“Be reasonable.”
“But I am. You ought to leave this house, enrich your mind, engage in entertainment. I’ve no doubt Lady Caplin would approve.” He pulled a volume from the shelf, then turned about, affecting an imposing tone. “No, sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
Henry stared, unmoved.
“Do you know who said that?”
“No.”
Matthew walked forward and slid the book across the table to the lad.
“The Rambler?” Henry read, sounding dubious.
“Just the first volume. By Dr. Johnson, who authored that quote as well. I first began on his works when I was about your age. In them I found much to consider. Why, you’ve this massive library at your disposal. You ought to make good use of it.”
Henry emitted a noncommittal grunt as he riffled through the book’s pages.
“I wish I might,” Matthew said softly as an afterthought, his gaze caressing the myriad volumes before him.
Henry set the book aside. Matthew had hoped he’d take a crack at it, but he knew better than to prod.
“Why don’t you?”
“I’m sorry?” Matthew turned, pushing his spectacles back up.
“Make use of the library,” Henry said, yawning. “No one else is.”
“A shame, that.”
Matthew crossed his arms and looked back at the stacks, his heart full of yearning. If only it were as simple as that.
Chapter Nine
After bidding Henry goodday, while urging him once more to read Dr. Johnson, Matthew sought out Lady Caplin to beg a favor.
Which was how he found himself following her butler, a large, stoic man with tidy gray hair, through the maze of the manse. When they arrived at the conservatory, the butler gave him a stern look and instructed him to wait.
Matthew thought it silly, and a bit of a charade, for he knew Lady Caplin must be within. But fine folks had their ways, as his aunt would always say. He supposed he’d better get used to it if he wanted to pass election to the Athenaeum. He already felt elated at the prospect of being granted access to Rowbotham House, but if he could manage to be admitted to the Athenaeum as well?
His heart surged.
And just to think, a mere few weeks ago all had seemed lost. Harriet, and with her any shot at a happy domestic life. Along with any hope for a better life in general, starting with a betterclub. Hell, even his reputation had seemed forfeit, after that terrible business in the East End spieler.
That recollection quickly twisted his high hopes, and his excitement darkened into anxiety. Until the bank holiday, Fliss had warned. And then…
Suddenly the butler appeared again, holding the door open. He nodded.
Matthew swallowed and went forth, doing his utmost to leave his worries about guts and garters at the conservatory threshold. He’d puzzle out the solution to Charles Sharples soon enough. He had to.
For now, there was the Athenaeum to think about.
The air of the conservatory enveloped him immediately, hot and heavy with moisture. Matthew felt very much as if he were stepping into a foreign land, an equatorial jungle. The entire space was chock-a-block with foliage: tall palms, vibrant and exotic blooms, and strange plants with broad leaves nearly large enough to shade a grown man.
“Dr. Collier.” Lady Caplin was fiddling with some violently magenta flower, a plant mister in one hand. “How lovely to see you this afternoon—Wardle informed me you wished to speak with me?”
She stood with her back to him, dressed in a delicate, gauzy white gown that appeared far fresher than it ought to in such humidity, its ruffles still crisp and voluminous. Indeed, even her hair was sleek, shining, and neatly knotted. Matthew wished he might remove his jacket, but he dared not. He ventured deeper into the tangle of plants. A pleasant bubbling sound came from a fountain somewhere nearby. The floor tiles were so richly decorated, it felt a crime to tread upon them. This was unlike any other space he’d occupied within the manor. Whereas the rest of Rowbotham House was loud in its assertion of luxury anddominance, the conservatory was more subtle. Lush, verdant. Romantic.
“All is well with Henry, I hope?”
