“Your mother has seen to it that an invitation was sent to her tonight for the Stafford card party. Lord Tarrington would be a fool not to accept an invite from the duke. I imagine we will see them this evening,” Father said.
Lucas’s chest tightened at the thought of seeing Miss Faraday again so soon, but he forced it to relax.
They arrived at the party, and Lucas could not keep from searching the room. Miss Faraday was not there. Nor did she or Lord Tarrington arrive at all throughout the night—though Lucas took care not to appear to be looking for her. His mother commented on the strangeness of their absence but planned to procure an invitation for them to a dinner party in two evenings nevertheless.
Lucas made no headway in his matrimonial search that evening either, but he could hardly be blamed. He had attempted conversation with one of the ladies there only to find her incapable of commenting on anything other than the weather, and with how distracted he had been throughout the night, he’d decided that was enough searching and he would give it another go at the next event.
Of course, the next event was the dinner party his mother had mentioned, and Lucas had experienced a similar amount of distraction that might have had something to do with a tendency to watch the doors for Miss Faraday and her guardian.
But again, they did not come.
“I admit,” Mother said as their carriage rumbled its way home that evening, “I am surprised. Miss Faraday does not seem the sort to ignore an invitation, and her guardian has made it clear that he wishes her married.”
“Do you think we ought to reach out and see that all is well?” What if Tarrington had already found Miss Faraday a husband? Could that be possible?
Mother nodded. “Yes. That is a good idea. But not we— I will send another invitation to Miss Faraday and Lord Tarrington tomorrow, and if they do not accept, I will pay her a visit.”
Lucas nodded, though he rather wished to knock on Tarrington’s door that very night. If Miss Faraday was being forced into marriage, they needed to intervene quickly.
But one day should not make much of a difference. He hoped.
Father had nodded off during the conversation, and Lucas, though similarly tired, envied him his lack of concern. If only he could be so uninvested in how Miss Faraday spent her time and whom she met.
Chapter 24
Lucas slipped away following breakfastthe next morning. He’d been to the club only a few days before, but he needed an update on the current situation with the men they’d helped. And a round or two of boxing for both their business and his own sanity.
Charlie stopped him in the hall, blocking his exit. Lucas had been increasingly frustrated with his brother of late. Of course, he knew deep down it was because of his conflicted emotions regarding Miss Faraday, but he did not like to fixate on that, so he’d just stewed in his annoyance.
“Leaving?” Charlie asked.
Lucas nodded.
“Where are you off to?”
“Business.”
“At ten in the morning?”
Lucas pressed his eyes shut. “Business does not wait for London Society’s times.”
Charlie crossed his arms. “I think business waits for most people. What if we went for a ride in Hyde Park? Played a game of chess? Since our outings with Miss Faraday ended, I feel we’ve hardly seen one another.”
“It is no different than it was before the outings.”
Uncharacteristically, Charlie shifted his weight. He almost seemed uncomfortable. “Well, we could make it different. Come, play a game with me.”
Lucas shook his head, the need to move propelling him closer to the door. “I don’t have the time.”
Charlie scoffed but stepped out of the way. “Of course not.”
He did not want to, but he paused, looking back as he put his hat on his head. “What does that mean?”
Again, his brother looked uncomfortable, but he met Lucas’s eyes without wavering. “Honestly, Lucas, you lost a sister when Marietta died, but sometimes it feels as if I lost both a sisteranda brother.”
Lucas physically pulled back, the force of Charlie’s unexpected words hitting him painfully. He raised his brows, unable to come up with a response between his surprise and the pain that always accompanied mention of Marietta.
“For a while there, I thought that maybe...” Charlie scoffed again and shook his head. “Forget it. Enjoy your outing.”
