“I would certainly like to hear it sometime,” Sarah said.
“As would I,” Mary agreed.
“Perhaps tomorrow when there are fewer people about?” Richard suggested.
Chadwick’s expression grew wary. “It’s more of an impromptu thing that I do on occasion when it feels right. I cannot promise that it will be equally good when planned. Especially not since your expectations at this point will probably exceed the performance.”
“If your delivery remains unchanged, then there is no doubt in my mind that they will find it equally amusing,” Lady Fiona said. She nudged Chadwick with her elbow, reminding everyone else that she was still a novice when it came to ballroom protocol.
Edging slightly away from her, Chadwick looked to Mary. “I was wondering if I might have the honor of dancing with the bride.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle in response to his flamboyant tone. “Spencer has just secured the cotillion and the waltz belongs to my husband, but perhaps a country dance?”
“Splendid!” Chadwick announced, accepting the dance card that Mary handed to him so he could scribble his name.
“It looks as though it is time for that cotillion you just mentioned,” Spencer said with a nod toward the dance floor. Stepping away from Sarah, he offered Mary his arm. Exchanging a loving gaze with Richard, she accepted and allowed her brother-in-law to lead her forward.
Richard watched her go, unable to resist smiling at the thought of the secret they shared. To think that Lucia Cavalani was presently dancing with his brother... The idea was too preposterous for words. Shaking his head, he didn’t even realize that Chadwick had secured the same dance with Sarah, leaving him alone with Fiona who was studying him with great interest.
“What is it?” she asked. “You look as though you are about to start laughing at any moment.”
“I’m just happy,” he said, hoping to leave it at that. “Knowing that I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world fills me with such joy, Fiona.”
She tilted her head slightly and looked toward Mary who was now laughing in response to something Chadwick had said. “I think you have chosen very well, Richard. She makes a fine addition to this family. Everyone agrees.”
“Everyone?”
“The rest of our sisters and Mama and Papa too. They are so thrilled for you, not to mention happy to have you back in our midst. Mama suffered greatly because of your self-imposed isolation.”
“I know,” he said, his heart a little heavier than before, “but it was unavoidable. I was desperately unhappy when I returned to England—furious too, as you can no doubt understand. It took a miracle for me to move past all of that.”
“In other words, it took Mary,” Fiona said. Her eyes danced with amusement as she looked up, meeting his gaze.
He gave her a concrete nod. “Precisely.”
A small pause followed while they watched the dancers. “I wonder who will be next to get married,” Fiona then said. “If this pattern continues, Rachel, Emily, and Laura will leave Thorncliff with husbands of their own.”
Richard slanted a look in Fiona’s direction. She was not standing still, as a young lady ought to. Instead, her foot was impatiently tapping the beat of the music. At eighteen years of age, it was clear that she had not yet let go of her childhood completely. And yet, her figure was undeniably that of a young woman. In fact, now that he really looked at her without being distracted by the silliness that often defined her character, there was no denying that she would soon turn the heads of countless gentlemen. With this in mind, he couldn’t help but ask, “What about you?”
With a dismissive snort she gave him a look of complete incredulity. “I have only just had my first Season so there is no rush as far as I am concerned. Besides, I can think of no man whom I would be able to tolerate for an indefinite amount of time and no man capable of tolerating me. Perhaps when I am older I will think differently about it?”
“Especially if the right man comes along,” Richard agreed.
Her gaze returned to the dance floor. “Do you know, I have always thought that Chadwick and Laura would be very well suited for each other.”
It took a second for Richard to process this idea. He looked toward his brother’s closest friend—the man who’d been part of the Heartly family for so long. “Chadwick and Laura?” Was Fiona really that clueless? “I was not aware that they favored each other’s company.”
“Perhaps I ought to do something about that,” Fiona murmured.
Raising an eyebrow, Richard turned to her. “Fiona, I have always liked Chadwick—ever since Spencer first brought him home with him from Eaton for the holidays—but having had no contact with him in recent years, I am curious to know what your opinion of him might be.” Hesitating briefly, he chose his next words carefully. “Now that you are older, you might be more aware of his character. In fact, it has not escaped my notice that you seem to enjoy his company quite a bit.”
She laughed at that. “Chadwick is hilarious, Richard. He has the ability to make everyone laugh, which when you think about it, is quite a rare talent. As for my opinion of him, I like him very well indeed and have always considered him a brother.”
Richard said nothing further. He simply wondered how long it would take for Fiona to realize that the relationship she had with Chadwick was very different from what she thought it to be. Indeed, the look in Chadwick’s eye when she’d nudged him and the way in which he’d added distance between them, was telling. Making a mental note to mention it to Spencer, Richard waited for his wife to return from the dance floor, her eyes sparking with emotion the moment they met his.
Later, after supper had been eaten and the waltz had been danced, Richard escorted Mary over to the music room where they were joined by Sarah, Spencer, Chloe, Stonegate and Lady Duncaster. Having taken their seats, they waited expectantly for their hostess to tell them why she’d asked them to join her.
“Since your arrival,” Lady Duncaster began, her gaze traveling to each of them in turn, “you have discovered something relating to the past. I think it might be time for you to share these discoveries with each other if there is to be any hope of ever finding the box that the late Earl of Oakland came here to retrieve.”
