
“Is that a fact? Why so?”
Herbert’s color deepened, the rose becoming a tell-tale red of shame and Leonard wondered if the barrister regretted sharing his thoughts.
“I do enjoy wedding ceremonies,” the man confessed. “The union of two households, the well-wishes, and of course, the festivities. It makes me joyous.”
Leonard felt nauseous at the idea of his wedding being a happy occasion for anyone, least of all his most trusted advisor.
Herbert will get more joy from it than I will,Leonard thought regretfully but he did not speak the bitter words aloud. He had promised not to jest the man, after all.
“Do you believe that Miss Priscilla and I make for a good match, Herbert?”
Startled, the barrister raised his eyes in confusion. He blinked his eyes several times before forming an answer.
“I-- well, of course, Your Grace. I would not have suggested the union if I did not believe so.”
“Politics aside, Herbert, I ask you if you believe Miss Priscilla and I are well suited for one another, not if you thought our families should unite.”
Leonard was sure he could hear the wheels of his lawyer’s mind turning while he considered the question.
