“He claims that I don’t make myself available to be courted and therein lies the problem.”
Because she is always hiding in gardens, though Emory didn’t voice that fact aloud.
Lady Violet folded her hands on her lap, tilted her chin and looked toward the horizon. Her green eyes narrowed as her lips pursed, as if she were mulling over a problem.
She then glanced at Emory, hummed, then turned away again.
“May I ask what is on your mind.”
“I believe I have a solution that might solve both of our problems, if you are willing of course.”
The only solution was a courtship and then marriage, but as he’d just met Lady Violet, that solution wasn’t an option.
“What I propose is a courtship of convenience.”
“Courtship of convenience?” he repeated, uncertain as to her meaning.
“Yes,” she answered with a nod of her chin. “You shall court me until January sixth and then we will declare that we do not suit. Your father will be satisfied that you spent more than an afternoon of effort, and mine will be satisfied that I allowed a courtship.”
All he could do was stare at her. Such an agreement would placate his father. What he did not know was if Lady Violet might have an ulterior motive, other than pleasing her father.
“But it must be a true courtship, in that we come to know one another, as I don’t wish to lie to my father and say you courted me when we just pretended to do so.”
A fine line to avoid deception, but he understood. Yet, he didn’t trust that this wasn’t a trap to get him to enter into an agreement in hopes that more came of their association. However, while he did not know Lady Violet, he had the oddest feeling that he could trust her and that this scheme was no more or less than what she described.
“As you detest untruth as much as me, I trust that you are in agreement that it must be a true courtship with a scheduled time for it to end and the two of us to part. Based upon your behavior in London, I assume you have no real desire for a courtship any more than I, as I fully intend to remain unmarried for as long as I am allowed. Therefore, we can satisfy the demands of our families while knowing that we will both be free of any commitment come January sixth.”
A true courtship without the expectation of a betrothal? The very idea was intriguing. If she were as truthful as she claimed, and Emory believed that she was, this would be a perfect solution. “I think that is an excellent idea, Lady Violet.”
Emory smiled to himself. This was the first commitment in memory that he was more than willing to make.
She nodded and faced forward. “I am glad we are in agreement Lord Ferrard.”
“How does one court in Laswell?” If he were in London, it would be drives through Hyde Park, ices at Gunter’s, taking in the theatre, calling on her home, and dancing at balls. None of which were available to him here.
“I’m not certain, Lord Ferrard. Perhaps we could simply stroll through Laswell and in the park, each day at a certain time for a specific length in duration when we will most likely be seen. Such meetings will eventually be reported back to my father, and as your brother lives here, he can assure your father that we did indeed court.”
At her statement, he assumed there were no other entertainments to be offered. Perhaps his brother would have suggestions. Though, if strolls were all they did, Emory doubted any conversation with Lady Violet would be dull. At least, not for the first few days.
He chuckled to himself. Even though he’d just agreed to court her, Lady Violet’s description and manner felt more like a business agreement in which both would benefit when all obligations were met in the verbal contract.
Emory slowed the curricle as they crested the hill, and the lighthouse came into view. He’d seen few lighthouses in his life, and never this close. He was rather awed by the tall, octagonal, white-washed tower, topped with a central building encased in glass and metal, surrounded by a railed walk. Though he’d not like to be out there in the middle of a storm, the view must be quite spectacular from such a high vantage point.
Attached was a similarly white-washed stone cottage, larger than he’d anticipated, which could house a family of ten. For some reason, he had believed the homes attached to lighthouses weren’t so large as he had also assumed there would be only one resident.
After pulling the curricle to a stop before the walk that led to the entry, Emory jumped from the curricle and hurried around to help Lady Violet to the ground, but she’d already stepped out. Was she not used to a gentleman offering assistance? This was nearly as odd as her unloading the curricle earlier. He found it surprising that nobody had ever impressed upon Lady Violet that there were certain things that ladies didnotdo.
She was the daughter of a duke, and had brothers, had none of them explained?
Before they reached the door to call on the lighthouse keeper, a gentleman in his late thirties emerged, staring hard at Emory. He was rather taken aback by not only the distrust in the man’s eyes, but his age since Emory had always imagined old men, hardened sailors with long scraggly white beards inhabited lighthouses. Why he’d made such an assumption, he did not know, unless it came about from reading adventure stories in his youth.
As the man’s gaze shifted to Emory’s companion, his expression softened.
“Lady Violet is something amiss?” The man glanced back to Emory and the distrust once again filled his eyes.
Lady Violet quickly explained the reason for their visit, after introducing Emory and noting his relationship to Dr. Talbot. “If it is not too much of an inconvenience, Mr. Hutchinson, I had hoped to borrow your wagon to help expediate our retrieval and delivery of the items from the various households.
“Of course,” he quickly answered. “I’ll have the horses hitched to the wagon right away.”
