“Was there not a house already?”
“It had burned in my grandfather’s time. He and my grandmother preferred to live in town, so he acquired the London house then. My mother preferred the country to town, however, so my father had this house built for her.”
“Most generous,” Aunt said with approval. “Do you still keep a house in town?” she asked as if she had not learned as much from Becky.
Next she would demand the address. Helena might have wished her aunt would be a little less direct in her inquiries, but the viscount did not seem to mind—and she found herself curious about the answer, as well.
She told herself that she was simply learning about their new neighbors.
“I do,” the viscount said. “It is an older house and perhaps in need of improvement, though my father and I found it very comfortable in recent years. It is in Cavendish Square.”
Aunt Fanny caught her breath, that gleam appearing in her eyes again. “When you marry, your wife will have to consider herself very fortunate,” she said and Helena could not believe her aunt’s presumption.
“I can only hope as much, madame,” the viscount said with a force that seemed uncharacteristic.
Aunt Fanny was smiling, looking as smug as a cat who had stolen the cream. Helena could make no sense of this.
Puppies, it was clear, addled the wits of everyone. She hoped there was something good for tea. Aunt was always certain that bachelors could not see a household administered properly and had lamented the prospects of a meagre refreshment all morning long.
CHAPTER 4
Joshua was certain of his success, so did not hasten to the moment of his proposal. He thought Lady Dalhousie’s open curiosity about his property was a bit vulgar, but he was content to show her the house that her niece would soon consider her own. Lady Dalhousie would likely continue to live nearby, so he would have to accustom himself to her mannerisms, for better or for worse.
His father had often jested that one could not choose one’s family. The aunt’s manner was no reflection upon the niece.
Miss Emerson wore a dress of pale pink on this day, festooned with black and pink embroidery, along with that black spencer. The combination was both flattering and elegant. Her cheeks were flushed and her manner with the dogs had been utterly charming.
And truly, he had no issue with Miss Emerson preferring her silk slippers to boots. He had been granted a most admirable view of her ankles when the puppy made trouble, and found himself keenly aware of Miss Emerson’s allure.
He would even allow Mischief in the bedroom if that prompted the lady’s approval.
Meanwhile, he strolled through the house with his guests, seeing it with new eyes as he showed it to them. The drawing room was found to be most attractive, the library suitable to a gentleman—even with an acceptable fireplace for the comfort of dogs—the dining room a delight and the foyer most commodious. The views from the principal rooms were complimented, the lighting remarked upon, the quality of the furnishings admired. They reviewed the portraits in the foyer, one of each of the six previous viscounts and a large one of his mother. Joshua even imagined that his father beamed down upon them in approval of his matrimonial scheme.
When they sat in the drawing room and he invited Lady Dalhousie to pour the tea, he was certain of her approval. He knew she tested the weight of the teapot and ascertained (correctly) that it was sterling, for he saw her satisfied smile. Miss Emerson, for her part, surveyed the room with an interest that seemed a good omen for his prospects.
“It is so bright and cheerful,” she said. “I like the pale yellow very much.”
“My mother favored the hue.” Joshua could not help but notice how the shade favored Miss Emerson as well. She looked like a flower in the sunlight, and just the sight of his intended in his mother’s favorite room made Joshua’s chest tighten in a way that was decidedly not rational.
Miss Emerson flushed with pleasure and smiled, which only increased his awareness of her. “She chose the furnishings?”
“Every detail was left to her.”
“A most comfortable and elegant house,” Lady Dalhousie said with approval, handing him a teacup. “You must always be glad to return to such a refuge.”
“Yes,” he ceded. “But in the absence of my father and brother, the house seems quiet.”
“Of course,” Lady Dalhousie agreed. “But when you wed, sir, if I may be so bold as to mention such an eventuality, the house is likely to be filled with the sound of children shortly thereafter.”
Miss Emerson blushed and averted her gaze, evidence that they were in agreement about her aunt’s commentary.
“I should like nothing better in such circumstance, Lady Dalhousie.”
His gaze snared that of the older lady and Joshua knew that their inclinations were as one. Lady Dalhousie had discerned and approved of his suit. Should he ask Miss Emerson for her hand in her aunt’s presence? A bit late, Joshua was compelled to admit that he had no notion how such conversations were contrived. It seemed a private matter, but Miss Emerson also had need of a chaperone for the sake of her reputation.
He had never thought he might wish he had a sister, if only to better understand the niceties of proposals.
Lady Dalhousie, against expectation, came to his rescue. “I must compliment you, my lord, upon these scones and this marmalade, in particular. Both are delicious, but the marmalade is superb.”
