“Very serious. I must be married, and with your assistance, I will not have to do all of the tedious work of courtship myself,” he replied. “But if you cannot bear the thought and would prefer me to just inform your brothers of your secret life, I am happy to do so.”
She cast him a withering look. “I will help you, as long as no lady is tricked into an unhappy marriage. I will do the work, but you cannot pretend to be anything other than you are.”
“That suits me.” He stuck out his hand. “Does this mean we have an agreement?”
She took the proffered hand, but before she could shake it, he lifted hers to his lips and kissed it. Any sardonic remark she had been about to make was shocked off her tongue, which had likely been his intention.
“Well?” he prompted, still holding her hand.
She straightened up, refusing to be distracted byhistricks. “Yes, it seems we do.”
And though she did not want to antagonize him by saying it to his face, she could not help thinking,it shall be my hardest challenge yet, for how can I be expected to saddle any poor woman with you?
CHAPTERSIX
“How are the boys?” Anna asked, as she walked with Leah around the lake.
It had been three days since she had discovered Percival in her bedchamber, three days since he had rudely kissed her hand, and three days since she had come to realize the impossibility of her task. She had gone through every list of eligible ladies that she had gathered over the last few years, pored over the descriptions and details she had compiled, and not one leaped out at her as a suitable bride.
The reason troubled her the most, however—she could not match Percival with anyone because, in truth, she knew nothing about him. She had known the man since she was six or seven years old, when he came to spend his first summer at Greenfield House, and she knew absolutely nothing about his past, his upbringing, his family, his skills and shortcomings, his likes and dislikes. All she knew of him was that he was a teasing, unkind, rude weasel, but then Max had remained his dearest friend for all those years, and Max was rarely a bad judge of character.
Leah’s head snapped up. “Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?”
“I asked how the boys are.” Anna fought to keep a smile on her face. “I heard there was a plague in your house.”
“Oh… yes.” Leah shook her head as if a fly had landed on her face. “They are much improved. In truth, you would never know they had been unwell, for they are running wild once more.”
Anna would never have remarked upon it out loud, but her dear friend looked exhausted. Indeed, it had been a great surprise when Leah had turned up at the door of Harewood Court an hour ago, claiming that she had been passing by and thought it only right to pay a visit to her friend.
“Forgive me for asking, Leah, but… are you well?” A lump formed in Anna’s throat, as she watched tears well in her friend’s eyes.
“Goodness, what a question.” Leah laughed awkwardly and wiped her eyes. “I do not know how to begin answering. It is silly, really. I love my husband beyond words, I love my boys with all of my heart, but… when I could not attend the ball at Westyork, I was so very sore about it. I miss my friends, and we are all so far away from each other now, aside from Olivia and Phoebe. But one cannot juggle everything. I think I have realized that recently.”
Anna nodded. “We could arrange for everyone to come here—all the children, all the husbands, all the friends.”
Nothing would have made her happier, so it surprised her to see hesitation appear upon Leah’s face.
“We could not trouble you like that, Anna. This manor is so beautiful, and I would hate for the children to ruin anything. My own boys do not mean to be destructive, but it is the nature of children to want to see and touch and play with everything.” Leah gazed out across the lake. “And I would fret about them being near to this. Once they have learned to swim, perhaps.”
Wecould not trouble you like that…The remark stung, piercing Anna’s chest. Of course, Leah would not have meant it to be exclusionary, but Anna could not help feeling like an outsider. She might have been a part of the Spinsters’ Club, but she was not a part of the Wives and Mothers’ Club.
“I thought, perhaps, you might have brought the boys with you. It has been an age since I have seen them, and they must be so big now.” She did her best to hold onto a cheery tone.
Leah grimaced. “It was a disaster when we all went to visit Matilda. I forget what game they were playing, but they managed to smash one of the windows in that pretty summer house of hers. She insisted she did not mind, and it could be fixed, but I know for certain that Albion was pleased to see us leave.”
“You went to visit Matilda?” Anna’s throat choked.
Leah nodded. “A few weeks ago.”
It took a great deal of willpower for Anna to hold herself together, for there had once been a time when everyone would have gathered together, and an invite for one meant an invite for all. She had to remind herself, time and again, that everything had changed, and those halcyon days could not be brought back. But it was hard to do when she felt like she was a million miles away from her dearest friends, not just in distance but in life.
“It must be nice to have such a busy home,” she said brightly, refusing to be gloomy. After all, shewashappy for her friends. Their happiness was something she used to pray for, and she would not cease now, simply because she was alone.
Leah smiled. “I suppose it is, actually. There is never a dull moment; that is for certain.”
“Perhaps, then, I shall visit you someday soon. If you would not mind?”
Leah turned and pulled her friend into a hug. “You are always welcome, sweet Anna.”
