“But Papa, you hate London,” Hannah reminded him. “You always say it’s too crowded and full of miasma.”
“Too true. But I could do with a chance to stretch my legs,” Papa insisted. “That carriage was so cramped.”
“Let’s wait a moment for Eli to come back.” Jacob offered Hannah a friendly smile, unaware that he was destroying all her best-laid plans. “You don’t mind staying here with Gloria, do you?”
“Idomind,” Hannah protested, indignant. “I had things to do before supper.”
“Jane will be back in an hour or so,” Jacob assured her. “You heard Eli.”
“Don’t you want to hold her, Papa?” If she could persuade him to stay here and mind the baby, Mama was sure to come downstairs at some point. And what could be a better reason to find harmony than the sight of their first grandchild? It would remind them of happier days together.
But Papa only scoffed. “I’m no good with babies. Don’t know what to do with them at that age.”
Fine.She was tired of being rebuffed at every turn. Let them go on their walk. She would concentrate on preparing for their evening meal, where she would redouble her efforts.
They would have no choice but to sit down to dine together, and Hannah would use every trick at her disposal to remind her parents why they loved each other. By the end of the evening, they wouldhaveto see the error of their ways. That, or Hannah would die trying.
* * *
It wasn’t that Silas was nervous to meet Hannah’s father. Not exactly. It was only that no one had told him what to expect. He’d never been in a situation like this before, needing to impress a lady’s parents. What were they supposed to talk about?
Besides which, Silas hadn’t forgotten that this was ostensibly his last service to Hannah. She’d asked him to keep up the act until Mr. Williams arrived in town, and now he was here.
Did she still mean it, after what they’d shared the other night?
Of course she still means it. Why wouldn’t she?
A few kisses under the moonlight didn’t take their arrangement from a necessary trade to a love affair. If Hannah wanted him, she was no different from any of the other women he’d formed a brief connection with in his life. Drawn to a handsome face, but never expecting more.
She would have said something if it were otherwise. Smuggled him a secret note to call the whole plan off. She’d had three days since the Brandons’ ball to contact him and she hadn’t said a word, which meant he was still supposed to sabotage their engagement and set her free.
Silas rapped on the door and was greeted a moment later by the maid, who actually smiled at him this evening. Her disposition had gradually warmed over the past few weeks.
“Good evening, Molly.” He gave her his hat and followed her into the drawing room where everyone sat waiting.
Silas greeted Hannah first, though she wasn’t even looking at him by the time he’d finished his bow. That was odd. Normally he caught Hannah staring at him whenever they were together. But Silas had no time to reflect on it, as Mrs. Williams was already presenting him to the new arrivals.
Hannah’s other brother, Jacob, looked much like Eli, save that his face was a bit broader and his hair a bit lighter. Their father was a beefy, imposing sort of man with deep lines on his brow that indicated that he’d frowned far more often than he’d smiled. He had a firm handshake and a critical eye.
Silas was introduced with a few pleasantries, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that Mr. Williams was searching him for visible flaws. He was suddenly grateful for his new wardrobe. On the outside, at least, he could pass for a gentleman.
“So, what does your father do?” Mr. Williams asked gruffly the moment they all sat down. “Was he in the navy as well?”
“No, sir,” Silas replied. “He’s a cooper. He’s in business with my mother’s father, who owns a brewery.”
This information clearly took Mr. Williams by surprise, though Silas had expected him to know it already. Why hadn’t his wife informed him? Silas glanced at Mrs. Williams, but found her uncharacteristically silent, observing them at a distance from an easy chair.
She didn’t seem quite herself. Normally she would have offered him some unwanted advice by now.
“A cooper,” Mr. Williams repeated, rolling his mouth over the word as if it left a bad taste. “And Hannah tells me that you’re considering the army next? Why should you change your career at your age?”
They really haven’t told him anything.
If Silas revealed the truth now, it was sure to provoke the man. Was that what Hannah wanted?
No. Even if she still expected him to ruin their engagement tonight, surely she wouldn’t ask Silas to use his disgrace from the navy as the source of the conflict. She knew how much it had hurt him.
Silas searched Hannah’s face for a signal, but as before, she wasn’t paying him any mind. She seemed to have eyes only for her father this evening.
