It would mean more doors slammed in his face. He would lose all his hope of connections with former friends of his father's who might have helped him with smart investment opportunities. Leo weighed the options and consequences. He couldn't let Ivy go. She was his childhood friend, a person who had seen him at his worst moments, someone who had always had the strength to keep his spirits up. As a child, she hadn't been afraid of his father. Would she be afraid of society if they married? Or would she be brave enough to show him that they could live happily together despite the rumors that would spread? He knew in his heart that she was brave. He would do anything to win her love. His Button wouldn't vanish again and leave his heart shattered. It didn't matter how much he would lose, so long as he could have her in his life. His choice was clear.
* * *
Dressed warmly for a day of pheasant hunting, Ivy joined her father at the edge of the field. His dark eyes roved over her speculatively, missing nothing.
"You've been crying," he noted softly.
///
She offered him a smile, aware that her eyes were likely red from her tears.
"What is it, my heart?" he asked.
My heart. He always called her that. In the last several years he had proved again and again to be a wonderful father, and she never got tired of his innate desire to protect and care for her. She glanced around, noticing the footmen who dodged about, seeing to the needs of the shooters before they left for the day. No one was close enough to hear her.
"I visited Mother's grave this morning. It was difficult." When he moved to her, she placed a gloved hand on his arm. "I needed to go alone."
Her father shook his head, a sad smile curving his lips. "You are always so brave. You don't have to be." He curled a finger under her chin and gazed down at her. Warmth and love glimmered in his eyes.
"I want to be." She found herself grinning as she stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Just like my father."
"Miss Leighton!" Owen walked over to them, a ready smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Would you like to be my partner for the shoot?" She noticed his coat, a fine hunting coat, was a bit frayed at the ends and the sleeves a bit threadbare as he brushed some dust off his trousers. When he realized her eyes fixed on his clothes, he brushed his arms down his jacket and his smile became even more cheerful. Ivy couldn't help but wonder if Leo knew his friend was suffering money troubles. It was the way most titled gentlemen were these days. Many were hunting desperately overseas for rich heiresses to sustain their estates. It was a relief her father's own business was taking off and didn't need land to sustain it the way the old estates did by relying on tenant farms.
"So, will you partner with me? I believe I'd catch more birds with a beautiful woman at my side." Owen drew closer, his eyes sharply focused on her. Ivy didn't miss the sudden feeling of being hunted. She shouldn't have been surprised, though. If Owen was hungry for funds, she would undoubtedly be a woman of interest to him. Unluckily for him she had no desire to marry and therefore wouldn't fall prey to any attempts of flattery or seduction.
Her father took a menacing step forward, like an alpha wolf, ready to defend his territory. Owen gave him the barest nod of acknowledgment before focusing hopefully on Ivy. Her lips parted, but she had no idea what she ought to say.
"She's already assigned to me." Leo's voice cut through her rapid train of thought. He was suddenly there, next to her, gun ready and hanging loose in the crook of his arm. "Isn't that right?" His eyes were full of an emotion she couldn't read, and yet she sensed she should agree and pretend she was to be paired with him. It would keep Owen from entertaining any ideas that he might have a chance with her.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hadley, but it is the truth. He asked me to accompany him this morning at breakfast." Guilt slithered through her for an instant, but she shoved it aside to allow eagerness to overtake her instead. Last night had left her uncertain as to how Leo felt about her, yet she regretted her harsh reaction to his offer. He had been a gentleman, a seductive one, but still a gentleman. And she did so long to spend the day with him. It might very well be her last chance. Once the house party was over, she and the countess would attend the WSPU meeting and she'd be on her way back to London, likely never to have a chance to be with Leo like this again. He would marry Mildred and be busy with his estate, while she would be following Emmeline Pankhurst in the noble pursuit of suffrage.