“They do not seem particularly pleased to see you,” Alexander commented, joining him.
“I was wondering if I was seeing things,” he sighed. “I ought to introduce myself, no?”
“Under most circumstances, yes, but give it time. They have a new baby, and so this is His Grace’s first time out in society in a while. He was reclusive before his marriage, too, so he is adjusting.”
“You know an awful lot about everyone.”
“I listen. You might wish to do the same, and then you will know everything too.”
Spencer rolled his eyes at the suggestion. He did not want to know anything about anyone in society, for it did not interest him in the slightest. He had greater concerns than idle gossip; he had an estate to save.
“Have you seen my cousin?” Spencer asked. “I was hoping that he had been invited tonight.”
“Our hosts extended an invitation to everyone in society. I believe that they were made aware of your return, meaning their event would be the first since your arrival, and they wanted to make the most of it.”
And that was certainly what they had done. If Spencer had to describe the ballroom in one word, it would have been ‘opulent’. There were ice sculptures on the refreshment tables, and what seemed to be hundreds of candles lit. The floor was newly repainted with an intricate design, and as people danced across it, Spencer wondered what it might have been like to host something similar himself.
He shook the thought from his mind. He could not do so, given the circumstances.
His gaze drifted to his wife, who was smiling and talking amiably with the apparent recluse as though they were old friends. There was no denying that, when she wanted to be, she was a most charismatic lady.
“Are you watching her for effect?” Alexander asked. “Or are you truly becoming enamored?”
“I would not say that. If anything, my wife will drive me insane before the week is through.”
“That is, if you have not driven her mad with your absence,” he reminded him.
“You are not funny. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, and yet there has been nothing convenient about it. I sometimes wonder if it would have been easier had I remained a bachelor, like you.”
“Fascinating,” Alexander replied, eyeing him carefully.
“If you have something to say, you might as well do so now.”
It was strange; his friend had always been quick to agree with him, but since his return, it felt as though his every move was questioned. Spencer knew that he was not perfect and that hehad made mistakes, but he was trying his best, and his friend knew that. Alexander knew him better than almost anyone else.
Which was, frustratingly, precisely why he knew he needed his advice.
“Did you make the deal with your wife’s father, or with your wife?” he asked simply. “You did not tell her what was expected of her, nor did you court her. You were improper, and you hid your intentions, and you know precisely why you did that. You cannot now be angry with her for not behaving like you want. She has every right to be inconvenient.”
“You know why I did it. I did not have a choice.”
“I do know why, but your wife does not. There is no harm in-”
“There is, and you know it. I had to leave, and to stay away, and I will do so again once I can. There are people that need me, and my wife is getting in the way of me being able to do that.”
“Your wife may also be one of those people who are counting on you,” Alexander replied. “Are you going to stay away from her knowing that?”
Before Spencer could answer, a lord joined them. He was grateful at first, for he did not know what to say in response, but that gratitude was quickly dampened when he realized who it was.
Lord Smythe was not the sort of gentleman that Spencer trusted. He had recently come into his money, and he liked to flaunt it in a way that Spencer mistrusted—gaudy new carriages, a boisterous presence in the gambling hells, flamboyant dress at every opportunity. Alexander clearly did not like it either, for he took a very deliberate step away.
“How wonderful to see you again,” Smythe said, in a particularly smarmy way. “I had thought that the hunting accident had led to your demise! A rather strange way to go, but most interesting.”
“Yes, well, as you can see, I am very much alive.”
“A joyous occasion. I suppose your wife is pleased.”
“As pleased as any other wife,” he laughed tentatively, wanting the subject of conversation to change.
