Feeling a tingle of something delicious travel through her over the possibility that Arthur may find her a little intriguing, Euniceshoved up the sleeves of the delightful walking dress she was wearing and stepped to the middle of the room.
“What are you doing?” Arthur asked.
“Preparing to spar with you, of course, although I have to admit that this gown is going to give you the advantage. I’m afraid Phillip doesn’t design gowns that are conducive to boxing.”
Arthur glanced at the gown in question and shook his head. “I’m not boxing with you dressed like that, but there’s no need for you to rush off and change because I’m not going to box with you at all.”
“Because I’m not a gentleman?”
“At the risk of sounding less than progressive, yes. My mother would have a fit of the vapors if she heard I’d taken to boxing with a lady. And even though I’ve been accused of being a man devoid of a sensitive side, I try to be solicitous of my mother and her expectations for me, which mostly center around my exhibiting proper behavior when I’m in the presence of ladies. My mother would never consider boxing with a lady proper behavior on my part.”
“So that means you’llneverbox with me?”
“Do you believe that question even needs to be asked?” he countered with a grin.
The sight of Arthur’s grin left her feeling rather fluttery. It was a feeling she’d been having ever since she’d admitted she possessed a romantic nature, that disclosure apparently causing all the walls she’d erected to hide that side of her nature to come crumbling down and leaving her experiencing the most unusual emotions.
“I told you it would be more interesting in this Pullman car, Judith, and it appears I was right about that,” Georgette proclaimed, strolling into the car with Judith at her side. Georgette settled a smile on Arthur. “Trying to dissuade my daughter from sparring with you, dear?”
Arthur inclined his head. “I am and find myself delighted you and Judith have joined us because now there’s not enough room in here to proceed with a boxing match.”
“We’re happy to oblige,” Georgette said before she strode overto join Lloyd, who was just waking up from his snooze on the chaise.
“You’re looking well this afternoon, Georgette,” Lloyd said after he straightened his waistcoat and smoothed down hair that was decidedly rumpled. “You also seem remarkably composed, even though we can’t be far from our destination now.”
Georgette settled herself on the chaise. “After everything I’ve been through over the years, facing down a crowd of relatives who aren’t going to be pleased to find me alive isn’t all that daunting.”
“Would you have any tips you could share with me so that when I return to New York I won’t find facing down all of my widow friends quite as daunting?” Lloyd asked. “From what I’ve been told, the widows are planning on confronting me at some point over what they call my gentleman-who-believes-in-leaving-no-widow-behind ways.”
Georgette laughed. “I suggest you simply muster up a sincere apology, abandon your Casanova ways, and hope for the best.”
“I’m not certain a sincere apology will be enough,” Lloyd admitted. “Elsy told me that two of the widows I join for weekly luncheons, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Howland, have declared me, quite like Arthur was declared at the Bleecker Street Agency, persona non grata.”
“How unfortunate.”
“Indeed,” Lloyd said before he frowned. “But speaking of Mrs. Howland, I’ve just realized that you share the same surname with her. Could it be possible you’re related to the Edward Howland family?”
Georgette tapped a finger against her chin. “I suppose that could be a possibility, but I wasn’t given the opportunity of meeting many of my late husband’s relatives. His family was distressed to learn that their son had behaved so rashly by marrying me after our whirlwind courtship. In fact, the allowance he’d been receiving from his family was cut off and we were forced to live off the monthly allowance my father sent me, although that allowance was soon cut off as well.”
Eunice moved to take a seat on a chair next to her mother. “I never heard that story.”
“Because I don’t care to speak about your father much. I find the topic still incredibly painful even after so many years have passed. He was, after all, the love of my life.”
“But how did you and Father survive without an allowance?”
“Since your father died not long after we were both cut off from family funds, I survived by returning to Montana.” Georgette took hold of Eunice’s hand. “And while I know my decision to return home affected the way you were raised, I thought it would be better to have you raised under my father’s roof than in poverty.”
“But didn’t your late husband’s family lend you any assistance after your husband died?” Lloyd asked. “You were expecting his child, after all. I would have thought his family would have wanted to embrace you and their son’s unborn child. It seems unusually cruel that they wouldn’t have done so.”
“I never told them I was expecting.” Georgette blew out a breath. “They thought I was a fortune hunter, which was always incredibly bewildering to me since my husband was a younger son—the third son, to be exact. He wasn’t expected to take over the family business, nor was he in line for a large inheritance. He did at one time mention a trust fund he’d come into when he turned twenty-five, but he was only twenty-two when we married.”
“You could have prevailed upon his family to turn over that trust, which should have rightfully gone to you and Eunice,” Lloyd said.
“Frankly, it was easier to simply return home and live under my father’s roof instead of prevailing upon those who didn’t want me in their family in the first place,” Georgette said. “However, this particular topic tends to put me in a gloomy state of mind, and I don’t care to be gloomy right now, what with what lies ahead of us.” She glanced at a dainty watch that encircled her wrist. “We should be arriving in Butte within the hour.” She nodded to Eunice. “Shall we repair to our car to change?”
Even though Eunice longed to question her mother more about her father, she rose from the chair. “Indeed we should. I’m certainly not intending to arrive looking anything less than fashionable, which will undoubtedly throw the family off guard.”
“And while I would love to return home dressed in one of my horribly sewn robes just to see their reactions,” Georgette said, rising to her feet, “I’m going to wear that delicious gown Phillip made for me.”
