Anthony looked uncomfortable at her praise. “You never met my mother, but she was warm and wise and good, and she taught us never to take the easy way out at someone else’s cost.”
“I wish I’d known her. She must have been a remarkable woman.”
“She was. My sister Lady Julia is very like her.” His voice changed. “Would you like to go for a drive? The day is mild and the sun occasionally deigns to shine.”
There was no courtship in his eyes, but friendship was perhaps even more precious. “I’d love some fresh air. Give me a moment to put my work away so it doesn’t become scattered all over the drawing room.”
Anthony lifted the Panda from his lap and politely set him on the floor, receiving an annoyed look despite his care. “The Panda has been deprived of his pampering.”
“He’ll be asleep on the sofa again before we leave the room,” she predicted accurately as she put away her manuscript.
Diana collected her cloak and left a message for Rory, then set out to enjoy a day that was pleasantly mild for December. Anthony’s curricle was fashionable, naturally, and his horses superb. After he settled her and swung up on the seat next to her, he asked, “Is there any particular place you’d like to visit, or would you prefer a relaxed drive in the park?”
“The park, please. But there is something I’d like to ask you about,” she said. “I am completely a fallen woman, for I am now engaged in trade. Shocking, isn’t it?”
He laughed as he deftly set the horses in motion. “Trade may be officially scorned in some circles, but a large proportion of the aristocracy stay afloat financially by investing in some form of it. Agriculture alone isn’t always enough to maintain large estates. Most of the great lords own or invest in mines, mills, canal building, shipping companies and other enterprises.”
“Does that include you?” Diana asked with interest.
“Yes, I own large parts of some mills, which gives me the chance to demonstrate that a mill can be profitable without putting young children to work under dangerous conditions. What form of trade are you engaged in?”
“The import business. India produces wonderful textiles and jewelry and carvings and other such things. My partner in the business is an Englishwoman who has put down her roots in India, and I promised her I’d find new markets for our imports now that I’m back in Britain. You’re a fashionable fellow. Can you think of shops I should visit to try to sell my wares?”
He considered. “I could probably come up with some suggestions, but the person you need to talk to is Lady Kiri Mackenzie, who has an amazing sense of style. She’s in trade in a small way herself, selling the wonderful perfumes she creates. She is also half-Hindu, the sister of the Duke of Ashton. I’m sure she’d be happy to make suggestions.”
“I’d love to meet her!”
Anthony glanced down at her, his intense blue eyes warm. “The knocker is down on their house so I imagine they’ve gone to the country for the holidays, but I shall arrange a meeting as soon as is feasible.”
Friendship was going to work, she realized with pleasure. Which was good, because she wanted Anthony in her life.
Chapter 8
Anthony was impressed at how well he could lie; he hadn’t realized he had such talent. Rationally, he knew that Athena and Will and his own common sense were correct: For all practical purposes, he and Diana were strangers to each other. Even when they’d first met, their differences were obvious. Yet so was the intense attraction.
Life under the heavy hand of the old duke was an endless struggle to stay sane and civil. Then Anthony had met Diana, who was filled with joyous light. Her appetite for life was infectious, and she brought out a lighter side of him that had been buried years before. He had needed her like the air in his lungs.
But his proposal had appalled her, and then she was gone. Within days, she sailed from England, and once more his life became a matter of endurance. His father’s death had been a great release, but joy had been only a memory. Until last night.
Yes, it was wise to be wary. He should carefully explore the possibilities. Become better acquainted slowly, making no promises.
But dammit! He didn’t want her for a friend, or, at least, only a friend. He wanted her to be his playmate, his partner, his lover. Hiswife. He wanted to hold her in his arms until he felt joy again.
But he daren’t frighten her off by wanting too much too soon. This was a casual drive with a friend. Conversation should be casual. Where to begin?
They’d never talked much about their families, except for occasional oblique references to his father. He remarked, “You and Lady Aurora seem very close, more like sisters than aunt and niece.”
“You’re exactly right,” Diana said. “My mother was never very fond of children. She felt ill-used at having me when she thought that she was long past babies, so I was sent to the nursery of my oldest brother, Geoffrey. He and his wife like children and ended up with eight of their own, so adding another little girl to the household was not a problem. Geoffrey and Sylvia were more my parents than my actual parents.”
“You were fortunate to have a good alternative family,” he said, wishing he’d had that.
“Very fortunate! I had three much older brothers and no sisters. Moving in with Geoffrey gave me four sisters and four brothers, all of them quite lovely in different ways. But Rory and I were close in age, and the most alike.”
“Sisters are indeed great fun, though occasionally a trial.” He chuckled. “Mine decided to turn a small family dinner party into a reading of Byron’sCorsairwith each of us having to read selections. All three males present groaned at the prospect, but I admit it was rather amusing, though we wondered why the poem was so popular.”
“At the least, it provided the inspiration for your costume last night.” She frowned. “But I thought your only sister, Lady Julia, died when you were still at school?”
His hands tightened on the reins as he was reminded of his father’s worst behavior in a lifetime of bad behavior. “Because you were traveling, you missed the resurrection.”
