“I must say I am flummoxed.”
David turned his gaze to his friend, brows furrowed, but before he could ask, Benjamin clarified, “You clearly didn’t care for either lady when you spoke to them at the Hyatts’ picnic, yet you are forcing another meeting. Why are you so determined to find this Mystery Lady of yours?”
Straightening, David stared at his friend. “I discovered a lady with whom I shared a significant bond. Despite only spending a few hours together, it was clear we were kindred spirits. Why wouldn’t I be determined to discover her identity?”
Benjamin scratched at his cheek. “No, I understand that quite well. I would do the same. But every time you’ve spoken about her, I cannot help but think you’re describing precisely the sort of bond you share with Katherine.”
Sinking back into his seat with a laugh, David shook his head. “Ah, since your matchmaking at the picnic failed, you’re now trying to foist your sister on me?”
“That is not at all what I am doing,” said Benjamin with a scowl. “I am speaking in earnest, David. I watched you two together at the picnic, and for all that we are friends, it’s clear you prefer her company. The two of you understand each other in a way that I do not. There is more to you two than mere friendship.”
The smile fled from David’s face, and a chill swept across his skin. “I am giving her that impression? Have I raised her expectations? Do others believe we are courting?”
Good heavens above, the implications in that question flitted through his mind in rapid succession. A gentleman didn’t do that to a lady. To cause her and her reputation such harm demanded only one course of action.
“Not at all,” said Benjamin, holding up his hands in placation and pulling David from those panicked thoughts. “I’ve never given it a thought before, but with your hunt for the Mystery Lady, I do find myself genuinely curious as to why you are searching for another lady when Katherine fits the bill quite nicely.”
That answer allowed his pulse to slow, and David shook aside the remnant fear that had taken hold of him. Not that spending a life with Miss Leigh was an unpleasant prospect, for he adored her, but a forced marriage would not be a happy ending for either of them.
When David’s thoughts cleared enough for him to answer, he struggled for the words. “Your sister is a wonderful lady, and I am lucky to count her as my friend, but one cannot simply decide to love another.”
“As you keep spouting about the ‘connection’ and friendship you shared with your Mystery Lady, I had expected a better answer than that,” replied Benjamin with a frown. “Do you truly believe this lady, whom you knew for only a few short hours, is preferable to someone you’ve known for years and clearly care for?”
“Marriage hasn’t been on my mind,” said David with a shrug. “I cannot say that I gave it any thought before.”
Benjamin raised his brows in challenge. “But you have now, so why not Katherine?”
“I have never considered her in that light. Neither of us has. She is like an older sister—”
“She is only five years older. A number that no one would even consider if your ages were reversed.”
David nodded, though it didn’t settle the restless feeling. Standing, he walked the length of the room and stopped, his hands tucked behind him.
“So, why not Katherine?” prodded Benjamin.
Turning his thoughts to the question at hand, David shrugged. “In all the years I have known her, I have never considered her as anything more than a friend, and that isn’t going to suddenly change simply because you tell me I ought to. One cannot command love.”
“Are you so enamored with your silly Mystery Lady that you cannot see you have something far better within your grasp? What does this fantasy lady have that is so much better than a lady whose company you crave and whose opinion you value?”
With a scoff, David narrowed his eyes. “Quite the question from a man who treats that lady like a pest.”
Holding up his hands in surrender, Benjamin shook his head. “I may not understand the appeal, but this is not about my relationship with her. You prize her above all others, so I am at a loss to comprehend why you are searching elsewhere.”
David turned away and paced the length of the parlor. “Leave it be, Leigh. There is a lady out there who fits the bill, and I am going to find her.”
*
The edge of the book dug into her skin, piercing her arms as Katherine clutched it to her chest, but she couldn’t feel the pain. As she stood just beyond the parlor door, her feet were frozen to the floor, unable to make herself known or flee as she listened to her friend and brother debate her merit as a woman.
There was a vast difference between suspecting a thing and knowing it to be true. Despite all the many times Katherine had told herself Mr. Archer did not view her in a romantic light, hearing his laughter at Benjamin’s suggestion made her heart shatter. The icy shards sliced through her, leaving her chest a gaping wound.
Hisolder sister?
Even if Katherine had been able to ignore Mama’s constant harping about her unappealing features, the dismissive manner in which others treated her was proof enough. Had any man ever viewed her favorably? At best, the men thrust upon her had been aloof. Gentlemen like Mr. Mowbry deigned to glance in her direction only if other prey was unavailable. No man asked her to dance of his own accord. No man sought out her company. Few even looked her directly in the eye, as though giving even that vague acknowledgment might raise expectations.
Except Mr. Archer.
Yet even he did not view her as a woman. He danced around it, never going so far as to call her plain, but it was rife in his meaning. For all that the euphemisms were intended to soften the blow, in many ways, they made it all the more painful. “Ugly” was not a terrible thing, or ought not to be. It was simply a description. A word. But when one said “unappealing,” it carried all the same meaning but with the connotation that ugly was something shameful. Elsewise, one needn’t be afraid to say it.
