Laura Ball deftly turned the talk toward charities for wounded soldiers and the need for employment for them. That moved them all to the economy and the signs of improvement. It was more substantial talk than would be approved at most dinner tables, but skillfully avoided disagreements or jarring debate.
When the ladies left, none of the men raised difficult subjects, except when Braydon asked Torlie what brought him to London.
“To hone my legal training, sir. I wanted Boston, but my father insisted on London.”
“Canada is ruled by British law,” Ball said.
“But not forever, Sir Stephen. It’s inevitable that we join the American states in time.”
Braydon raised his brows with the others.
“That could be seen as treason,” Ball pointed out.
Torlie colored, but he stood his ground. “Canada must at the least become self-governing, sir. We’re thousands of miles from St. James and Westminster. If we then choose to become a republic and join with America, I hope no one will attempt to prevent it.”
“I wouldn’t stake my life on that,” Braydon said, passing the port but considering a new twist.Would Canadians who wished to join the Americans seek to create dynastic chaos in Britain?Sufficient disorder, most especially a civil war, would make it easier for them to slip away. But, again, it would be a very long-term plan.
“Some are willing to die for freedom,” Torlie declared, threatening the harmony of the evening.
Braydon said, “Your skill in British law could be more useful than your blood, Torlie. Know thy enemy. There was a time in Spain when one of the men knowing local custom turned the tide.”
He told the story, and then Beaumont added another, and the moment passed. Soon after they all rose to join the ladies in the drawing room.
Beaumont took a moment with Braydon. “Apologies for young Torlie. I suspect his father shipped him over here to get him away from others of similar mind.”
“We all tend to crackbrain ideas when young.”
“It might not be entirely crackbrained.”
Braydon raised a hand. “I have enough on my plate without a North American mess. Three princes and a peerage.”
Beaumont chuckled. “How are you coping with becoming a viscount?”
“Much as one copes with a long march through enemy terrain in winter.”
“As bad as that? Your wife must be a help. A strong and sensible woman, and she deserves an easier march.”
“It was bad?” Braydon asked, wanting to know.
Beaumont grimaced. “Who knows the secrets of a marriage, and I visited there only a few times, years ago. But Marcus Cateril was fiery by nature, and that didn’t change except in being confined. A man can’t help resenting injuries at times.”
Did he refer to himself and his missing arm? If so, he didn’t dwell on it.
“His were severe,” Beaumont went on. “Walking pained him and he was ungainly, which might have pained him even more. He’d once been a fit, athletic type. It had to have made him difficult at times, but he loved his Kitty. No doubt of that.”
“And she him.”
“Of course.”
Unreasonable to let that sting. “Ball seems sound. I’ll bring him in if he’s willing. There are matters to discuss tomorrow. Perhaps here?”
“Of course.”
Chapter 32
Kitty enjoyed the dinner. She’d expected awkwardness, but their hosts put them at ease and the company was pleasant, even the wet-behind-the-ears Canadian. His enthusiasms made her smile. She remembered many young officers like him. And that many were no longer alive.Thank heavens for peace.
She felt she played her part well, and she enjoyed the drawing room conversation with the other ladies. It surprised her a little that the very elegant Lady Ball was on such easy terms with one actress and accepting of another, but so it seemed.
