And yet he and Celia seemed to have no connection whatsoever. Her beauty moved him not, nor his her. That seemed wrong, even though it was exactly as they had planned.
“My lord?” she said.
He jerked his head, almost as if he were coming awake from a daydream. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wilde. How uncommonly rude of me.”
She smiled in reassurance. “No need to be sorry. The entire table seems a bit out of sorts. I suppose one can expect it with all the excitement about to come.”
“Yes. Tomorrow the guests who will be staying at my home will arrive. Friends and family, all.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry no one from Celia’s family will be part of our day.”
Rosalinde shifted slightly. “Well, with our mother gone, I suppose our family is small in comparison.”
His lips thinned a little. “And what of your father’s side of the aisle? You have no one remaining from his family?”
She shot a quick glance at Gray. There was something in Stenfax’s tone that made her wonder if Gray had spoken to him about her father. She swallowed and carefully considered her words before she spoke again.
“We know little of his family, I fear. As you know, we were raised as Fitzgilberts after the death of my parents. So it is a cozy group of two who will stand for my sister. That and the friends who come, though I believe all of Celia’s friends will be staying at the inn in the village.”
He nodded, but she watched as his gaze slid to Celia slowly. He seemed to be seeing her for the first time, yet she couldn’t read his expression. He was good at hiding. It worried her.
Oh, he was a gentleman. Of course he was. But what was this man like in private? What were his passions? What were his feelings at all about Celia? Was he truly only mercenary? Would he have a gaggle of mistresses the moment the I dos were spoken?
Rosalinde hated having these questions. Worse, she hated having no answers. Damn Gray.
“Have I offended you?” Stenfax asked. “You are frowning rather intently.”
She forced a light laugh. “Oh, gracious, no. Just thinking that soon my sister will be a married lady. I hope I will be able to see her often.”
Stenfax’s expression softened slightly. “I would never keep my wife from her family. You will always be welcome in our home here or London, as I know how close you are. You are like me with my own siblings.”
Rosalinde caught her breath. She’d always viewed Stenfax as a rather cold and distant man. Always polite, but never emotional. And yet here was a softness to his expression she’d never seen before. A warmth that was never spared for Celia, but could be conjured for his brother and sister. That meant hecouldfeel.
He just didn’t feel for Celia. And not she for him, when Rosalindeknewshe was capable of so much more. Anxiety hit her stomach, forcing her to set her fork aside as the wave of it made her sick.
“I appreciate those kind words,” she managed when it became clear he was awaiting her response. She took a deep breath and let her gaze slide to Celia again. Her sister was talking to their grandfather and did not look happy.
And behind her was Gray, always in Rosalinde’s sightline. Always confusing already complicated issues.
“You and your brother do seem especially close, despite his living so far away. That must be difficult.”
“I do miss seeing him more regularly.” Stenfax shrugged. “But I am proud of what Gray has accomplished. He’s an entirely self-made man.”
“I’ve heard as much,” Rosalinde said. “How exactly has he made himself?”
“A variety of industries. He’s been investing in the canals since our father died. But his true love is mechanization of all kinds. You should hear him ramble on about increased productivity and safety when it comes to machines in various workplaces.”
Rosalinde nodded. It was easy to see how a mind like Gray’s would be fascinated by the intricacies of a machine. “I’ve heard told steam is the future, though,” she said.
Stenfax laughed, and it felt like every eye at the table shifted to them. The rest swiftly returned to whatever had their attention initially, but Rosalinde felt Gray’s gaze linger.
“You and my brother are of a mind,” Stenfax said. “He claims the steam engine which pulled that train to Wales six years ago will one day take over travel all over the world. It will either bankrupt him or make him unfathomably rich. It’s his own form of gambling, I believe.”
“But more informed gambling,” Rosalinde suggested, feeling an odd desire to stand up for Gray.
Stenfax nodded. “Exactly. Now I know some people turn their noses up at such things, but I admire how hard he’s worked.”
Rosalinde shifted. She had spent her life with a man who tried to claw his way up via pretended connection. A man who would trade relationships to get what he wanted.
Gray was the polar opposite. And in that moment she wanted more than anything to reach out and touch him. To burrow into his fascinating world and find out more about steam engines and canals and how he planned to build a road all the way to a sparkling future.
