“You have Miss Templeton to thank for that. Her tisane worked wonders for this influenza,” said Arthur, watching the gentleman closely.
“Vi is incredible,” said Mr. Gadd with a nod. “She’s brilliant at so many things. Quite an impressive lady.”
“Have you known her for a long time?”
“Our whole lives, of course. We both grew up here.” Mr. Gadd paused in place and considered that. “I cannot say we knew each other well, as we had little in common as children, but she became friends with my sister a few years back, so our paths started crossing quite regularly. It’s hard to believe we were ever just distant acquaintances. I adore her.”
Those three words made his heart sink; Mr. Gadd spoke them with such obvious affection that one couldn’t doubt the truth of the sentiment. Enough so that Arthur nearly turned away. Yet he couldn’t allow the valuable opportunity to pass. Even if he had no idea how to phrase the next question.
“Is that when you two began courting?” Not the best way to ask it, but Arthur was glad to finally have it out. After all, the question ought not to be surprising after such a blatant declaration.
No, what was shocking was Mr. Gadd’s reaction.
Gaping, he stared at Arthur for a long moment before bursting into laughter. “Courting? Are you mad?”
Mr. Gadd could hardly speak through his guffaws. Though Arthur didn’t care for the reaction and what it said about thegentleman’s feelings toward the lady, his temper remained dormant, as Mr. Gadd’s tone was one of genuine bewilderment and not mocking.
For the briefest of moments, understanding dawned bright, filling his world with light and colors as Arthur considered the implications. They weren’t courting, and Mr. Gadd was no rival. Blessed news.
But the elation lasted only a heartbeat, for the next moment Mr. Gadd got himself under control and called to Miss Templeton. Arthur’s muscles tensed, and his skin flushed as heat swept over him; his mind frantically fought to find a way out of this coming conversation, but his wits always failed him in such moments, leaving him standing about like a gaping trout.
“Vi, you are going to love this,” said Mr. Gadd, handing her a drink before throwing an arm around the lady—something that would’ve had Arthur’s blood boiling mere moments ago. “Dr. Vaughn thought I was courting you.”
Chapter 33
Before Arthur could think what to say (not that his mind or tongue supplied anything useful), Mr. Gadd laughed, jostling Miss Templeton with an expression that begged her to join in the fun. The lady obliged, which made Mr. Gadd’s grin broaden, but Arthur’s brow furrowed at the clear sign of her discomfort. Miss Templeton held herself stiffly, though she made a valiant effort to seem unaffected.
“How odd would that be? Like courting my sister.” Another boisterous laugh before Mr. Gadd took a drink from his cider, though he struggled not to choke on it. And Arthur rather hoped he would.
“You are a fantastic lady and all, but I could never imagine courting a lady taller than myself,” said Mr. Gadd, glancing up to the top of her head before nudging her with his shoulder. “And if I am not mistaken, you are older as well.”
“By only a few months,” she murmured with a smile as brittle as glass.
“Still,” said Mr. Gadd with a mock shudder. “Neither of us would ever dream of such a horrid pairing. Could you imagine yourself with a gentleman shorter than yourself? What lady would fancy such a thing? Ridiculous. What a laugh!”
The gentleman’s words were wretched on their own, but the more he spoke, the more his tone held a note of disgust, as though no one with an ounce of sense or decency would disagree with him and any who dared ought to be bound for prison or an asylum.
Heat flickered in Arthur’s chest, but before he opened his mouth, Miss Templeton spoke first.
“Yes, Mr. Gadd, I can imagine myself marrying a man shorter than myself,” she said, raising her chin in a slight challenge. “I cannot fathom—nor do I wish to—why anyone would judge another person’s suitability on an arbitrary standard of beauty. What does it matter in the slightest? A good heart is worth far more than aesthetics.”
Arthur’s breath caught. Though it had been clear to him from the beginning that Miss Templeton put little stock in outward appearances and did not judge him for his deficiencies, hearing her vehemently cast aside such a commonplace belief set his heart burning even more. But for more pleasant reasons.
Mr. Gadd frowned, his brows pulling low. “Come, now. Surely, you wish to be attracted to your spouse. Or would you prefer a loveless marriage?”
Miss Templeton’s brow arched, her gaze narrowing on the fellow. “Firstly, attraction is not love nor is love attraction. Though most people do not seem to see the difference, I have seen enough supposed ‘love matches’ fail to know that you can feel desire without any genuine affection—”
“One cannot love without attraction,” said Mr. Gadd.
“Are you attracted to your sister?” she retorted. The gentleman’s expression of horror gave his answer readily enough, and Arthur almost felt like laughing at it.
But with a shake of his head, he scoffed. “That is not the same, and you know it.”
“What I know is that people use the word ‘love’ without understanding it. They attribute it to the foolish ideals set about in plays, novels, and poetry, as though love is something one stumbles in and out of without warning, but that is nothingmore than superficial desire. Love—real love—is based on more than appearances. It involves friendship and respect, choice and sacrifice. Even a mother’s love can grow cold if neglected.”
Miss Templeton spoke with a tone that brooked no refusal, her expression daring him to argue with her, and fool that he was, Mr. Gadd seemed not to realize it wasn’t a battle he would win. Arthur silently cheered her on as she eviscerated her foe.
“You are saying you would happily marry a man you only consider a chum?” he asked with a tone of utter disbelief.
