“I see.” Mrs. Williams struggled to conceal her disappointment before she spoke again in a falsely bright tone. “No matter. It speaks very well of him that he wanted a better future for you. The navy is a very respectable path.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Silas said tightly. This conversation was in danger of going the same way as his interview with Miss Danby, except that he didn’t think he was liable to get a second chance this time.
Remember why you’re doing this. You can get everything Marian and James need if you just hold your bloody tongue for a few hours.
By some act of grace, Mrs. Williams didn’t ask for the details of his inglorious exit from the navy. Perhaps her son had slipped her a word of warning beforehand. Instead, she surprised him completely.
“Have you ever considered joining the army, now that you’re, er, at liberty to do so?”
The army?Silas glanced toward Miss Williams once more. If only they could find some way to speak alone for a minute, he might know what script he was meant to follow. She’d left him fumbling in the dark. Again.
“I…hadn’t really thought about it,” he confessed.
Miss Williams’s dark-brown eyes were boring holes into him, an urgent plea cloaked in total silence. What was that supposed to mean? Did she think he could read minds?
“Well, youshouldthink about it.” Mrs. Williams swelled up with enthusiasm at her own suggestion. “They couldn’t keep you out on account of your leaving the navy, could they? They’re entirely separate institutions, after all. I should think the only thing that matters is whether you can buy a commission.” She coughed delicately, seeing Silas hesitate. “Perhaps your family could help you. It would be such a tremendous opportunity. A way to restore your reputation and advance in society.”
Silas clenched his teeth. If his family could have afforded a military commission, they would have done that in the first place, instead of sending him to sea.
“Mama, I’m sure Mr. Corbyn has his own plans for his future,” her daughter cut in smoothly. Perhaps she’d sensed the tension gathering on his side of the room. She didn’t seem to like it when people were uncomfortable. “Eli told me that you have family visiting.” She turned to Silas with a smile. “How are they enjoying London?”
“Please don’t change the subject,” Mrs. Williams scolded. “I want to hear what Mr. Corbyn has to say for himself. If he intends to marry you, he’ll need a way to support you properly.”
If he intends to marry you.The words shouldn’t have made every muscle in Silas’s body clench. After all, he’d known there could be no other reason to invite him for dinner. But it was one thing to suspect; quite another to hear it laid out in such plain terms.
Mrs. Williams was watching him expectantly. There was a right answer here and a wrong one. He was fairly certain which category his plans to found a brewery with a pair of rebellious youngsters fell into, which left him only one thing to say.
“I’ll be sure to discuss the idea of a commission with my family. Thank you for the suggestion, Mrs. Williams.”
His first outright lie of the evening. There was no way his father could come up with that sort of money, even if they’d still been onspeaking terms. And if Silas managed to come out of this evening with some extra coin, he had no intention of throwing it after his old man’s doomed fantasy of seeing him become a gentleman. He knew how that story ended.
Marian and James had a far more realistic opportunity. He would stick to his place from now on.
Mrs. Williams smiled, blithely ignorant of his deceit. He’d passed his first test.
But instead of looking pleased, her daughter bit her lip, her eyes flashing with…something.
What did I do wrong?Silas suppressed a surge of irritation. He’d come when he was summoned, put on an ill-fitting black tailcoat for her, and he’d told her mother exactly what she wanted to hear. What more could she possibly want, if none of that was enough to please her?
* * *
All Hannah wanted was for Mr. Corbyn to do or say something so offensive that her mother would declare the evening a failure and storm from the room. Was that really so much to ask?
He was ruining everything—precisely bynotruining things, that is.
Mr. Corbyn hadn’t exactly been the most polished dealer at Jane’s club. But he must be putting on his best effort tonight, for he managed to navigate the treacherous small talk before their meal without giving her mother any cause to eject him from the house.
And what was that business about joining the army? Pure nonsense! If only Hannah had been able to signal him somehow. But there had been no chance to get a word to Mr. Corbyn without Mama overhearing.
He even looked the part of a respectable dinner guest. Though his coat could do with some tailoring, he still looked very distinguished in his evening attire. If anything, the way the clothes hugged his muscular frame a bit too snugly made her acutely aware of what a striking figure he cut. His gorgeous hair was combed back in gentle waves that shone like brass in the gaslight. It really wasn’t fair that a man should have hair like that.
Wait, what had she been thinking of a minute ago? Oh yes, how Mr. Corbyn was meant to be offending her mother instead of buttering her up.
Maybe he’ll do better at the meal.All he needed to do was chew with his mouth open or knock over a wineglass, and the tide would turn against him. Really, he might accomplish his spectacular failure without any effort on Hannah’s part. She was worrying over nothing.
She’d hoped to get a private word to Mr. Corbyn when the time came to go in to dine, but Mama wanted to be led in on Eli’s arm, which left Mr. Corbyn to escort both Hannah and Jane to their seats.
Drat.It seemed there was always someone hovering at her shoulder. But at least she was seated beside her supposed suitor while they dined, instead of halfway across the room from him.
