“I had a feeling you might not want me to,” he pointed out, grimacing a little when he saw her bite her lip.
“I do not mind it.” She shook her head then fidgeted, her hands wringing together. “You will join us for dinner tonight, will you not?” she pleaded. “I’d like you to come.”
“You would?” Allan said, somewhat startled. He had a feeling that Frederica would be much more content without him pushing himself into every corner of her life, but she was now looking at him with a rather desperate expression. “As you wish, I will come.”
She smiled and stepped past him, urging Allan to follow her. He was still in awe of how beautiful she looked in that gown.
In the dining room, they found Honora already seated. Allan pulled out the chair for his wife, helping her to sit, before taking his own seat. Only when he sat down did he notice the rather intent way Honora was looking at him.
“How was your trip to Covent Garden?” he said hurriedly, in order to get her to stop staring at him in such a way.
It turns out, he couldn’t have said anything better to start a conversation. Honora was off, gushing about what a wonderful trip they’d had and all the samples they had brought home to help Frederica prepare for the redecorating.
As Frederica joined in with the conversation, she became lighter in manner, not so stiff-backed and even a little playful. Quite captivated by the change in her, Allan found himself just watching her as he ate, hanging on her every word.
She was completely at ease and very happy. It was as he had been longing to see her for days now. When they retired from the dining room to the parlor together, Frederica went happily into the room.
“What about a game of cards? Allan? Would you play?”
“Of course.” He smiled, happy to be included in such an invitation.
As he set up the card table and Frederica went off to find a pack of cards, Allan found his arm abruptly caught in a vice-like grip.
“Ow,” he muttered, angling his head around to see that Honora was beside him. He had to hold back his laughter, startled that such a small woman could have such a strong grip. “Everything well?” he asked, doing his best to loosen his arm from her grip. She constantly glanced at the doorway, checking for when Frederica would return.
“It is comforting to see a husband stare at his wife so much in admiration,” she whispered.
Stunned she had noticed, he coughed and pulled out a chair, offering it to her. She took it, smiling at him in a way that suddenly reminded him of Frederica. There wasn’t much likeness in their appearance, but when she smiled, there was something familiar there.
“I do not know what you mean,” he lied to which Honora giggled like a woman far younger than her years.
“I mean that there are so many husbands who marry for arrangement who do not even look at their wives, or if they do, they look at them with ice in their eyes… but not you, My Lord.”
“Allan. Please, call me Allan,” he pleaded as he took his seat beside her.
“Allan.” She smiled at him, all signs of her rigid posture and haughty look vanished. “I just wish my niece would notice the way that you look at her.”
Allan looked cautiously at the door, but seeing that Frederica hadn’t yet returned, he felt a little comfort in confessing one secret.
“She does not wish to notice it,” he explained softly. “She wishes to keep me at arm’s length, so that is where I will stay.”
Honora’s smile faded a little.
“May I tell you a story about my niece and her family?”
He waved at her, urging her to continue on.
“My brother, that is, her father, has always had high expectations in life,” Honora whispered quickly, clearly wary of Frederica returning at any moment. “It was bred into him by our own father. Every tutor he had, every teacher, every word ever uttered by our father impressed such a thought on him.”
She smiled sadly. “I still respect my brother in the way that a relative has to, but any degree of love or warmth vanished long ago. Shortly before I was forced to leave London…” she hesitated, sighing, “I saw Frederica. She was only two years old.”
“What was she like?”
“A child of that age should be carefree, should they not?” Honora asked sadly. “They should be playing and enjoying life.”
“They should.” Allan nodded, thinking of his nephew and niece.
“Frederica was made to sit in a corner like a doll.” Honora’s voice was abruptly cold. “She has been taught since such a young age that happiness, freedom, and dare I say it, even fun is a stolen thing. She has been taught that such happinesses are not for her.”
