“Ah, well.” Toby looked at the paper in his hand. “I am, of course, honored you consider me as you do, and you are all very important to me also.” They beamed at that.
Sweet silver-haired assassins, he thought.
“But I have no wish to wed.”
“Anthony was the same, dear, and now look how happy he is,” Petunia said.
They all looked as one to the right. Toby followed their eyes and found Anthony and Evie standing together. He was smiling at something she was saying, or just at her. It was enough to make him feel nauseous.
“I can say with all confidence I never want to look at a woman like your nephew is looking at his wife, ladies,” Toby said.
“Oh, posh to that, of course you do, and we are going to ensure that happens.”
If there was one thing he’d learned in the years these women had been in his life it was that they did exactly as they wished, no matter how much protest you put up. He could tell them about Florence, but he didn’t want them turning up at his townhouse until she was ready to meet them.
“And now I must leave you as I am due to dance with Miss Levine.”
“Wonderful,” Petunia said. “But she is not on the list.”
He walked away vowing to have a chat with Anthony and get him to tell them he was not about to marry for love. When he did, it would be an arrangement born of mutual respect but no emotion.
“Where are you going with that scowl on your face?” Jamie asked intercepting him. “You look intent on murder.”
He thought about his next move. If he spoke to Anthony, Jamie would hear, and then he’d be angry that Toby hadn’t told him.
“You don’t think there is enough going on in my life to look like I am intent on murder?”
“Absolutely, and yet you have the best social face of anyone I know. Therefore, it must be dire indeed to have made you scowl like that in public. Is it Florence? Are you worried about her?”
“No, she will be sleeping by now.”
“I know this is hard on you, Toby,” Jamie said. “Give it time, my friend, and she will adjust to you.”
“She looks at me like I will hurt her. I hate it, and yet don’t know how to change that.”
“It will take time,” Jamie said again.
“I know, but it is hard to see fear in her eyes.”
His friend squeezed his shoulder.
“I was just given a list by the aunts.”
Jamie frowned. “What list?”
“A list.”
“Still none the wiser.”
“It has women’s names on it, Jamie,” Toby said patiently.
His friend’s eyes widened. He then looked left and right.
“What are you doing?” Toby asked.
“Looking for them. They may have a list for me.”
“Apparently you are not ready.”
