Four days later
“Are you feeling all right, my dear?” Mary’s aunt asked. The two of them were sitting in the zoological salon where wildlife murals of exotic animals and plants graced the walls.
“Perfectly so,” Mary said, a little surprised by the question. “Why do you ask?”
“Because it has not escaped me that you have been rising later than usual for several days now.” Lady Foxworth peered at Mary from behind her spectacles. A maid arrived with a knock at the door, bustling in with the tea tray the ladies had ordered. As soon as she was gone, Lady Foxworth said, “I fear you might be ill.”
“Well, if you will recall, I have had a headache almost every evening for close to a week,” Mary said, reaching for the teapot and beginning to pour. “And then of course there is my ankle to consider.” Much to her annoyance, she’d sprained it three days earlier, preventing her from exploring the villa any further. The only positive outcome had been Richard’s insistence on carrying her to and from the cave so she could at least continue singing.
“My point exactly.”
“But I feel much better now.” Eying her aunt, Mary slid one of the teacups across the table in her direction. “I have had to socialize a great deal more than usual since coming here so the rest required by my injury was not completely unwelcome.”
Sipping her tea, Lady Foxworth nodded. “Yes, it can be quite exhausting, having to speak to other people all day, though I must admit that I do enjoy the change. It is a departure from our otherwise tranquil life.”
Mary didn’t argue, though she did momentarily wonder how her aunt would react if she knew that Mary’s life was far from tranquil. “How are things progressing with Mr.Young?” she dared ask. “Has he shown you any of his experiments?”
Lady Foxworth’s eyes lit up. “Oh, indeed he has! Truthfully, he is such a kind man, Mary. I have enjoyed his company immensely these past few days and shall hope to continue doing so.”
“I am pleased to hear it,” Mary said, and then she added, “You should invite him to Dunholm in the fall. I am sure Vicar Brinsley would be happy to have him stay at his home for a week so that Mr.Young can call on you at Foxworth House during the day.”
“I... I really don’t know,” Lady Foxworth hedged, her cheeks flaming as she dropped her gaze to her lap. “I am not so sure that we know each other well enough yet for me to suggest such a thing.”
“Perhaps not yet, but I do believe that you will by the time we leave Thorncliff.” Mary paused a moment before adding, “Imagine showing him your telescope, Aunt Eugenia. I daresay he would be quite impressed!”
The smile that graced Lady Foxworth’s lips belonged to that of a young girl fresh out of the school-room. Raising her gaze, she looked at Mary. “I think you might be right about that.” She reached for a sweetmeat and turned a little more serious. “But what about you? How are you progressing with the young gentlemen here? Do you find either Rotridge or Belgrave pleasing?”
Suppressing a shudder, Mary sat up a little straighter and proceeded to tell her aunt the truth. “Belgrave has proven himself to be most agreeable—a true gentleman through and through.”
Lady Foxworth inclined her head. “This sounds promising.”
“Except for the fact that there is no spark.”
“No spark?”
“Precisely. In fact, I fear a marriage between the two of us would be somewhat bland and... lacking any degree of passion.”
Lady Foxworth’s eyebrows rose. “Have you been reading fanciful novels recently?”
Mary shook her head. “No, but if I marry—”
“Ifyou marry?” Lady Foxworth’s eyes widened with horror while her voice conveyed her alarm.
Mary bit her lip. “What I meant to say waswhen.” Her aunt breathed a visible sigh of relief, as did Mary. The fact that she’d seriously been considering spinsterhood until recently wasn’t a conversation that she wished to endure at present. “When I marry, I would like for it to be for love. Mama and Papa have both allowed me to try and do so.”
“And how much longer do you suppose that will take?” Lady Foxworth raised an eyebrow. “In my estimation you are extremely fortunate to have gained Belgrave’s attention. To receive an offer from him would be quite splendid.”
Mary was aware. But her heart could not be controlled by the promise of a title. Instead she found herself increasingly drawn to a man whose face she’d not yet seen, though she knew it to be scarred. He didn’t know that she’d discovered his true identity and she had made no further mention of any desire that she might have to see his face. Instead, she allowed him the time that he needed to accustom himself to the idea of her knowing him so well.
“Mary?”
She blinked, her mind abandoning the memory of the time that she and Richard had spent in each other’s company these past few days and the pleasure that she felt when she sang for him. Instead, she forced herself to return to the conversation that she was having with her aunt. “You are right, Aunt Eugenia. But I need to know that I am making the right choice before I commit to spending the rest of my life with someone. And frankly, if I am to be honest with myself, none of the eligible bachelors I have met since my debut has been able to hold my interest. Not even Belgrave.”
Lady Foxworth snorted. “If you ask me, they cannot all be lacking, Mary. Are you sure the problem does not lie with you?”
Mary sat back. “With me?”
Lady Foxworth nodded sharply. “You are too picky.”
