Rowan’s mouth turned down, but he nodded as if seeing the merit in such a decision.
“Dear,” Arabella Ashworth said, “why don’t you sit down and leave the state of our host’s books to him.”
Rowan’s mouth pulled to the side. “Of course.” He relented with a nod and rejoined them in his seat. “I would be happy to send over a crate of books to add to your shelves. It would be my honor in celebration of the renovations being complete.”
“That is very generous, Rowan,” Andrew said with a smile. “I thank you.”
Then Ambrose looked over to Leonard with a raised brow. “Wait a moment. We have yet to hear how Leonard and his bride came to be.”
Leonard’s mouth snapped shut, but he leaned back and propped his foot across his knee. Ambrose knewexactlyhow they met. Goodness, his friends did love to pull out the most ridiculous things in each other.
“We met . . .” He looked over at Honora, whose eyes were wide. “Um.” He rubbed his chin, searching for words. “At the jewelry shop.”
“Yes,” she said, smiling and nodding along.
“Whyever were you at a jewelry shop?” Charles asked.
Leonard turned to his friend. “To attain funds to pay off you greedy beggars.”
“Is that all?” Andrew coaxed, smiling.
“Well,” Leonard continued, “I suppose she did steal something from me.”
Charles’s, Tristan’s, and Rowan’s brows creased as they waited.
Goodness his friends would pay for making him say something so ridiculous. But what else was he to do? He turned his head to give Honora a wilting smile.
“My heart.”
Honora threw her head back with a laugh, his friends joining along. They must have thought him truly lovesick to say such a phrase.
The afternoon was spent with many laughs and many words of gratitude. Each man had stumbled into love in his own way, and while they harassed each other, Leonard could see the love and appreciation on every man’s face in the room. Not one regretted fallingvictimto love. In fact, Leonard was quite sure they were insteadthe victors.
He knewhewas.
As they all trailed toward the dining room for dinner after an extensive tour of the estate, Susanna Hartley looked around at the other ladies. “Well, I think the gentlemen all had their fun this afternoon with their teasing.”
Several of their wives nodded their agreement.
“But after dinner, when the men have their port—”
The men all stopped walking while the ladies continued on several paces. Susanna linked arms with Arabella, then Sophie took Honora’s arm in hers. In a moment, all the women had their arms linked together, forming a wall of formidability.
The women stopped and glanced back at them all.
Honora’s face lit with understanding, nodding to Susanna. “Ah, yes.” Her lips curved into a mischievous smile. “We shall have a conversation of our own.”
The men glanced from one to another.
And then Tristan hissed under his breath, “Blast.”
After the evening wound down, every couple sequestered to their own room for the night. Leonard had watched Honora carefully over the evening. And while he had started with an edge of nervousness, hoping she felt comfortable and accepted, that worry had quickly melted away. The women took her in like one of their own, and Leonard’s own heart was fuller for it.
“So,” he began once Honora’s maid had left the room. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Honora sat on the bed, her legs crossed and her long thick plait hanging over her shoulder. A smile stretched across her lips. “It was wonderful. I cannot believe how lucky I am.”
“Lucky?” He smiled even as his brow creased in question. He walked over to the bed, then lay down on his side, watching her.
