Silas seemed to shudder. “Not in the marital way, god no.”
“Count your blessings,” another lord laughed. “One day you’ll go to bed and the next way, wake into a completely different home.”
Hearing that, Cedric’s gaze flicked repeatedly toward Ariadne, but it was dark and unreadable. The faint tightening around his mouth betrayed how much it cost him to remain still, to playhis part as the beast the tone saw him as while being near the woman who had stolen his guarded heart.
Silas, shrewd as ever, caught his glance. “Dear god, you are truly leg-shackled,” he murmured.
“Remind me that you’re paying for the next round, at drinks after Parliament next Wednesday at Whites,” Cedric said firmly.
With Silas’ eyeroll, the conversation returned to the bill, and the children finished their ices. Little by little, lords and ladies began drifting out of the room—after dropping by his table to thank him and Ariadne for creating this new coalition of girls.
When only he and Silas stayed at their table nursing refreshed cups, he asked Silas a question that had been lingering in his mind since the moment Ariadne had questioned Silas’s intention towards Celestine.
“Silas,” he began. “I need to ask you about Celestine.”
“Your wife’s sister?” Silas asked nonchalantly. “What about her?”
“Do you plan on pursuing her or not?” Cedric asked directly.
“I hope the young lady is not hanging her hat on me,” Silas said solemnly. ‘The girl is beautiful and bright, but not for me. You know I have no interest innaiveté. You know I prefer bed partners who know what they are doing.”
That is what I suspected.
“Then kindly let the little miss down,” he told his friend. “Write her a letter, visit her at her home, send her a smoke signal for god’s sake, but do not let her keep hoping for something that will never happen.”
Silas rolled his neck. “Sure, sure. I’ll get to it.” His eyes drifted over to Ariadne and Emily, and his face took on a wry expression. “She’s really good with her, isn’t she?”
“Very,” Cedric replied.
Dropping another dollop of milk in his cup, Silas dropped his voice, “Did you tell her about Helena?”
“As much as was necessary,” Cedric said. “I don’t find it necessary to rehash the past any more than I already have.”
Something flickered over Silas’ face, but it was gone before Cedric could assess what it was. “Don’t mistake me,” he told Silas, “I am not disregarding her memory, but I have finally allowed myself to move on.”
Silas’ reply was simply a twist of his lips and a nod before finishing his drink. Cedric looked up as Ariadne lifted a sleeping Emily into her arms and carried the child over to them.
Giving Silas a dimpled smile, she said. “Good to see you, Lord Stromwell. I’d like to take a walk around a stroll around the square?”
Although he had planned to return to work, he didn’t have the heart to deny her. Standing, Cedric took Emily from her, and the child naturally rested her head on his shoulder.
“I apologize to cut our discussion short, Silas,” he said. ‘But familial necessities call.”
Shaking his head, Silas solemnly said, “You are no fun anymore. Go on, go on, flaunt your marital bliss in my lonely,lonelystate.”
“You’ll find someone to love,” Ariadne said. “And if it is my sister, you and I will need to talk.”
“We just spoke about that,” Cedric said. “As I said previously, Silas is chronically polite.”
She knew what it meant instantly, and while her face fell, she still managed to smile. “I understand, my lord. If it is any consolation, I’d love to have you as a brother-in-law.”
Although he had planned to return to work, he didn’t have the heart to deny her a simple walk that would take all of fifteen minutes.
While he held the sleeping child, they ambled along the maple tree park, gilded by the late autumn sunshine. The trees were getting bare, but a few still had brilliant scarlet and gold leaves, clinging in ragged clusters, trembling in the chill wind.
The small park near Gunter’s was not expensive, but it still ran near the road where passersby openly gawked. Once again, Cedric couldn’t even find it in himself to care.
“Today went well,” she said. “I am glad Emily made new friends.”
