Winston waved his hand in the air. “Who knows? He certainly doesn’t. They are one and the same. It seems ridiculous for him to consider any of them as far as I’m concerned.”
Aunt Frieda huffed. “I think it a fine and noble gesture for him to marry one of the sisters. It shows that he’s determined to honor his brother’s memory.”
A lump formed in Eliza’s throat. Why was it that the quality she most admired about Philip was one of the reasons they couldn’t be together? She already knew him to be a thoughtful and honorable man. He’d proven that with the comfort and kind words he’d offered after her parents’ deaths.
“Even if doing so will make him miserable?” Winston asked. “He doesn’t act the least bit happy when he speaks of them. I don’t think marrying one will change that.”
“How unfortunate.” Eliza’s heart ached for him. She would’ve set aside her own wishes if she knew Philip would be happy in his future.
Given what her brother had said, she had to try again with Philip. Surely, there was another way for him to honor his brother. The question was whether she could convince him of it.
“Aunt Frieda, we should definitely go this evening,” she said, hoping her aunt wouldn’t comment on her abrupt change of heart.
“Of course, we should.” Aunt Frieda frowned as if that were obvious. “Are you certain you won’t join us, Winston?”
“No, thank you.” He shook his head. “If I want to look at old stuff, I need only walk around our country estate. There’s plenty of that sort of thing there.”
While Aunt Frieda lectured him about having the proper respect for history, Eliza allowed herself to ponder the evening ahead.
With luck, she’d have a chance to speak with Philip and remind him of the favor he’d agreed to help her with. A little more time with him might be all she needed to convince him that they would be perfect together. The thought filled her with hope.
The two days following the ball had proven beyond frustrating to Philip. Markus had left London to stay with a friend and taken Philip’s chance to confront him along as well. Philip knew his cousin was avoiding him. But if he thought Philip’s anger over the situation would dim, he was wrong.
How dare Markus place Eliza in a compromising situation. Even the memory of it was enough to stir his anger. Though tempted to mention Markus’s behavior to Uncle Herbert, Philip resisted. He wanted to resolve the situation himself.
Markus would only deny that he’d done anything wrong and suggest that Philip was overreacting. With Eliza involved, Philip couldn’t claim objectivity. But Markus placing her or anyone else in such a precarious circumstance was unacceptable. Markus also needed to understand that his behavior wouldn’t force Philip to pay his gaming debts.
Yet Philip’s mind continually focused on how terrible the outcome of those few moments on the terrace could’ve been. If Markus had been forced to propose—
He stopped himself from going down that path again. It had kept him from sleeping well the past two nights. His worst nightmare hadn’t happened. And Philip intended to make certain it didn’t.
One thing had become clear—until he determined a way to control his cousin, he needed to keep watch over Eliza whenever possible.
Though tempted to share the potential threat with Winston, that would mean explaining why Markus thought his actions would bother Philip. Which meant revealing what was progressing between Philip and Eliza. He couldn’t imagine trying to explain it to his friend when he couldn’t describe it to himself. Nor did Philip want to tell Winston of the favor he’d granted Eliza.
It was Philip’s fault Eliza was in danger and therefore, it was up to him to protect her. If she attended the opening of the Museum of Ancient Artifacts, he would watch over her. Especially since it was unclear whether Markus had truly left town.
Philip intended to take every possible precaution regardless. He also wanted to warn Eliza that his cousin was not to be trusted, something she surely already knew. But he wanted to make it clear that she should keep her distance from him. Perhaps he could finally convince her to say who had caught her interest so Philip could end the favor one way or another.
The exterior of the elegant townhome, now a museum, looked like all the others on the street except for the small sign posted near the front steps.
Like many museums in London, this one had been a residence. Sir John Colby had been a wealthy man who’d spent most of his life traveling and collecting items along the way.
Upon his death six months ago, Sir John donated his house and its contents to the Archaeology Society to run as a museum. From what Philip knew, the man had confined his collection to a few areas of interest with his primary focus being the Mughal Empire of Southeast Asia. That focus made for a more cohesive collection rather than random odds and ends that were difficult to display.
Philip entered the museum and realized he was already searching for Eliza. He forced himself to greet other guests instead.
Musicians played from somewhere in the near distance, their instruments echoing through the house. The entrance hall was filled with people, and servants helped to direct the guests to the various exhibits.
“Good evening, Your Grace. So pleased you were able to come,” Sir John’s son, Alastair, greeted him. He was a little older than Philip and had been a friend of Oscar’s.
“Thank you for inviting me. How nice of you to open your home to the public and share Sir John’s collection.”
Alistair leaned close to whisper, “If we didn’t, what would we have done with all the items?” He shook his head. “I can’t say that I share my father’s taste for artifacts. I don’t mind a few here and there, but his collection was getting out of hand. Thank goodness the Archaeology Society agreed to the museum.”
Philip considered the man a little closer. “You’re not upset to lose your family home?” He couldn’t imagine giving up his own, but that had more to do with the memories it held of his father and brother than anything else.
Alastair shrugged. “It hasn’t been my home for quite some time. I moved to my own nearly ten years ago. My mother isn’t especially happy about the public traipsing through the place, but we found her a nice townhouse near a park, and I think she’ll be quite happy there.”
