“And a true friend…”
“Indeed.”
Silence fell as the two women walked briskly back toward Ridlington Chase.
“He hasn’t read your book, then?” asked Harriet.
“Er, no,” replied Letitia. “I-I’m not really ready for that yet.” She turned to Harriet. “Do you think he’d be so horrified he’d never speak to me again?”
Harriet quirked an eyebrow. “May I be honest, Letitia?”
“Of course. I demand nothing else.” Letitia met her gaze frankly.
“I think Sir James FitzArden would be overwhelmed by reading your book. Even from such a short time as our meeting this morning, I would judge him to be possessed of a deeper interest in you than just that of dear friend.”
Letitia bit her lip. “Hell and devil confound it.” She made no apologies for her language. “I wish people would stop telling me that.”
“But why? He’s charming, certainly comfortably situated, and single. What impediment could there be to a match between the two of you?”
Letitia shook her head. “Me. I’m the impediment, Harriet. He deserves someone coming from a much better lineage than mine.” She looked forward. “Marriage, as we both know, is a business arrangement for those of us in certain positions. You’ve had your exposure to this sad fact. And James is mine. I know he will find the perfect match, because his fortune will make his lack of a title acceptable to even the most particular of families. His connections are impeccable and as you note, he’s also charming and handsome. As soon as he decides to make any kind of appearance in Society, he’ll be a six course dinner for the starving debutantes.”
“And what’s wrong with you, may I ask?” retorted Harriet indignantly. “You are of a noble line, and even though it has suffered reverses, I very much doubt that would be an impediment…”
“The Ridlington name has been badly damaged, Harriet.” Letitia sighed as they came in sight of the house. “Look. It’s not just the tainted reputation…it’s the lack of a fortune as well. There are still boarded up windows that have yet to be replaced. One wing is still not fully habitable. It’s beginning…our recovery. But there is a long way to go. I have hope that little Hugh Edmund Ridlington, when he assumes the title, will have a solid foundation on which to build.”
“So you’re not entertaining any thoughts of Mr. James as a husband? None at all? And if not, then who might be of consideration? You must wed, Letitia…”
“Why?” Letitia stopped Harriet with a hand on her arm. “Why must I wed?”
“Well…” Harriet paused. “To have children?”
Letitia shook her head. “Not a good enough reason. We have a new generation beginning now, and I won’t be at all surprised if Edmund and Rosaline produce further additions. All of whom I shall adore as if they were my own.”
“So you will not marry or become a mother. What will you do, then?”
“I shall become a famous and successful writer, Harry.” She took a deep breath. “And if I choose to favour a man with my affections, even to sate my lustful nature—assuming I have one buried somewhere—I shall do so because of my own desire for pleasure, nobody else’s. I swear it. Word of a lady.”
Harriet gulped. “Oh my goodness. You will be so very…contumacious.”
Letitia stopped dead in surprise. “Good God, Harry. Well done. You’ve just used a word I don’t know. So let us hurry, for I must immediately look it up or hate you forever.”
Laughing, the two women dashed the remaining yards to Ridlington Chase. But in spite of her light-hearted demeanour, in the back of Letitia’s mind lurked the idea of using James for her own pleasure. His arms had been deliciously strong…
