“And dinner, yes.”
“If that was all you wanted, why didn’t you just ask for it right away?”
“I think you would have told me no,” she said. “You were so committed to the idea that nothing about your life should change. You wanted me to move in and be someone you could ignore. I think if you could have hired a maid to present herself as your wife, you would have done that—it would have been easier for you.”
Edward had to admit, that idea did hold appeal. He probably would have done just that if he could have gotten away with it.
Still, what she was asking for really wasn’t that much, all things considered. And if it would compel her to control her spending and to communicate her plans to him moving forward, it was a small price to pay.
“All right,” he agreed. “We’ll try it your way. Breakfast and dinner together every day, and we’ll tell each other a few things about what happened in each of our days. We’ll get to know each other. I still think this idea of us being friends is a bit misguided, but we’ll see what happens. Never let it be said that I didn’t give it a chance.”
“That’s all I ask,” Lydia said. “And thank you, Edward.”
He nodded. “Anything else?”
“Not if you don’t need anything.”
He permitted himself one last look at her. She really was beautiful. There was a part of him that just plain enjoyed the fact that she was living in his house and that he could look at her whenever he liked.
But that was the weak part of him, and it couldn’t be indulged. The two of them weren’t going to have that kind of relationship.
Lydia had already picked up her book again, and Edward left the room without another word.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Edward dragged his feet on his way down to breakfast the next morning.
He knew what time Lydia would be there. She was always prompt. He had discovered that early on when the two of them had inadvertently crossed paths at the table. So, he couldn’t very well pretend now that he didn’t know her habits. He couldn’t come to the table at the wrong time and claim that was when he had expected her.
Besides,I agreed to this arrangement, and I meant it. I had every intention of following through.
It was just that he would miss the solitude of his usual meals. He liked eating breakfast alone. It was a nice way to start the day. Edward wasn’t fond of having company. Most of his business associates were like Lord Hartford—after the important things were finished, they wanted to socialize or have drinks. Edward would have happily skipped that part. And he would have skipped that part of being married, too, if he could.
Why did they need to sit down each day and have conversations? Who was actually being helped by that?
When he could put off his promise no longer, he went down to the dining room. Perhaps Lydia would have gotten tired of waiting. Maybe she would have left.
But no, she was still there, waiting in front of an empty plate.
She looked up at him and smiled. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” she said. “But don’t worry, I waited for you.”
“You could have started.” He felt half annoyed and half guilty. Was there no avoiding this?
“I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “I understand how busy you are, Edward. I appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me. Of course, I’m more than happy to wait for you if you can’t be here promptly. It’s not any trouble for me.”
“That’s very understanding of you.” He took his seat at the head of the table.
“Well, I know I was the one who pushed for us to take our meals together,” she acknowledged. “The least I can do is be understanding about your schedule. What have you been doing this morning?”
He frowned. “Do you really care about that?”
“I want us to be friends,” she said. “I told you that.”
“I know you did, but—”
“Friends care about one another’s lives,” she explained. “Of course, I want to know what you’ve been doing lately.”
“Well, all right,” he said dubiously, unable to imagine that she would have any real interest in what he had to tell her. “I got up early this morning to go over the paperwork I signed with Lord Hartford the other day.”
